Caroline Marks surfs a barrel wave at Teahupo’o – Credit: Getty Images
Surfing is an incredibly unique sport that utilizes an equally unique scoring system. Each surfing is able to catch as many waves as they can within the time limit, though only their top two scores will count. Each wave they ride will be scored by five judges on a scale from 0.1 – 10, with 10 being a perfect wave. The best and worst score for each wave will be dropped, and the average of the other three judges will determine the official score for that wave.
How do the judges actually determine what scores they will give though? NBCOlympics.com spoke with an expert to get a more in-depth understanding of how these scores shake out.
SEE MORE: Surfing 101: Olympic scoring
The judges’ criteria in surfing changes drastically depending on the venue. Teahupo’o itself is a one-of-a-kind menu, so it will require the surfers to focus on very different aspects of their riding than they did at the 2020 Games. The main thing the judges want to see at this location is barrel rides, also known as tube rides. At Teahupo’o the rapid transition from deep ocean to a shallow reef causes the oncoming waves to fold over themselves, creating hollow pockets, or barrels, that surfers are able to ride within.
Simply riding within barrel does not guarantee an appealing score though, as multiple boxes need to be checked in order to achieve a desirable number. The scores are also scaled to the wave conditions at that specific time.
“The foundation of judging is based on comparisons with other waves on the day,” said Eric Kramer, Technical Director for surfing at the Olympics. “Those are attached to the judging criteria including commitment, degree of difficulty, drop, size of wave, critical section.”
First and foremost, the surfers must commit fully to a wave to earn a high score. If they gingerly ease their way into a big swell, their score will not be favorable. This naturally transitions into degree of difficulty, which is impact by just about every other factor in the judging process. The harder the wave, the higher the score. This goes for both the wave shape itself and the way a surfer elects to ride it. The biggest, gnarliest waves swells always hold the opportunity for the most points. Additionally, surfers should aim to toe the line of wiping out, making the ride as hard as they possibly can without being toppled off of their board. Even if they toe that line too much and do wipe out, it can still be worth it as opposed to settling for an easy ride.
“Of course a larger, more difficult barrel will be scored better than a longer, smaller wave/barrel”
Ways to add degree of difficulty can vary. In Teahupo’o, surfers not only want to charge onto the biggest barrels, but they want to drop in as late as they can, ideally going airborne on their way down into the wave. From there, they should look to position themselves deep in the barrel, disappearing from the sight of spectators behind the crashing wall of white water for as long as they possibly can.
“The judges will look at the amount of travel time in the barrel even if they fall at the end, taking into account the length and difficulty of the wave,” explained Kramer.
When the mouth of the wave is just about to close, surfers hope to come flying through the spit, bursting back into sight while maintaining control on their board for a clean exit to finish their ride.
“Completion of the tube ride is mandatory for a good to excellent score.”
In a sport where judging scale that alters with the weather conditions and there are five judges, consistency can be a concern. As previously noted, the highest and lowest scores are not counted towards the average of a wave. That is not the only measure taken to ensure the scale remains as clear and accurate as possible.
“At the start of the heat, the Head Judge will scale the first significant wave of the heat so that all the judges are consistent at the start,” Kramer revealed. “The judges will always be watching the conditions before the start of the competition to see the potential of the conditions in that moment.”
Kramer also clarified that these expectations are not just discussed between the judging panel, but communicated to the surfers as well.
“There is a technical meeting the day before the competition where athletes and coaches are briefed on many technical elements, including judging criteria.”
The scoring system in surfing can appear difficult to grasp since it can differ so greatly from not just day-to-day, but heat-to-heat. In Teahupo’o though it’s pretty simple. Look out for the biggest barrels and the most daredevil rides.
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