Freestyle Players Association
December 1997
Improve audience perception by changing the judging system
By Bill Wright - WFDF President and Runner-Up, FPA World Co-Op Championships
Crowd's perception. A few people saw freestyle for the first time in Hawaii and lasted about an hour, then didn't come back the rest of the weekend. I continue to hear stories like this. Somehow in the old days it seemed that people couldn't get enough. We need to leave 'em droolin'. Rarely does any spectator leave wanting more.
Here are some thoughts
I've expressed for a while about judging:
1) The routines are too long. Bad for TV. Bad for the attention of the audience. Bad for execution. Any related sport with judged routines rarely goes over 2 minutes. (to start, cut each routine by 1 minute - 3 minute pairs and 4 minute co-op finals).
2) Difficulty should be 3-5 ranges max. Not 10. Like Randy said, even though players feel there is a huge discrepancy in difficulty between players, the audience doesn't see it that way. What makes a difference to spectators at a high-level tournament is presentation, not difficulty. The relative impact of a so-called difficult routine has very little to do with an audience's perception.
3) Presentation is totally messed-up. The current categories overlap and lack definition. If co-ops are desired (which I think is important when you have more than one player on the field), then the way people interact should be highlighted. Since music is played while the routine is happening then the way you play to the music should make a big difference.
Transition play (the way players exchange the disc) is very important. I think currently that this is the area that probably turns the audience off the most. The jubilation after a catch, the groveling after a crash and burn, the stepping back to crank z's, all are distractions to play. It's called FLOW now, but rarely judged that way. The disc is meant to fly and the more time it spends stagnant in your hand or on your nail the more boring it gets.
4) Execution is under rated. Zero drops should be the norm. Not only that, but bobbles, wobbles, and body farts should be more reflected in the execution score.
5) Time warnings should be eliminated. It should be the team's responsibility to know their music, or have someone tell them or wave a flag. It's a distraction to hear it over the speaker and a responsibility that should not be required of a sound person. Too many mistakes are made and blame put where it should not be.