2020 Rules and Regulations

For 2020, there will be two independent Big Dawg events that crown both a European Champion and a North American Champion. The first event will be held June 26-28, 2020 at Sesena Wakeboard and Waterski Complex, Sesena Spain. The North American event will be held August 28-30, 2020 at Shortline Lakes in Elk Grove, California. Please see the official 2020 Big Dawg World Tour Rules and Regulations below for more information.

2020 NAUTIQUE BIG DAWG WORLD TOUR

RULES AND REGULATIONS

General:

All events will follow the rules of the local governing body, e.g. USA Water Ski (AWSA) for events within the United States and International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) for international events. All qualifiers and event finals will adhere to the rules as outlined by those governing bodies and this document. All participants will be ranked, pulled, and judged at a max speed of 34MPH.

Please refer to the current IWWF Rulebook for more information. The host country may run a different format with the approval of NBDWT Committee. The IWWF Rulebook, current as of 6/20/2018, can be found at

http://www.iwsf.com/rules/2018/World%20rules%202018.pdf

Who is Eligible NBDWT / Entry Information:

Skiers 35 years and older, who have not placed in the top 10 of an Open Division cash prize event in the past three years or any skier age 50 or above. All skiers meeting the eligibility criteria above are extended an invitation and must submit to the tournament registrar an (a) entry form, (b) proof of membership as required per the governing body of the host country and (c) advertised entry fee. Maximum number of skiers is specific to each qualifier. Please see each event page for more details.

• “Open Division cash prize event” is defined as any event in which the Big Dawg competitor competes within the Open Division of an event offering any dollar amount for a cash prize at any level regardless of sanction guidelines.
• Petitions for qualification of potential Big Dawg competitor can be presented to the committee prior to the first Big Dawg qualifier event.

Entry Procedure:

1. Open Registration Period: From 3/15/20 onwards, any skier who meets the age and professional status qualification may submit registration. Once spots are filled, remaining entries submitted will be put on a waiting list.
2. Please refer to nautiquebigdawg.com for more information on registration and entry procedure for each event, as it may be different for individual events.
3. Refund/Cancellation Policy: No refund for cancellation will be given unless slot is filled. Waiting list entries will be refunded if the skier does not compete.

*PLEASE NOTE: Once registration has officially opened on March 15, 2020 entries can be sent in at any time via the preferred method designated by each host (electronic or paper).

June 26-28, 2020: Botaski – Sesena Waterski Center

August 28-30, 2020: Shortline Lakes, Elk Grove, California, USA

Seeding Procedures:

Seeding will be based on the current IWWF ranking score. Qualification Round 2 seeding will be the same running order as Round 1.

Head-to-Head Competition Rules and Pairings:

• Head-to-Head Seeds 1-8 will be based upon best single score from any of the qualifying rounds. Ties will be broken by using skiers score from second round of qualifying (e.g. back-up score from skiing in the qualifying event). If a tie still exists, the initial seeding placement from that event will be used.
• Head-to-Head Seeds 9-24 will be based upon cumulative score of both qualifying rounds. In the case of a tie on cumulative score, ties will be broken using the skier’s best score from qualifying rounds. If a tie exists for any spot other than 24^th, second-level ties will be broken using the skier’s USA Water Ski National Rankings List score or equivalent IWWF average (non-US skiers). If a tie for the 24^th spot exists after the first- level tiebreak criteria (e.g. best score from qualifying rounds), a run-off will be held to determine the 24^th slot. If run-off consists of multiple skiers, the skiing order will be determined by the running order at the time of the tournament start.
• The 3rd and 4th place will be determined by the best score (of the two losing skiers) in the Final 4. The 5th through 8th place will be determined by the best single score in the round of 8. Any tie for placement will be broken using the back-up score from the round of 16.
• Places 9 – 16 final placement will be based on the skier’s score from the Sweet 16. Tie breaker is Sweet 16 seeding.
• Places 17-24 final placement will be based on the skier score from the LCR. Tie breaker is LCR seeding.
• 25th final placement and below will be based upon best single score from any of the qualifying rounds. Ties will be broken by using skier’s score from second round of qualifying, unless first round scores are only available. (I.E. back-up score from skiing in the qualifying event) If a tie still exists, the initial seeding placement from that event will be used.
• Optional for 2020: Skiers that qualify for Seeds 9-24 will meet in a single round Head-to-Head called the Last Chance Round (LCR). The LCR will be run after Qualifying and before the Sweet 16 and will be scheduled by the LOC. Winners of the LCR brackets will determine Seeds 9-16 in the Sweet 16 Final Bracket.
• Officials and Boat Order: Officiating crews will be split into two boats (Boat 1 and Boat 2). Designation of Boat 1 and Boat 2 will be chosen by the chief driver and will not change during the event (e.g. the same two drivers will pull the head-to-head.). The boats will rotate which crew takes the skier off the dock in the head-to-head pairing in accordance with the following:

• Skier Pairings and Selection of Ski Order: Higher seed in each pairing selects which skier will ski first. The second skier’s score must beat the first skier’s score to advance. The final 2 skiers, (and only the final 2 skiers), will run off any tie per rules of governing body to determine the champion.
• Starting Rope Lengths – May change at the discretion of the tournament officials.
  • Qualifying Rounds – 13m (-32’)
  • LCR – 13 m (-32′)
  • Sweet 16 – 13m (-32’)
  • Elite 8 – 12m (-35’)
  • Final 4/Championship – 12m (-35’)
• A skier may, with notification to the boat judge, continue to ski in an effort to break a record.
• In any Head-to-Head round; opting up is not an option.
• The 3rd and 4th place will be determined by the best score (of the two losing skiers) in the Final 4. The 5th through 8th place will be determined by best single score in the round of 8. Any tie for placement, will be broken using back-up score from the round of 16.
• All skiers’ attendance at banquets is highly recommended.

LCR and Sweet 16 Head-to-Head Running Order:

See attached bracket.

Schedule & Skier Clock, Elite 8, Final 4, and Championship:

• Immediately upon completion of the Sweet 16 (upon completion of the 8th pairing in the Sweet 16), both skiers associated with ski order 1 of the Elite 8, should be prepared and ready for boat deployment.
• The Elite 8 pairings will ski as per schedule below. After the fourth and final pairings of the Elite 8 and once both boats have returned to the dock, a 3-minute clock will start. At the end of the 3 minutes, the skiers associated with the ski order 1 of the Final 4 must be ready and in the water for immediate start of the Final 4.*
• The Final 4 will ski as per the schedule below. After the second and final pairing, (of the Final 4), and once both boats have returned to the dock, a 3 minute clock will start. At the end of the 3 minutes, the two skiers competing for the Championship, must be ready and in the water for an immediate start. *

*A skier not prepared to compete at the end of the clock will be disqualified.

Continuation/ Injury Protocol:

• If for any reason a skier is unable to finish both rounds of initial qualifying rounds, that skier will receive points based on the first successful completed round.

• If for any reason a skier is unable to compete in the first round of the Sweet 16 head to head, that skier will receive 16th place points and all skiers below will move up to fill his spot in the Sweet 16 bracket. The 16^th spot will be filled with the athlete with the highest average score from the qualifying rounds.

• During the head-to-head Sweet 16 competition, if one of the skiers cannot continue due to injury, the next highest scoring non-winner in that bracket will move into the next bracket to take skier’s place. Example: If seed #3 wins the pairing in the Elite 8, but is hurt in the process and cannot continue, the next non-winning skier with the highest score in the Elite 8, will take the injured skier’s place and move into the next bracket (Final 4 in this case). If ties exist when identifying the next highest scoring non-winner, the tie will be broken by taking the highest score from the preceding round (Sweet 16 score in this case). If injury comes during the initial Sweet 16 round and a tie for the highest non-winner skier exists, the tie will be broken based upon Sweet 16 seeding.

Contingency Plans:

Single Boat Format: If two boats are not available for the Head-to-Head rounds, the event will run a single boat for the Head-to-Head bracket. The top seeded skier will choose to ski first or second. The second skier’s score must beat the first skier’s score to advance. If there is a tie for the final 2 skiers, (and only the final 2 skiers), there will be a run-off to determine the champion, per rules of governing body.

In the Single Boat Format, Boat Drivers will cover Head-to-Head as follows:

• Driver A drives the LCR, First 8 skiers
• Driver B drives the LCR, Second 8 skiers
• Driver A drives the Sweet 16, First 8 skiers
• Driver B drives the Sweet 16, Second 8 skiers
• Driver A drives the Elite 8
• Driver B drives the Final 4 and Final Pair

Tournament Delays: If for some reason (weather, tech, or other) it is not possible to complete the second preliminary round in the same day; the Sweet 16 will be based upon the best single score from the first preliminary round. This will be determined by chief judge based on weather forecasts. In the event of a head-to-head round that has started and becomes delayed, the previous head-to-head round scores will be used to determine winners, if unable to finish. Tournament will not be pushed into another day.

1-hour Delay:

• Minimum rope length or maximum number of passes will be determined by the chief judge.

2-hour Delay:

• Top 16 skiers will ski in seeded order (not head-to-head).
• Top 4 scores will advance to head-to-head Final 4.
• If a tie exists in places 4-16, the best score in qualifying rounds will be used.
• If a tie still exists in cash payout positions, skiers will share the payout.

3-hour Delay:

• Top 8 skiers will ski in seeded order (not head-to-head).
• Top 4 scores will advance to head-to-head finals.
• If a tie exists in places 4-16, to determine final 4^th spot, the best score in qualifying rounds will be used.
• If a tie exists in cash payout positions (5-8), skiers will share the payout.

If No Continuation:

• If Sweet 16 is unable to be run, prize money will be based on 2^nd round scores. If 2^nd round scores are unavailable 1^st round scores will determine winners and prize purse.
• After Sweet 16 has been completed prize money will be based on Sweet 16 scores.
• After Elite 8 has been completed prize money will be based on Elite 8 scores.
• After Final 4 has been completed prize money will be based on Final 4 scores.
• If a tie still exists in cash payout positions, skiers will share payout.

Prize Purse Breakdown:

Each individual LOC will post their prize purse breakdown. However, there will be a  $5,000.00 minimum prize purse guaranteed at both stops.

NAUTIQUE BIG DAWG WORLD TOUR

SKIING ORDER BRACKET

2019 Big Dawg Skier Order and Finals Bracket