How is skateboarding scored?
B · Beginner · The contest · 2 of 4Five judges each give a mark from 0.00 to 100.00 for every run or single trick. The highest and lowest marks are discarded, and the other three are averaged to two decimal places. That average is the score. There are no fixed values for tricks: the marks rank the skaters in that round against each other.
How it works
- Five judges: each uses "a 0.00-100-point scale".
- Drop two: "The highest and the lowest scores for each run are dropped, and the remaining three scores are added and then averaged to two decimal places."
- Runs and tricks alike: the same method is used for a run and for a single trick attempt.
- A ranking tool: "Awarded points are only a tool to create an event round ranking."
- No fixed values: "The same run or tricks may score differently in various rounds or events".
- Calibrated: the scale is set to the number of athletes, their gender category and the level of skating in that round.
- Round by round: scores do not consider "past individual performances or potential abilities".
- Benchmarks: 50.01 to 70.00 is a standard level, 70.01 to 80.00 advanced, 80.01 to 90.00 expert and 90.01 to 100.00 master.
- Zero: for a single trick that is not landed, a refused score or a performance not started.
- The head judge: approves the scores, and decides whether a trick was made or bailed.
- Final: once approved and published, scores "are final and not subject to any appeal".
The glossary has the judges, the judging scale, the overall score, the head judge, the run-based scoring entry and the bail.
Tricky cases
A skater scores 88 in the semi-final and 84 for what looks like the same run in the final. Is that a mistake?
No. The same run may score differently in different rounds, because the scale is calibrated to each round.
Can a skater or coach appeal a score?
No. Published scores are final. They may ask for an explanation through a clarification request.
Is 100 possible?
The scale allows it. The top band, 90.01 to 100.00, is for a master level of the criteria.
One judge gives a far lower mark than the rest. Does it pull the score down?
No. The lowest mark is discarded, along with the highest.
Why the rule exists
Skateboarding has no table of trick values because the same trick is a different feat on a bigger obstacle, at speed or done in a new way. Judges therefore compare what they see in the round. Dropping the top and bottom marks keeps one unusual opinion from deciding a medal.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Run | One overall mark for the whole run | WSK JC 5 |
| Single trick | One mark for the trick | WSK JC 8 |
| Park | Best run is the result | WSK Rules, Competition Formats: Park |
| Street final | Best run plus best trick or tricks | WSK Rules, Competition Formats: Street |
From the rule book
World Skate, Street & Park Competition Rules (April 2025), Competition Formats and Scoring Process Regulations, and World Skate, Skateboarding Judging Criteria, Release 1.0 (2025), section 9. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: Skateboarding Street & Park Competition Rules and Skateboarding Judging Criteria (PDF).