The FPA has added an intermediate competition to the schedule of events at the 2004 FPA World Championships. The Future Jammers competition is designed to bridge the gap between new players and established, elite competitors. The competition will feature a shortened format focusing on intermediate skills, and most entry fees are being waived to encourage participation.
Intermediate divisions have become popular this summer in Europe, following up on the popularity of Junior division competitions in the United States over the past few years. When the organizers of this year’s world championships suggested adding an Intermediate division to the schedule, the FPA collaborated with them to create a format that would be easy for beginners, test promising players and provide an unforgettable experience for all participants.
Two of the most exciting features of the Intermediate division are its partnership with the elite players and its low cost. Each entrant will be randomly teamed with a pro players for his performance. The pro will provide throws that showcase each intermediate’s talents. The selection of the pro thrower will happen only minutes before each player’s performance, so there will be no planned routines, but experienced pro competitors will be able to offer on-the-fly coaching during the performance. Playing with one of the top freestylers in the world will be a memorable experience that will encourage newer players to delve further into the sport.
The competition is open to any freestyler who has not advanced a round at an FPA Worlds, WFDF or US Open. Organizers have reserved the right to ask eligible elite players to enter the Pro division instead of the Intermediate competition, to avoid sandbagging.
The FPA has partnered with Cota & Tequila Productions, organizers of FPAW2004, to make entering the Intermediate division as economical as possible. The entry fee will be 20 Euros and will include a generous players package, and the FPA has agreed to waive its traditional requirement that all competitors be FPA members. The goal is to encourage freestylers of all levels – from audience members to those on the verge of pro success – to try the Intermediate division as possible.
The competition format for the Future Jammer competition is an abbreviated version of the pro format. Instead of the four minute performances in te pro division, intermediate competitors will play for only three minutes and will
be judged on their individual moves rather than on a team performance.
The judging system has also been adapted to measure Intermediate skills. As in pro competition, Difficulty and Execution will be judged, but Artistic Impression has been replaced with a Skills Checklist that measures the range of Intermediate skills shown by each competitor. An Intermediate player scores one point each time he shows a skill on the checklist, up to a maximum of ten points:
Throwing & Catching
1. Three different throws
2. Three different trick catches
3. Six different throws
4. Six different trick catches
5. Good Z’s – clock
6. Good Z’s – counter
Discwork
7. Nail Delay (clock)
8. Nail Delay (counter)
9. One tip/kick to a move or restricted catch
10. One brush to a move or restricted catch
11. Roll to a move or restricted catch
12. Nail delay control move
13. A restricted rim pull or set to a move or restricted catch
14. Spin to a delay, pull or restricted catch
15. A brushing run (3+) or a tipping sequence (5 THE or 2 restricted)
The winner of the Intermediate division will receive the FPA Future Jammer Award and can look forward to competing in the subsequent years for FPA world champion titles.
That’s a very good idea. The gap between beginners and pro’s is huge. I hope more organizers come up with a intermediate class. For me as a beginner it’s a kind of embarrassing to compete with worldchamps. 😉
The Intermediate competition was a big success. Eleven players competed. A good start for the first year. In the future, I can see the Intermediate competition being the biggest division. For me, the biggest surprise was how good the Intermediates were. It was wonderful to see player after player coming onto the stage with solid delay skills, some doing combinations of four and five moves in a row. All of the six finalists were amazing.