Tournament Personnel

DJ’S

A talented DJ is indispensable for any Competitive Jam Skating tournament. Song selection, seamless mixing, the right beats per minute, proper volume control, a positive look and ambience and constant readiness all play an important role in the overall performances of the Jam Skater including the vibe and professionalism of the event. However, the DJ should be neutral and should not intentionally operate unfairly in any way that would give an advantage to one Jam Skater over another which may ultimately affect the outcome of the event. Here’s some important DO’s and DO NOT’s for DJ’s:

DO play family friendly music only.
DO play music that is generally well-known and conducive to Jam Skating.
DO plan ahead and have lists of songs you will use for each event including saving the best songs for the older skaters and the later battles of the bracket including the Championship Rounds.
DO try your best to play different songs throughout the tournament for the different rounds/Leagues. In other words, don’t repeat the same songs over and over again.
DO have back-up songs ready to go in case of ties and play a new song for each tie-breaker round.
DO come prepared with back up cords, adapters, headphones, hard drives, etc. in case you experience malfunctions during an event.
DO be ready and start the music only when cued by the emcee to do so.
DO turn down the music between battles and/or keep low volume background music playing so everyone can hear the emcee announcements.
DO smartly and seamlessly repeat songs when necessary
DO collect, upload and organize all :90 performance music well ahead of time and check the files for playability, quality, recording volume, etc. to help insure the event runs smoothly.
DO NOT pick certain songs for a specific Jam Skater or Team because you ‘know what they like’. Choosing songs should be random and should not give an unfair advantage to any one skater or team. On the same note, do not tell anyone ahead of time what songs you are playing for a specific battle.
DO NOT play intros to songs that are difficult to Jam Skate to—due to lack of a beat—and that will take up an unreasonable amount of the Jam Skaters/Teams limited time they have for their set.
DO NOT change the song in the middle of a Jam Skaters set or the round. Instead, if the song is going to end, use your mad DJ skills to seamlessly repeat the song. Do your best not to be a disruption to the battle in any way and to be fair to both Jam Skaters/Teams, they should get equal time to skate to the same song. Song selection CAN make a BIG difference in the performance of the competitors so anything you can do as the DJ to keep the playing field fair is expected.

*1 VS 1 Solo Battles: Only 1 song should be continuously played until the end of both rounds. For the Championship (4-Round) Battle, only 2 songs should be used with the switch in songs happening between the 2nd and 3rd rounds and not during either Jam Skaters set. (1 new song will be used for each tie-breaker round)

**5 VS 5 Team Battles: Play 4 total songs (1 song each round) making sure to only switch the songs between each round and not during either teams set. For the Championship (6-Round) Battle, 6 total songs will be used with the switch in songs happening between each round. (1 new song will be used for each tie-breaker round)

Emcee’s

The Emcee is expected to keep things upbeat, enthusiastic and lively, while at the same time, communicating clearly the schedules, timetables, and line-ups helping to insure the entire tournament runs smoothly and professional. However, the Emcee should be neutral and should not intentionally operate unfairly in any way that would give an advantage to one Jam Skater over another which may ultimately affect the outcome of the event. Here’s some important DO’s and DO NOT’s for Emcee’s:

DO announce schedules, timetables and lineups clearly and more than once.
DO announce the Jam Skater(s)/Team name and which side of the Jam Circle they will be skating from and who will be going first.
DO announce who will be skating next so they can be ready. (i.e. Who’s ‘up’, Who’s ‘on deck’ and who’s ‘in the hole’)
DO check with judges, Jam Skaters and the DJ to make sure everyone is ready before signaling the DJ to start playing music.
DO announce between rounds, which round it is.
DO give Jam Skaters/Teams a 10 second warning when their time is about to expire during a battle.
DO announce the scores at the end of a battle and offer congratulations to both Jam Skaters including recognition of the winner.
DO encourage spectators (before or after a battle/performance only) to clap to the beat and to cheer and make noise if they see something they like or if they enjoyed ‘the show’.
DO offer generic, unbiased and simple words of encouragement and congratulatory talk before or after a battle or performance. (i.e. “OK, you got this…hit it DJ.” or “Skate hard, here we go.” OR “Good job!”, “Way to go!”, “Well done!” “Nice work!” “That was a great battle!”)
DO NOT show any bias before, during or after a battle or performance towards any Jam Skater/Team…especially over the microphone. (i.e. “Wow this girl is one of the best Jam Skaters of the whole tournament…she’s going to be impossible to beat!”) 34
DO NOT offer praise or give compliments or cheer OR express criticism or disapproval or disrespect towards a Jam Skater/Team DURING a battle or performance…especially over the microphone. (i.e. “This team is really kicking butt, my money’s on them to win it all!” or “Did you just see that incredible move?” (While jumping out of your seat and doing a mini victory dance.) OR “Whoa, there’s no way he can win after that set.” or “Wow, the judges really got that one wrong…what were they thinking?!?!”) Instead remain very neutral and avoid unnecessary and/or unfair commentary before, during and after a battle or performance and just let the Jam Skaters ‘do their thing’ without influencing the judges, spectators or otherwise.
DO NOT encourage spectators to clap or cheer DURING a battle or performance. Once the battle or performance begins, it is up to the Jam Skater(s) to get the crowd involved through their Jam Skating skills and Battletude.

Judges

Without doubt, vital to the success of any Competitive Jam Skating tournament is to have unbiased, well-trained, professional judges that understand the rules and complexities of Jam Skating moves as well as the difficulties and intricacies of performing and battling live. Here’s some important DO’s and DO NOT’s for Judges:

DO be on time and keep your schedule open so you can finish judging the entire event.
DO sit up, be alert and actually watch the Jam Skater(s)
DO carefully consider ALL judging criteria objectively for each and every round, battle, performance, etc. throughout the entire event…don’t be lazy and careless.
DO be open, honest and transparent with Jam Skaters about their scores and be POSITIVE while providing constructive criticism when and where it is appropriate. *Not until after all results are in and winners have been announced.
DO try to enter your scores as quickly as possible and to avoid missing anything, enter your scores at times when the action is the slowest like in-between rounds or after the final round or once the performance is over.
DO be interested and engaged in the battle or performance. It is perfectly acceptable to smile, laugh, clap or show interest and approval of what is happening in front of you as long as you keep it to minimum, avoid bias, keep it positive and act consistently throughout the entire event treating all Jam Skaters the same. (i.e. Quick “Woohoo!” shouts OR expressing admiration of a great move by putting one hand up over your head while your fingers ‘nod’ in approval…which is a longstanding tradition in Jam Skating)
DO NOT be ‘over-the-top’ when showing interest and approval during a battle or performance. (i.e. Jumping up out of your chair, after witnessing what you think is an incredible move, then doing a mini victory dance right before you high five the Jam Skater yet right after you motion with your arms and hands that “it’s all over” after that move!) In other words, don’t stand up during a battle or performance or demonstrate any favoritism in any way towards one Jam Skater/Team to another.
DO NOT get overly excited and high five and hug the winner of a battle. You’ll have your chance to congratulate them during the awards ceremony.
DO NOT talk to competitors, spectators, League Officials or anybody else during a battle or performance.
DO NOT allow spectators or competitors to watch you input your scores during a battle or performance and make sure your view of the battle or performance is not obstructed in any way.
DO NOT use your cell phone or other electronic devices during a battle or performance…other than the one provided to you by the National Jam Skating League to input your scores.
DO NOT cheat!

Referee

Every sport needs rules to ensure fairness and safety for everyone involved. Without rules there is a potential for chaos. The referee is expected to keep the things safe, professional, and fair. The referee should be completely neutral in all aspects and keep skaters on track without being overbearing and sucking the life out of the sport. Here are some important DO’s and DO NOT’S for Referees.

DO watch and pay close attention for any and all infractions
DO immediately announce and and all warnings / penalties
DO give skaters leniency on things that do not negatively impact other skaters
DO apply all rules consistently and fairly throughout the entire event.
DO be transparent and honest about why skaters received certain warnings and/or penalties at an appropriate time. (Not during any battles or performances.)
DO NOT talk to competitors, spectators, League Officials or anybody else during a battle or performance.
DO NOT use your cell phone or other electronic devices during a battle or performance...other than the one provided to you by the National Jam Skating League to input your scores.
DO NOT cheat!