Module #2: Understanding WSDC Rules

The Chief Judge must understand the WSDC Rules regarding contests, judging and scoring. The Chief Judge should be a driving force in assisting events to follow the WSDC rules, so they do n ot incur infractions which can result in penalties and/or loss of registry status.

1. Registry Events must offer the following:
   1. A minimum of two (2) skill level WSDC Jack & Jill contests at a Tier 1 size.
   2. A minimum of 80 unique skill-level and/or age-based WSDC Jack & Jill competitors. 
   3. If an event is designated in a WSDC growth region, the requirement is a minimum of 60 unique skill-level and/or age-basedWSDC Jack & Jill competitors and 100 attendees.
2. Contest Structure and Format Requirements:
3. 1. Each Registry Event may offer only one (1) WSDC Jack & Jill for each skill-level or age-based contest.
   2. Must have a minimum of five (5) unique Leaders and five (5) unique Followers in prelims and finals for points to be awarded and the results to be included in the Points Registry.
   3. Each Registry Event must offer a minimum of two (2) skill-level WSDC Jack & Jill divisions.
   4. Each competitor may enter only one (1) skill-level WSDC Jack & Jill as a Leader and one (1) different skill-level as a Follower.
      1. The competitor’s primary role is considered their highest skill-level with more points and the secondary role is their highest skill-level with fewer points.
   5. Each competitor may enter any age-based division for which they are eligible.
   6. Competitors must maintain their role, either as a Leader or Follower, throughout the contest. Brief switching of roles (i.e., less than 8 counts) for reactive purposes is allowed, however, this is discouraged during preliminary rounds.
   7. Events must use the Points Registry, the WSDC Registry Event Rules, and the WSDC Skill-Level Jack & Jill Advancement Chart to determine competitors’ appropriate skill- levels. Competitors wishing to dance in a different division must receive approval through the petitions process.
   8. Events may not artificially balance their competitions (i.e., make their Leader and Follower numbers the same in a division).
      1. Unacceptable examples include, but are not limited to, shifting competitors from one division to another (through the use of petitions).
      2. Adding “walk-on” competitors (e.g., audience members who did not sign up in advance) and adding stand-in dancers.
   9. The integrity of random and unbiased selection must be maintained.
   10. Rotations (e.g., in preliminary heats) shall be determined at random (e.g., roll of dice, drawing of number cards, random number generator).
   11. Determining which dancers dance more than once (e.g., in uneven preliminary heats) shall be random.
   12. The pairing of partners in finals and determining the order of dance shall be random (e.g., drawing dance partner names and/or dance order shall be done “on the floor,” random computer function). The emcee is not allowed to change the random order in the finals to make it more interesting.
   13. The posting of results shall be open to all competitors for a minimum of 30 days. If results are inaccurate (e.g., scoring issues, violations), corrected results must be posted online as soon as possible.
4. Event Competition Staff Requirements:
   1. Separate individuals must perform Chief Judge and Scoring/Tabulation functions and duties.
   2. A Secondary Chief Judge may assist the Chief Judge and is subject to the same Chief Judge requirements.
   3. The Eent Director and/or Owner must not perform Chief Judge, Judge or Scoring functions or duties. Definitions of Event Director and Owner:
      1. Event Director is any person involved in a strategic planning or decision-making role related to the hiring of judges and/or scoring staff, and/or identified as the Event director.
      2. The owner is a person with a vested financial interest in the event.
   4. The Event Director, Owner, Chief Judge, Score Person, or Contest Coordinator with access to automated scoring systems must not compete in any swing contests at the event, with the following exceptions:
      1. Any contest of a different dance genre and/or sponsored and run by a separate organization. Exceptions to this rule must be authorized by the WSDC Board prior to the event.
      2. Exhibitions only.
      3. At UCWDC events only, the Event Director, Owner, Chief Judge, and Score Person may dance in a UCWDC Pro-Am West Coast Swing contest. This exception is allowed as a carve out to accommodate UCWDC rules.
   5. Judges must make decisions independently, tampering or altering scores is not allowed.
   6. Group judging decisions whether “on the floor;” “in the back room;” “tap out” eliminations during the contest by an individual judge or as a group; or instantaneous “on the floor;” are permitted only in non-WSDC contest or fun contests (e.g., tournament-style contests, costume costs).
   7. Registry events must hire sufficient judging staff to run contests and avoid conflicts of interest.
   8. All significant conflicts of interest must be identified and avoided.  This is the responsibility of Event Directors, Chief Judges and Judges/
      1. For the purpose of this document, a conflict of interest is defined as any situation where the professional duties of the staff (i.e., Chief Judge, Judge, Event Owner, Event Director) cannot be conducted without significant real or perceived conflicts (positive or negative) between the staff member and/or other members of the community. Conflicts of interest are defined broadly to accommodate the need for unbiased judging (real and/or perceived) and to avoid tampering with contests and contest results.
      2. Judging assignments must be made to prevent potential conflicts (family, spouse, significant other, current business partner, or current dance partners). If the Chief Judge  must recuse themselves from a judging panel to prevent conflicts the Secondary Chief Judge should judge the contest.
      3. Exceptions are allowed for Pro-Am Jack & Jills and Pro-Am Strictly Swing competitions where judges are judging the Amateurs only.
      4. Judges for contests must meet the following standards:
         1. For preliminary Jack & Jill contests, a minimum of six (6) judges plus Chief Judge are required so that a minimum of three (3) judges shall be assigned to each role. The WSDC recommends Registry Events use four to five (4 to five 5) judges per role in preliminary contests to get more consistent results.
         2. The following exceptions are allowed:
            1. When there are 15 or fewer couples, events may use three to five (3-5) judges. Each judge must score both roles.
            2. When there are 16-20 couples, events may use a minimum of five (5) judges. Each judge must score both roles.
      5. For final Jack & Jill contests, a minimum of five (5) plus the Chief Judge are required. An even number of judges shall not be used. The WSDC recommends Registry Events use 7 judges plus Chief Judge for finals.
      6. The Chief Judge may join the general judging panel only if there is an unforeseen or unavoidable shortage of general judges.
      7. Self-judging contests are allowed only in the Champions division. Self-judging should occur only if there is an insufficient number of available judges at the time of the contests.
5. Contests must use the Callback System for preliminary competitions and the Relative Placement scoring system for finals.
   1. All scoring shall be computerized and tabulated by someone thoroughly trained and knowledgeable in the Callback and Relative Placement scoring systems.  Information on Relative Placement is available on the WSDC website (worldsdc.com/wp/content/uploads/2016/04/relativeplacement).
   2. All events must implement a Code of Conduct policy. As the Chief Judge of an event, you should familiarize yourself with their Code of Conduct in case a situation is brought to your attention.  A suggested policy is available on the WSDC website (worldsdc.com/code-of-conduct for more information).
   3. Competition results are due to the WSDC at the close of the Registry Event, and no later than three (3) days after the event closes. Submission of contest results within a timely manner is required out of respect for our competitors, so the Points Registry is current for upcoming Registry Events.
   4. Registry Evens should follow the highest ethical standards regarding the conduct of contests. Flagrant disregard of ethical standards, even if not specifically outlined in the Registry Event Rules, are grounds for penalties by the WSDC Board. Contest oversight requirements apply to all contests held at the event, except where otherwise stated.