Scooter Park vs Street Competitions

The Scootering Rulebook 2026 — published as an update dated December 2025 — is the document that governs Park and Street at every World Skate sanctioned scooter competition this season, including the World Skate Games in Asunción, 30 September – 18 October 2026. Six things in it contradict the format model most riders still quote.

1. Park runs up to four rounds, not three. The rulebook lists qualifying, quarter-final, semi-final and final for both disciplines.
2. Park is no longer capped at 100 points. A Park final may be run as 1+1/1+1, and that round is scored out of 110 — 100 for the run plus 10 for the trick.
3. Jam sessions are not a competition format. The Park and Street format tables contain only Run, 1+1/1+1 and 2/3/3. The word "jam" survives in the timing clause, the equipment-failure clause and the DNS definition, but no round may be run as one.
4. The Street final can now be a plain Run round. The allowed formats moved from "1+1 or 2/3/3" to Run, 1+1 or 2/3/3, giving the technical delegate a low-complexity fallback.
5. Riders get 5 seconds to start, not 10. The clock is triggered when the rider drops in, not when a timekeeper reacts to the countdown.
6. Run length is now bounded. Both Park and Street runs must be a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 50 seconds, fixed on the FOP layout, schedule and field size, and communicated at least one day before the first practice session.

One thing the rulebook still does not contain is a list of judging criteria. The familiar difficulty 30 / variety 25 / flow 25 / style 20 split is a national judging-course teaching model, not a World Skate rule — the reasoning is in the scooter judging criteria explained guide.

Whatever format a round uses, riders choose their own tricks, obstacles and lines within the Field of Play. In the Run format they ride the FOP solo for the set time. What separates the two disciplines is which formats each round is allowed to use and what a single trick attempt is worth.

The asymmetry in the trick column is the single most important number in this table. In Park the trick is a tie-breaker worth under a tenth of the round; in a Street 2/3/3 final the two counted tricks are worth 100 of the 200 available points. The scoring mechanics behind both live in the how scootering is scored pillar guide.

A Park competition typically comprises up to four rounds: qualifying, quarter-final, semi-final and final. Qualifying, quarter-final and semi-final are always run in the Run format. Only the final may use 1+1/1+1.

Run format

• Each athlete performs 2 runs; the best run's score counts for the ranking position.
• Run length is between 40 and 50 seconds, fixed on the FOP layout, event schedule and athlete count, and communicated at least one day before the first practice session. It may differ between rounds.
• Each run is scored out of 100 points.
• Of the 5 scores awarded by the panel, the lowest and highest are discarded and the remaining 3 are averaged.

1+1/1+1 format

One run, followed immediately by one single trick attempt, is one round. Each athlete completes 2 rounds, and the best round's score counts. The same drop-high, drop-low averaging applies to each round score.

Each round is scored out of 110 points — 100 for the run plus 10 for the trick.

What 10 points actually buys

Take a rider whose first round is a run of 88.00 plus a trick of 7.50, for 95.50, and whose second round is a cleaner run of 91.00 plus a trick of 3.00, for 94.00. The best round is 95.50. The arithmetic makes the structural point: a 10-point trick cannot close a run gap of any real size. In Park, the run is still the contest.

Helmets

Helmets are compulsory for all Park athletes regardless of age or category, across practice sessions as well as competition rounds. Failure to adhere results in disqualification.

A Street competition also comprises up to four rounds. Qualifying and quarter-final are Run. The semi-final and the final may each be run as Run, 1+1/1+1 or 2/3/3 — the technical delegate's choice, announced in the event bulletins.

Run format

Identical to Park: 2 runs of 40–50 seconds, best run counts, each scored out of 100, five judges with the high and low discarded.

1+1/1+1 format

One run plus one single trick attempt makes one round; each athlete completes 2 rounds and the best round counts. A Street round is scored out of 150 points — 100 for the run plus 50 for the trick. The same trick that is a rounding error in Park is a third of the score here.

2/3/3 format

Athletes perform 2 runs followed by 3 single trick attempts, producing five scores. The best run is added to the two best trick attempts for the aggregate. Runs are scored out of 100 and each trick out of 50, for a maximum of 200 points.

Attempts are taken one at a time in heat starting order — each athlete takes a single attempt, then the next rider follows, and the rotation continues until everyone has completed their two runs and three attempts.

Three procedural rules inside 2/3/3

• One roll-up only. A rider is permitted a single roll-up before performing the trick; a second roll-up scores 0 for that attempt.
• A rider may decline the score. Anyone intending to beat an attempt later can wave it off by immediately raising their hand and alerting the course manager directly — and it must happen before the judges enter their scores. A declined attempt is not scored at all, which leaves fewer results to select the two best from.
• A minimum 5-minute warm-up is provided after all finalists complete their two runs and before anyone attempts a first trick.

Boundaries

During Street single trick attempts, all tricks must start and finish within the FOP boundaries to count. A trick completed outside the boundary is not scored. Riding between runs is forbidden in every format and repeated violation results in disqualification.

What riders still call "Last Trick"

World Skate calls it a single trick attempt. Announcers and riders still say Last Trick. They are the same thing — a standalone attempt scored separately from the run.

The seeding order is fixed by the rulebook and applies identically to Street and Park.

Reverse order at every knockout stage means the leader always drops in last — a scheduling detail that decides how much information a rider has about the score they need.

Round size is not fixed

The size of each round and the cut-off for progressing are determined after reviewing the FOP layout, event schedule and athlete registrations, then communicated in bulletins before the event. The rulebook fixes only the ceiling: a maximum of four rounds.

The one-hour rule

Riders who have not checked in more than one hour before the first competition round of their category and discipline are removed from the competition, unless they have contacted the course manager, the on-site registration team or scootering@worldskate.org within that same window. Replacements are possible only up to that same one-hour mark.

A competition is cancelled if two or fewer athletes have checked in on time for a category and discipline.

Entry quotas

For World Championships the country quota is a minimum of 6 per NGB in Men's and Women's and 3 per NGB in Junior. Pre-seeded athletes do not count against it. Categories are Men's and Women's 12+ and Junior (mixed) 12–17, with juniors a maximum of 17 years old on the final day of competition. The athlete-facing version of registration and eligibility is in the scootering competition rules for athletes guide.

All timing devices are managed by a timekeeper, who reports to the head judge and technical delegate and communicates directly with the announcer.

The 5-second start limit

Athletes may begin only after the course manager's signal. For all runs and individual trick attempts, riders have a 5-second limit to begin after receiving it. A rider who purposefully does not start inside that window may lose the opportunity to be scored, and DNS is used as a score marking for that run or attempt.

When the clock is triggered

The timekeeper starts the clock when the rider drops in, following a countdown from the course manager or on-site commentator. This is a change from the older model in which timing began on the first obstacle or the first push.

When a trick is in time

A trick or bail counts as in time only when the scooter has already left the ground before the signal horn sounds. The head judge is the final decision maker, and the interpretation may be communicated in the pre-competition rider meeting.

Combinations past the buzzer

A rider mid-combination when the run timer expires may complete that combination and still be scored. What they may not do is extend it with a linking trick such as another manual or fakie — they may only trick out of the combination already under way. Any extension after the timer invalidates the entire combination.

Practice and warm-up

Athletes are given a minimum of 50 minutes of pre-competition practice, with no single session shorter than 30 minutes, and a minimum 2-minute competition warm-up immediately before their heat. Only registered athletes may access the FOP during pre-competition practice.

The rulebook writes two tie-break rules, split by format rather than by discipline.

Run format

1. The score of the second-highest run decides the tie-break.
2. If the tie is not broken, the jury votes. Each judge has one vote.
3. The head judge records the voting process and breaks the tie in the results and rankings.

1+1 and 2/3/3 formats

1. The score from the best run decides the tie-break — the trick scores are set aside.
2. If still tied, judges are asked to vote, one vote each.
3. The head judge records the voting and breaks the tie in the results and rankings.

The practical consequence is worth stating plainly: in a Street 2/3/3 final, two riders level on 178.00 are separated by their runs, not by the tricks that got them there. A rider who built an aggregate out of a weak run and two huge attempts loses that tie to a rider who built the same number the other way round.

The 2026 rulebook uses five Irregular Ranking Marks (IRM) where older format summaries used two.

DNS is also a score marking, separate from the ranking mark: it is applied when an athlete fails to start a performance within 5 seconds of the course manager's start signal.

One correction matters here. A rider who registers and then withdraws is WDW, not DSQ, and keeps the ranking from the last round they actually rode. Disqualification is a sanction, not a synonym for dropping out.

Re-run requests

The rulebook calls it a re-run, not a re-ride. An athlete may request one for a run or a single trick attempt only when:

• Conditions of the FOP changed dramatically and unexpectedly during the performance and affected it — weather, for example.
• Technical conditions on or around the FOP prevented a full performance: cables or cameras in the way, venue lights failing, chipped concrete on an obstacle.
• Third-party interference occurred: security running onto the FOP, fans jumping in, close-range photographer flashes.

The rider must stop during or immediately after the interference, raise their hand and approach the course manager, then describe the incident and request the new attempt or run. The head judge decides, may grant the re-run immediately or defer it, and the decision is communicated by the announcer.

No appeal

Once the head judge approves and publishes the scores they are final and not subject to appeal. What exists instead is a written clarification request, filed at the registration desk or by email, during the competition or within 24 hours of its end, and only by the athlete (or legal guardian if under 18) or the national team manager. Contacting the technical delegate, head judge or judges directly is prohibited.

The rulebook sets a minimum completion threshold for each format below which a round's results cannot be validated.

If the final cannot take place, results are still final and usable for medals provided every competitor, pre-seeded athletes included, had an equal chance to compete in the previous rounds.

Contingency formats

When weather or external conditions make the intended format impossible, the technical delegate — after consulting the event director — may apply an alternate competition format. It must be announced and defined in detail at least one hour before the affected phase begins. The rulebook's own example: a Street final planned as 2/3/3 may be switched to 1+1/1+1 or to a plain Run round to guarantee the round finishes.

A delayed qualifying round may likewise be restructured so every rider takes a single run before anyone takes a second, rather than completing both runs heat by heat — because a round in which some heats completed two runs and others none would be void.

What triggers a contingency

• Venue and FOP: structural issues or integrity risks, rolling-surface alterations, spectator behaviour causing organisational problems, general safety and security issues, power outage, significant transport disruption for athletes or officials.
• Weather: strong winds affecting performance, a FOP that frequently gets wet regardless of rainfall, high chance of lightning on or near the FOP, air quality or temperature extremes creating health hazards, natural disasters or force majeure declared by local authorities.
• Technical: a major failure of the scoring and results system, or a critical accident involving athletes on the FOP.

Schedule limit: unless necessary, schedule alterations should not force a practice session or a competition heat to start later than 10:00 PM. This is a soft constraint on start times, not a hard curfew on when a competition day must end.