Oklahoma Water Ski Federation’s
2003 Oklahoma NSL Series Rules

Section 1. General:
All tournaments in Oklahoma include USA Water Ski NSL Series events named:
The Oklahoma NSL Series Championships

The NSL Championship Program provides an avenue for skiers of all levels to get involved into competition water skiing. The goal for our NSL program is to make tournaments exciting, fun, flexible, innovative, and spontaneous to encourage new water skiers to join-in on some friendly competition and then advance into higher levels such as “C” class and above rated skiing. Oklahoma’s NSL program is a bridge that brings recreational skiers into our community-level tournaments. Oklahoma has its NSL skiers participating right next to “C” and above class rated skiers to learn side-by-side on how to learn and/or improve their water skiing. These rated skiers in return also gain new friends and yes, get reminded of those water skiing fundamentals by teaching others. Having the NSL program allows Oklahoma water skiers at all levels to learn how to create personal goals, reach those goals, in addition to improving even more by setting new goals and reaching them. Plus skiers enjoy their own competition, watching other competition and seeing it grow at all skiing abilities. Sponsoring clubs are also encouraged to host/provide NSL events outside regular tournament schedules.

All Oklahoma ski sites hosting tournaments include NSL Series Events - affiliated with the USA Water Ski’s National Ski League (NSL) and will follow these guidelines as well as all USA/AWSA Water Ski rules. For specific descriptions and rules contact USA Water Ski Headquarters.

Skiers can only earn up to a 1st Class Rating at NSL and other novice tournaments. Expert Ratings and above may NOT be earned in a NSL portion of a tournament.

Section 2. Divisions:
All Oklahoma NSL Series stops should consist of the following slalom groupings for three divisions: NSL men novice & expert, NSL women novice, and NSL youth. At a sponsoring clubs’ discretion, beginner slalom may also be offered for men, women, and youth. Male and female skiers age twelve and under may ski in the youth division. Novice trick and novice jump may also be offered at the discretion of the sponsoring club. There is no youth NSL division for trick or jump events. Youths are suggested to ski in their regular age divisions.

Section 3. Expert Slalom:
Open to any male slalom skier that has an Expert rating but not a Masters rating, unless an Expert rating is the qualification for the SCR Regional Tournament. All standard and novice USA Water Ski Rules apply. Breakout for “Expert NSL Division” is a Masters Rating for the skiers respective age division. Which is typically qualification for the SCR Regional Championship Tournament. Speed and breakout points listed below Section 4.

Section 4. Novice Slalom:
Open to any skier who has not skied past the breakout point (listed below) in a sanctioned tournament. All standard and novice USA Water Ski Rules apply.

The following starting speeds and breakout points apply:
Division Starting Speed ** Breakout
Novice Men 28 mph 6 at 36 mph
Novice Men 3* or above 28 mph* 6 at 34 mph at 22 off
Expert Men 28 mph Master’s rating
Novice Women 24 mph 6 at 32 mph
Novice Youth 16 mph 6 at 24 mph

*Men 3 - age 35 or above on January 1 of the ski year.
**At the discretion of the ski site, starting speeds may be lowered.

Section 5. Beginner Slalom:
(Beginner is for entry level, new or novice skiers). This division is designed for water skiers with little or no experience in the slalom course. Starting gates are optional, but exit gates must be skied. Skiers that breakout of beginner division should ski future tournaments in novice division.

The following starting speeds and breakout points apply:
Division Starting Speed ** Breakout
Beginner Men 24 mph 6 at 30 mph
Beginner Women 20 mph 6 at 28mph
Beginner Youth 14 mph 6 at 20mph

At the option of the hosting club, green buoys (mini-course) 5-10 feet inside the red buoys may be provided. See USA Water Rules booklet for (full-course) slalom course description. Skiers who choose to start on the green buoy mini-course will have the same starting speed and maximum speed as the beginner division. As with beginner rules, starting gates are optional, but exit gates must be skied. When a skier completes a full pass at the breakout speed on the mini-course, they will be dropped at the end of the course and asked to choose a starting speed for the red buoys (full course). A complete pass on the full course will beat any score on the mini-course. Once a skier is on the full-course (red buoys) he/she must complete a full pass to receive credit for back buoys that would have started counting at minimum speed on the full-course. Mini-course buoys are at half-value of full-course buoys.

Section 6: Novice Tricks:
Novice tricks are scored using USA/AWSA trick rules and point values. (Extra credit points and mulligans [no-count falls or misses] are optional to increase participation and excitement. Contact OWSF Chair for a copy of extra credit points possibilities for NSL trick events.)
The following breakout points apply to Novice Tricks:
Men - 800 points
Women - 500 points
No youth trick division

Section 7: Novice Jump:
For sites that offer novice jump, the following breakout points apply:
Men - 70 feet
Women - 40 feet
No youth division.

Maximum ramp height is five feet. Maximum speed: 30 mph

Section 8: Breakout Rules
Skiers that surpass the breakout point while skiing in a NSL event division will be scored as NSL Beginner, NSL Novice or NSL Expert for that tournament. They will receive awards and series points they have earned up to the end of that tournament. The skier then should ski remaining rounds of the current tournament in the same NSL division, unless the skier suspects that he/she might earn a rating above a 1st Class in a following round of the same tournament. A Chief Judge will approve if the skier may ski within their respective age division for that tournament only to accrue desired rating. Remember - Expert and above ratings CANNOT be earned in NSL beginner or novice divisions. However, NSL points already earned for that season will count toward the Oklahoma NSL Series Championship.

Example: At a three round slalom tournament, Bob enters novice slalom. In the first round, Bob skis 2 buoys at 22' off. Bob has "broken out" of the men's novice division. In the following two rounds no one beat Bob’s buoy count. Bob is placed 1st in men's novice. He receives his 1st place trophy, and 10 NSL Series points. He now can enter future tournaments in his age division to earn ratings or the NSL Expert division.

Section 9. Trophies, Gifts & Awards:
The sponsoring club for each Oklahoma NSL Series site will provide awards for the top three skiers in each division offered. NSL Series Finals will be held during the State Championship tournament. The sponsoring club will also provide USA Water Ski’s NSL gifts for the EACH skier entered in the Oklahoma NSL Series Championship Program.

Section 10. NSL Series Championship Points & Awards:
For each tournament entered, skiers accumulate Series Championship Points based upon placement not actual buoy count.

It is to the skier’s advantage to enter as many Oklahoma NSL Series stops as possible.

In order to earn and accumulate NSL Series Championship placement points, the skier must be a current member of OWSF and USA Water Ski organization.
Points will be awarded as follows:
Expert & Novice Slalom, Novice Trick, and Novice Jump
1st place - 10 pts. 2nd place - 9 pts. 3rd place - 8 pts. 4th place - 7 pts.
5th place - 6 pts. 6th place - 5 pts. 7th place - 4 pts. 8th place - 3 pts.
9th place - 2 pts. 10th place - 1 pt.
Beginner Slalom
1st place - 5 pts. 2nd place - 4 pts. 3rd place - 3 pts. 4th place - 2 pts.
5th place - 1 pts.
Youth Slalom
1st place -10pts. 2nd place – 9 pts. 3rd place - 8 pts. 4th place - 7 pts.
5th place - 6 pts. 6th place - 5 pts. 7th place - 4 pts. 8th place - 3 pts.
9th place - 2 pts. 10th place - 1 pt.

Double points are awarded for placement at the Oklahoma NSL Series Championship at the Oklahoma Championship Tournament. After the NSL Series portion of the State Tournament, placement points are totaled and the skier with the most NSL Series Points is chosen as winner of the trip to Florida to ski in the NSL Pro-Am Water Ski Tournament.

The following NSL Series Championship Awards are presented at the Oklahoma Championship Banquet:
Slalom Trick Jump
Expert Men 1st, 2nd, 3rd NA NA
Novice Men 1st, 2nd, 3rd 1st, 2nd 1st, 2nd
Beginner Men 1st, 2nd NA NA
Novice Women 1st, 2nd 1st 1st
Beginner Women 1st, 2nd NA NA
Novice Youth 1st, 2nd

*To be eligible for a NSL Series Championship award, the skier must have entered that event at least once that year prior to the State Championships.

OWSF purchases NSL Series Championship awards, the hosting club obtains these NSL awards.
The hosting club is also responsible for purchasing and obtaining all other State Championship Tournament awards.

State recognition awards are purchased and obtained by OWSF.
· DIME Award (Dedication, Inspiration, Motivation and Excellence)
In memory of Charlie Bauman and Stan Coppock
· State Records
· Other State Awards– Best Crash, Worst Crash, Ugliest Pass, Bad Boat Path, etc.