check out "Tricks Party for Dummies" on the Documents page.)
Developed by Roger and Sylvie Tessa-Gambassi of France, the Tricks PartyTM format came into being in 1999. Since its inception, Tricks Party has become a favorite among European sport kite competitors. Roger and Sylvie's efforts in bringing Tricks Party to the rest of the world culminated in May 2005 in the first ever Freestyle World Cup event, held in Cap d'Agde, France. An invitational event that has sparked widespread renewed interest and excitement in sport kiting, Freestyle World Cup started the ball rolling for Tricks Party competitions in many countries outside of the European continent, including the United States, where Tricks Party made its debut in Jersey City, NJ, in late July 2005.
What follows is a general description of how Tricks Party competition works. Details of rules, judging criteria, and scoring are all contained in the "Tricks Party Guidelines" document available under Documents. Specific requirements for obtaining certification of Tricks Party events in the United States are explained under Event Certification.
Like traditional sport kite competition, Tricks Party competition is divided into two basic components: one that tests specific trick skills (called Imposed Tricks), and one that allows competitors to tap their own creativity by incorporating tricks into a choreographed routine (Ballet). However, Tricks Party judging and scorekeeping place more emphasis on tricks than on any other aspect of a competitor's performance on the field.
To achieve this different focus, the Tricks Party founders developed a set of guidelines designed to give fliers more freedom to take risks on the field and to concentrate more of their energy on learning the many exciting new sport kite maneuvers that are continually evolving. In part as a result of the shift in focus that the Tricks Party format offers, the limits of modern sport kite flying have been significantly extended since the start of the twenty-first century.
A circular field that creates an arena feel and brings spectators closer to the action, less strict rules about flying over boundaries, and sharply reduced penalties for ticks and crashes are just some of the elements that, compared to standard sport kite competition, give Tricks Party a noticeably more relaxed and exciting atmosphere.
Tricks Party competition is designed to be run on a circular field 80 meters (about 260 feet) in diameter instead of the traditional square field. Because kites fly in an arc and because the rule about flying out of bounds is more relaxed in Tricks Party competition (as described below), this relatively small field size works, even for teams. Outside the boundary that marks this field, which is called the red line, a second boundary about 20 feet away marks the point that spectators are not permitted to cross and provides a buffer between the spectators and the actual field boundary. The red line is an easily crossed tape affixed directly to the ground. The outer boundary is more of a barrier, often consisting of banners that lend a festive feel to the field while serving their more utilitarian purpose of protecting spectators.
The great advantage of the circular field is that it creates the feel of an arena that the normal square sport kite competition field does not have. Therefore, the field setup in Tricks Party seems more spectator-friendly than the traditional square field, where the four corners tend to be relatively dead flying zones that serve only to distance spectators from the action. With the round field, spectators can come in closer around more of the perimeter of the field, get a better look at what's going on, and feel more a part of the action.
Tricks Party competition is divided into two components: Imposed Tricks and Ballet. Rankings are based on a combination of the two, so all Tricks Party competitors—whether individuals, pairs, or teams—must participate in both Imposed Tricks and Ballet.
In Imposed Tricks, competitors fly predefined tricks instead of the compulsory figures that are part of traditional sport kite competition. Eight tricks are chosen ahead of time. Then, on the day of competition, basing their decision on the current wind conditions, the judges select four of those eight tricks to be flown by the competitors. All four imposed tricks must be flown within a prescribed period of time (2 minutes for individuals, 3 minutes for pairs and teams), and competitors may make a second attempt at each trick if they wish.
For the Ballet segment, at least a week before the event, competitors submit two programs in which they list 6 to 12 tricks that they plan to include in a choreographed performance. Upon taking the field on the day of competition, each competitor chooses which of the two programs to fly and may opt to change (but not remove) two of the tricks on that program. The Ballet score consists of individual scores for each of these specified tricks, as well as an overall score for style. A competitor's Ballet performance may contain many more tricks and other elements that are not specified on the program. These unspecified elements contribute to the overall style score and coherence of the performance, but unlike the program tricks, they are not given separate scores.
Penalties in Tricks Party are more relaxed than in traditional competition. Both ticks and crashes incur some penalty, but the resulting 1- and 2-point deductions in Tricks Party are relatively inconsequential.
Perhaps the most notable difference in penalties between traditional sport kite competition and the Tricks Party format is the fact that, in Tricks Party, flying out of bounds does not disqualify a competitor. In fact, every individual competitor is allowed one free, 15-second instance of crossing the boundary with kite or body. Even after that first instance, a competitor may cross the boundary again, each time incurring a penalty of only 1 point for every 15 seconds spent out of bounds.
The Tricks Party field staff consists of three judges, a field director, two line judges, an announcer, a sound engineer, and a scorekeeper.
Tricks Party judges must have a thorough knowledge of all tricks formally recognized by the Tricks PartyTM organization, and they must be able to make very rapid evaluations of the tricks being flown. Because speed is important in judging Tricks Party competition, the methods of scoring are relatively simple.
As in standard sport kite competition, the field director is the competitor's most important aide on the field. In fact, the Tricks Party field director plays a crucial role in helping competitors stay on target throughout their Ballet routines. As in traditional competition, the field director keeps track of setup and performance times, checks wind speed, and monitors the red line behind the competitor to warn about crossing the boundary. In addition, however, the Tricks Party field director tells competitors what the next trick on the program is throughout each Ballet performance. This last task means that the field director not only must be able to recognize the program tricks being flown, but also must be physically able to keep up with the competitor to remain close enough throughout the performance to be in constant communication. Flying the tricks listed on the Ballet program in the proper order is imperative for achieving a good Ballet score, so this function of the field director is quite important.
Line judges play a significant role in Tricks Party. In addition to warning competitors when their kites have crossed the red line by raising a flag and blowing a whistle, the line judges must keep track of how many times a competitor's kite crosses the boundary and how long the kite is out of bounds in order for the out-of-bounds penalties to be applied correctly.
The differences between many tricks can be quite subtle, so good announcing of Tricks Party competition is crucial for helping spectators understand and enjoy what they're watching. A good Tricks Party announcer is therefore an invaluable asset to promotion of the sport. An announcer who is knowledgeable about the tricks, about the competitors, and about the way the competition is run (and who can inject a certain amount of pizzazz into relaying that information to the spectators) can do wonders for keeping a crowd interested and entertained, even through the Imposed Tricks portion of the competition!
For additional details of Tricks Party staffing requirements, see Event Certification.
Monday April 24 2006
