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 Adventure Sports Unlimited |
Competition TipsNotes taken by Mark Pastick from the lecture section of a Dick Wold surf class, held before the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival
Time management
Wear a watch to accurate count of your 20 minute heat
Be aware of what color jersey your wearing and time of your
heat.
Missing your heat is a very common and costly mistake.
In 20 minutes you have to catch a minimum of 3 waves the
judges can
score. With a maximum of 10 waves that are judged.
Always surf more
than three waves just in case you need a tie breaker.
Sometimes tie
breakers will go to 5 waves. Also suggest catching a wave
early in the
heat. This gets you going. Sometimes waiting too far
outside for the
waves that never come and eats up the clock.
Get all your gear together before you need it.
PreparationGet in condition by working out. Several very good kayakers will train by swimming. Upper body work outs and endurance conditioning is where its at. Surfing double sessions the week before will also help greatly. Practice in the boat your competing in since all paddle craft surf different. Get used to what your using. Watch the waves before you go out from the cliffs so you get an idea where you want to set up and start your rides, see the line or path your ride will take and include mentally your end move. Triangulate that spot where you want to start with 3 different landmarks. When they all 3 landmarks line up you know your in the right spot.
When Do you hit the water?
I recommend to plan on reaching the water 20 minutes before
your next
heat. This give you a little wiggle room in case
unforeseen obstacles
need to be overcome.
Don't start too early or too late.
Dick Wold likes to start a little late. By getting out to
the contest
site just before the heat horn sounds. When the heat horn
sounds you
have 14 minutes then 2 horns to mark the last 5 minutes of
the heat
then 3 horns sound to give you 1 minute to clear the area
so the next
heat can start.
PerformingChoosing which waves to take is an important decision. At Steamer lane in Santa Cruz this is what the judges seem to like and dislike. Always surf the right side of the wave. The judges seem to score low when you take off left side. The judges also don't like back surfing and 1 trick pony. Mix up your ride with several different maneuvers. Get some waves early. It may psyc out our opponent and get you some early points. Judges like maneuvers in critical situations. Be dynamic not static. Roller coaster, spins in critical situations. round house cut backs, cut back with tail slash, quick, powerful snappy turns, Soup hops, off the lip barrel roll. Are some suggestions to try. Old school judges scored waves in 3 parts. The take off, ride, and end move. 1 judge usually scored 1 rider. with 3 other judges waiting for the next 3 riders. New school 3 judges all contribute to wave scores of individual riders. Scoring maneuvers in critical situations has overshadowed wave selection. What the total score for a perfect wave? With 3 judges all scoring perfect scores of 10 for your 3 waves will give you the perfect score of 90 points for the heat. High heat scores for contests usually are in the 50 - 60 point range.And finally.. Have fun, be a good sport, and stretch your skills. ~ Mark Pastick
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