Section 4: Players & Officials
Competitors ("skiers") are entered individually and are typically grouped into age and skill divisions, with separate men's and women's classifications and boat-speed/rope-length or ramp-speed standards for each. A sanctioned tournament requires a boat driver approved to drive at competition tow speeds, an observer/spotter in the boat who watches the skier and signals falls or course infractions, and a panel of judges.
Judging is event-specific: Slalom and Jump results are primarily determined by course officials and measurement/timing equipment recording buoy counts, rope length, boat speed, and jump distance, while Tricks requires a panel of trick judges (commonly a panel of five) who independently identify and score each maneuver a skier performs during a pass, with scores reconciled according to the rulebook's judging procedures.
A Chief Judge oversees each event and resolves disputes over calls made by the boat driver, observer, or trick judges, applying the interpretations set out in the IWWF World Waterski Rules 2026.