Freestyle Competition Setup
The LVO Presented by Scales will feature a 1A freestyle competition that composes of a 1 minute preliminary round and a 2 minute final round.
Music Guidelines
The players will have the freedom to choose their own music for both rounds, however the music used must be appropriate for all audiences as the event is in a public space. Compared to the music guidelines of Scales Open Online, the guidelines for LVO are more strict and as a competitor should be viewed as the same rules for any typical yo-yo contest. Please do not include swearing or inappropriate language in your routine’s music.
The audio files should start the freestyle music at 0:00. We will not take requests to start the file at some point besides the beginning. Music will be shut off between 1:00 and 1:01 for prelims and between 2:00 and 2:01 for finals.
In the event that the player’s music stops mid-routine, the player has the option to either keep going from that point, start clean immediately after the error, or start clean towards the end of the division. They can also request for their scores to be final at that part of the routine and not do any sort of re-do.
Detailed Rules
Preliminary Round Scoring Structure
Clicker Score
70 out of 100 eligible points in the prelims will be from the player’s clicker score. Similar to a standard yo-yo contest, the player’s score will compose of an average of the normalized scores for the whole set of players from each judge, with the highest possible score being a perfect 70. Judges will be using positive and negative clickers to count successful elements as well as misses in the routine, and judges will score elements multiple clicks if what is done is difficult or risky.
Evaluation Score
30 out of 100 eligible points in the prelims will be from 3 evaluation categories, each being valued at 10 points. Judges will score players from a 0-10 scale and their scores will be averaged in order to come up with the player’s score for each category. For prelims, the categories will be Precision, Zoning, and Musicality. Evaluation category descriptions can be found below.
Major Deductions
Standard major deduction rules will also be in place, details can be found below. Deductions will be subtracted from the player’s final score.
Final Round Scoring Structure
Clicker Score
50 out of 100 eligible points in the finals will be from the player’s clicker score. Similar to a standard yo-yo contest, the player’s score will compose of an average of the normalized scores for the whole set of players from each judge, with the highest possible score being a perfect 50. Judges will be using positive and negative clickers to count successful elements as well as misses in the routine, and judges will score elements multiple clicks if what is done is difficult or risky.
Evaluation Score
50 out of 100 eligible points in the prelims will be from 6 evaluation categories. Precision, Variance, Zoning, and Musicality each will be valued at 10 points, whereas Risk & Rareness will be valued at 5 points each. Judges will score players from a 0-10 scale and their scores will be averaged in order to come up with the player’s score for each category (with the average score being halved for 5 point categories).
Major Deductions
Standard major deduction rules will also be in place, details can be found below.
Evaluation Category Descriptions
Precision
Precision has to do with the general appearance of the player’s yo-yo tricks on stage.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
Are the player’s movements controlled well?
Does it look like the player is struggling to complete their tricks, or are they executing them with ease?
Does the player has a special emphasis in pacing or flow that improves the appearance of what they are doing?
Zoning
Zoning is the category that revolves around the space the player occupies within their tricks as well as on stage in relation to the tricks they are doing.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
Does the player perform tricks outside of the zone that is directly in front of them?
Does the player utilize the different zones of the stage to their advantage in relation to what type of trick they are doing?
Does the player possibly put too much emphasis into the zones they are doing their tricks to the point where it distracts from the general intent of the trick?
Musicality
Musicality evaluates how well the player choreographed their tricks and overall freestyle to the music that they used.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
Did the freestyle had a noticeable amount of tricks with music cues?
Did the player use the music to improve the value of their routine?
Did the player use the song’s tempo or pacing to perform their tricks in a different manner?
Variance
Variance is the category that evaluates how many different trick types the player did in a mastered fashion.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
How many different types of tricks did the player perform in relation to the standard competitor?
Did the player perform trick archetypes that surprised the judges?
Was the player able to perform different trick types in a presentable fashion, or did foreign trick types look more difficult to the player?
Risk
Risk is a newer category that is in place to provide extra value to players who go out of their way to perform tricks that are significantly more difficult than standard tricks.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
Did the player go out of their comfort zone in their routine from a trick difficulty perspective, or were they safe in terms of tricks attempted?
Did the player perform tricks that could heavily affect the outcome or appearance of their routine?
Rareness
Rareness is a nod to an older evaluation category that provides extra value to players who put effort into showing their own creative tricks or style on stage.
A few questions that competitors & judges should think of while assessing this category are…
Did the player perform the same tricks as most competitors in the standard competition pool, or did they go out of their way to showcase new ideas or their own style?
How contrasting was the player’s routine in comparison to a typical freestyle?
Major Deduction Details
-1
One point will be deducted from the player’s score in the event that they have to perform a restart during their routine.
-3
Three points will be deducted from the player’s score if they either have a switch during their routine or end the routine with the yo-yo not wound up fully in their hand.
-5
Five points will be deducted from the player’s score if the yo-yo string snaps during their routine.