2016 Rules & Regulations

An all-new points system has been introduced for the 2015 Big Dawg World Tour. Each skier’s top two finishes will be used to calculate their cumulative score for the overall Big Dawg Ranking List. The top 30 skiers from this list will be invited to the Finals. Please see the official 2016 Big Dawg World Tour Rules and Regulations document below for more information.

Download PDF: 2016 Big Dawg World Tour Rules

2016 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 Water ski 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. 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 6/6/15, can be found at http://www.iwsf.com/rules/2015/World%20rules%202015.pdf.

Who is Eligible NBDWT / Entry Information:

Skiers 35 years and older, who have not placed in the top 10 in the Open Division of a Pro slalom event in the past three years or any skier over the age of 50. All skiers meeting the eligibility criteria above, are extended an invitation and 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 of 45 skiers for all qualifiers.

Entry Procedure:

1. *Invitation Only Registration Period: From 1/15/16 to 2/15/16, skiers with an IWWF average (as of 12/1/15) of 6 @10.75 (-39’), including unadjusted scores for those skiers who are now age eligible from 36 mph divisions, are invited to register. Note: A skier who meets these criteria but does not submit registration during this period will not be protected during the Open Registration period. The list of protected skiers can be found on nautiquebigdawg.com.
2. *Open Registration Period: From 2/15/16 onwards, any skier who meets the age and professional status qualification may submit registration. Once all slots are filled, remaining entries submitted will be put on a waiting list.
3. Please refer to nautiquebigdawg.com for more information on registration and entry procedure for each qualifier and finals, as it may be different for individual events.
4. 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: Entries can be sent in at any time via the preferred method designated by each host (electronic or paper).  Non-protected entries will be prioritized after March 1^st, 2016 based on postmark or electronic time stamp.

2015 NBDWT Qualifying Events for Finals:

June 11-12, Ski Club of the Palm Beach at Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach, Florida
July 2-3, Seseña Waterski & Wakeboard Complex, Seseña, Spain
July 16-17, Little Mountain Ski Club, Maiden, North Carolina
September 9-11, California Pro Am, Rio Linda, California

A points system based on placement at each event will be used to determine qualified athletes for the Finals. The winner of each event will be awarded the maximum of 45 points and will receive an automatic invite to the Big Dawg World Tour Finals. Skiers finishing 2^nd-45^th place will receive points based on the chart below. If an event has more than 45 skiers, those finishing 46^th and/or higher will not be awarded any points. A cumulative score for each skier will be calculated by adding the two highest point totals from the qualifying events.

Sample Skier Cumulative Score Calculation:

Event 1:         33 points
Event 2:         30 points
Event 3:         0 points
Event 4:         38 points
Overall Points for Ranking:        71 points (33+38)

The top 30 skiers will be invited to compete at the Big Dawg World Tour Finals. Ties will be broken by the highest score (ex. 4.5 @ 39 off) of any round of any Big Dawg qualifying event. Second level tie breaks will go to the next highest score. Alternates will be selected in order of the overall Big Dawg World Tour Ranking List.

Seeding Procedures:

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

Finals: Seeding will be based on the 2016 NBDWT Overall Ranking List.

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 9-16 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 16th, 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 16th spot exists after the first- level tiebreak criteria (e.g. best score from qualifying rounds), a run-off will be held to determine the 16th slot.
• 17th place and below 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.
• 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.
  • Preliminary Rounds: 13m (-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 the Sweet 16 head-to-head; 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.

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.

Injury Protocol:

During the head-to-head 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 his place. Example: If seed #3 wins his 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 Associated with Tournament Delays:

Tournament Delays: If for some reason (weather, tech, or other) it is not possible to complete the second preliminary round; the Sweet 16 will be based upon the best single score from the first preliminary round.

1-hour Delay: Minimum rope length will be determined by the tournament officials.

2-hour Delay:

• Top 16 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, 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, refer to best score in qualifying rounds.
• If a tie still exists in cash payout positions, skiers will share payout.

Prize Purse Breakdown:

Qualifiers:

• 1^st – $1,250
• 2^nd – $800
• 3^rd – $600
• 4^th – $300

Finals:

• 1^st – $5,000
• 2^nd – $2,700
• 3^rd – $1,300
• 4^th – $800
• 5^th – $700
• 6^th – $600
• 7^th – $500
• 8^th – $400

NAUTIQUE BIG DAWG WORLD TOUR (NBDWT)

SKIING ORDER BRACKET