Community Awards:

Just like in previous years, the EFSC aims to recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on the freestyle community throughout the past year.

This recognition could stem from active involvement, content creation, fostering community growth, or other personal contributions.

On behalf of the entire EFSC, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

ISR – Almog Saada

GER – Sebastian Baumann

FRA – Stephane Lagorce

RUS – Irini Kislyakova

USA – Sarah Park-Matott

BEL – Jelle Callens

Rookies:

In the division with the least contest experience, it was apparent that skaters exhibited a notably higher level of skating right from the beginning, surpassing the average rookie performance in previous years.

The freestyle community’s adept establishment of enriching learning and coaching environments seems to have significantly contributed to the development of polished skill sets and strategies before individuals enter their inaugural competitions.

A warm thank you to everyone who guided new skaters, helping them find their way into the competitive scene.

1. – USA – Holden Bystry
2. – NLD – Maarten van Heel
3. – FRA – Romain Biardeau
4. – ISR – Almog Saada
5. – ESP – Eneko Sanguino Fernández
6.  – GER – Jakob Andrae
7. – SWE – Bastian Åkesson
8. – USA – Connor Voice
9.  – AUT – Dominik Schildorfer
10. – GER – Sebastian Reitenbach
11.  – SCO – Stewart Storrar
12. – ISR – Levy Amitay
13. – SLO – Sašo Hrastnik
14. – FRA – Alexandre Keltz

Amateurs:

Many former newcomers successfully transitioned into our largest division.

Although they displayed a considerable skill set to participate, the more extensive experience of seasoned long-time enthusiasts still held the upper hand.

The most astonishing revelation is how amateurs adeptly embraced the balance updates, demonstrating significantly greater musicality and composition compared to the previous year.

Coupled with even smoother execution and more challenging trick combinations, this resulted in an exciting contest group characterized by substantial progression.

1. – GER – Timbo Vens
2. – USA – Bryce Noe
3. – GER – Melvin Mühring
4. – GER – Wolf Buck
5. – SWE – Peter Andersson
6. – GBR – Alex Foster
7. – GER – Matthias Adam
8. – AUT – Johannes Astleitner
9. – FRA – Mickael Burczyk
10. – POL – Jakub Janczewski
11. – GER – Patrick Thies
12. – ITL – Paolo Virgilio Demurtas
13. – NLD – Diederik Stijf
14. – GER – Tobias Heise
15. – NLD – Kevin Wessels
16. – FRA – Martin Saunier
17. – IRL – Donnacha McPherson
18. – NLD – Wichert Gobas
19. – AUT – Phil Gosch
20. – GER – Philipp Möhrke
21. – GER – Marcel Enge
22. – MYS – Azzam Syafiq
23. – SWE – Samuel Schäder
24. – POL – Tomasz Wcislo
25. – GER – Markus Kunz
26. – GER – David Schmiede
27. – ROU – Matteo Dumitrache
28. – GER – Burns Lorenzen
29. – USA – Jack Tolmachoff
30. – ROU – Alexandru Soare
31. – ROU – Alexandru Lolex Feraru
32. – ESP – Álvaro Ramos
33. – SCO – Hooligan Sadikson

Sponsored Amateurs:

Our sponsored amateurs are edging closer to the realm of what could be deemed professional-level skating.

This segment of the division is the most compact, indicating that there isn’t a significant amount of transition occurring due to the industry lagging behind in adequately nurturing emerging talents.

Nonetheless, given the remarkable skills of these skaters, it’s only a question of time. We take immense pride in showcasing a skating standard that serves as a guide for amateurs, illustrating the subsequent phases of their competitive journey.

1. – CAN – Orson Merry
2. – GER – Marvin Schütze
3. – GBR – Harry Fisher
4. – ROU – Andrei Novelli
5. – GER – Danny Darkslide Klahold
6. – FRA – Stephane Lagorce
7. – BEL – Jelle Callens

Masters:

Once more, our masters division demonstrated that age is no barrier to delivering competitive skateboarding.

Particularly, those who are new to competitions have now attained the required consistency to execute a smooth skate – a crucial base for advancing within the division.

This achievement not only encourages fellow skaters in the same age bracket to give it a try but also motivates them to maintain their health and prolong their time on the board.

Because of adverse weather conditions, we couldn’t hold a masters final as our priority was concluding the girls and pros divisions. As a result, the scores from the qualifiers serve as our final rankings.

We appreciate your comprehension and anticipate the opportunity to make up for this in the coming year.

(based on qualifiers)

1. – USA – AJ Kohn
2. – PRT – Joao Soares
3. – ESP – Pedro José Delgado Antúnez
4. – GER – Joachim Yoyo Schulz
5. – ESP – José Iván García del Castillo
6. – FRA – Patrick Bermudez
7. – GER – Pierre Woita
8. – NLD – Paul Brunninkhuis
9. – ESP – Juan Enrique de la Torre
10. – SWE – Eric Schäder
11. – GER – Georgeo Czerwinski
12. – UKR – Oleg Bagirov
13. – GER – Oliver Rief
14. – GER – Matthias Mühring

Girls:

The Girls division truly stood out as the most remarkable surprise of the year.

It wasn’t just the rapid growth rate, but also the impressive level of preparedness displayed by the girls for the event.

This heightened readiness points toward a significant and inevitable progression for the next years to come.

1. – ROU – Carmen Ionita
2. – ROU – Rhiana Grigore
3. – GER – Toni Werner
4. – USA – Sarah Park-Matott
5. – ROU – Alexandra Dumitrache
6. – SWE – Mimmi Leckius
7. – ROU – Monica Tusinean
8. – AUT – Michaela Tritthart
9. – USA – Maria Mendoza
10. – ESP – Elena Marin Luque
11. – GER – Freya Ruske
12. – NLD – Cornely Krijnen
13. – FRA – Izée Zimberlin
14. – GER – Michelle Oroszi
15. – GER – Evangeline Lilly Gocht
16. – FRA – Cassandre Cass Duhem
17. – GER – Anna Galperin
18. – AUT – Jonas Trapezfik
19. – GBR – Jane Falconer-White
20. – GER – Xenia Amina Elsweiler

Pros:

As the pro division mainly consists of well-established veterans, it’s the category that exhibited the highest consistency with last year’s outcomes.

It appears that the youngest participants in the division are poised to dominate the top positions. However, due to the difficult path towards becoming a Pro, which is particularly challenging given the industry’s slow growth, this trend is likely to persist for several more years.

Meanwhile, more experienced pros are gradually venturing into other divisions and taking on event responsibilities.

Regrettably, inclement weather impacted the pro division’s performance.

Although we managed a complete cycle of runs, the rushed nature of the event compromised competitive integrity.

Consequently, we’ve chosen to rely on the scores from the qualifiers.

(based on qualifiers)

1. – JPN – Ikkei Nagao
2. – JPN – Isamu Yamamoto
3. – GER – Daniel Adam
4. – ROU – Daniel Popescu
5. – AUT – Tobias Bamacher
6. – SWE – Lillis Åkesson
7. – USA – Mike Osterman
8. – GBR – Denham Hill
9. – ROU – Marius Constantin
10. – CHE – Sven Schiefer
11. – GER – Günter Mokulys
11. – GBR – Tony Gale
12. – ESP – Isma Pérez
13. – SCO – Reece Archibald
14. – HUN – Turi Zoltán
15. – FIN – Jari Paakkari
16. – USA – Danimal Garb
17. – GER – Robert Wagner
18. – GER – Christian Müller
19. – SWE – Felix Jonsson
20. – BRA – Kauê Araujo

We extend our gratitude to all participants and supporters of this event.

Opting for an outdoor venue was undoubtedly a gamble, but with the collective effort of everyone involved, we managed to turn it into a success.

With the discontinuation of the EFSC, we’re about to embark on a significant restructuring phase. This will entail a prolonged period of reduced communication.

However, always bear in mind the saying, “Good things come to those who wait idiom.”

See you at worlds!

EFSC 2022 recap and our goals:

Judging in skateboarding contests has always been a point of contention, especially in freestyle skateboarding, where self-expression, style, and creativity are at the forefront. With the revival of competitive events, the need for a scoring system that reflects modern values and approaches became even more apparent.

The EFSC judging team, in collaboration with the WFSA, worked tirelessly to develop a system that takes into account both technical and artistic skills. We wanted to create an event where the results were not only understood but appreciated by everyone.

EFSC 2022 became the largest freestyle contest in skateboarding’s history, with 100 competitors. To efficiently manage the vast amount of data, Lukasz Cizsak head judge of EFSC, developed a digital solution in the form of a webpage to gather the contestants’ run data.

That’s over 40,000 data points!

While the results were fantastic, we realized that judging a competitor’s run took almost as long as the skating itself. It’s a delicate balance between ensuring detailed evaluation of a skater’s performance and keeping the event on schedule. Interpreting the collected data and identifying areas for improvement proved to be a challenging task.

Our primary focus is to understand what the freestyle community finds interesting and exciting to see. Freestyle skateboarding is diverse, and we want to create a scoring system that upholds technical integrity while allowing everyone to shine in their unique way. After all, that’s what skateboarding is all about – embracing individuality and expression.

But enough talk! I know you’re here for the balance updates.

So, let’s jump right into it!

T-Score:

Single trick points [∞]

(each trick in a combo is graded individually)

Tally tracking a competitors single trick points worked fine but having to switch between apps after a run is annoying. To make things easier the tally tracker is now integrated into the app. No more switching between programs!

We understand that different skaters may find certain tricks more challenging or easier to perform, so having a diverse panel of judges is crucial. The EFSC judging committee gets selected and trained to the best of our abilities but there is no shortcut to a more egalitarian panel unfortunately. The exponential growth of the Girls division will hopefully lead to parity naturally. Seasoned competitors that are equipped with the necessary expertise from their own experience in the contest circuit will find their way into the judging booth eventually.

You may have noticed that deducting or adding points for sloppiness, technical perfection, or the lack thereof was previously part of the A-Score. However, we have found that it’s more efficient and thematically fitting to assess these aspects immediately after each trick is performed.

There will be a full guide on how individual trick points and combos are calculated in the future so you can understand what our judges are looking for and how we assign ‘value’ to tricks.

Consistency [∞]

Balancing consistency in freestyle skateboarding is no easy task. You see, when a skater fails to land a trick, it has a significant impact on their overall score. Not only do they miss out on the flat 10-point bonus for a flawless run, but they also waste valuable skating time and create an overall shaky impression.

Now, some might argue that playing it safe is the way to go, ensuring a clean run that will likely secure a decent placement. However, it’s important to note that reaching the podium requires a combination of calculated risks and a high volume of tricks.

In the end, when we examine the top three runs, we can see that the competitors struck a fine balance. They looked fantastic with only a few minor errors, without appearing to lowball judges’ expectations so –

No changes.

Footwork [0-20]

Footwork is a fundamental element in the world of freestyle skateboarding, playing a vital role that goes beyond simply moving around on a board. It is the intricate interplay between a skater’s feet and the skateboard, forming a captivating symphony of style, creativity, and technical prowess. While often overshadowed by the allure of flashy tricks, footwork serves as the very backbone upon which every movement is built.

Competitors that neglected this vital element could not secure a top spot, but it wasn’t powerful enough to win on its own.

We are keeping an close eye on it but for now we are fine with its balance so –

No changes.

A-Score [120]

When it comes to tally tracking in freestyle skateboarding, things can be quite straightforward once you establish reliable reference points. However, it’s in the evaluation of subjective elements where our judges encountered the need for compromise to align their perspectives.

What defines stylishness? What constitutes a good music choice? How should we assess the rarity or creativity of certain tricks like pressure flips? These discussions were crucial in ensuring unified judging criteria.

After much deliberation, we reached a consensus that regardless of the method employed, achieving good flow is paramount for an aesthetically pleasing run and awarding 120 points for it strikes the right balance between the difficulty of executing challenging tricks and rewarding the skater’s mastery and skill.

However, we revamped certain overlapping aspects to streamline the distribution and provide a clearer definition. This update aims to ensure that each element of the score receives appropriate attention and consideration, resulting in a fair and well-defined evaluation process.

Variety and innovation [0-30]

In the spirit of promoting diverse capabilities, we have ensured that all trick groups, are covered in our scoring system. Skaters were aware of the significance of showcasing a wide range of skills and tricks. Debating whether two or three “shove its” are the right amount is fruitless and compromises need to be made so we are combining these two elements.

One of the biggest pet peeves in freestyle skateboarding is the concept of “Cookie Cutter” skating, which played a significant role in its decline during the 80s. As enthusiasts, we crave entertainment, and there’s nothing more captivating than witnessing something entirely new and unexpected.

However, it’s essential to strike a balance. While we encourage innovation and originality, we also understand that creativity for creativity’s sake can lead to an otherwise poor performance. Therefore, we have decided to maintain the current score of 10 points for this category.

No Changes

Music choice and synchronization [0-20]

Skaters went to great lengths to choreograph their runs to the music of their preference, resulting in highly entertaining performances and leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

It is remarkable how well received these elements were, with unanimous appreciation from spectators and competitors alike. Moreover, they did not overshadow the technical difficulty of the skating itself.

No changes

Run Composition and flow [0-30] [0-25]

In our previous wording, we aimed to discourage excessive downtime during runs, but we realized that the phrasing wasn’t conveying our intentions accurately. Therefore, we have decided to reframe this category.

While we don’t want runs to transform into theatrical performances, we do appreciate skaters utilizing dynamics to create moments of suspense and captivate the audience. Participating in a contest should be a remarkable experience, where skaters showcase their skills in a cohesive and engaging manner, rather than a disjointed collection of their best tricks. All of our winners exemplified exceptional awareness of how to establish the right atmosphere first, gradually increase the heat during their runs, and conclude with an awe-inspiring display of their skills. This is not only good strategy – its good story telling.

Let’s talk about one of the most significant changes in this year’s balance update—space utilization, scored on a scale of 0 to 10.

Judges are now assessing the skater’s ability to efficiently cover the flat area during their run. Skaters are expected to demonstrate exceptional moving control, speed control, and spatial awareness by utilizing the entire contest area.

We are well aware that many of our competitors favour stationary tricks, sometimes due to limited practice areas however, it is undeniable that rolling on a skateboard is an integral part of its core identity.

We believe that incorporating this element adds another layer of depth to the competition and with the larger contest space we have now, we are excited to give this aspect a chance and see how skaters adapt and incorporate it into their runs.

It was moved to its appropriate category.

Mastery and style [0-30] [0-35]

As mentioned, it got moved into the T-Score for convenience.

Flow is the seamless transition and smooth connection between tricks, a crucial factor that transforms technical skateboarding into a true work of art. Recognizing that achieving flow requires a sufficient level of mastery, we have placed it in this dedicated category for doing so.

Initially, one might question the allocation of only 15 points for such a pivotal aspect that distinguishes freestyle from other skateboarding categories. However, it’s important to understand that flow is intricately linked with all our aesthetic aspects. Assigning excessive weight to flow could inadvertently discourage skaters from pushing their limits and hammering out their most technically challenging single tricks.

No changes.

Seeing a skater push themselves beyond what they are currently capable of doing for sure is thrilling, but the moment they fail the excitement usually turns into an unpleasant struggle for gaining back control. A good clean run, whether performed by a rookie or a seasoned pro, never fails to entertain.

No changes.

That wraps up our balance updates for the EFSC 2023 scoring system.

We hope you found this overview insightful and informative.

One more thing though…

We want to thank everyone that partakes in the discussion about the scoring system in a constructive manner. Feedback is valuable in order to make adjustments to reflect what you find exciting and engaging to watch. This collaboration between the judging team and the community is vital in shaping a scoring system that better suits the needs and desires of everyone involved.

Our goal is to do a good enough job balancing behind-the-scenes so you don’t ever have to think about it, if you don’t want to.

But if you do want to learn more about judging, or better yet become a judge yourself, we are very happy to help.

Get in touch, we’ll be here!

The EFSC 2023 is only a couple of months away and we’re very excited to witness the impact of these changes on the upcoming event and very curious of what the new competitors have in stock for us.

See you at the Marienberg!

After a lot of preparations and the technical realization, we are happy to offer you again a live stream of the EFSC 2022. Already in the previous years the live broadcast of the European Freestyle Skateboarding Championships was well received by spectators from all over the world. So it was clear for us to realize this free online streaming again.

The streaming times are identical with the contest, the overview of all times of the event weekend and the live stream can be found on our homepage: www.euro-freestyle.com.

We wish you a lot of fun watching and enjoy the competition!

THE WORLDWIDE BIGGEST – EFSC 2022!

Due to some cancellations, some limited Contest Spots for the Euro Freestyle Contest 2022 have become free again!

So from now on we have exactly 10 places left for you. If you still want to register for the contest, please don’t hesitate and use our Registration form. If these places are taken, there will be no further possibilities to participate!

With already over 115 starters from all over the world at the European Freestyle Skateboarding Championships, this Event will be the biggest of its kind in the history of the sport, we are looking forward to the contest weekend in Brandenburg an der Havel.

We cant wait to see you all soon at the Industrial Museum!

THE WORLDWIDE BIGGEST – EFSC 2022!

On July 9th, 2022, during the Euro Freestyle Workshop via Instagram live stream, the starting order of the participants was determined by drawing lots.

The starting order is as follows:

Heat 1 – 09:30 warm up – 10:00 runs

IRL – Milo Zelove
GER – Marcel Enge
GER – Birger Stepputtis
ROU – Tudor Claudiu Răduț
GBR – Hooligan Sadikson
SWE – Bastian Åkesson
BEL – Yannick Mostmans
SWE – Samuel Schäder

GER – Jakob Andrae
NLD – Rafael Blom
GER – Matti Stieber
GER – Oskar Kern

Heat 2 – 11:00 warm up – 11:30 runs
ROU – Eremia Catalin
SCO – Stewart Storrar
ROU – Margarit Nicolas

ROU – Robert Goran
GER – David Schmiede
NLD – Diederik Stijf
GBR – Brandon Howell
AUT – Dominik Schildorfer
BEL – Jelle Callens
GBR – Sebastian Reitenbach
NLD – Maarten van Heel

The first contests always comes with a bit amount of anxiety, especially if you haven’t been skateboarding for too long.

We wish all rookies a successful start in the freestyle contest world and a lot of courage for the big stage.

We look forward to you!

Your Euro Freestyle Crew