Questions about coaching a Standard Skill routine

Wheel Rider said:

1) How does a rider customarily begin and end a routine? A bow? A wave
of the hand? Just start the music?

The clock starts when the rider starts their first skill after being
given a signal to start from the chief judge or announcer.

There is no customary end, but most people bow or wave or similar at
the end of their routine.

Wheel Rider said:

2) Can a rider perform more than one mount? This would require stopping
(touching the floor) and re-starting. Paragraph 4.6.1 of the rulebook
states that a Standard Skill routine may have no more than six mounts
and/or transitions. Paragraph 4.9.3 states that the rider may not
touch the floor except where required .... Is a second mount halfway
through the routine acceptable, desired, not recommended, a good/bad
idea???

Yes, they can perform up to 6 mounts and/or transitions. Having the
next trick be a mount is a time when it's required to get off and touch
the floor. You can also get off between skills and do not not need to
ride into every skill unless it's part of the skill. For example, you
can do hop on wheel without the transitions, by starting from off the
unicycle and then stepping up into hop on wheel, bouncing 5 times and
then, stepping off to the ground. However, when doing a dismount, it
should be done in control so that the judge does not think it's a fall.

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Gilby
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Hey Coach!

I definitely agree that Standard Skill isn't the easiest to understand.
We try to make the rulebook easier to read, but there is always room
for more improvement.

A rider can begin the routine by doing the first mount (if a mount is
the first skill) or their first skill. It is not required to begin the
routine with a mount. The timer starts the stopwatch at this time.

It is nice to end with a bow. The judges will already know when the
rider is finished, but a bow tells the audience that the routine has
finished and that it is time to clap.

More than one mount is allowed - it is required to touch the floor
before doing a mount - so this wouldn't count as a dismount. A second
mount is acceptable/desirable/recommended/good - but it all depends on
the rest of the skills in the routine. Looking at it a slightly
different way: Many riders do some skills but not the transitions. A
good example is for riders who want to do Hop on Wheel (117a) but not
the transitions (161a and 162a) - the riders go from the floor to
hopping on wheel, then step down to the floor before beginning their
next skill.

I can help your coaching and watch the routine(s) when I visit MUC in
late April. Glad to see the hosting club will be competing in Standard
Skill!

Connie
2006 NAUCC Chief Judge

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constance.cotter
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constance.cotter said:

I can help your coaching and watch the routine(s) when I visit MUC in
late April. Glad to see the hosting club will be competing in Standard
Skill!

Connie, I was hoping you would say that. I hope we can have a routine
ready for you when you get here.

Thanks, Connie and Gilby.

Stay tuned for more questions.

--
Wheel Rider

A man can fail many times but he isn't a failure until he begins to
blame someone else. - Waite Phillips
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