Rules and Formats

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. The host country may run a different format with the approval of NBDWT Committee.

Who is Eligible for the Nautique Big Dawg World Tour (NBDWT) / Entry information:

Skiers 35 years and older, who have not placed in the top 10 in the Open Division of a Pro 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. The entries will be accepted based on USA Water Ski National Rankings List score. If a foreign skier wants to enter a US Qualifier, his IWWF Ranking List score will be used. Maximum of 45 skiers.

Entry Procedure:

1. *Invitation Only Registration Period: From 1/1/14 to 3/1/14, skiers with either a USA Rankings list average or IWWF average (as of 12/1/13) 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.
2. *Open Registration Period: From 3/1/14 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. 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 regardless of means (electronic or paper).  Non protected entries will be prioritized after March 1^st 2014 based on post mark or electronic time stamp (Cedar Ridge, MS only accepts paper mail-in entries).

• 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/under the light Finals, etc.

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, refer to best score in qualifying rounds
• 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 the payout

Contingency Plans Associated with Tournament Delays/Under the Light Finals, etc.

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.