Technology And Half-Pipe Snowboard Competition - Insight From Elite-Level Judges (P240)

Automated scoring for elite half‐pipe snowboard competition: Important sporting development or techno distraction?

“…In terms of elite-level competition judging, we have previously uncovered an awareness by the practice community of the sport's overall self-annihilating teleology [5] occurring within elite-level half-pipe snowboarding [1,2]. Like other sports that rely on subjective-judging criteria, the methodology underpinning how coaches routinely assess athletic progression and how judges score competition performance is open for debate and discussion.…”

“…There is a strong practice community perception that air time and degree of rotation play a major role in half-pipe snowboard competition success; however, these variables are currently assessed by purely subjective measures [1,2]. Two quotes from a recently published study [2] described the perceived importance air time has on competition performances: ''Air time is considered for every trick from a judging perspective'' and ''Athletes, coaches, judges, even my own mother agree that the amplitude (associated) with a trick is important.''…”

“…Two quotes from a recently published study [2] described the perceived importance air time has on competition performances: ''Air time is considered for every trick from a judging perspective'' and ''Athletes, coaches, judges, even my own mother agree that the amplitude (associated) with a trick is important.'' In a recent study of the perception of elite-level judges to the integration of automated objectivity into competition judging protocols, all stated that promoting objective information on the degree of rotation within competitions could negatively impact the sport's future directions [2]. The ''spin-to-win approach'' is a practice community concept that denotes the increasing amount of importance aerial acrobatic degree of rotation is showing in competition results.…”

“…There is evidence from coaches, judges, and spectators that suggests that air time ( Figure 2) and amplitude are crucial components of half-pipe snowboarding competitive success www.sportstechjournal.com [1,2]. The components of air time and amplitude, however, are currently assessed subjectively by elite-level coaches and competition judges when providing performance feedback to athletes.…”

“…This is because the athlete takes off and lands on the same half-pipe lip and therefore turns through approximately 180 degrees in the horizontal plane. There is evidence [1,2] that athletes who string together a consecutive series of aerial acrobatics with a high rotational component score highly in competition as sequences of consecutive rotational acrobatics increase the difficulty and risk associated with the routine. Total degree of rotation is measured in degrees and calculated by adding together all recorded rotations associated with each aerial acrobatic maneuver performed (typically 6-8) during a half-pipe snowboard run.…”