Help with first comp tricks...

Hey everyone! I am entering my first comp on tuesday and I'm looking for some advice as to what order to throw my tricks in. The comp uses INT rules so I am going to enter the advanced category. Here is a list of the harder tricks I can do and the estimated percentage that I can land them. I can pretty much do any regular grab to but I think these might be my highest scoring tricks. Thanks for the advice!!

Indy Tantrum (95%)
Scarecrow (80%)
HSFS3(90%)
Halfcab 1 w/ poked tail grab(90%)
HS Raley(95%)
HSBS Shifty w/ poked tail grab(90%)
TS backroll(60%)
HSFS 1 w/ poked crail grab(95%)
TSFS 3(40%)
Backroll(90%)
HSBS1(20%)

Ryan , Myself I have done 15+ INT compeitions in Colorado when it was here. Honestly you can think of your tricks all you want and how you want to throw them in which order but once you get out there you wont focus on it at all, Just go out, cut out and throw whats in your head.. Basically everytime you cut out just think of something you should throw, it will come naturally just like when you freeride.. Have FUN!!! DO NOT worry about which tricks to throw in order or you will screw up I promise you that... Just go ride man... If you show enjoyment and just your style judges will favor it more.. If you go out with a "trick order" you will get stressed and fall... Just go natural man!

PS. The judges really like tweaked out stuff if you can tweak out your grabs and make them super stylish with pokes, bone outs and shifties and going big they will mark that higer then just a standard backroll and stuff like that .. so like your indy tantrum will score high just cause your grabbing it compared to other people who will just throw the tantrum. and looking at your tricks you can do sounds like you got style locked in the bag.. but seriously just go out and ride like your free riding but try to link you tricks fast going from a hs jump to ts jump to hs and on and on .. you will get maybe 4 - 5 tricks each pass if you link them that way... if you go hs to ts then cross back over to hs you will prob get like 3 tricks.. again its just style

Def get that poked out crail though if its really poked out it would look sick! and go BIG on it

I agree with Chase - have fun. The only strategy I suggest is throwing your biggest but lowest probability tricks at the end of each pass so you don;t lose a long stretch of water getting back up to speed if you do happen to fall.

+1 to Dans post as well, Do the tricks you KNOW you have a high chance of landing then at the end throw like your TS backroll and then next pass your last trick or "Wild card" trick throw your ts360 or something or try something knew and just go all out and try a S BEND or Hoochie

I always like to throw my biggest tricks into the flats early and work down technically as the pass goes on. The judges see so many riders that if out the gates you boost a huge grabbed trick they will take notice. Do the TS backroll last trick first pass, the TSFS3 towards the end of the second pass and when you stomp it go right into the HSBS1.

I tend to disagree with Chase, I visualize my entire run beforehand. They say repetition breeds consistency and if you know what your next trick will be going in you will feel a lot more comfortable. See yourself stomping everything and get an idea of the course. The more comfortable you are in your surroundings the better you will do.

I dont disagree or agree with stephan, I think its a smart idea to have a bag of tricks you want to throw in your run just like the ones you posted on here but planning in which order to do them down your passes wont help once your out there, but im going from personal experience, When I did my first competition in INT I sat down looked at all the tricks in my division that I could do and tried planning them in order in my head sitting in front of the lake that morning, When I went out, there was no way.. Everything happens very quickly, You will experience this yourself, at that point I just threw what I knew I could throw and had fun and I placed first out of 15... After I got a feel for it all my competitions I did , I always placed top 3 and in 2003 I went to the finals in Bakersfield, CA. again if you go have fun and have style judges will notice that more, For example I went out and I tried a HS Roll to Revert and fell, boat came up and all the judges were all smiling, DUDE you almost have it what I want you to do is .... and they gave me instruction on how to throw it in the comp! I went got back up and tried it another time, Fell again, they just kept giving me intsruction how to do it and I still placed 3rd because of previous tricks and my attitude to the sport and they respected the fact that I kept trying something new and kept trying to throw it.

I dont know if its different for any other state but the seperate judges judge on....
STYLE
AIR HEIGHT
TRICKS
and they will tell you what they are looking for in the riders meeting in the morning ...

It's been years since I competed, but here would be my additional thoughts:

-This is not your boat, speed, wake, or lake - so expect to be a little uncomfortable and it not perfect. Start off with one or two "simple" but stylie tricks to get comfortable and than grip it and rip it. I can't tell you how many outlaw riders hit that wake hard the first trick and eat it, than never get the mindset back I have seen over the years.

-I think you still get credit for repeated tricks, but just less credit? If that's a case isn't that better than falling on a 50% trick? Or do on invert with a grab and one without? I would save the75-85% tricks at the end of the second path.

-And old tick of the trade is when you fall - stat swimming your butt off backwards. Even if you swim 10' that is 10' more the boat can use to plane. On the delta, or where there is current, this is CRITICAL!

-Most judges I have seen when reviewing scores will start with quantity of tricks, than look at difficulty, than amplitude/flow. Remember than if there are 10 riders in your division - more than half will have one or two falls and maybe one will stick out, but overall all the tricks will be very similar until you get to outlaw division. So you have to make yourself seen due to your style, flow or amplitude. I think the bigger some riders go often outweigh style or technicality even though it is supposed to be equal. Your division will probably be (Scarecrow/tantrum/TS backroll/backroll/roll-revert) So anything different (krpyt, true front flip, roll to blind or tany to blind, or any grab variation will stand out). On that tany, try to work on a crail/stale or nose grab to be different than the rest in your division.

-As an announcer for many years, I always get hyped with a rider that goes big or does something pretty unique. So keep that in mind.

-Of course it is all about fun. I can think of 4-5 top ranked nor-cal guys that just never did well in contests, but than would leave and throw pro runs free-riding. It's more in your head than on your feet, so somehow you have to be calm and just ride.

Thanks for the advice guys! I really appreciate it. The comp I'm doing is going to be very informal from what I hear so I'm not really worried about it, just a little nervous. I've been trying to stick a HS backroll to revert for awhile now but haven't been able to ride away yet so if all goes well I might throw that one in at the end just for fun. I'll deffinately try to push the style and go big. Maybe I'll throw in a HSBS3 just for fun too even though its on the expert trick list.

Oh and my HSFS 1 is with a poked slob not a crail(my mistake).

Jason- Thanks for the help with the indy tantrum BTW. I have been taking these huge out into the flatts and everyone in the boat loves them!

write it down, memorize it, and go do it behind your boat. get in shape for it. contests passes are a lot different than just crusing with your buddies. i spent 5 nights getting my consistancy down in my first contest. i placed 4th. seemed to work for me.

Pros and cons with having a set run memorized or 'freestlying' it and people can do well with either approach so go with whatever you feel comfortable with. Besides saving your hardest/sketchiest trick for the end of each pass, start off with somtheing you nail pretty much 100% of time which may be your ralley or s just your favorite grab to boost the confidence and throwing it big will get the judges interested. Most important thng about a tourney is having fun, meeting other riders, and unless you are competing for the big dollars not taking your riding too seriously.

yea gotta say I agree with Lee, usually the most successful riders at comps I have seen do tend to plan out the whole run, but they have different options according to how the run is going, conditions on the day, wake etc. For example dialing back a crow mobe to a grabbed crow if its a bit choppy or whatever. Also by planning out the run that doesnt mean just mentally listing it out but practicing the run over and over again until u dont even need to think about it. I always tell guys before their first comps, if you cant stick a comp pass free riding the chances of doing it under pressure with little to no warm up in a real comp are pretty slim. The most naturally gifted guys can do a comp pass freeride style but I do think that for most that can lead to mistakes like repeat tricks, poor composition or simply going for too much.

Ryan...you had your run nailed on Monday! You threw everything way huge and with lotz of steeze. You're 3's were smooth and your inverts were ginormous! You should tell the folks how good you did in the comp on Tuesday!!!

Originally Posted by kaligirl

Ryan...you had your run nailed on Monday! You threw everything way huge and with lotz of steeze. You're 3's were smooth and your inverts were ginormous! You should tell the folks how good you did in the comp on Tuesday!!!

Thats what I like to hear buddy!!!

good job.

in my opinion take the 2 tricks that you are least consistant that you want 2 throw without a doubt and do them at the end of your first pass and the end of your second that way if you fall you dont lose any of your course due 2 boat geting up 2 speed if i was in your spot i would do my toeside backroll at the end of the first pass and the tsfs360 at the end of the second theres my advice goodluck

Originally Posted by austin_the_wakeboard_man

in my opinion take the 2 tricks that you are least consistant that you want 2 throw without a doubt and do them at the end of your first pass and the end of your second that way if you fall you dont lose any of your course due 2 boat geting up 2 speed if i was in your spot i would do my toeside backroll at the end of the first pass and the tsfs360 at the end of the second theres my advice goodluck

Lol this had been said atleast 3 times already ... and the competition is done, read some of if not the whole thread before you post

haha my bad i guess i should have read more at the end lol good job dude thats awsome