So you have taken a look at the contest schedule and you have decided that you want to enter a contest or two.  What do you do?  It depends on the contest, but the first step is always to use the contact info that is provided.  Some of the smaller contests are run in a very informal manner.  You can show up the morning of the contest, pay your entry fee, and you are good to go.  Other contests, such as the Victoria World Championships, have entry deadlines weeks before the actual contest.  Furthermore, some of the contests have limits on how many competitors are allowed (for permit and insurance reasons).  The best thing you can do is call the contact early and ask what the deal is.

So once you have entered what happens?  First of all, don't miss your heat!  Assuming you are not pro, you can expect your heat to run in the least desirable conditions.  That translates to early in the morning, late in the afternoon and/or when the tide/wind conditions suck.  Of course there are rarely any guarantees so show up early and plan to stay the whole day.  This is unfair, but there is not much that can be done.  The pros deserve and need the best conditions to demonstrate what the sport is capable of and to make the competition meaningful.

The actual format of the different contests varies but you can expect 3 or 4 man heats with the top 2 competitors advancing to the next round.  Heats usually last from 12 to 15 minutes.  Commonly, your seven best waves will count towards your final score.  How they count differs from contest to contest.  Some contests use a point method where the points from your seven best waves are added together and the person with the most points wins the heat.  Other contests (Such as the Vic) use a very different method.  In this method each rider is ranked on each judges scorecard (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.).  Then the rankings from all the scorecards are added together.  The person with the lowest "score" wins the heat.  For example, if there are four judges, a score of 4 means that you placed first on all the judges scorecards, and hence you win the heat.  Just remember that with this method, the person with the lowest score wins.  Why do they do this?  There are advantages to each system which I will elaborate on in a future article.  For now, just make sure you understand the way your contest is judged.  (Note:  There are efforts underway to change the judging system so that all contests use the same system)

So you are in your first heat, what should you do?  People claim that there is a judging criteria (i.e. "competitors are judged on the distance they travel, the criticalness of the maneuver and their proximity to the peak of the wave").  The truth is that there is no criteria.  You get good scores by doing things that shock the judges (and no, wipeouts don't count).  Basically you have to go off, period.  There is usually no losers bracket, so skim the best you can otherwise you will most likely be eliminated.  Some contests, such as the Victoria contest have further restrictions on what waves will count.  In the Vic contest your rides are broken into rights and lefts.  Rights are basically waves you catch by running to the right, and vice versa.  A minimum of three waves from each category is required.  So if you catch 7 "perfect 10" backside wraps in your heat, but don't got he other way at all, only four waves will count, and you will receive a zero on the other three waves.  This is done to promote all around riding and to eliminate advantages that might occur due to the conditions (swell/wind direction being better for goofy or regular footers etc...).  It is something you need to be aware of if the contest you are in uses a system like this.

After you understand everything about how the contest works, all that you have to do is skim really well and you will win.  Easier said than done.  Of course, you are not going to win if you don't practice a lot before hand.  The battle is really won before you ever step in the arena.  What is most important is that you are confident in your abilities and that you remain calm.  It is common for people to get really worked up before their heat.  Although you need to be alert this is not a boxing match.  Skimboarding requires finesse and balance more so than it does testosterone and adrenaline (the adrenaline comes from the ride, the ride doesn't come from the adrenaline).  Remaining cool and confident is your best weapon.  It is also in your best interest to be excited about riding waves during your heat.  You will surely put more effort into riding the wave in front of you if you haven't ridden a wave in two weeks.  Likewise, the same theory transfers over to warming up.  A short warm-up is a good idea to get your muscles loose.  But keep it short (5 - 10 minutes), otherwise you are using up your energy and sapping your desire to ride the waves during your heat.

Just remember that the goal here is to have a good time.  Skimboarding is a laid back sport and even when you lose you can still have a great time just hanging out with your friends and meeting skimboarders from out of town.  And what could be more important than that?