four questions for the ifsa

Curious about the new International Freestyle Snocross Association? We were too. Here is a handful of questions and answers about the new organization's coming season.

What is the IFSA?
The IFSA stands for the International Freestyle Snocross Association. It has been established to set the platform for Closed Course Snocross Freestyle competitions. IFSA has been established in hopes that the foundation has been set with key industry involvement to pave the road with guidelines, rules, and safety concerns at the forefront to assist in the growth of Freestyle exhibitions and competitions. The day is now here, as our sport is becoming another major motor sport attraction.

The IFSA will consist of riders, team owners, media reps and other industry related people. Part of this year's beginning steps is to establish insurance parameters, competitions and exhibitions and scoring templates for closed course competitions. As the IFSA begins to take shape it will lay the foundation to help build exposure and awareness for the sport of Snocross Freestyle in General. All the while IFSA's mandate is to ensure that safety and professionalism are at the forefront of this new snowmobile sport.

How are the contests judged?

A panel of IFSA judges is assigned to judge each event. Somewhere between two and five judges will be present at each event. A score is given from each judge ranging from 0-100 points with 100 being the best possible run. The scores are added and averaged giving the rider a score from 0-100 for the run.

Riders are judged on their style, degree of difficulty, continuity, amplitude and originality. Judges scores are based on the following; 50% towards the number of tricks along with the consistency and timing of those tricks in a single run, 20% to the showmanship of the run, and 30 % to degree of difficulty of the tricks performed during a run.

What is the format for the IFSA events?

All IFSA events start with 15 invited riders. The riders practice during the day from 10:00am to 3:00pm. The competition starts at 8:00pm at all night shows. All fifteen riders compete in the first heat with a one-minute run. The top five from the first heat qualify directly for the main event. The remaining ten riders go to the semi or the Last Chance Qualifier. These ten riders compete in a one-minute run for three qualifying spots. The top three from this round qualify for the final while everyone else packs up the truck and heads for the showers. The eight finalists compete in a 2-minute final run for the win. The riders compete in the reverse order of how they qualified; meaning that the top scorer in Round 1 will be the last person to compete in the final. The first rider out for the final always takes the position in the hot seat. This person stays in the hot seat until another rider scores higher and takes over. The rider in the hot seat at the end of the night is the champion.

Example:

First Heat
15 riders - 1 heat - 1 minute each - Top 5 go to final - 6th through 15th go to semi.

Semi Heat
10 riders - 1 semi - 1 minute each - Top 3 go to final - 4th through 10th go home.

Main Event
8 riders - 1 final - 2 minutes each - Winner stays in the hot seat

What is the payout of the event purse?
20 percent of the purse will always be paid to the winner, while the rest will be shared between 2nd through 15th, with $500 per show being the minimum prize for last place. Minimum purse will always be $10,000.