The following proposals passed:

Proposal 2: Deadline for Signing Up

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

4 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The current rule doesn't account for injuries or illnesses that happen right before a competition. Also the new rule suggestion accounts for more situations such as changing groups.

Proposal

Old:

7B.5 Deadline for Signing Up

Changing Pairs partners is allowed up to 36 hours prior to the actual competition as long as the category does not change. Adding or subtracting the members of a group routine is allowed up to 36 hours prior to the start of that competition.

New:

7B.5 Deadline for Signing Up

Changing pairs partners is allowed up to 24 hours prior to the actual competition as long as the category does not change. For Group Freestyle, it is recommended to sign up alternates for the routine. In the case of injury or illness, groups with alternates signed up may substitute riders up until the start of the routine. If a group does not have alternates signed up then they must get the permission of the Chief Judge to substitute riders. Adding or subtracting the members of a group routine is allowed up to 24 hours prior to the start of that competition. If a group adds or subtracts riders so that they must change from Large Group to Small Group (or vice versa), this is allowed as long as it doesn't violate the per-country limitations for the competition and it is done at least 24 hours before the event. The Chief Judge must be notified of any changes or substitutions to be made.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 10: Number of Judges

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 10, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Lasse made the point that there are not always enough available judges at smaller competitions. Modifying the rules allows smaller competitions to hold freestyle competitions fairly. I also changed the wording a bit so that it sounds better in English.

Proposal

Old:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

There are five (or more) judges each of Technical and Performance for Age Group, Jr. Expert and Expert competitions (including Group).

New:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

At Unicon and continental championships there must be a minimum of five judges each of Technical and Performance for Age Group, Jr. Expert and Expert competitions (including Group). For smaller competitions there must be a minimum of three judges each. There must be an equal number of Technical and Performance judges.

Body

I also added the part that there must be an equal number of Performance and Technical judges because it doesn't say that anywhere.

References

Proposal 9: Judges Workshop

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 10, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

3 hours is hard to fit into the schedule and it is unnessecary. The only change in this rule is the time changed from 3 hours to 2 hours.

Proposal

Old:

7D.4 Judges Workshop

The hosts of the convention must provide for a judge’s workshop at least 24 hours prior to the start of the Artistic Freestyle competition. A minimum of 3 hours must be set aside, in a classroom or similar environment. If possible, it is strongly recommended to have more than one workshop to accommodate schedules. Variations on this can be approved by the Chief Judge. Workshop schedule(s) must be announced to all judges at least three weeks prior to the start of the competition.

New:

7D.4 Judges Workshop

The hosts of the convention must provide for a judge’s workshop at least 24 hours prior to the start of the Artistic Freestyle competition. A minimum of 2 hours must be set aside, in a classroom or similar environment. If possible, it is strongly recommended to have more than one workshop to accommodate schedules. Variations on this can be approved by the Chief Judge. Workshop schedule(s) must be announced to all judges at least three weeks prior to the start of the competition.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 11: Performance, Technical, Dismounts

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 11, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

4 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

In order to implement this idea, several rules need to be changed. I did my best to find all of them here but I'm sure I missed some. By approving this proposal we also give the editor of the rulebook the opportunity to implement this rule in the rulebook and also fix any rules that should be affected by this proposal but were missed (for example, duplicate rules in different sections due to the rulebook re-org).

Proposal

7C.7 Artistic Freestyle Judging

Judging for Individual, Pairs, and Group Freestyle is divided into three components, Technical, Performance, and Dismounts. They are weighted as follows:

Technical 45%

Performance 45%

Dismounts 10%

Qualified judges may judge one or more components (Technical, Performance, Dismounts) per competition category. For each component, there are subcategories each of which are always scored out of 10 points (for the ease of judging). High scores are better. Scores such as 2.0, 2.2, or even 2.25 are encouraged to help differentiate between riders of similar ability. The subcategories for each component may be weighted differently as described below.

7C.7.1 Individual Freestyle – Technical Score

The Technical part of the judging is broken into three subcategories. These subcategories are weighted as follows:

Quantity of Unicycling Skills and Transitions 25%
Mastery and Quality of Execution 37.5%
Difficulty and Duration 37.5%

7C.7.2 Individual Freestyle – Performance Score

Performance scoring is divided into three subcategories. These subcategories are weighted as follows:

Presence/Execution 33.33%
Composition/Choreography 33.33%
Interpretation of the Music/Timing 33.33%

*New Section* (The majority of this text was taken from the current rule: 7C.7.2.1)

7C.7.3 Individual Freestyle - Dismount Score

The Dismount Score is calculated based on the number of major and minor falls as outlined below. Judges need to be able to differentiate between a planned dismount and an unplanned dismount.

Major dismounts are when the unicycle falls and/or a hand or any body part other than the rider’s foot or feet touch the floor. Major dismounts are also when the choreography of a rider’s routine is clearly affected.

Minor dismounts are when the unicycle does not fall, only the rider’s foot or feet touch down and the choreography of a rider’s routine is not affected. A minor dismount may also be counted when Judges cannot differentiate between a planned dismount and an unplanned dismount.

Exception: Dismounts that occur while the rider is performing a seat drag skill have to be evaluated somewhat differently since the unicycle is already on the ground. For these dismounts, the judges should use the current above language regarding minor and major dismounts but disregard the parts talking about the unicycle. For example, if a rider is performing seat drag in back and steps off the unicycle with only their feet touching the ground, it would be considered a minor dismount unless the choreography of the routine is plainly affected.

Scores are generated using the following calculations:

Score = 10 −1.0 · (number of major dismount(s)) −0.5 · (number of minor dismount(s))

Body

See discussion

References

Proposal 12: Results Sheets

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 11, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Looking at judges scores isn't helpful, it's just confusing. Judging sheets should be published that show a summary of the competition results. There is another proposal using this same rule so if both proposals pass the text will need to be combined.

Proposal

Old:

7D.3.1 Announcing Of Results

Final results will be continuously announced and/or posted for public view. Results Sheets will be posted after each age category of an event. The protest period begins at this point.

New:

7D.3.1 Announcing Of Results

Final results will be continuously announced and/or posted for public view. Results Sheets will be posted after each age category of an event. The protest period begins at this point. Results Sheets show a summary of the overall results for each category. The summary includes the percentage each competitor received out of a total 100% (all competitors together) for Performance, Technical, and Overall. Judge scores will never be shared. A sample Result Sheet could look like:

*An example of the result sheet will be made in the rulebook, tables don't work in this voting software. See this link for an example.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 13: End of Performance

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 11, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Right now there is no clarification of what an "acoustic signal" is. This rule simply clarifies that.

Proposal

Old:

7B.9.3 End Of Performance

The performance ends at a signal from the rider, such as a bow or “Thank you,” an obvious endpoint, or at the end of the time limit. Nothing that occurs after the time limit may affect judging scores.

An acoustic signal will indicate the end of the time limit. Any figures or performing that are done after the end of the time limit will not be judged Performing past the time limit will reduce the rider’s score. All time limits are maximums. Riders need not fill the entire time, but a routine that is very short may suffer in points over a routine with more content. However, a routine that is boring, repetitive or ‘padded’ may lose points for being too long. The rider must decide what makes the best performance.

New:

7B.9.3 End Of Performance

An acoustic signal will indicate the end of the time limit. This acoustic signal can be a generated sound from a computer/device, a buzzer, or a whistle. This acoustic signal must be clearly audible to the competitor(s), judges, and officials. Any figures or performing that are done after the end of the time limit will not be judged Performing past the time limit will reduce the rider’s score. All time limits are maximums. Riders need not fill the entire time, but a routine that is very short may suffer in points over a routine with more content. However, a routine that is boring, repetitive or ‘padded’ may lose points for being too long. The rider must decide what makes the best performance.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 14: Privacy

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 11, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The only thing changed in this rule is the last paragraph. I have made it bolded so that it is easy to find.

Proposal

Old:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

There are five (or more) judges each of Technical and Performance for Age Group, Jr. Expert and Expert competitions (including Group). All judges must attend a workshop provided as part of the convention schedule before the start of the Artistic Freestyle competitions. Exceptions to workshop attendance are granted by the Chief Judge if judging rules have not changed since the previous judging experience and the judge has high Accuracy Scores. Unless otherwise noted, judges at a Unicon must either speak English or have translation assistance for the specified language while judging. Judges at other unicycle conventions should speak the dominant language of that convention or have translation assistance.

Judges’ names must be provided to the Chief Judge (via email, FAX, or postal mail) by at least one month prior to the start of the unicycle convention and include the number of Freestyle conventions where they have been a competitor, judge, or simply in the audience. See section 7C.4.8 for description of which teams/countries are required to provide judges. Judges must be at least 15 years of age at the start of the event. Judges are recommended to be a current Freestyle competitor, a former Freestyle competitor, an active coach of Freestyle routines, a proven judge at prior competitions, or an avid spectator who has observed many Freestyle routines.

New:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

Anything that happens in the course of the judging process (including, but not limited to, judge scores and discussions with the Chief Judge) is confidential and should not be discussed or shared.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 16: Limiting Competitors at non-Unicons

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 18, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

4 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

There are some competitions that might need to have limits but the ones made for Unicon don't work for their competition. For example, if it is a medium sized competition then the hosts may need to limit competitors more than are done at Unicon (a competition that can allow more competitors). Hosts should be able to come up with their own limits to fit the needs of their competition.

The text has been modified in the same way for each rule below and has just added "come up with their own limit guidelines," to each one.

Proposal

Old:

7D.9.1 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Individual

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of competitors using the guidelines below or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

7D.9.3 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Pair

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of competitors using the guidelines below or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

7D.9.5 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Group

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of small/large groups using the guidelines below or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

New:

7D.9.1 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Individual

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of competitors using the guidelines below, come up with their own limit guidelines, or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

7D.9.3 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Pair

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of competitors using the guidelines below, come up with their own limit guidelines, or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

7D.9.5 Maximum Number of Competitors for Jr. Expert and Expert: Group

Non-Unicon: Organizers of non-Unicon events can choose to limit the number of small/large groups using the guidelines below, come up with their own limit guidelines, or have no limit.

Unicon: ....

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 15: Required Age Groups

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 18, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

4 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The category of Jr. Expert is currently not required at Unicon and continental championships.

Proposal

Old:

7D.5.1 Minimum Age Groups: Individual

0-14, 15-UP, Expert. The decision to enter as Expert or Jr. Expert is optional, but must be stated in advance.

7D.5.2 Minimum Age Groups: Pair

Age Group (all ages), Expert. Each rider may enter only once. The age of the older rider determines the age group for the pair. The decision to enter as Expert or Jr. Expert (if used) is optional, but must be stated in advance.

New:

7D.5.1 Minimum Age Groups: Individual

Unicon and Continental Championships: 0-14, 15-UP, Jr. Expert, Expert.

Other competitions: 0-14, 15-UP, Expert.

The decision to enter as Expert or Jr. Expert (if used) is optional, but must be stated in advance.

7D.5.2 Minimum Age Groups: Pair

Unicon and Continental Championships: 0-14, 15-UP, Jr. Expert, Expert.

Other competitions: Age Group (all ages), Expert.

Each rider may enter only once. The age of the older rider determines the age group for the pair. The decision to enter as Expert or Jr. Expert (if used) is optional, but must be stated in advance.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 17: Group Falls

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 31, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Only the formula changed. See discussion.

Proposal

Old:

7C.7.5.4 Group Freestyle: Dismounts

Scores are generated using the following calculations: The number of dismounts should be weighted by the number of riders in the group. The following formula is used:

Mistake Score = 1.0 · (number of major dismount(s)) +0.5 · (number of minor dismount(s))

Final Dismount Score = 10− mistake score/number of riders. This score cannot be lower than 0.

New:

7C.7.5.4 Group Freestyle: Dismounts

Scores are generated using the following calculations: The number of dismounts should be weighted by the number of riders in the group. The following formula is used:

Mistake Score = 1.0 · (number of major dismount(s)) +0.5 · (number of minor dismount(s))

Final Dismount Score = 10− mistake score / √number of riders. This score cannot be lower than 0.

Body

Please read through the explanation here. The only thing that is being changed is the formula.

References

Proposal 1: Time Limit for Jr. Small Group

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 18, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

In both Pairs and Individual, the Jr. Expert competitors receive one less minute for their routine than the Expert competitors. Now that we have a Jr. Expert Small Group competition we can update the time limit to be consistent.

Proposal

Old:

7B.8.1.1 Time Limits For Age Groups

Competition Age Time Limit

Individual: 0-14 2 minutes

15+ 3 minutes

Jr. Expert 3 minutes

Expert 4 minutes

Pair: 0-14 2 minutes

15+ 3 minutes

Jr. Expert 3 minutes

Expert 4 minutes

Small Group: All 5 minutes

Large Group: All 5 minutes

New:

Competition Age Time Limit

Individual: 0-14 2 minutes

15+ 3 minutes

Jr. Expert 3 minutes

Expert 4 minutes

Pair: 0-14 2 minutes

15+ 3 minutes

Jr. Expert 3 minutes

Expert 4 minutes

Small Group: Jr. Expert 4 minutes

Expert 5 minutes

Large Group: All 5 minutes

Body

The Jr. Experts don't need as much time as the Experts.

References

Proposal 8: Group Dismount Judges

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The current rule is worded poorly and doesn't allow for smaller competitions to have modifications.

Proposal

Old:

7C.7.5.4 Group Freestyle: Dismounts

Two or four dismount judges should be appointed by the Chief Judge to count falls for group routines.

New:

7C.7.5.4 Group Freestyle: Dismounts

At Unicon a minimum of four dismount judges should be appointed by the Chief Judge to count falls for group routines.

At smaller competitions a minimum of two dismount judges should be appointed by the Chief Judge to count falls for group routines.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 7: Acoustic warnings during routines

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

These are old rules that aren't followed any more. The majority of freestyle riders know their music very well and don't want any acoustic signals other than the final one.

This final acoustic signal is already defined in rule 7B.9.3 End Of Performance so it is repetitive to have it in the rule about Start of Performance.

Proposal

Old:

7B.9.1 Rider’s No-Signal Option

A rider may have a well-planned routine to music that he or she knows is under the time limit, and does not wish for the acoustic signals to detract from his or her performance. When riders sign up with the Rider Liaison they can request “No acoustic signals.” This will eliminate the ‘Start’ signal, and the 30-second warning. The Timer will still keep the time, and if the rider exceeds the time limit, the Timer will make the ‘double acoustic signal’ to indicate the rider has run overtime.

7B.9.2 Start Of Performance

The judging, the stopwatch, and the ‘performance’ all start at the same time. The Timer starts the watch at the beginning of the music, or at a signal from competitors, whichever comes first. The signal can be a nod, wave, bow, verbal cue (“Start!”) or any clearly understandable means. An acoustic signal (such as a whistle) will indicate that the timing and judging have started. Any non-unicycling activities such as dancing, posing, acrobatics, etc., must be included within the time limit of the routine to be judged. In all Freestyle routines, an acoustic signal will indicate when there are 30 seconds left. In all artistic events, two acoustic signals or a different signal will indicate the end of the riding time and end of the judging.

New:

7B.9.1 Rider’s No-Signal Option - Delete rule.

7B.9.2 Start Of Performance

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 6: Age of Judges

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 2, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 2.

Background

At smaller competitions it is hard to find enough judges. Lowering the judging age to 14 allows for more possible judges. Because big competitions, like Unicon, only use the best of the best judges this rule change won't affect that. Younger judges have less experience and therefore are not chosen very often at Unicon. This rule change would really only affect small competitions to help them.

Proposal

Old:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

.......

Judges must be at least 15 years of age at the start of the event.

........

New:

7C.4 Freestyle Judging Panel

.........

Judges must be at least 14 years of age at the start of the event.

.........

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 5: Delete Rule 7C.6

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The actual time of the routine is not a factor in the judging, judges judge the routine that is demonstrated no matter how long it is. Therefore it's not important for the time to be announced. Judges can ask for the time if they would like to know it.

Proposal

Old:

When a Freestyle performance is finished, the timer will report the actual length of the performance. The time can be either displayed visually or announced publicly. A visual display must be visible to the judges and audience, such as on an electronic timing board or written on a whiteboard. If the routine ran overtime, only the maximum time need be displayed (example: 4:00 for Experts), or nothing at all. For public announcements by voice, the announcement should happen after the performer has exited, or clearly finished performing. In other words it is preferred to wait if the performer has an artistic exit, even though it cannot be judged. Then the announcement should be made, in a form similar to “The performance time was two minutes, forty two seconds.” This announcement must be made without delay, as it is a factor in the judging of the performer. If the performance ran overtime, no voice announcement is needed.

New:

Delete whole rule

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 4: Announcing Results

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

5 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

The current rule doesn't match what takes place at many competition. This new rule allows for both ways of announcing results to be done depending on the competition.

Proposal

Old:

7D.3.1 Announcing Of Results

Final results will be continuously announced and/or posted for public view. Results Sheets will be posted after each age category of an event. The protest period begins at this point.

New:

7D.3.1 Announcing Of Results

At Unicon and Continental Championships, final results will be announced at the awards ceremony. The protest period begins at the conclusion of the awards ceremony.

At other events, hosts can choose to announce results and the awards ceremony or continuously announce and/or post them for public view. If this second option is chosen, Results Sheets will be posted after each age category of an event. The protest period begins at this point.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 3: Media Types

Committee: Freestyle Development Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 05, 2017

Votes on this proposal:

4 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 4, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

These two old rules got combined into one and were also updated to match today's technology.

Proposal

Old:

7B.8.2.4 Music Preparation

In Artistic Freestyle events, music is included in the judging and competitors should use it. It is recommended to have one or more backup copies of all music in case of loss or damage. For recordable disks, competitors are also recommended to test their music on multiple players to make sure it will work at competition time.

Competitors must provide their music in a type that is supported, and has been announced by the Artistic Director. All music must be clearly labeled with the competitor name(s), age group or category, event type (such as Pairs), and if needed, the track number. Whenever possible, competition music should be the first track on the CD. The DJ (music operator) is not responsible for any errors resulting from unsupported types or mislabeled tracks.

AND

7D.8.1 Media Types

The host is required to have the capability of playing recorded CDs. Other media types may also be supported, at the host’s discretion. The Artistic Director is responsible for announcing what media types will be supported, and making sure the necessary equipment is provided.

New:

Media Types and Music Preparation

In Artistic Freestyle events, music is included in the judging and competitors should use it. The Artistic Director is responsible for announcing what media types will be supported, and making sure the necessary equipment is provided. Competitors must provide their music in a type that is supported, and has been announced by the Artistic Director. It is required to have at least one backup copy of all music in case of loss or damage. This backup copy must be provided in the format used at the competition. All music must be clearly labeled with the competitor name(s), age group or category, event type (such as Pairs), and if needed, the track number. For recordable disks, competitors are also recommended to test their music on multiple players to make sure it will work at competition time.

Body

The number of this new rule can be decided by the Rulebook editor since two rules are being combined in this proposal.