Dear Bob,

I had unfortunately no time to speak with you on this topic during Florida Worlds even I could not attend the meeting because I was doing jump distance indication from Olafs’ system to my new scoreboard working automatically with your VJ system….. So I would like to write you down some ideas on this topic.

I am coaching my two boys, Zdenek got 22^nd in this open Worlds 14 years old and he got 9^th place at junior Worlds in Chile in 13 years age. Martin scored 6490 in age of 11 years. So I deal with tricks event a lot, I study the skiers tricks programs performed and performing the tricks from videos, that I take at each competition with big skiers…. So I think I should tell something to this problem.

I would like to start from Chile 2002 where nearly all the boys in Serie 2 and all in Serie 1 had nearly the same tricks program, such competition MUST BE BORING FOR PUBLIC, that could not recognize, if somebody is making a little faster or slower or if somebody has 7 turn instead of 5 that gives him more points…. The standard program is: hand pass with 3..5 wake turns, mostly two or three 5W and 3WBB or some SKI LINES in Serie 1 skiers followed by FLIPS sequence, that only differ with order of performing but looking the same for public.

Toe standard pass is T7, T5B,TWBB,RTWBB,TBB,RTBB, T5F, TO, RTO, TWO and then something, nearly nothing for slow skiers and some TWL tricks for high performing skiers… so again all the tricks looking the same for public. So I feel we need a change to get more variability in skiers tricks runs to get tricks event more spectacular for public.

From trick coach point of view I think, that the flips were difficult to learn and got many points for them only in the past, when trick coaches did not know, how to teach them except several people in the world in that time…. Now this has changed and two basic back flips are very easy to learn in short time, it is much easier than 5WB for example…. The proof of this are the runs like S,RS, B, F, RB, RF, B, BB, RBB, WFLIPB, RWFLIPB that we can see sometimes at some small competitions. My younger son Martin started to try first flip 8 years old, it was many tries when I did not know the issue of this trick, I studied that from videos and after I found KNOW HOW for the flip and we changed some things in coming to the wake he made it in 2 weeks of training, next season reverse flip and this season flip half twist into back, so he can do now 3 flips in only 11 years of age, while 2 basic flips are very stable being done fast in his program. So I feel we need a change to balance flips points with the other tricks , while some non flips tricks are much more difficult to learn and they have less points than flips, that are easier now comparing with the time they were introduced like valid tricks.

Conclusion:

Regarding the tricks values I am mostly in favor of the original athletes commission proposal, that was published on the web long time ago. I would suggest to change only one trick, that is spectacular and can bring more variability into trick programs, it is RTWO made into WRAP position, it is worth more than 300 points it has now the same like much easier basic TWO trick from wrapped to basic position, this would deserve about 400 points in my opinion.

Regarding a change bringing more variability into Toe passes I would suggest not to allow skiers to do more than 4 scored surface tricks in consequence, after making maximum 4 surface tricks the skier would have to cross the wake or to do at least one wake trick / nevertheless scored or not / to be allowed to do another scored surface tricks. This would bring many new trick runs, there is many possibilities how to make trick run matching this rule.

Sept 23 2003 Zdenek KOLMAN , tricks coach and J1 judge