Our Story - Competitive Wake Surf Association

How Surfing Behind a Boat Quickly Started a Sport.

Most people would be shocked to learn that people have been surfing behind a boat since around the 1960's! Back then, they just had to use their ocean board!

However, the sport of wakesurfing is quite a new thing. Today the Competitive Wake Surf Association is proud to say that it is the biggest and fastest growing group of wake surfers in the world.

It all started in 2012 when a small group of grassroots event organizers decided to get together to figure out how they could collaborate with one another for the betterment of the sport.

The Beginning of Wakesurf Boats

It was the mid 90's...

Inspired by these old films from 30 years prior, Tim Lopes, Rick Lee, and The Rusty Surf Boards Surf Team spearheaded the inception of the sport.

In 1996 this group headed out on a boat in Mission Bay California and what started off as leisure turned into competition, where Tim Lopes eventually emerged as the very first World Wake Surfing Champion.

OUR SPORT WAS BORN!

For a while, the sport calmed down until 2003 with the second World Championship at Lake Yosemite, California outside of Merced.

This was the first competition with separate male and female divisions, however surf and skim style boards were still used in a combined division format.

As popularity of the sport began to rise, so did the formation of new grassroots events and the American Wake Surf Association (AWSA) in California to handle the increasing demand.

In 2004, Worlds was held in Stockton, California where it was combined with the Wakeboarding Event, Boardstock.

In 2005 and 2006, this combined competition was moved to Kelseyville, California on Clear Lake. Due to harsh drought conditions in 2007, Worlds separated from Boardstock and went back to Lake Yosemite in California.

In 2008 the AWSA began to form surf and skim divisions, criteria for number of falls, course length, and other rules to begin a process of standardizing events. The individuals involved with the formation of Texas grassroots events adapted these rules while conceptualizing a blended system of judging competitors based on objective and subjective trick based scoring.

For the first time ever, Worlds was held outside of California in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 2009, the economy crashed and there was no Worlds, but in 2010 Worlds had a comeback and was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the blended system of competition scoring the Texas boys formed was adopted.

In 2011 and 2012 Worlds was in Parker, Arizona which at the time saw record funding, cash purse, and participation.

Everything seemed to be going extremely well for the sport, but there was still a looming issue that needed to be solved.

Competition rules were in its infancy, but there was no governing body as a whole to expand and enforce these guidelines...

Something had to be done!

Forming The CWSA

After the 2011 Worlds competition, a group of 11 wakesurf event coordinators gathered to discuss how they could best bond together and form an association.

This included event owners/coordinators of what are now the 10K Lakes Wake Surf Open, the NWWSA, Wake the Desert, and Worlds.

As a group, they needed to decide whether to align with another pre-existing entity (USA Waterski / WWA), or if they wanted to form a separate own entity.

USA Waterski really wanted wakesurfers in their fold. However, one major holdback was that they have a HUGE governing board that includes waterskiing, kneeboarding, barefooting, show skiing, and other watersports disciplines.

The number of board positions that a discipline holds is based on overall membership. At that time, show skiers had the lions share of the board seats by far.

The sport was in its infancy. Limited wake surfers meant they would have had limited influence on the board.

Another issue that needed to be solved was insurance.

There was historical data for waterskiing, wakeboarding, and other disciplines, however wakesurfing had no data. It is also different in that it has significantly less exposure to danger.

In order to have the ability to self-insure, they needed to develop a track record for the analysts.

Chris Kinsey, Dennis Horton, Scott Culp, Todd Gaughan, Todd Flegel, Jeff Walker, and Chris Bank ultimately formed The CWSA with the purpose and mission of promoting the sport, providing recommended, consistent, and fair standards for governing events and tournaments, and to provide effective communication regarding events, membership, and significant issues of interest to stake holders in the industry.

The Benefits of Our Organization.

There were many benefits that have come with the formation of The CWSA.

Under this group, the formation of the World Series was born as a build up to the Worlds.

We also saw the development of criteria for consistent judging and event formatting.

In 2014, the current D.I.V.E. system was created to judge athlete's passes based on 4 separate criteria; Difficulty, Intensity, Variety, and Execution of their tricks.

The D.I.V.E. system was embraced by competitors and judges immediately. For less experienced athletes, it was easier to follow and understand and professional level athletes, the D.I.V.E. format opened the door to progression.

In 2015, the CWSA took over management of the World Series and the inception of the World Ranking System began.

Event levels were formed in 2016 to differentiate between the prestige of an event by dictating the amount of points awarded to a competitor and the minimum pro cash purse required to host the event. Worlds moved south and was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Doubling down on necessary infrastructure, the CWSA conceptualized a statistical model for ranking a competitor in their division based on their previous years points and types of events they have competed in that year. Worlds was again held in Parker, Arizona.

In 2017, events were further classified in to 2 separate groups; WRS Qualified Events, and World Series of Wake Surfing Events. New rules for competitors were created to qualify for an invitation to compete in Worlds.

This dual-tier classification recognized the need to assist in the development of smaller, grass roots type events. At the same time, it worked to further promote the larger, more established competitions, and make Worlds a truly prestigious event.

Worlds was taken out of the USA in 2017, when it was held in Calgary, Canada.

This was a huge milestone for the organization in that this was the first year Worlds was held outside of the United States.

Since 2012, our non-profit, with the assistance of the most experienced judges, athletes, equipment manufacturers, and others involved in the sport have carefully developed comprehensive competition rules, event guidelines, scoring tools and methods for the betterment of the sport we all love.

Throughout the past 3 years, the CWSA has seen exponential growth in both sanctioned events and overall membership, and today proudly has over 800 members, in over 25 countries.

With that growth, the sport has seen a tremendous leap in competition from even 5 years ago, and with that competition amazing athletes come out of the woodworks to dethrone the usual champions.

How You Can Get Involved.

Our organization is actively involved in educating and furthering the development of judges worldwide, and for numerous events, it provides qualified judge teams.

The CWSA is charged with staffing, scoring and executing and scores the athletes competing at the World Wake Surfing Championship.

While we have come very far, there is still much room to grow the sport we have all grown to love.

Our future goals include live event scoring, livestreaming at all events, and of course growing our grassroots events to make wakesurfing accessible for the masses.

Create an Account

Organize an Event

Partner With Us

Confused about something?

Here are some basic definitions to help you out.

Just click the arrows below to see the explanation!

Current Points (CP)

An athlete's current points are calculated through a variety of factors which depend on the events you compete in, who you compete against, what your previous year's base points are and much more.

If you are a Professional Athlete, your current points are the average of the top 4 points awarded to you at the events you compete in throughout that season (including your Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP)).

If you compete in the Juniors, Masters, Amateur, or Outlaw skill levels, then your current points are the average of the top 3 points awarded to you at the events you compete in throughout that season (including your Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP)).

Athletes in the Professional, Outlaw, Amateur, and Masters skill levels can have two, both skim and surf, Current Points (CP).

Athletes competing in Juniors can only have one value for their Current Points (CP).

Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP)

An athlete's Previous Year's Base Points is calculated by the end of the previous season.

At the end of the previous season, that year's Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP) of each athlete is reduced by 30% to calculate a new Current Points (CP) for each athlete. This value becomes the Final Points for that season.

Then the Current Points (CP) of the top ranked athlete in every division are divided by a value of 500 which gives a value of "X" for each division. The value "X" in each division is then multiplied to each athlete's Current Points (CP), in their respective division, to determine the Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP) for the following season.

Athletes in the Professional, Outlaw, Amateur, and Masters skill levels can have two, both skim and surf, Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP).

Athletes competing in Juniors can only have one value for their Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP).

Base Points (BP)

An athlete's Base Points is a calculated value that is used to determine the Average Base Points (ABP) at an event.

It is the higher value of the athlete's Current Points (CP) or Previous Year's Base Points (PYBP).

Athletes in the Professional, Outlaw, Amateur, and Masters skill levels can have two, both skim and surf, Base Points (BP).

Athletes competing in Juniors can only have one value for their Base Points (BP).

Average Base Points (ABP)

The Average Base Points (ABP) is a value used to calculate the points scale used to calculate an athlete's score in their division at an event.

It is calculated averaging the top 3 Base Points (BP) of each athlete competing in that event and division.

World Ranking System (WRS) Qualified Events

These events are the more grassroots leveled events that the CWSA offers throughout the season.

They consist of 2 of the 5 event levels:

Bronze Level Events
Silver Level Events

World Series of Wake Surfing (WSOWS) Events

These events are the more prestigious events that the CWSA offers throughout the season.

They consist of 3 of the 5 event levels:

Gold Level Events
Platinum Level Events
Diamond Level Events

Bronze Level Events

To qualify as Bronze Level, the event must meet all of the following requirements.

An application must be filled out and the application fee must be paid ($50.00).
The CWSA must review and approve the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of 3 judges for the entirety of the event.

The Bronze Level Event is the lowest competition level the CWSA has to offer, and is a WRS Qualified event. Athlete's competing in this event will be awarded a maximum score (for 1st place) on a range of 120 - 600 depending on the ABP calculated for their division.

When the ABP > 0 and <= 130 then the maximum points are 120 points
When the ABP > 130 and <= 150 then the maximum points are 140 points
When the ABP > 150 and <= 170 then the maximum points are 160 points
When the ABP > 170 and <= 190 then the maximum points are 180 points
When the ABP > 190 and <= 210 then the maximum points are 200 points
When the ABP > 210 and <= 230 then the maximum points are 220 points
When the ABP > 230 and <= 250 then the maximum points are 240 points
When the ABP > 250 and <= 275 then the maximum points are 260 points
When the ABP > 275 and <= 305 then the maximum points are 290 points
When the ABP > 305 and <= 340 then the maximum points are 320 points
When the ABP > 340 and <= 380 then the maximum points are 360 points
When the ABP > 380 and <= 425 then the maximum points are 400 points
When the ABP > 425 and <= 475 then the maximum points are 450 points
When the ABP > 475 and <= 550 then the maximum points are 500 points
When the ABP > 550 and <= 600 then the maximum points are 600 points

How are points awarded at an event?

1st place gets 100% of the maximum points
2nd place gets 90% of the maximum points
3rd place gets 80% of the maximum points
4th place gets 70% of the maximum points
5th place gets 65% of the maximum points
6th place get 60% of the maximum points
7th place gets 55% of the maximum points
8th place gets 51% of the maximum points
9th place gets 47% of the maximum points
10th place gets 43% of the maximum points
11th place gets 40% of the maximum points
12th place gets 37% of the maximum points
13th place gets 34% of the maximum points
14th place gets 32% of the maximum points
15th place gets 30% of the maximum points
16th place gets 28% of the maximum points
17th place gets 27% of the maximum points
18th place gets 26% of the maximum points
19th place gets 25% of the maximum points
20th place gets 24% of the maximum points
21st place gets 23% of the maximum points
22nd place gets 22% of the maximum points
23rd place gets 21% of the maximum points
24th place gets 20% of the maximum points
25th place gets 19% of the maximum points
26th place gets 18% of the maximum points
27th place gets 17% of the maximum points
28th place gets 16% of the maximum points
29th place gets 15% of the maximum points
30th place gets 14% of the maximum points
31st place gets 13% of the maximum points
32nd place gets 12% of the maximum points
33rd place gets 11% of the maximum points
34th place gets 10% of the maximum points
35th place gets 9% of the maximum points
36th place gets 8% of the maximum points
37th place gets 7% of the maximum points
38th place gets 6% of the maximum points
39th place gets 5% of the maximum points
40th place gets 4% of the maximum points
41st place gets 3% of the maximum points
42nd place gets 2% of the maximum points
>=43rd place gets 1% of the maximum points

Silver Level Events

To qualify as Silver Level, the event must meet all of the following requirements.

An application must be filled out and the application fee must be paid ($50.00).
The CWSA must review and approve the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of 3 judges for the entirety of the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of $1,250 towards the pro cash purse per division.
The competition must also have a minimum of 2 pro divisions offered (with a minimum of 3 competitors in that division for it to be scored).

The Silver Level Event is the 2nd lowest competition level the CWSA has to offer, and is a WRS Qualified event. Athlete's competing in this event will be awarded a maximum score (for 1st place) on a range of 220 - 600 depending on the ABP calculated for their division.

When the ABP > 0 and <= 230 then the maximum points are 220 points
When the ABP > 230 and <= 250 then the maximum points are 240 points
When the ABP > 250 and <= 275 then the maximum points are 260 points
When the ABP > 275 and <= 305 then the maximum points are 290 points
When the ABP > 305 and <= 340 then the maximum points are 320 points
When the ABP > 340 and <= 380 then the maximum points are 360 points
When the ABP > 380 and <= 425 then the maximum points are 400 points
When the ABP > 425 and <= 475 then the maximum points are 450 points
When the ABP > 475 and <= 550 then the maximum points are 500 points
When the ABP > 550 and <= 600 then the maximum points are 600 points

How are points awarded at an event?

1st place gets 100% of the maximum points
2nd place gets 90% of the maximum points
3rd place gets 80% of the maximum points
4th place gets 70% of the maximum points
5th place gets 65% of the maximum points
6th place get 60% of the maximum points
7th place gets 55% of the maximum points
8th place gets 51% of the maximum points
9th place gets 47% of the maximum points
10th place gets 43% of the maximum points
11th place gets 40% of the maximum points
12th place gets 37% of the maximum points
13th place gets 34% of the maximum points
14th place gets 32% of the maximum points
15th place gets 30% of the maximum points
16th place gets 28% of the maximum points
17th place gets 27% of the maximum points
18th place gets 26% of the maximum points
19th place gets 25% of the maximum points
20th place gets 24% of the maximum points
21st place gets 23% of the maximum points
22nd place gets 22% of the maximum points
23rd place gets 21% of the maximum points
24th place gets 20% of the maximum points
25th place gets 19% of the maximum points
26th place gets 18% of the maximum points
27th place gets 17% of the maximum points
28th place gets 16% of the maximum points
29th place gets 15% of the maximum points
30th place gets 14% of the maximum points
31st place gets 13% of the maximum points
32nd place gets 12% of the maximum points
33rd place gets 11% of the maximum points
34th place gets 10% of the maximum points
35th place gets 9% of the maximum points
36th place gets 8% of the maximum points
37th place gets 7% of the maximum points
38th place gets 6% of the maximum points
39th place gets 5% of the maximum points
40th place gets 4% of the maximum points
41st place gets 3% of the maximum points
42nd place gets 2% of the maximum points
>=43rd place gets 1% of the maximum points

Gold Level Events

To qualify as Gold Level, the event must meet all of the following requirements.

An application must be filled out and the application fee must be paid ($250.00).
The CWSA must review and approve the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of 3 judges for the entirety of the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of $2,500 towards the pro cash purse per division.
The competition must have a minimum of 2 pro divisions offered (with a minimum of 3 competitors in that division for it to be scored).
The competition must have a minimum of 40 registrations (all divisions combined) or a minimum of 10 pro registrations the previous year.
The competition is required to provide a "Ship to Shore" live feed (with a suggested online live feed).

The Gold Level Event is the middle competition level the CWSA has to offer, and is a World Series of Wake Surfing event. Athlete's competing in this event will be awarded a maximum score (for 1st place) on a range of 220 - 600 depending on the ABP calculated for their division.

When the ABP > 0 and <= 230 then the maximum points are 220 points
When the ABP > 230 and <= 250 then the maximum points are 240 points
When the ABP > 250 and <= 275 then the maximum points are 260 points
When the ABP > 275 and <= 305 then the maximum points are 290 points
When the ABP > 305 and <= 340 then the maximum points are 320 points
When the ABP > 340 and <= 380 then the maximum points are 360 points
When the ABP > 380 and <= 425 then the maximum points are 400 points
When the ABP > 425 and <= 475 then the maximum points are 450 points
When the ABP > 475 and <= 550 then the maximum points are 500 points
When the ABP > 550 and <= 600 then the maximum points are 600 points

How are points awarded at an event?

1st place gets 100% of the maximum points
2nd place gets 90% of the maximum points
3rd place gets 80% of the maximum points
4th place gets 70% of the maximum points
5th place gets 65% of the maximum points
6th place get 60% of the maximum points
7th place gets 55% of the maximum points
8th place gets 51% of the maximum points
9th place gets 47% of the maximum points
10th place gets 43% of the maximum points
11th place gets 40% of the maximum points
12th place gets 37% of the maximum points
13th place gets 34% of the maximum points
14th place gets 32% of the maximum points
15th place gets 30% of the maximum points
16th place gets 28% of the maximum points
17th place gets 27% of the maximum points
18th place gets 26% of the maximum points
19th place gets 25% of the maximum points
20th place gets 24% of the maximum points
21st place gets 23% of the maximum points
22nd place gets 22% of the maximum points
23rd place gets 21% of the maximum points
24th place gets 20% of the maximum points
25th place gets 19% of the maximum points
26th place gets 18% of the maximum points
27th place gets 17% of the maximum points
28th place gets 16% of the maximum points
29th place gets 15% of the maximum points
30th place gets 14% of the maximum points
31st place gets 13% of the maximum points
32nd place gets 12% of the maximum points
33rd place gets 11% of the maximum points
34th place gets 10% of the maximum points
35th place gets 9% of the maximum points
36th place gets 8% of the maximum points
37th place gets 7% of the maximum points
38th place gets 6% of the maximum points
39th place gets 5% of the maximum points
40th place gets 4% of the maximum points
41st place gets 3% of the maximum points
42nd place gets 2% of the maximum points
>=43rd place gets 1% of the maximum points

Platinum Level Events

To qualify as Platinum Level, the event must meet all of the following requirements.

An application must be filled out and the application fee must be paid ($250.00).
The CWSA must review and approve the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of 3 judges for the entirety of the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of $5,000 towards the pro cash purse per division.
The competition must have a minimum of 3 pro divisions offered (with a minimum of 3 competitors in that division for it to be scored).
The competition must have a minimum of 60 registrations (all divisions combined) or a minimum of 12 pro registrations the previous year.
The competition is required to provide a "Ship to Shore" live feed.
The competition is required to provide an online live feed.
Competitors must have a greater than 0 current score.

The Platinum Level Event is the second highest competition level the CWSA has to offer, and is a World Series of Wake Surfing event. Athlete's competing in this event will be awarded a maximum score (for 1st place) on a range of 260 - 600 depending on the ABP calculated for their division.

When the ABP > 0 and <= 275 then the maximum points are 260 points
When the ABP > 275 and <= 305 then the maximum points are 290 points
When the ABP > 305 and <= 340 then the maximum points are 320 points
When the ABP > 340 and <= 380 then the maximum points are 360 points
When the ABP > 380 and <= 425 then the maximum points are 400 points
When the ABP > 425 and <= 475 then the maximum points are 450 points
When the ABP > 475 and <= 550 then the maximum points are 500 points
When the ABP > 550 and <= 600 then the maximum points are 600 points

How are points awarded at an event?

1st place gets 100% of the maximum points
2nd place gets 90% of the maximum points
3rd place gets 80% of the maximum points
4th place gets 70% of the maximum points
5th place gets 65% of the maximum points
6th place get 60% of the maximum points
7th place gets 55% of the maximum points
8th place gets 51% of the maximum points
9th place gets 47% of the maximum points
10th place gets 43% of the maximum points
11th place gets 40% of the maximum points
12th place gets 37% of the maximum points
13th place gets 34% of the maximum points
14th place gets 32% of the maximum points
15th place gets 30% of the maximum points
16th place gets 28% of the maximum points
17th place gets 27% of the maximum points
18th place gets 26% of the maximum points
19th place gets 25% of the maximum points
20th place gets 24% of the maximum points
21st place gets 23% of the maximum points
22nd place gets 22% of the maximum points
23rd place gets 21% of the maximum points
24th place gets 20% of the maximum points
25th place gets 19% of the maximum points
26th place gets 18% of the maximum points
27th place gets 17% of the maximum points
28th place gets 16% of the maximum points
29th place gets 15% of the maximum points
30th place gets 14% of the maximum points
31st place gets 13% of the maximum points
32nd place gets 12% of the maximum points
33rd place gets 11% of the maximum points
34th place gets 10% of the maximum points
35th place gets 9% of the maximum points
36th place gets 8% of the maximum points
37th place gets 7% of the maximum points
38th place gets 6% of the maximum points
39th place gets 5% of the maximum points
40th place gets 4% of the maximum points
41st place gets 3% of the maximum points
42nd place gets 2% of the maximum points
>=43rd place gets 1% of the maximum points

Diamond Level Events

To qualify as Diamond Level, the event must meet all of the following requirements.

An application must be filled out and the application fee must be paid ($250.00).
The CWSA must review and approve the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of 4 judges for the entirety of the event.
The competition must provide a minimum of $10,000 towards the pro cash purse per division.
The competition must have a minimum of 3 pro divisions offered (with a minimum of 3 competitors in that division for it to be scored).
The competition must have a minimum of 80 registrations (all divisions combined) or a minimum of 20 pro registrations the previous year.
The competition is required to provide a "Ship to Shore" live feed.
The competition is required to provide an online live feed.
Registrations are invite only.

The Diamond Level Event is the middle competition level the CWSA has to offer, and is a World Series of Wake Surfing event. Athlete's competing in this event will be awarded a maximum score (for 1st place) on a range of 320 - 600 depending on the ABP calculated for their division.

When the ABP > 0 and <= 340 then the maximum points are 320 points
When the ABP > 340 and <= 380 then the maximum points are 360 points
When the ABP > 380 and <= 425 then the maximum points are 400 points
When the ABP > 425 and <= 475 then the maximum points are 450 points
When the ABP > 475 and <= 550 then the maximum points are 500 points
When the ABP > 550 and <= 600 then the maximum points are 600 points

How are points awarded at an event?

1st place gets 100% of the maximum points
2nd place gets 90% of the maximum points
3rd place gets 80% of the maximum points
4th place gets 70% of the maximum points
5th place gets 65% of the maximum points
6th place get 60% of the maximum points
7th place gets 55% of the maximum points
8th place gets 51% of the maximum points
9th place gets 47% of the maximum points
10th place gets 43% of the maximum points
11th place gets 40% of the maximum points
12th place gets 37% of the maximum points
13th place gets 34% of the maximum points
14th place gets 32% of the maximum points
15th place gets 30% of the maximum points
16th place gets 28% of the maximum points
17th place gets 27% of the maximum points
18th place gets 26% of the maximum points
19th place gets 25% of the maximum points
20th place gets 24% of the maximum points
21st place gets 23% of the maximum points
22nd place gets 22% of the maximum points
23rd place gets 21% of the maximum points
24th place gets 20% of the maximum points
25th place gets 19% of the maximum points
26th place gets 18% of the maximum points
27th place gets 17% of the maximum points
28th place gets 16% of the maximum points
29th place gets 15% of the maximum points
30th place gets 14% of the maximum points
31st place gets 13% of the maximum points
32nd place gets 12% of the maximum points
33rd place gets 11% of the maximum points
34th place gets 10% of the maximum points
35th place gets 9% of the maximum points
36th place gets 8% of the maximum points
37th place gets 7% of the maximum points
38th place gets 6% of the maximum points
39th place gets 5% of the maximum points
40th place gets 4% of the maximum points
41st place gets 3% of the maximum points
42nd place gets 2% of the maximum points
>=43rd place gets 1% of the maximum points