The following proposals passed:

Proposal 16: Rulebook reorganisation

Committee: Main Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 10, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

14 out of 26 voting members have voted.

Agree: 13, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

Based on the technical options we have now with the rulebook and the fact that it is still not perfect organized, there is the need to reorganize it in a way that make it more comfortable for hosts and riders. You can already found the basic ideas in the discussion thread, some details will be decided for sure while that work is in process.

Proposal

This is about giving green light to a group of native english speaker, leaded by Scott Wilton, to reorganize the rulebook structure in way that makes it more usefull for hosts and riders. This process will start as soon as possible if the committee agree. This group can always benefit from the help of non-native English speakers with a sense of organization, this also make sure nothing the "natives" do doesn't read well for the rest of the world.

All chapters will be availiable after the reorganisation, there will be nothing like a hidden host section or something like that. Everyone will be still able to print out the full rulebook liek now and before.

Body

You find a lot of details already in the discussion thread added to this proposal and some details will be developed while starting the process so there is nothing more detaild to describe here. It is just about YES we want that or NO we don't want to change the structure

References

Proposal 2: Create a separate rulebook chapter for Jumps

Committee: Main Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on December 30, 2014

Votes on this proposal:

18 out of 26 voting members have voted.

Agree: 16, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 1.

Background

The title says it all.

Proposal

Currently all jumps rules are listed under 2.19 the Track and Field chapter. This proposal suggests creating a separate chapter for Jumps.

Body

I don't think any more explanation is needed here.

References

Proposal 27: Kneepad and shin guard definitions

Committee: Main Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

16 out of 26 voting members have voted.

Agree: 16, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The knee pad text could be updated and we require a good shin guard definition.

Proposal

Old Rule:

1d Definitions

...

Kneepads: (For racing) Any commercially made, thick version is acceptable, such as those used for basketball and volleyball, or any with hard plastic caps. Kneepads must cover the entire knee and stay on during racing. Long pants, ace bandages, patches on knees, and Band-Aids are not acceptable.

New Rule:

Kneepads: Any commercially made, thick version is acceptable, such as those used for basketball and volleyball, or any with hard plastic caps. Kneepads must cover the entire knee and stay on during the whole length of the competition. Long pants, bandages or patches are not acceptable substitutes.

Shin guards: Any commercially made, thick version is acceptable, such as those used for football or bicycling, or any with hard plastic shell. Shin guards must cover the shin and stay on during the whole length of the competition. Long pants, bandages or patches are not acceptable as substitutes.

Body

Just a clarification of definitions.

References

Proposal 26: 1.3.1 Safety Equipment

Committee: Main Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 13, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

14 out of 26 voting members have voted.

Agree: 14, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

At previous Unicons, the safety rules have been changed by various people. This rule is being updated to be more clear.

Proposal

Old Rule:

1.3.1 Safety Equipment

You will find the detailed rules about safety equipment in each chapter as point x.3 (2.3, 3.3, 4.3 etc.). Hosts may only deviate from these rules for safety equipment if this is inevitable. The status of “inevitable” has to be documented and must be approved by the IUF executive board. Any deviation from the IUF safety equipment requirements must be approved and announced at least two months before the event.

New Rule:

1.3.1 Safety Equipment

You will find the detailed rules about safety equipment in each chapter as point x.3 (2.3, 3.3, 4.3 etc.). Safety equipment worn by riders must meet the definitions for each, which are found in Section 1d. Hosts may only deviate from these rules for safety equipment if this is inevitable. The status of “inevitable” has to be documented and must be approved by the IUF executive board. Any deviation from the IUF safety equipment requirements must be approved and announced at least two months before the event. Additional inevitable changes that arise just before or during an event cannot be approved by the event director alone. The approval of two IUF representatives is required in addition to the event director's approval. These changes are once again only allowed in the case of the inevitable, and not for example due to the wishes of the competitors or judges.

Body

See discussion and Hugo's remarks about Unicon 17.

References

Proposal 52: Photographers / video filmer

Committee: Main Committee

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 15, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

16 out of 26 voting members have voted.

Agree: 14, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 1.

Background

There were way too many filmers during street at Unicon 17. This problem is only going to get worse.

Proposal

Old rule: none

New rule: 1.X Photography and Videography

The following rules are required for Unicon and are highly recommended for other large international competitions.

In events with closed perimeters, it may be necessary to limit the number of photographers and filmers (hereafter called "shooters") allowed inside. We want great documentation of the events, but not at the expense of safety, and of spectators' ability to see as well.

The following guidelines apply:

Shooters must either register ahead of time to be inside the perimeter of an event, or have actual press credentials (professional photojournalists, TV news people, etc.).
Registered shooters must have some form of ID given to them, whether it be a pass on a lanyard, a volunteer shirt, or something else to help identify them.
The Referee or Head Official for the event has the final say on shooting that can affect the riders and/or spectators’ view.
The Referee or Head Official should appoint a Media Manager to manage this task.
If a Media Manager is used, that person is still under the authority of the Referee or Head Official of the competition.
Media Managers must have a good understanding of the needs of shooters to get the job done.
Shooters must follow the instructions of the Media Manager or Referee/Head Official, and of the officials at the location.
Shooters must generally stay aware at all times of the movements around them.
If shooters continue to get in the way and/or not follow instructions they are to be ejected from the perimeter.
It is greatly appreciated, but not required, that the shooter submits his or her top shots to the Media Manager during or directly following the convention to be used for the press.
Flash is not allowed unless specific permission is given by the event director.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 21: Seat Drag Falls

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 03, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

15 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 15, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Right now it is not clarified in the rulebook whether a fall doing seat drag is classified as a major or a minor fall. Normally, at least in the US, the chief judge declares how it should be judged for that competition. There should be something written in the rulebook so that this is the same for all competitions.

Proposal

Old Rule:

5.24.1 Mistakes: Dismounts

Low scores are given for routines with more than 8 major dismounts, therefore interrupting the flow of the routine. Medium scores are given for a routine that has approximately 3 major dismounts and a few minor dismounts. High scores are given for a routine with no major dismounts, and few or no minor dismounts. 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.

Score can be generated using the following calculations:

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

−0.5 · (number of minor dismount(s))

New Proposed Rule:

5.24.1 Mistakes: Dismounts

Routines with few dismounts will receive a high score in this category. Inversely, routines with many dismounts are given low scores since dismounts interrupt the flow of the routine. Judges need to be able to differentiate between a planned dismount and an unplanned dismount. Planned dismounts do not receive penalties.

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.

Score can be generated using the following calculations:

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

−0.5 · (number of minor dismount(s))

Body

This rule change attempts to clarify the dismount rule and make it easier for judges to be consistent across the board. I also changed the language that dictated what number of dismounts gets what type of score since it is determined by math anyways.

References

Proposal 7: If a rider .... the judges may chose to...

Committee: Flat & Street

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 09, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

9 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Improving accuracy of rule on judge's power to keep the competition flowing.

Proposal

Original rule: "If a rider repeatedly riders longer than their allowed time, distracting the audience and other riders ,the judges may choose to eliminate that rider."

Porposed Rule: "If a rider distracts or delays other riders, judges, commentator, or shows anti-sportive conduct, the judges may choose to warn or eliminate that rider. The chief judge may decide to name a battle manager to take care of these decisions. The battle manager may be any of the judges or the time keeper"

Body

To keep our sport positive and awesome, I think we should add these specifications to the current rule to allow better "control" over the competition ground. As we've seen during past Unicon, if a rider simply doesn't go for their last trick for example, we don't have any power to tell him he must go. We have to note here that the rider can of course take their breath before they go, but it is to prevent intentional delaying of the competition or antisportive conduct.

p.s. since now the riders are indidually timed during a battle, the first part of the rule [If a rider repeatedly riders longer than their allowed time] may seem oudated, but the rider can still keep riding after their "time is up" towards the end of a battle.

References

Proposal 10: Group Freestyle Time Limits

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 09, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

17 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 13, Disagree: 4, Abstain: 0.

Background

At Unicon 17 in Montreal many of the Small Groups really seemed to struggle to fill the 6 minutes given. Instead of shortening their routines for fear of that penalizing their score, the routines dragged out to fill the 6 minutes. In order to keep the time limits the same for both small and big groups, a compromise of 5 minutes for both is proposed. The main reason to keep the time the same for both is in case of changes in the number of performers in each group due to injury, emergency, etc.

Proposal

Old:

5.14.4 Time Limit

Six minutes.

Proposed New:

5.14.4 Time Limit

Five minutes.

Body

This proposal is created to encourage groups to put their best tricks and performance together in an efficient use of time that engages the audience and judges.

References

Proposal 22: Required Practice Time

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 03, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

17 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 14, Disagree: 3, Abstain: 0.

Background

Right now there is nothing in the Rulebook that requires the hosts to provide practice time for Group, Jr. Expert, and Expert competitors on the actual competition floor. I believe that it should be required. For the past couple of Unicons this has been done by the Chief Judge but it is not written as a rule anywhere.

Proposal

No Old Rule exists.

New Rule:

5.23 Pre-Event Practice Time

In order to give fair practice time in the Freestyle competition venue to the high level competitors, thirty minutes for practice must be reserved immediately before each Jr. Expert and Expert competition. During each thirty minute warm-up period only the competitors for that event are allowed to be on the competition floor.

Each group that is competing also must be given time to rehearse on the competition floor. The Artistic Director is responsible for publishing a rehearsal schedule at least two weeks before the competition day. The amount of time allotted to each group is to be determined by the Artistic Director, however, each group must be given the same amount of rehearsal time and it cannot be less than fifteen minutes.

Body

This rule is proposed to ensure that all high level competitors get an even and fair amount of time to warmup and rehearse before their competition.

References

Proposal 24: Ungeared Recognition

Committee: Road Racing

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 14, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

12 out of 19 voting members have voted.

Agree: 10, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 2.

Background

At NAUCC there is a category were the top ungeared rider is recognized in each event, only the top rider, not the top 3.

A "traditional" unicycle is ungeared and those riders should still get recognized for placing without a geared unicycle. Our unicycling community has a long standing history of recognizing every participant and encouraging each rider to continue riding. Just because you don't have a geared unicycle you should be overlooked for performing well in a race.

Proposal

Old Rule (from U.S.A. rulebook as a framework as no prior rule exists)

3.2.1 Ungeared Champion

If there are 5 or more geared riders in an Unlimited event, the fastest ungeared rider will be awarded North American Ungeared Champion for that event. This is only for the overall classification, not for Age Groups.

New Rule

3.2.1 Ungeared Awards

If there are 5 or more geared riders in an Unlimited event, the fastest 3 ungeared riders from both the male and female categories will be awarded with an ungeared title for that event. This is only for the overall classification, not for Age Groups.

Body

See Background

References

Proposal 25: Groups Limits and Minimum

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 04, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

20 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 16, Disagree: 3, Abstain: 1.

Background

We have in other categories "Juniors". Individual, Pair as well as Expert is divided in older and younger riders. We should give the younger rider also the possibility to perform in small groups and the performance will only be compared with riders in the same age. This category should be offered at every Unicon, the rulebook already offers Junior Expert in the other freestyle categories. Large Groups under 15 won't make sense at a Unicon, because there will probably be not enough groups for a competition. Therefore we should just add:

5.14.3 Minimum Age Groups

Small Group: 0-14, 15+

Large Group: none

We had small groups 0-14 and 15 + in Brixen. Groups are one of the highlights of a freestyle competition.

Proposal

Old:

5.14.1 Small Group

Minimum of three riders, maximum of eight.

5.14.2 Big Group

Minimum of nine riders, no maximum number of riders.

5.14.3 Minimum Age Groups

None.

New:

5.14.1 Small Group

Minimum of three riders, maximum of eight.

5.14.2 Large Group

Minimum of nine riders, no maximum number of riders.

5.14.3 Minimum Age Groups

Small Group: 0-14, 15+

Large Group: none

Body

Let's give our younger rider also the option to start in a small group at the Unicon.

References

Proposal 12: [Long Jump] Landing Zone

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 11, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

11 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 11, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

At Unicon, this rule was an issue because riders are now jumping so far. This rule makes it both easy for the organizers, and a permanent rule no matter how far the riders can jump in the future.

Proposal

Old Rule:

2.19.2 Long Jump
...
After landing, the rider must stay in control of the unicycle for the remainder of a 5-meter distance from the jump marker without dismounting, or touching a hand to the ground or any other object.
...

2.19.2.2 Setup
The riding area consists of a start line, a jump marker, a landing marker and a finish line 6 meters beyond the jump marker. Riders must ride or hop across the finish line for the attempt to count. Successfully crossing the finish line is judged the same as in racing (see section 2.6).
...
A Long Jump competition needs a minimum area of 28x2 meters.

New Rule:

X.2 Long Jump
...
After landing, the rider must stay in control of the unicycle for the remainder of the distance from the jump marker to the finish line without dismounting, or touching a hand to the ground or any other object.
...

X.2.2 Setup
The riding area consists of a start line, a jump marker, a landing marker and a finish line beyond the jump marker. The finishing line should be at least 4 meters from the landing marker but no more than 8 meters away. We suggest that judges set up the finishing line 8 meters from the the jump marker and move it further away if need during longer jumps. Riders must ride or hop across the finish line for the attempt to count. Successfully crossing the finish line is judged the same as in racing (see section 2.6).
...
A Long Jump competition needs a minimum area of 30x2 meters.

Body

This makes the job easy for the judges because they don't have to keep moving the line, but it also keeps riders from having to ride unreasonably far if they can't jump so well. Also, because the second sentence is only a suggestion, the judges can set it up for the specific event. For example, if I'm at a regional event where I know no one can jump more than 250 cm. I could setup the finish line at 6.5 or 7 m from the jump marker to save space and make the event run maybe a few minutes faster.

The total area required is now longer as a result.

References

Proposal 30: Long Jump rule updates

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 01, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

10 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

I have made a proposal from Reiner's suggestions.

Proposal

Old:
2.19.2.2 Setup

The riding area consists of a start line, a jump marker, a landing marker and a finish line beyond the jump marker.

The finishing line should be at least 4 meters from the landing marker but no more than 8 meters away. We suggest that judges set up the finishing line 8 meters from the jump marker and it further away if need during longer jumps. Riders must ride or hop across the finish line for the attempt to count. Successfully crossing the finish line is judged the same as in racing (see Section 2.6). The start line must be in the minimum 15 meters in front of the jump marker to be able to accelerate; behind the finish line must be an area which is 7 meter long and 2 meter wide in the minimum as safety zone. Riders may use all or part of the 15 meters between start line and jump marker.

They are also allowed to start from beside to be able to do accelerated side jumps. Markers for takeoff and landing (jump marker and landing marker) should be similar in shape to a meter stick, and be at least one meter in width (across the runway), no more than 5mm in height (above the runway), and no less than 3 centimeters in depth (front to back). A Long Jump competition needs a minimum area of 30x2 meters.

New:
2.19.2.2 Setup

The riding area consists of a start line, a jump marker, a landing marker and a finish line beyond the jump marker.

The finishing line should be at least 4 meters from the landing marker but no more than 8 meters away. We suggest that judges set up the finishing line 8 meters from the jump marker and move it further away if need during longer jumps. Riders must ride or hop across the finish line for the attempt to count. Successfully crossing the finish line is judged the same as in racing (see Section 2.6). The start line must be in the minimum 25 meters in front of the jump marker to be able to accelerate; behind the finish line must be an area which is 7 meter long and 2 meter wide in the minimum as safety zone. Riders may use all or part of the 25 meters between start line and jump marker.

They are also allowed to start from beside to be able to do accelerated side jumps. Markers for takeoff and landing (jump marker and landing marker) have consist of a material, which not can be deformed, to have the same conditions for all riders, and be at least 1.20 meter in width (across the runway), no more than 10 mm in height (above the runway), and no less than 5 centimeters in depth (front to back). A Long Jump competition needs a minimum area of 40x2.5 meters.

Body

Based on the experiences of Uncion16 and national championships there should be done some corrections and concretizations to have a maximum fair competition in the capture long jump:

- correction in distance contradiction to capture setup
- extension of the minimum available run up distance to 25 meters
- extension of the complete areal
- change at markers: robust material, maximum allowed height 10 mm, electronic monitoring recommended or 2 judges (one for each marker)

The electronic monitoring at unicon16 worked perfect and gave the judges first time the possibility without risk for him to distinguish between slight touch or

References

Proposal 13: Change big group to large group

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 23, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

15 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 15, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The proposal for small and big groups was done by us germans (big and large are often translated with the same word). We didn't even ask a native english speaker for proper wording.

Proposal

Change all "big group" to "large group"

Body

Big isn't the correct word in the english language, large is the proper and literally better word.

References

Proposal 8: High Jump & Jump to Platform practice

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

8 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 8, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

It is ridiculous to think people can't practice before an event. It would be nice to avoid such situations which happened previously even at Unicon.

Proposal

Old rule: not applicable

New rule:

x.x.x.x Practice during high jump & jump to platform event

The organizer should provide a place and equipment similar to the one used for the official competition so the riders can practice before making their official attempts. The equipment should be available during the whole length of the event, and even before if the organizer decides so.

For bigger event such as Unicon, Nationals or Continental events, the organizer MUST provide said equipment.

Body

Basically, if it's platform high jump, we need some more pallets so the riders can try out heights before making their official attempts. Same goes for high jump (over the bar). The organizer should provide a high jump bar, which is high enough (see "similar to the one used for the official competition") for all riders.

References

Proposal 15: Tricks per zone

Committee: Flat & Street

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 06, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

10 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 10, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

This is about changing the rules from offering a specific time for each zone during the street competition to offer a specific amount of goes.

Proposal

Old rules:

6.29 Preliminaries

Riders will be put into groups of three or four (preferably 4, but in some cases, there may need to be up to 3 groups of 3 depending on the number of competitors). Each group will be given a starting time, and they will proceed to their starting Zone. They will be given 5 minutes in each zone to perform as many tricks as possible. The riders are assigned an order and they may only attempt a trick when it is their turn. The order should be presented in writing as well as announced before the competition. Riders may choose to skip their turn in the event of an injury or any other reason. The group will then move on to the next zone (so it will take each group 25 minutes to finish, with 5 minutes after for discussion, and it will take 10n+20 minutes to finish prelims, where n is the number of groups).

6.30 Finals

The top 5 or 6 riders will be chosen to participate in the finals, which should be a few hours later, or the next day. Finals should preferably not be before noon, because we want a lot of spectators, and we want to riders to have a chance to warm up and be ready to be at their best. In the finals, the same 3 zones will be used, and all riders will go at the same time for 12 to 15 minutes (open for discussion) in each zone. The riders are assigned an order and they may only attempt a trick when it is their turn. The order should be presented in writing as well as announced before the competition. Riders may choose to skip their turn in the event of an injury or any other reason. There will be 5 judges in the finals, and these can be made up from some of the judges of prelims, or even riders that may not have performed their best in prelims, and did not make it into the finals

New Rules

6.29 Preliminaries

Riders will be put into groups of three or four (preferably 4, but in some cases, there may need to be up to 3 groups of 3 depending on the number of competitors). Each group will be given a starting time, and they will proceed to their starting Zone. They will be given 6 goes per rider in each zone to perform as many tricks as possible (depending on the possible time window the host can decide to reduce or expand the number of allowed goes while 4 should be the minimum). The riders are assigned an order and they may only attempt a trick when it is their turn. The order should be presented in writing as well as announced before the competition. Riders may choose to skip their turn in the event of an injury or any other reason. The group will then move on to the next zone (so it will take each group 25 minutes to finish, with 5 minutes after for discussion, and it will take 10n+20 minutes to finish prelims, where n is the number of groups).

6.30 Finals

The top 5 or 6 riders will be chosen to participate in the finals, which should be a few hours later, or the next day. Finals should preferably not be before noon, because we want a lot of spectators, and we want to riders to have a chance to warm up and be ready to be at their best. In the finals, the same 3 zones will be used, and all riders will go at the same time for 12 to 15 minutes in each zone (depending on the possible time window the host can decide to reduce the time while 10 minutes should be the minimum). The riders are assigned an order and they may only attempt a trick when it is their turn. The order should be presented in writing as well as announced before the competition. Riders may choose to skip their turn in the event of an injury or any other reason. There will be 5 judges in the finals, and these can be made up from some of the judges of prelims, or even riders that may not have performed their best in prelims, and did not make it into the finals

Body

In my opinion advantages of giving a time is that the whole the competition is more on time. Like you can say qualification starts at time X and finals gonna be at time X. Another one is that all 3 groups gonna end their round at the same time, changing zones may be a bit faster.

On the other side we have tricks per zone. For example let's say every rider can do 5 tricks/lines (depending on time & size of zone). Riders would have no stress during the competition and could already think of all their tricks before the competitions starts. All the riders would have the same amount of tricks/lines in each section that would make it easier for the judges to compare all riders. I personally think it is unfair if one rider can do more tricks in a section that the other one and if we check the rulebook "The ranking should be influenced by the number of tricks done, and the difficulty of the tricks", it just doesn't fit together if rider1 does 7 tricks and rider2 does 5 tricks because he was in a slower group.

References

Proposal 9: High Jump to Platform

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 06, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

8 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 8, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

This is a new event to be added to the jumps section.

Proposal

x.y Platform High Jump

The object is to jump from the ground to a platform, with no pedal or crank grabs. Riders must remain in control of the unicycle (stay mounted) for 5 seconds after landing.

The rider and unicycle jump up to a landing surface on a platform (see x.y.2 for definitions) and remain on the landing surface for a 5-second count from a judge. ***Riders have two attempts for each height.*** The rider begins at a low height, and after each successful attempt, the height increases at set intervals until the rider fails on both attempts. When the rider fails both attempts, the maximum height that was completed is recorded as his or her result.

There are three parts to a successful jump:

Riders must mount their unicycles on the ground. A jump attempt occurs when any part of the unicycle or rider touches any part of the platform or landing surface. The rider may break off from a jump attempt before touching the platform or landing surface. This does not qualify as a jump attempt.
Riders must jump "to rubber" on the landing surface. No part of the rider, or any part of the unicycle other than the tire, may touch the platform or landing surface."
After landing, the rider must remain mounted and on the landing surface for 5 seconds, as counted by a judge. The rider may do any form of idling, hopping or stillstanding during the 5 seconds. Once the judge has counted 5 seconds, the rider may return to the ground in any fashion he or she chooses.

If a rider completes all of the requirements listed in Items 1 through 3 above, the jump is deemed successful. Otherwise, it is deemed a failed jump attempt.

x.y.1 Unicycles

Standard unicycles must be used (see definition in chapter 1d). There is no restriction on wheel or crank size, and metal pedals are allowed.

x.y.2 Setup

The structure consists of two parts: a platform and a landing surface. The top surface of the platform must be at least 80 x 120 cm in size, but no larger than 120 x 160 cm. The sides of the platform must be nearly perpendicular with the ground to ensure its present does not hamper riders. The landing surface consists of a flat piece of wood of dimension 100 x 100 cm that is firmly affixed to the top of the platform. The method of attachment must be chosen so that it does not interfere with riders during jump attempts. The structure should be sturdily built and shimmed so that there is minimal motion when jumps are attempted.

A 3-m safety ring must be marked out around all sides of the platform where no persons may enter during a jump attempt. Organizers may choose to mark out a 4-m ring where only select persons may enter during a jump attempt (i.e., photographers or judges). A 15-m runway must also be cleared of persons for riders that will roll into the jump.

x.y.3 Broken Unicycle

If any part of the unicycle breaks during an attempt, a new attempt must be given to the rider.

Body

Notice that ***Riders have two attempts for each height.*** may be changed depending on another proposal.

References

Proposal 3: [High Jump] Protective gear

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 06, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

9 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

It's silly to require so much protection for high jump.

Proposal

Old rule:

From 2.3 Safety Gear:

Riders must wear shoes, kneepads and gloves (definitions in chapter 1d). For High Jump, Long Jump and unlimited races riders must wear also helmets.

New Rule:

X.3 Jumps Safety Gear (this will go in the jumps category)

For Long Jump, riders must wear shoes, a helmet, kneepads and gloves.

For High Jump and High Jump to Platform, riders must wear shoes and a helmet. Shin guards are strongly recommended while gloves and kneepads are optional.

Definitions of all safety gear can be found in Chapter 1d.

Body

See the discussion for more reasoning.

"We have to understand high jump and long jump are fundamentally different, one requires high speed, the other does not." - Emile

References

Proposal 41: Selecting Judges

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

19 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 19, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

At Unicon 17 there was an issue where a sponsored rider was judged by their sponsor. This is a conflict of interest and should not be allowed.

Proposal

5.9.1 Selecting Judges (Old)

A person should not judge an event if he or she is:

• A parent, child or sibling of a rider competing in the event.

• An individual or team coach, manager, trainer, colleague who is member of the same club specified in the registration form, colleague’s family etc. of a rider competing in the event.

• More than one judge from the same family judging the same event at the same time. If the judging pool is too limited by the above criteria, restrictions can be eliminated starting from the bottom of the list and working upward as necessary only until enough judges are available. If there are some candidates who have the same level of restrictions and judging score, their agreement about publishing the results need to be considered. The eliminations must be agreed upon by the Chief Judge and Artistic Director, or next-highest ranking artistic official if the Chief Judge and Artistic Director are the same person.

5.9.1 Selecting Judges (New)

A person should not judge an event if he or she is:

• A parent, child or sibling of a rider competing in the event.

• An individual or team coach, manager, trainer, colleague who is member of the same club specified in the registration form, colleague’s family etc. of a rider competing in the event.

• A sponsor, part of a sponsoring organization or connected to an organization sponsoring any riders in the group to be judged.

Body

All that was added was the sponsor bullet point.

References

Proposal 14: Slow race rules

Committee: Track & Field

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 20, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

13 out of 22 voting members have voted.

Agree: 10, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 2.

Background

To eliminate injustices, for unicon 17 there was developed a new judging system, that should be implemented at competitions in the future.

Proposal

Chapter number: 2.20.4 Slow forward

old rule:

The object is to ride in a continously forward motion as slowly as possible without stopping, going backward, hopping, or twisting more than 45 degrees to either side. Two different board sizes are used: Age 0-10: 10m x 30 cm. Age group 11-UP: 10m x 15 cm. The Slow race is measured using the bottom of the unicycle wheel. Riders start with the bottom of the wheel on the starting line. On command by the Starter, the rider must immediately start forward motion and let go of starting posts. The timer stops the watch when the bottom of the wheel touches either the finish line, or the ground after the line on boards that end at the finish line. Riders can be disqualified for very slight stops or backward motions, twisting more than 45° to the side, riding off the sides of the board, or dismounting. Riders get two attempts. There are no crank arm length or wheel size restrictions for this event. No safety gear is required.

2.20.5 Slow Backward

This is the same as the slow forward race except: 0-10 ride on 60 cm board, 11-UP ride on 30 cm board.

new rule:

Slow Forward

The object of the discipline Slow Forward is to ride in a continuous forward motion as slowly as possible without stopping, going backward, hopping or twisting more than 45° to either side.

The position of the unicycle during a slow race is measured from the bottom of the unicycle wheel. In a slow race, the rider starts behind the starting line. On command by the starter, the rider has 10 seconds to start forward motion and let go off the starting post. The timer starts recording time when the bottom of the wheel crosses the starting line. The time stops when the bottom of the wheel crosses the finish line, or touches the ground after the end of the board that marks the finish line. There are no crank arm length or wheel size restrictions for this event.

Rules:

I. Board size: 10m x 15cm

II. Penalty rules:

The judges give penalties to riders who seem to make "micro-errors" (for example twisting about 46 or 48 degrees; vibrations of the wheel) or if they are in doubt, wether an error was made. Each penalty deducts one second from the ridden time. Riders are still disqualified if their wheel comes off the board or other obvious errors are made, for example dismounting or twisting 90°.

III. rules for international championships:

1. Qualification round

1.1 Riders must complete a time equal or greater than 45 seconds to move on to the finals.

1.2 Riders get two attempts to complete this result.

1.3 Previous results are valid: If a rider has already completed a result of 45 seconds or greater at another competition, they can start automatically in the finals and they don´t have to take part in the qualification round, provided that the result can be found in an official result list.

1.4 The boards can be marked with tape on the floor.

1.5 No age groups will be ranked.

1.6 Results will not be valid for records ( world, continental, national and regional records)

2. Final round

- There will only be one team of judges, in order to have a fair competition.

- Only results from the finals will be valid for records ( world, continental, national and regional records)

- The champion is the rider who performed the best result in the final round.

2.1 All riders who are qualified for the final round start here.

2.2 Riders get two attempts.

IV. Safety gear:

Riders must wear shoes. No other safety gear is required.

V. Options for smaller championships:

At regional or national championships, the host can decide to offer age groups and adjust the qualification time to a lower time as needed. If he decides to offer age groups, the qualification round becomes the age group competition.

The final round is obligatory.

Finalists will be ranked in their age groups with their best time reached in the final round or preliminary age group attempts. Previous results from other events are not valid to be ranked. If the host decides to offer age groups, the board size of 10m x 30cm can be used for age group 0-10.

Slow Backward

This is the same as the Slow Forward race, with the following differences:

Riders ride backward.
It is an error to ride forward.
Riders ride on a 10m x 30cm board.
If the host of a national or regional championship decides to offer age groups, the board size of 10m x 60cm can be used for age group 0-10.
Riders move on to the finals if they have completed a time equal or greater than 40 seconds, previous results are valid.

Body

See discussion.

References

These new rules are based on the prototype, applied at unicon 17. See discussion.

In Germany, the new penalty rules were applied at a regional championship after unicon 17 and the riders were asked to give their evaluation. The result was the following: 100% of the riders prefer the penalty rules and and more than 60% think that they had ever been disqualified without any reason in the past.

Proposal 11: Stillstand rules

Committee: Track & Field

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

13 out of 22 voting members have voted.

Agree: 13, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

As the stillstand competition has been part of the last two Unicons, we should create a section with rules about it; see discussion.

Proposal

"old rule": The current rulebook doesn´t address the discipline "stillstand" at all.

New rule: chapter number: 2.20.14

The discipline "Stillstand" is defined in balancing as long as possible without hopping or turning the tire more than 45 degrees, all while staying on a 25 cm x 10 cm x 3 cm plank.

Rules:

1. Each participant has 2 attempts, that can be done at any time during the time window setted by the host.

The host can decide to add to each of the 2 attempts a window up to 20 seconds, in which the competitor can start the number of tries needed.

2. The starting post is placed anywhere where the participant prefers. Time starts running when the competitor lets go of the starting post. After time started running, the starting post will be taken away. Time stops at the moment when the participant rides of the board, dismounts, starts hopping or turns the tire more than 45 degrees.

3. There are no finals for the stillstand competition. The overall results will be determined by the best results per gender.

4. The competition should takes place indoors.

5. No safety gear is required.

Body

- Size of the board:

In Montreal, the board size was 10 x 25 cm and it was obvious that this size doesn´t offer any possibility to idle without riding of the board. The reason is, that for idling the cranks have to be more or less in vertical position, that means, one foot is upside and the other is downside. But for stillstand, the cranks have to be in a horizontal position. Another reason for this size is, that there are also participants whit muni wheels who require this board size.

- Starting post: see discussion

References

- number of attempts: see discussion

Proposal 28: Number of finalists in track

Committee: Track & Field

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

15 out of 22 voting members have voted.

Agree: 14, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 0.

Background

The number of finalists per event was not clear. This is an attempt to clarify this.

Proposal

Old rule:

2.1.4 Finals

At Unicons, a ‘final’ must be held for each of the following races: 100m, 400m, 800m, One Foot, and Wheel Walk. For any other Track & Field discipline, a ‘final’ may be held at the discretion of the organizer, after all age group competition for that discipline has been completed.

For disciplines that are run in heats, such as 100m races or relay races, this will take the form of a final heat. For disciplines that are not run in heats, such as IUF slalom or slow race, the final will take the form of successive attempts by the finalists. The riders posting the best results in age group competition are entitled to compete in the final. They can be called “finalists”. The number of finalists will be the same as the number of usable lanes on the track. The same number of finalists applies for finals that don’t use lanes. Finals are composed regardless of age group, but male and female competitors are in separate finals.

Finals are subject to the same rules as age group competition, including false start rules and number of attempts.

The best result in a final determines the male or female Champion for that discipline (World Champion in the case of Unicon).

If a finalist disqualifies, gets a worse result, or doesn’t compete in the final, his/her result in age group competition will still stand. The male and female winners of the finals will be considered the Champions for those disciplines, even if a different rider posted a better result in age group competition. Speed records can be set in both age group competition and finals.

In disciplines for which no finals are held, finalist status will still be awarded on the basis of results in age group competition. Accordingly, riders posting the best results in each discipline are the Champions for that discipline.

New rule:

2.1.4 Finals

At Unicons, a ‘final’ must be held for each of the following races: 100m, 400m, 800m, One Foot, Wheel Walk and IUF Slalom. For any other Track & Field discipline, a ‘final’ may be held at the discretion of the organizer, after all age group competition for that discipline has been completed.

For disciplines that are run in heats, such as 100m races or relay races, this will take the form of a final heat. For disciplines that are not run in heats, such as IUF slalom or slow race, the final will take the form of successive attempts by the finalists. The riders posting the best results regardless of age in the age group heats are entitled to compete in the final. They can be called “finalists”. For each final, the number of finalists (finalist teams in case of relay) will be eight, unless for an event that uses lanes, the number of usable lanes is less than eight. In that case the number of finalists equals the number of usable lanes. Finals are composed regardless of age group, but male and female competitors are in separate finals.

Finals are subject to the same rules as age group competition, including false start rules and number of attempts.

The best result in a final determines the male or female Champion for that discipline (World Champion in the case of Unicon).

Body

More finalists creates a more exciting competition. We want to maximize the number of finalists (up to 8) in each event, even if another event only has 6 usable lanes.

References

Proposal 18: Remove kneepads from safety requirements

Committee: Road Racing

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

14 out of 19 voting members have voted.

Agree: 11, Disagree: 2, Abstain: 1.

Background

The current kneepad rules for Road Racing have not been definitively shown to prevent injuries at speed and many riders injure themselves in other locations (hips, elbows, etc.) where we don't require safety gear.

As discussed by past National and International/Unicon organizers with a lot of experience (including myself), including kneepads or not is NOT an insurance issue.

Proposal

Old:

3.3 Safety gear

Riders must wear shoes, kneepads, gloves and a helmet (see definitions in chapter 1d).

New:

3.3 Safety gear

Riders must wear shoes, gloves and a helmet (see definitions in chapter 1d). Knee pads and elbow pads are suggested optional safety gear.

Body

Including kneepads or not is only a safety issue and not an insurance issue. Because kneepads cannot be shown to definitely prevent minor and/or serious injuries, it does not make sense to include them in the requirement. Of course riders will always be allowed to ride with whatever additional safety gear they prefer.

References

See discussion.

Proposal 37: DH walking and running

Committee: Muni

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 07, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

17 out of 23 voting members have voted.

Agree: 17, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Judges should be able to enforce penalties immediately. This is only possible with a clearer rule for dismounts, running an walking.

Proposal

4.10.1 Dismounted Riders

OLD:

Running is not allowed, except momentarily to slow down after a dismount. Riders may walk if necessary. Riders may receive a time penalty or be disqualified if they disregard this rule.

NEW:

Running and fast walking are not allowed, except momentarily to slow down after an unplanned dismount. After a dismount, riders have to come to a complete halt before mounting the unicycle again. Riders may generally walk slowly if necessary. The following penalties apply if riders disregard this rule:

Riders get an immediate time penalty of five seconds when they intentionally run or walk fast, not recovering from a fall. A judge must clearly indicate when the time penalty starts and when the rider may continue - e.g. by blowing a whistle and counting down from five.
Riders get disqualified immediately when they do not stop and wait five seconds after the judge's indication. The disqualification should be signalled to the rider immediately by a judge - e.g. by blowing a whistle twice.

Judges must be trained and tested to correctly enforce these rules. Riders must be informed about the type of signalling prior to the race.

Body

While the new version is definitely stricter than the old one it still leaves a little space for interpretation.

Not coming to a complete halt does not explicitly result in a time penalty. I see the danger of unjustified penalties here unless it is clear to everyone what full halt means and how long that is.

But if a rider walks fast after a dismount for more then just two steps before remounting then the judge can decide that it was a case of intentional fast walking and enforce a time penalty.

The whistle is listed as an example only, It needs to be tested first, other alternatives might be better suited.

References

Proposal 19: Number of attempts for jumps

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

11 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 10, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

Competitions take too long because some people start at really small numbers and keep going forever. This limits the number of attempts.

Proposal

It's not exactly clear where this rule should go because the whole jumps chapter is getting reorganized.

X.Y Number of Attempts

Prelims:

In the preliminary round, riders have 12 attempts to complete their best performance. These attempts can be at any distance and there is no additional limit to the number at any one distance. However each attempt must be at the same or better distance. Thus a rider cannot attempt a longer distance, fail, and then attempt a shorter distance. The best successfully completed attempt is the rider's result.

Finals:

Riders get three attempts for each distance. Riders must successfully complete each distance before moving on to the next distance.

Body

This keeps the finals exciting without being confusing.

References

Proposal 53: Repair, Change, or Replace a (Broken) Unicycle

Committee: Road Racing

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 15, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

15 out of 19 voting members have voted.

Agree: 15, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

To avoid confusion, we should explicitly state in the rules for Road Racing how repairing or replacing your unicycle during a race is allowed.

Proposal

Old rule: none

New Rule: Repair, Change, or Replace a (Broken) Unicycle

In Road Races, riders may make modifications to their unicycles, but must be self-sufficient in this. The rider must carry all necessary parts and tools needed for the modification(s), and do all the work without any assistance. For example, a rider may change cranks but must carry the new cranks and all tools from the start of the race.

Assistance is allowed in the event of a breakdown or damage to the unicycle. Outside tools and hands-on help may assist the rider to continue, including replacing the unicycle if necessary. The Chief Referee must confirm that the situation was unplanned and was indeed "accidental". If the Chief Referee determines otherwise and the rider used outside assistance for changes to the unicycle, the rider will be disqualified.

The rider may continue the course on foot (walking, not running) with the broken unicycle. If the rider exits from the course, they must reenter the course at or before the point where they exited from the course. When the rider is off course, he may run or use any other form of transportation.

Any modifications made to the unicycle must still adhere to the requirements of the category that the rider is entered in. For example, if a rider broke a crank in the Standard 24" 10k race, they are only allowed to install a new crank of 125 mm or longer.

Body

See discussion.

References

Proposal 17: polish up the rules

Committee: Hockey

Vote Summary:

Passed on February 28, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

6 out of 7 voting members have voted.

Agree: 5, Disagree: 1, Abstain: 0.

Background

I think the current rules for unicycle hockey work very well. Maybe
that's the reason why the hockey section of this rulebook committee is
very quiet so far. This is probably a good time to "polish up" the
rules. Here, I have prepared a couple of ideas to remove redundancies,
make the rules more structured, and easier to read:

Proposal

A) 6.2.1) A team cannot have more than 5 players on the field. It
   follows that, during substitution, one player has to leave the field
   first before the substitute can enter it. To make this clear, 6.2.1
   should be slightly rephrased:

   OLD: The new player must enter the field where the other exits it.

   NEW: The new player must enter the field where the other has left it.

B) Intentional delay: Section 6.4.2 mentions that the player has 3
   seconds time for the 6.5 m. Other than this, no explicit times are
   mentioned. Sometimes, players of the leading team intentionally delay
   the game to secure their lead. Under the current rules, this is
   considered unsporting behavior. Instead of adding explicit times to
   several sections in the rules, I suggest to add one sentence at the
   end of section 6.6.1 (General Considerations) to cover intentional
   delay:

   NEW: Intentional delay of the game is not permitted.

C) How to resume the game after an injury? We currently have a
   contradiction in the rules. As no team is penalized, rule 6.4.4 says
   the game MUST be resumed with a bully. However, according to rule
   6.9.6, a free shot is given to the team that was in possession of the
   ball at the time of the interruption. This contradiction can be
   removed by rephrasing 6.4.4:

   OLD: Whenever the game needs to be resumed without penalizing one of
   the teams, this is done with a bully.

   NEW: To resume the game without penalizing one of the teams, a bully
   can be used.

D) 6.4.4) There is no good reason why a bully is executed "near" a
   corner mark and not "at" a corner mark.

   OLD: Exception: Within the goal area, the bully is always executed
   near one of the corner marks.

   NEW: Exception: Within the goal area, the bully is executed at the
   closest corner mark.

   For consistency, use exactly the same phrase in 6.4.1 as well:

   OLD: the free shot is done from the closest corner mark

   NEW: the free shot is executed at the closest corner mark

E) Inconsistency in 6.5.1 Game Duration: Until a few years ago, the
   duration of the game was defined as 20 minutes. Then, the definition
   was removed to give the organizer more flexibility. Nevertheless, we
   still have the duration of the extended time defined as 5 minutes.
   For consistency, this time should be flexible as well.

   OLD: If [...] a decision is necessary, play is continued for ten more
   minutes: five-minute break and change sides, five minutes of play,
   change sides without a break and five more minutes of play ...

   NEW: If [...] a decision is necessary, play is continued with
   extended time.

F) 6.5.8 Ball Out Of Bounds

   Unfortunately, some referees do not stop the game if the ball leaves
   the field but soon bounces back into the field. This needs to be
   clarified in the rulebook.

   Also, a corner shot is not an independent penalty. It's only a
   special form of the free shot. This is explained explicitly in 6.4.1.
   Therefore, it is not necessary to mention the corner shot again in
   6.5.8.

   OLD: If the ball leaves the field, the team opposite to that of the
   player who last touched it gets a free shot or a corner shot,
   depending where the ball went out...

   NEW: If the ball leaves the field, the game is interrupted
   immediately (even if the ball comes back in). The team opposite to
   that of the player who last touched it gets a free shot.

G) 6.6.3 SUB (Stick Under Bike) and 6.6.4 SIB (Stick In Bike)

   These rules both contain redundant text. The distinction between a
   free shot and a 6.5 m is already explained in 6.4.1 and 6.4.2.
   Intentional Fouls are already covered in 6.4.5. Therefore, these
   rules can be simplified:

   OLD:

   6.6.3: A player who holds his or her stick in a way that someone else
   rides over or against it is committing a foul, regardless of
   intention. According to the situation the player who was “subbed” is
   given either a free shot or a 6.5 m.

   6.6.4: If a stick gets into the spokes of an opponent, the holder of
   the stick is committing a foul regardless of intention. According to
   the situation the player who was “sibbed” is given a free shot or a
   6.5 m.

   NEW:

   6.6.3: A player who holds his or her stick in a way that someone else
   rides over or against it is committing a foul.

   6.6.4: If a stick gets into the spokes of an opponent, the holder of
   the stick is committing a foul.

H) 6.6.6 Intentional Fouls

   This section can be deleted completely because this has already been
   described in 6.4.5 (Penalty Box).

   TODO: remove 6.6.6

I) Section 6.4 already defines what penalty is used in what case. There
   is no need to repeat this elsewhere. Rule 6.8.1 (Throwing Sticks) can
   be simplified:

   OLD: A player who intentionally drops or throws his or her stick is
   sent off the field for at least 2 minutes, at the discretion of the
   Referee (8.6.6). Also, the opposing team gets a 6.5 m.

   NEW: A player must not intentionally drop or throw his or her stick.

J) The current rules use the term "bully". However, what is actually
   meant is a "face-off". See wikipedia for details:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face-off#Field_hockey
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face-off

   Note, however, that in German the word "bully" is correct:
   https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_%28Sport%29

   TODO: Change the word "bully" to "face-off" everywhere in the rules.

Body

(see above for details)

References

Proposal 20: Second attempt

Committee: Track & Field

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 01, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

13 out of 22 voting members have voted.

Agree: 13, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Up to now the rulebook describes a second attempt not very well and leaves questions unanswered.

Proposal

Old rules:

2.7. Lane Use

In most races, a rider must stay in his or her own lane, except when the rider has to swerve to avoid being involved in a crash. In this case the rider can decide to have a second try. Otherwise a rider who goes outside their lane is disqualified immediately. Going outside a track lane means that the tire of the unicycle touches the lane of another rider. Riding on the marking is allowed. No physical contact between riders is allowed during racing. 200m and 400m races are started with a stagger start.

2.11. Dismounting

A dismount is any time a rider’s foot or other body part touches the ground and the unicycle must be remounted. Except for the 800m, Relay, and some other non-traditional or off-track events, if a rider dismounts, he or she is disqualified. In races where riders are allowed to remount and continue, riders must immediately remount at the point where the unicycle comes to rest, without running. If a dismount puts the rider past the finish line, the rider must back up and ride across the line again. If a rider is forced to dismount due to the actions of another rider, or outside interference, the Referee decides if he or she can enter that race again in another heat. In non-lane races, if a rider is forced to dismount due to a fall by the rider immediately in front, it is considered part of the race and both riders must remount and continue. The Referee can override this rule if intentional interference is observed.

New Rules:

2.x. Second attempt after interference

If a rider is hindered due to the actions of another rider, or outside interference, either during the start or during the race, he may request to make a second attempt. The Referee decides if the request is granted. In non-lane races, if a rider is forced to dismount due to a fall by the rider immediately in front, it is considered part of the race – not a reason to grant a second attempt – and both riders may remount and continue. The Referee can override this rule if intentional interference is observed.

If the request is granted, it may occur that the rider has to ride his second attempt with another age group. If all heats are finished, the rider decides if he wants company or not. He can pick the riders, but cannot hold up the proceedings to wait for them, if other riders are available. The resulting time of the accompanying riders is not official. The Referee has the final say as to which extra riders are allowed to participate in such heats.

A second attempt must not be granted in the case where a rider is disqualified based on something that happened before he was hindered.

If the rider is allowed to do a second attempt and decides to do so, the first run is cancelled and only the second run counts regardless of the result. In the case where a second attempt was incorrectly granted, for example when the rider was disqualified based on something that happened before he was hindered, the result of the second attempt does not count and the result from the first run stands.

2.7. Lane Use

In most races, a rider must stay in his or her own lane, except when the rider has to swerve to avoid being involved in a crash (See also section 2.x). In this case the rider can decide to have a second try. Otherwise In all other cases, a rider who goes outside their lane is disqualified immediately. Going outside a track lane means that the tire of the unicycle touches the ground outside his assigned lane lane of another rider. Riding on the marking is allowed. No physical contact between riders is allowed during racing. 200m and 400m races are started with a stagger start.

2.11. Dismounting

A dismount is any time a rider’s foot or other body part touches the ground and the unicycle must be remounted. Except for the 800m, Relay races, and other races where this is announced in advance some other non-traditional or off-track events, if a rider dismounts, he or she is disqualified. In races where riders are allowed to remount and continue, riders must immediately remount at the point where the unicycle comes to rest, without running (See also section 2.x). If a dismount puts the rider past the finish line, the rider must back up and ride across the line in control, in the normal direction again. If a rider is forced to dismount due to the actions of another rider, or outside interference, the Referee decides if he or she can enter that race again in another heat. In non-lane races, if a rider is forced to dismount due to a fall by the rider immediately in front, it is considered part of the race and both riders must remount and continue. The Referee can override this rule if intentional interference is observed.

Body

The new rule brings all issues concerning a second attempt into one paragraph and covers aspects which were not in the rules before.

2.7 and 2.11 are changed, because some parts of this old paragraphs were moved do the new 2.x paragraph.

References

Proposal 23: High Jump on Plattform part 2

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on March 18, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

7 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 7, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Based on the result we got while testing this brand new rules, we find some point to adjust them. I marked all changes in bold to find them more easy.

Proposal

OLD RULES

x.y Platform High Jump

The object is to jump from the ground to a platform, with no pedal or crank grabs. Riders must remain in control of the unicycle (stay mounted) for 5 seconds after landing.

There are three parts to a successful jump:

Riders must mount their unicycles on the ground. A jump attempt occurs when any part of the unicycle or rider touches any part of the platform or landing surface. The rider may break off from a jump attempt before touching the platform or landing surface. This does not qualify as a jump attempt.
Riders must jump "to rubber" on the landing surface. No part of the rider, or any part of the unicycle other than the tire, may touch the platform or landing surface."
After landing, the rider must remain mounted and on the landing surface for 5 seconds, as counted by a judge. The rider may do any form of idling, hopping or stillstanding during the 5 seconds. Once the judge has counted 5 seconds, the rider may return to the ground in any fashion he or she chooses.

If a rider completes all of the requirements listed in Items 1 through 3 above, the jump is deemed successful. Otherwise, it is deemed a failed jump attempt.

x.y.1 Unicycles

Standard unicycles must be used (see definition in chapter 1d). There is no restriction on wheel or crank size, and metal pedals are allowed.

x.y.2 Setup

x.y.3 Broken Unicycle

If any part of the unicycle breaks during an attempt, a new attempt must be given to the rider.

NEW RULES

x.y Platform High Jump

The object is to jump from the ground to a platform, with no pedal or crank grabs. Riders must remain in control of the unicycle (stay mounted) for 3 seconds after landing.

The rider and unicycle jump up to a landing surface on a platform (see x.y.2 for definitions) and remain on the landing surface for a 3-second count from a judge. ***Riders have two attempts for each height.*** The rider begins at a low height, and after each successful attempt, the height increases at set intervals until the rider fails on both attempts. When the rider fails both attempts, the maximum height that was completed is recorded as his or her result.

There are three parts to a successful jump:

Riders must mount their unicycles on the ground. A jump attempt occurs when any part of the unicycle or rider touches any part of the platform or landing surface. The rider may break off from a jump attempt before touching the platform or landing surface. This does not qualify as a jump attempt.
Riders must jump "to rubber" on the landing surface. No part of the rider, or any part of the unicycle other than the tire, may touch the platform or landing surface."
After landing, the rider must remain mounted and on the landing surface for 3 seconds, as counted by a judge. The rider may do any form of idling, hopping or stillstanding during the 5 seconds. Once the judge has counted 3 seconds, the rider may return to the ground in any fashion he or she chooses.

If a rider completes all of the requirements listed in Items 1 through 3 above, the jump is deemed successful. Otherwise, it is deemed a failed jump attempt.

x.y.1 Unicycles

Standard unicycles must be used (see definition in chapter 1d). There is no restriction on wheel or crank size, and metal pedals are allowed.

x.y.2 Setup

The structure consists of two parts: a platform and a landing surface. The top surface of the platform must be at least 120 x 120 cm in size, the maximum and recommended size is 120 x 160 cm (W x L). The sides of the platform must be nearly perpendicular with the ground to ensure its presence does not hamper riders. The landing surface consists of a flat piece of wood of dimension 120 x 120 cm up to 120 x160 (depends on the platform) that is firmly affixed to the top of the platform. The method of attachment must be chosen so that it does not interfere with riders during jump attempts. The structure should be sturdily built and shimmed so that there is minimal motion when jumps are attempted. The front of the platform must be covered by a wooden plate that extends a minimum of 60cm from the top of the platform down. This cover must be used when riders are jumping 60cm or higher.

x.y.3 Broken Unicycle

If any part of the unicycle breaks during an attempt, a new attempt must be given to the rider.

Body

Nothing additional to explain here. Check the old discussion thread for High Jump on Plattform to see more details about the test competition and its result.

References

Proposal 45: Street Safety Gear

Committee: Flat & Street

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 07, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

8 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 8, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

We need an update on the necessary safety gear and the recommended one.

Proposal

OLD

6.3 For Street riders must wear shoes, shinpads and helmet. The Chief Judge will remove from the competition any riders not wearing the minimum required safety gear and or has dangerously loose shoelaces.

NEW

6.3. For Street riders must wear shoes and helmet. Shin guards are recommended, but not mandatory.

Body

Knee pads, gloves and shin pads will only cover surface injuries.

References

Proposal 6: Trials safety gear

Committee: Trials

Vote Summary:

Passed on January 08, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

7 out of 11 voting members have voted.

Agree: 7, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Some of the safety gear requirements weren't corresponding to the standards of today. Here is a revised version.

Proposal

Old:

"7.3 Safety Gear

All riders must wear appropriate safety gear, such as helmets, shin and knee protection

and gloves or wristguards. Dangerous sections must not be constructed, and in particular,

there should be no dangerous objects to land on if a rider falls off a high object.

Artificial sections should be constructed so that they do not collapse or fall over under

normal riding conditions. If an Observer or the Event Director feels that safety is compromised by a rider attempting

a section that is beyond his/her ability, they may prohibit the rider from attempting

that obstacle. In cases where a fall from an obstacle could be particularly dangerous,

the Event Director may also permit attempts only by highly skilled riders who believe

they will qualify for the Finals.

NEW

7.3 Safety Gear:

All riders must wear a helmet and shin protection. Gloves and knee protection are recommended.

There should be no dangerous objects to land on if a rider falls off a high object. Artificial sections should be constructed so that they do not collapse or fall over under normal riding conditions.

If an observer of the event director feels the safety is compromised by a rider attempting a section that is beyond their ability, they may prohibit the rider from attempting that obstacle. In cases where a fall from an obstacle could be particularly dangerous, the Event Director may also permit attempts only by highly skilled riders who believe they will qualify for the Finals.

Body

Nobody rides with gloves and they would only protect from surface injuries.
Kneepads aren't totally necessary and that's why they are removed. They still a strongly recommended.

References

Proposal 48: Freestyle Wrap Up

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 09, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

17 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 15, Disagree: 2, Abstain: 0.

Background

One issue that has yet to be resolved during this Rulebook Committee is the judging section of the rulebook. Judging is a very complex and detailed topic and it has rightfully dominated our discussions. If we don’t pass something to improve the judging then we will be stuck with a system that has demonstrated that it doesn’t work. I have created a proposal below that I think will allow us to both have an immediate smaller improvement of the rules that we currently have and as well as continuing to improve them after this rulebook committee has ended. Thomas Tiercy's proposal is an example of a progressive idea that just needs more time to be developed.

Proposal

If you approve this proposal then you are approving two parts:

The current Presentation proposal:
The Presentation proposal has taken the figure skating rules and modified them for our use. This proposal would then not need a separate voting. I am not trying to declare that this proposal is perfect but the general opinion seems to agree that it is better than the current Presentation rules.
IUF Freestyle Judging Development Committee:

The formation of a separate committee that would continue the discussion of freestyle judging after the end of this rulebook committee. This committee would be composed of anyone who is interesting in the continued development of freestyle judging. This group would pursue the discussions that have been already happening and perhaps also do some testing of ideas.

This group would be an official IUF Committee that would continue the discussion, testing, and development of Freestyle judging. However this group would not be able to change the rules in the IUF Rulebook without additional approval.

Body

I know that this is a bit of an unusual way to do a proposal but it seems like we need a way to come to a conclusion and wrap up Freestyle.

References

Proposal 46: Street Placing Points

Committee: Flat & Street

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 07, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

9 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

When there are many competitors (think: 70) for a competition (Street), with the existing rules, there will be a large number of ties for places > 7 because no points are awarded below 7th place.

Proposal

Old Rule:

1st: 10 points
2nd: 7 points
3rd: 5 points
4th: 3 points
5th: 2 points
6th: 1 point
7th and Beyond: 0 points

... Once the judges assign places for every zone, the points will be added and the final results can be calculated (either to decide who makes it to the finals in the case of prelims, or who wins the competition in the case of finals).

New Rule:

6.31 Street Comp Judging
... After the judges have seen ALL of the riders at a single zone, they will rank the riders from best to worst. Each judge is responsible for one set of rankings at their zone; they must judge all riders against each other even if they are in different groups. For prelims, the riders will be given points according to their placement. (So 1st place gets one point, 2nd place gets two points, etc.) For finals, each place is awarded points as follows:

1st: 10 points
2nd: 7 points
3rd: 5 points
4th: 3 points
5th: 2 points
6th: 1 point
7th and Beyond: 0 points

... Once the judges assign places for every zone, the points will be added up and the results can be calculated. After prelims, the riders with the lowest sum of placement points move on to finals. In finals, the rider with the most points is the winner.

Body

For prelims let’s award 1 point for 1st, 2 points for 2nd, etc for each judge where the lowest sum is best. That way, we will not end up with 62 people tied for 8th place. Then for finals we can resume the 10/7/5/3/2/1/0 because we care more about the fine ordering of a small group opposed to filtering out the best from a large group.

References

Proposal 49: Run length for X-Style

Committee: X-Style

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 12, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

11 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 11, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The prelims do not need to be as long as the finals.

Proposal

Old rule:

Y.2 Runs

Every competitor has a 2 minute run. The rider shows his/her skills during this time.

A DJ plays music for each run. After 2 minutes the DJ waits until the current skill is

finished and stops the music. Riders can also hand in their own music. Riders can ask

the DJ to give a time-remaining notification during his/her run.

New Rule:

Y.2 Runs

Every competitor has a run in which the rider shows his/her skills.

A DJ plays music for each run. After the run the DJ waits until the current skill is

finished and stops the music. Riders can also hand in their own music. Riders can ask

the DJ to give a time-remaining notification during his/her run.

Y.2.1 Run Length

The event director can choose the length of the runs, but it must be announced at least one month before the competition if it differs from the recommended format below. Runs must be between 1 and 2 minutes 30 seconds.

This is the recommended format:
The length of a competitor's run is determined by the round.

If three or more rounds:
1st round: 1 minute
Intermediate rounds: 1 minute 30 seconds
Finals: 2 minutes.
If two rounds:
1st round: 1 minute 30 seconds
Finals: 2 minutes
If one round: 2 minutes

Body

The shorter rounds in the beginning keep the competition fast and exciting and the normal length rounds in the finals showcase the riders' skills.

References

Proposal 44: Long Jump on Platform

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 06, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

10 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 6, Disagree: 3, Abstain: 1.

Background

This is a competition for all of the trials and street riders who want to do long jump as well. Because the run-up for the jump is short, there is no advantage of having a bigger wheel and thus no limits on the unicycle size are needed. Also, the pallets setup looks cooler for the media and is more of a street setup.

Proposal

2.19.3 Long Jump on Platform
In the Long Jump on Platform competition, the rider attempts to jump as far as possible from a short pallet run-up to a landing pad without a dismount. Following the jump, the rider must then stay mounted and in control on the unicycle for 3 seconds on the landing pallets or in the landing half-circle (described in setup below).

Riders may jump with the wheel going forward or sideways. The rider may break off the attempt as long as they are still on the pallet run-up. As soon as they jump in any direction from the pallet run-up, it counts as an attempt. The farthest non-fouling, successful jump is recorded.

To avoid endless competitions, the length to jump will always increase by 5cm for each round. Once there are only 5 riders left, the final starts and it’s up to the riders to decide in which steps they continue.

2.19.3.1 Unicycles
Standard unicycles must be used (see definition in chapter 1d). No restriction on wheel or crank size. Metal pedals are allowed for their strength and better grip. This may make it impossible to hold this event on a sensitive track surface.

2.19.3.2 Setup
The riding area consists of a starting run-up of pallets which is between 7.5 and 8.5 meters long, 1 to 1.5 meters wide and 40 to 45 cm (3 pallets) high. A landing platform of the same height and width as the run-up is required. The landing platform should be approximately 4.5 meters long and fixed together so that they do not moved when landed on. It is recommended to cover the pallets with plywood or a similar material. Behind the landing platform a half circle with 3 meter in diameter has to be marked. If Euro pallets are used, the setup would be a run-up of 15 pallets stacked 5 long and 3 high and a landing platform of 9 pallets stacked 3 long and 3 high. Thus a minimum of 25 Euro pallets would be needed. A Long Jump on Platform competition needs a minimum area of 20x2 meters.

2.19.3.3 Safety Gear
For Long Jump on Platform, riders must wear shoes, a helmet and kneepads.

2.19.3.4 Judging
The rider must start on the run-up and land on the landing platform without touching the ground. They must stay mounted for 3 seconds on their unicycle. This can be on the landing platform or, in case the rider jumps down after landing, inside the 3 meter half circle. There has to be at least one judge.

2.19.3.5 Broken Unicycle
If the unicycle breaks during the jump or landing, the rider will be given a new attempt.

Body

I hope this can be a fun event for all of the 20" long jumpers out there.

References

Proposal 35: minimum muni trail requirements

Committee: Muni

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 07, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

16 out of 23 voting members have voted.

Agree: 16, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

Motivation

Refine the requirements for downhill and xc courses without restricting the host too much. Manage participants' expectations and allow them to better prepare for the competition trail (choose the right setup, etc.).

We haven't gathered enough experience to enforce minimum scores which is why they are included as recommendations.

Proposal

Old rules

4.4 Muni Courses

4.10 Downhill Race

A Downhill muni race is a test of speed and ability to handle terrain. Courses must be primarily downhill but may include flat or uphill sections. Recommended course length is 2.5 km, or 1 km at a minimum, depending on available terrain, trails and schedule time. (...)

4.11 Cross Country (XC)

Proposed

4.4 Muni Courses

(...) For all muni races, every rider must get the chance of at least one test run to get familiar with the track before the actual race. If possible, the track should be open for training during all days of the event prior to the race. For multiday events the muni competitions should take place during the second half of the event in order to give riders more time to practice on the course.
Downhill and Cross Country courses must be rated in advance by two people using the appropriate Muni Difficulty Scale. Ratings and their underlying data must be published at least seven days prior to the event.

4.10 Downhill Race

(...) Recommended course length is 2.5 km, or 1 km at a minimum, depending on available terrain, trails and schedule time. The overall course difficulty must be rated with the Unicycle Downhill Scale. A minimum score of 20 points is recommended. Courses with scores below 15 points should be labelled "beginner downhill" for clarity.

4.11 Cross Country (XC)

A Cross Country race should be at least 10 km or longer, depending on available terrain, trails and schedule time. If only shorter trails are available, riders can be required to complete two or more laps of the course. It is basically any muni race that is not specifically focused on downhill or uphill. The course can contain any amount of uphill or downhill riding and is to be about fitness, and ability to ride fast on rough terrain.
The overall course difficulty must be rated with the Unicycle XC Scale. If multiple laps need to be completed, then the whole distance is the basis for the rating. A minimum score of 20 points is recommended. Courses with scores below 15 points should be labelled "beginner XC" for clarity.

Body

In section 4.4. it is not clearly specified by whom the rating must be done. This can be the host or external riders. This is left blurry intentionally as there are currently not enough people who are familiar with the rating system. A further restriction is thus useless. The link to the publication should lead to the official PDF on https://unicycling.org/publications/.

References

Proposal 29: Base 28/29" wheel size on rim size

Committee: Road Racing

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 01, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

11 out of 19 voting members have voted.

Agree: 11, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

I am in favor of updating the Standard 28/29" definition for Road Races in the rulebook. Instead of basing it on the entirely arbitrary 768mm, we should instead base it on a very standard rim size of 700c rims (622 BSD).

Proposal

Old rule:

3.6.1 Wheel Size and Crank Arm Limit

• For a “Standard 29” Unicycle” the outside diameter of the tire may not be larger than 768mm and there is no minimum crank arm limit. No gearing may be used.

...

New Rule:

3.6.1 Wheel Size and Crank Arm Limit

• For a “Standard 700c Unicycle” the rim may not have a bead seat diameter (BSD) larger than 622mm (700c) and there is no minimum crank arm limit. No gearing may be used.

...

Also replace all references to a 29" unicycle to a 700c unicycle in chapter 3.

Body

I see several advantages here:

700c the standard rim size used in road cycling and is currently the rim size that everyone is using for their 28/29" unicycles.
Riders can choose to use any tire they want without it being unfair. A rider can you a smaller tire which is lighter but doesn't travel as far per revolution, or they can use a bigger tire which goes farther but is heavier.
We will never have a few rides build a custom 30" super light unicycle that still fits under the 768mm guideline. This is basically what has happened in track racing, and I think it's really silly.
You don't have multiple definitions of the wheel size. (IUF says 768mm but the Düsseldorf marathon always had a different number.)

I don't see any reasons against this change.

References

Proposal 33: High jump equipment: bending of bar

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 01, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

10 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 7, Disagree: 3, Abstain: 0.

Background

experience at unicon17:

bars must be extended to 2m, but the bar material was not very stable. Consequence was huge bending of the bar, the defined height only exist in middle of the bar,

Maximum bending must be defined: Maximum 20 mm

Proposal

Old:
2.19.1.2 Setup

Around the High Jump apparatus a circle with a radius of 3 meters must be marked This circle is start and finish line. …… The bar shall have a minimum diameter of 2cm.

New:
2.19.1.2 Setup

Around the High Jump apparatus a circle with a radius of 3 meters must be marked This circle is start and finish line. …… The bar shall have a minimum diameter of 2cm and maximum bending of 20mm.

Body

see background

References

Proposal 51: [Flat] Last trick order and turns

Committee: Flat & Street

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 15, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

8 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 8, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

It is a bit ambiguous on who should start the last trick at the end of a flatland battle. We also have had some problems when riders cannot decide who should start their last trick first.

Proposal

Old rule: 6.22 Battle Finals

Each battle will last two minutes, except for the final 4 battles. These semifinal and

final battles will last three minutes, unless another duration between 2 and 4 minutes

is agreed upon by both riders. There will be two countdown timers, one for each rider,

and each of these will be set to one minute. Each timer will be started and stopped

when each rider starts and stops. Riders should aim to complete each turn in about 15

seconds. No tricks after time is called will be counted. If a rider is in a combo when

their time ends, they may end the trick they are performing but are not allowed to go

into another trick. After one rider's time runs out, the other rider will ride for the rest

of their time and then both will proceed to Last Trick.

New rule: 6.22 Battle Timing

Each battle will last two minutes, except for the final 4 battles. These semifinal and

final battles will last three minutes, unless another duration between 2 and 4 minutes

is agreed upon by both riders. The rider with the better ranking from the preliminary round

must choose if he or she wishes to start the battle or go second

(and may ask the other rider for a preference).

There will be two countdown timers, one for each rider,

and each of these will be set to one minute. Each timer will be started and stopped

when each rider starts and stops. Riders should aim to complete each turn in about 15

seconds. No tricks after time is called will be counted. If a rider is in a combo when

their time ends, they may end the trick they are performing but are not allowed to go

into another trick. After one rider's time runs out, the other rider will ride for the rest

of their time and then both will proceed to Last Trick. The rider who started the battle will

also go first for the last trick. The riders must alternate between attempts until they complete

the trick or use up all attempts.

Body

This was a problem at Unicon in Montreal because riders took too long to decide.

References

Proposal 32: High Jump: minimum distance between the jump apparatuses

Committee: Jumps

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 01, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

10 out of 13 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 1.

Background

Discussion on Unicon17:

Which minimum length of the bar is necessary that the rider has enough space for his jump, first ours at unicon 17 the length of the bars were only 1 meter, a lot of riders have problems between the resulting reduced distance between the big apparatuses. Then in short time longer bars were organized.

Therefore beside the diameter of the bar also a minimum distance between the apparatuses must be defined, proposal minimum distance 2m

Proposal

Old:
2.19.1.2 Setup

Around the High Jump apparatus a circle with a radius of 3 meters must be marked This circle is start and finish line. …… The bar shall have a minimum diameter of 2cm.

New:

2.19.1.2 Setup

Around the High Jump apparatus a circle with a radius of 3 meters must be marked This circle is start and finish line. …… The bar shall have a minimum diameter of 2cm. The bar must have a length so that minimum distance between each part of the apparatuses is 2m.

Body

see background

References

Proposal 34: Explicit wheel size rules

Committee: Track & Field

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 12, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

14 out of 22 voting members have voted.

Agree: 14, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

It occurred to me that we don't really prescribe the 20" wheelsize limit for young riders, nor the 24" wheelsize for all other riders (11 and up).

Proposal

OLD RULE

2.1.3 Wheel Sizes
Wheel sizes for track racing are 20”, 24” and 29”. Additional groups for 16” or other wheels can be added. Age groups for sizes less than 24” should allow for riders of those ages to also ride 24” wheels with older riders, hence the 0-13 (24”) group. All riders in age groups between 0 and 10 will race a 10m Wheel Walk, and 10m Ultimate Wheel, if used (instead of 30m).

NEW RULE

2.1.3 Wheel Sizes
Wheel sizes for track racing are 20”, 24” and 29”. Additional groups for 16” or other wheels can be added. When not otherwise specified, 24" is the maximum wheel size above age 10. For age groups with a maximum age of 10 or younger, the maximum wheel size is 20" (or less, if smaller sizes are also used). The youngest age group for 24" wheels should have a minimum age of 0, so riders 10 and younger have the option of racing on 24" with those groups (e.g. 0-13 or 14-16). All riders in age groups with a maximum age of 10 or younger will race a 10m Wheel Walk, and 10m Ultimate Wheel, if used (instead of 30m).

Body

Or did I miss it and is this already regulated somewhere already?

I created a proposal rightaway without starting a discussion first, because of the deadline for new proposals of 25 March.

References

Proposal 39: Officially add Cyclocross to the Rulebook

Committee: Muni

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 06, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

16 out of 23 voting members have voted.

Agree: 16, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

The rules for the Cyclocross competition were created in 2014, after the 2013 IUF Rulebook was created. They were added to the Rulebook PDF for convenience of Unicon. The rules need to be officially voted in to the rulebook.

Proposal

Old rule: None.

New Rule: All of Chapter 4b in the rulebook PDF on the IUF website: https://unicycling.org/files/iuf-rulebook-2013.pdf (starting on page 60)

Body

Please read the rules in the linked document

References

Proposal 40: Add X-Style rules to rulebook

Committee: X-Style

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 04, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

9 out of 16 voting members have voted.

Agree: 9, Disagree: 0, Abstain: 0.

Background

There are currently no X-Style rules in the IUF Rulebook. These are the rules that were developed by Gossi and Felix and used at Unicon 17 as well as other smaller competitions. We need to vote to officially add them to the rulebook.

Proposal

Old rules: None.

New rules:

Chapter Y: X-Style

Competitors only care about skills. This system finds at least the best 3 riders.

Y.1 Definitions

Unicycle Skill: The main action of a movement is done on and with the unicycle.

Example 1 : If you do a handstand, while the unicycle is laying on the floor, this is a

non-unicycle trick, because the main action is the handstand.

Example 2 : If you do a handstand on the unicycle, while it is standing upside down,

this is a unicycle trick, because the main action is balancing the unicycle while doing

the handstand.

Y.2 Runs

Every competitor has a 2 minute run. The rider shows his/her skills during this time.

A DJ plays music for each run. After 2 minutes the DJ waits until the current skill is

finished and stops the music. Riders can also hand in their own music. Riders can ask

the DJ to give a time-remaining notification during his/her run.

Y.3 Starting Groups

The group of competing riders is split randomly into starting groups of about the same

size with a maximum 10 riders. There can be two distinct tournaments for junior (age

14 or younger) and senior (age 15 and older) riders. If there are obvious critical groups

(e.g. all the best riders in one group), the chief judge is allowed to modify the groups.

The host can decide to order the riders by age and then split them into starting groups.

The host is also allowed to hand out awards to intermediate winners. This can be

motivating for younger riders.

Y.4 Tournament

The best 3 riders of each group advance to the next round, forming a new pool of

competitors. If there is a tie on one of the first 3 places which extends to more than

the 3 riders, all involved riders advance. This pool again gets split into starting groups

and the next round begins. The final round consists of only one starting group. In the

final round the best 3 riders are awarded for the first, second and third place of the

competition.

Y.4.1 Ties

If the competition doesn’t allow ties (e.g. Unicon), the tied placed riders of the final

round will be given another run. The run will be one minute. The judges bring all tied

riders in order. If there is still a tie between riders, the tie rules will be applied again,

until all ties are resolved.

Y.5 Judges

The Chief Judge composes the Judging Table for each starting group. All judges can

be active competitors or non-competitors. Preferred are people with judging experience

and competitors. Non-Competitors can apply for being a judge by contacting the Chief

Judge in advance. The Chief Judge sets the application deadline. It is recommended

that every starting group is judged by two other starting groups. The judging table

consists of at least 5 Judges.

Y.6 Judging

Every routine is judged by the judging table. One judging table stays for one starting

group. Judges can judge alone or in pairs. Judging in pairs is the preferred system. All

judges must either judge alone or in pairs so that each judge’s vote has equal weight.

(Pair judges are referred to as one judge below.) The judge should rank the riders of the

current starting group in order. They should do this by comparing the difficulty of the

shown skills. The same skill when completed with higher quality (for example elegant,

smooth, or clean) is considered more difficult. Assigning the same rank to multiple riders

is allowed.

Only executed skills are taken into account. An executed skill is defined as when the

rider reaches the point of being in control.

Examples:

• The landing of a unispin is part of the skill. The rider can only reach the point of

being in control after landing. If the rider is hopping four times after the unispin

without control and then falls off the unicycle, the skill does not count.

• In coasting, the rider is in control after getting far enough. Getting back to pedals

is a separate skill.

Negative aspects like dismounts are ignored. Every judge should use blank sheets of

paper to take notes.

The highest and the lowest placing points per rider are discarded. All the remaining

placing points get summed up for each rider. The 3 riders with the fewest points win

and advance to the next round.

Y.7 Publishing Results

The published results contain the riders total ranking in order with their summed placing

points and the anonymized results of the judges with their ranking for each rider.

Body

Please vote these rules in. If you would like to make changes to them, submit an additional proposal.

References

Proposal 42: Freestyle Categories for Smaller Competitions

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 05, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

18 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 15, Disagree: 2, Abstain: 1.

Background

In competitions where there aren't a high number of freestyle competitors, the system of having riders compete based on age doesn't really work very well. The US has this problem and has developed a system of using categories instead of age groups. I thought it would be a good idea to add this text to the rulebook since the IUF made it clear that they are hoping to have their rulebook be used for all sizes of competitions.

Proposal

Old Rule (5.2):

5.2 Age Groups

Note: Age groups may be different for different types of event. The minimum allowable

age groups are listed for each event. Convention hosts are free to add more age groups.

Age group is determined by the rider’s age on the first day of the convention. Junior

Expert is open to all riders 0-14. Expert is open to riders of any age, including 0-14.

Riders must state the age group in which they are entering for each artistic event in

which they participate.

Example: Riders who enter Individual Freestyle as Experts can enter Pairs in their

age group if they wish. Riders are divided male/female in Standard Skill and Individual

Freestyle, but not in Pairs or Group.

New Rule (5.2):

5.2 Age Groups and Categories

Age groups and categories may be different for different types of events. The

minimum allowable age groups and categories are listed for each event. Convention

hosts are free to add more age groups but additional categories can only be added

when agreed upon by the Artistic Director, Chief Judge, and Event Host. Categories may not be added or removed at a Unicon without approval by the IUF Board. Age group is determined by the rider’s age on the first day of the convention. Junior Expert is open to all riders 0-14. Expert is open to riders of any age, including 0-14. Riders must state the category in which they are entering for each freestyle event in which they participate.

Example: Riders who enter Individual Freestyle as Experts can enter Pairs in another category if they wish. Riders are divided male/female in Standard Skill and Individual

Freestyle, but not in Pairs or Group.

Old Rule (other): None.

New Rule (other): (Text adapted from the USA Rulebook.)

5.X Categories for Smaller Competitions

At competitions where the number of freestyle competitors is low, the Event Host may choose to only offer categories and no age groups. This decision would be made to encourage a competition that is fair and engaging for both spectators and competitors.

5.X.1 Categories and Time Limits

Categories are determined by skill level. The IUF Skill Levels are used as a guide to

determine level of skill. Skill level testing is not required; these numbers are just used

as a point of reference.

For Pairs Freestyle the skill levels of the two riders should be averaged to determine category placement.

Category Name | Level | Time Limit

Novice | 0-3 | 2 minutes

Intermediate | 4-6 | 3 minutes

Expert | 7-10 | 4 minutes

5.X.2 Choosing Categories

Riders may enter the competition category they wish according to the approximate skill

level of the skills planned for the routine. Riders who wish to enter a category that falls

outside the guidelines must communicate their choice and reasons to the Chief Judge

before the competition. The Chief Judge will review the choices to assure that riders

enter categories that match their skills.

5.X.3 Promoting Rider(s) to a Higher Category

Because these categories are determined based on skill level and not age, it can be difficult to determine the correct category for any given routine. Therefore, there may be a need to promote routines to a higher category after they have been evaluated.

A routine is allowed to have a maximum of three successfully performed skills that are deemed to be higher than the allowed level for the category. Skills successfully performed is defined as performing the skill for a reasonable distance without falling, given the choreography of the routine. When this limit of three is exceeded, the routine is to be promoted to the next most difficult level. Clearly the skill levels are not an inclusive list of all the skills that may be performed in any given routine. Therefore, the approximate difficulty level of each skill performed in any routine must be evaluated to determine whether or not the skill is too difficult for the given category.

It is up to the discretion of the Chief Judge as to whether or not a routine is promoted to a higher category. The Chief Judge should take into account the opinions of the other judges when making this decision.

New Rule (additional note):

The word “category” must be added in a few other places in the rulebook in order for the text to make sense. For example, the last sentence of 5.2.1 Riders Must Be Ready would be changed to: “Except for Standard Skill, a rider may not perform before a different set of judges than those that judged the rest of their age group or category.”

The sections that need this small change are:

5.2.1 Riders Must Be Ready

5.6.2 Music Preparation

5.9.2 Assignment Of Age Group Judges

5.9.4 Judging Panel May Not Change

5.9.6 Re-Instating Judges

5.10 Scoring

Body

These rules have worked well in the USA and I would like to seem them added to the IUF Rulebook as an option for smaller competitions. In the proposal it makes it clear that at Unicon it is still required to use the typical Age Group, Jr. Expert, Expert system. The category system would only be used at small competitions and only if it was wanted. We have used these rules in the US for a long time and have had great success and a really fair and fun competition.

References

USA Rulebook Chapter 5

Proposal 50: Scoring

Committee: Freestyle

Vote Summary:

Passed on April 15, 2015

Votes on this proposal:

18 out of 27 voting members have voted.

Agree: 12, Disagree: 6, Abstain: 0.

Background

Right now the scoring rules in the rulebook aren't very clear. It is not clear at what point the judges scores get turned into rankings. Is it when they are still in presentation and technical? Or is it for all of the scores as a whole? Additionally, the way the scores are now you cannot see the difference between the riders. You lose how close in score they are if the scores just get turned into rankings. It makes much more sense to keep the proportion that the judges want. This lets us see truly how close the scores are.

Proposal

Old Rules:

5.10 Scoring

In all events except Standard Skill, the scores of each judge are transferred into placing points, which represent the ranking of each competitor by that judge. The highest scoring competitor gets 1 placing point, the next one gets 2, and so on.

Note: The ranking number, or highest placing point available for a competitor depends on the number of entries in that category. If two or more competitors have the same score, they are awarded equal portions of the total number of placing points available for the places they occupy in the ranking.

Example: Seven competitors. Four of them tie for 2nd place. 7th place gets 7 points, 6th place gets 6 points, and 1st place gets 1 point. For the other four competitors, add up the other placing points numbers: 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 14. Divide this by the number of competitors (4) to get 3.5 placing points each. 69 a Freestyle & Standard Skill Overview

5.10.1 Removing The High And Low

After determining placing points as above, discard the highest and lowest placing score for each rider. If Rider A has scores of 1,2,1,3,2, take out one of the ones, and the three. Then Rider A has 1,2,2, for a total of 5. If Rider B has scores of 2,2,2,2,2, he will end up with 2,2,2, a total of 6. The winner is the competitor with the lowest total placing points score after the high and low have been removed.

5.10.2 Ties

If more than one competitor has the same placing score after the above process, those riders will be ranked based on their placing scores for Technical. The scoring process must be repeated using only the Technical scores for the tied riders to determine this rank. High and low placing scores are again removed in the process. If competitors’ Technical ranking comes out equal, all competitors with the same score are awarded the same place.

New Rule:

5.10 Scoring

To tabulate the scores in Artistic Freestyle events (not X-Style or Standard Skill), each judge’s scores in a category or age group are totaled and restated as a percentage of that judge’s total points for that category or age group, i.e. the judge’s relative preferences for each performer. Then the percentages from all of the judges are totaled together. This is done first in both Performance and Technical. Once a percentage total for each competitor has been calculated for both Performance and Technical, these percentages are combined together to see the final results.

5.10.1 Removing Scores

All of the judges scores must be kept. The Chief Judge has the power to remove scores only if they are deemed to be biased or other extreme cases occur.

5.10.2 Ties

In the case of a tie where more than one competitor has the same placing score after the above process, those riders will be ranked based on their placing scores for Technical. The scoring process must be repeated using only the Technical scores for the tied riders to determine this rank. If competitors’ Technical ranking comes out equal, all competitors with the same score are awarded the same place.

Body

In order to have the most accurate scores possible we need to maintain the proportion between the riders for as long as possible. Here is a link to a google doc that shows how this calculation would work. There are three pages, one for Performance, one for Technical, and one showing the total scores. We used numbers from the Expert Female competition at NAUCC 2014. The scores are real. Interestingly enough the overall placing did not change but the overall scores between Rider 1 and Rider 2 are much closer than they were with the old system. If you used this in a competition with more competitors we might have seem results change due to the increase in accuracy.

If you wish to play around with the numbers on this spreadsheet please make a copy of it (File-Make a copy...). Please do not play with the numbers on this original spreadsheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19-WJQKSsHPCLkJRDAqVB4Cu_vZ6cXSNrH5-q1PvhVgU/edit#gid=0