Score a surf contest

Want to know how surfers get scored? International Surf Contest judge Joanne Hillman reveals what they look for

It has taken most of the summer for you to learn how to stand up on a board, so what is it exactly that now separates you from those competing at this week’s Billabong Pro Tour event in Teahupoo, Tahiti?� Wideworld picks the brains of Joanne Hillman, an International Surfing Association approved competition judge to find out what to be on the lookout for when it comes to competition time.

Having judged for the past six years, including four World Championships, Hillman informs us that judging competition is far from a cut and dry process. “In terms of scoring competitive rides, the marking criteria is constantly evolving,” she says. “It is not as clear cut as other sports, therefore there can be a great deal of controversy that comes with the point scoring.”

Here’s Hillman’s breakdown of how the surfers are judged when riding the waves.

Commitment

Perhaps the most important element is the commitment shown on a wave. Daring to perform the most radical manoeuvres or take the most risk in the critical section of the wave the curl, when the wave is just breaking is where the competitors are more likely to score the big points. Bold tricks done as the waves are breaking will score more points than manoeuvres on the shoulder of the wave.

Points are awarded in comparison to the risk taken. Commitment on the bigger waves is a good way to score points. There is a lot more risk if a competitor takes off on a bigger wave – for example if there was a big 8-ft wave just breaking and they paddled into it fully committed. They are more likely to score points than if they took off on something that was breaking closer to shore – on the inside.

If a surfer takes off on a wave, does a nice bottom turn, comes up and does an aerial then there is more risk, if you do an aerial further down the wave then the risk element is lessened.

Level of the manoeuvres

Tied to the commitment shown, points are also awarded for the technical difficulty of....

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