LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM—(Marketwired – September 10, 2015) – World Skateboarding Federation, a governing body for skateboarding, released today its ranking system for street skateboarders and announced it will host a series of educational seminars during the 2015 Skateboarding World Championships at the Kimberley Diamond Cup in South Africa Oct. 7–10. The ranking system was one of the key elements of WSF's “Skate 20/20″ Agenda, designed to help skateboarding organize in preparation for a potential Olympic opportunity. The agenda was presented at the first ever Global Skateboarding Summit in Istanbul in May 2015. After discussion and approval by the general assembly at the Skateboarding Global Summit and in consultation with multiple core industry insiders, WSF is announcing the year–to–date street skateboarding rankings for 2015.
WSF's ranking system is based on the top contests in the world. The rankings use weighted values for contests with a national broadcast, international broadcast or prize purse over $100,000 for men's street. Individual skaters are ranked based on their contest performance in the top skate events globally, including the Skateboarding World Championships, X Games, Dew Tour, Street League, Copenhagen Pro, Tampa Pro, Simple Sessions and the Mystic Cup. The final events of the year for skaters to earn points to advance in the rankings are the Street League finals Oct. 4 and the WSF–sanctioned Skateboarding World Championships Oct. 7–10.
The top 10 Street Skateboarders for 2015 as of September 1, 2015 (a complete list of rankings can be found at www.worldskateboardingfederation.org — they are updated live after every major contest) are:
Luan Oliviera 272
Felipe Gustavo 304
Ishod Wair 309
Nyjah Huston 336
Shane O'Neill 337
Danny Leon 338
Chaz Ortiz 342
Kelvin Hoefler 348
Igor Golubev 351
Evan Smith 354
WSF is also announcing it will host a coaching clinic and judging conference during the Skateboarding World Championships. With keynote speakers including Rob Meronek and Ryan Clements from The Boardr, the judging conference will teach best practices and also introduce the instant scoring app developed by Meronek that has transformed the way skateboarding contests are scored today. WSF will offer a coaching certification program for those seeking to start coaching programs in their own communities.
“When I first met Rob and Ryan back in 2008, judging was done on a hand written piece of paper and skaters waited as long as 15 minutes between rounds for results,” said WSF President Tim McFerran. “We talked back then about the need for an instant scoring system and being the whiz that he is, Rob went out and developed it. It's now being used in some of the biggest contests around the world and is, in my opinion, the best instant scoring system in the industry. One of World Skateboarding Federation's key goals is to develop a unified scoring system and to then teach other federations and organizations around the world how to use it. This judging conference is just the first step towards that goal.”
WSF will also host a financial seminar specifically for skateboarders. Brandon Burton, CEO of online financial education company Securing Life Today, will discuss financial strategies for skateboarders covering topics including investing, financial management and preparing for retirement. Burton has created a website that allows individuals to manage all their investments and personal finances on their phones.
“Skateboarding has always been a passion of mine. During some of the roughest times of my life growing up, skateboarding gave me a feeling of freedom,” said Burton. “My company has created a financial education site to help people take control of their finances in a way that works with their lifestyle — anywhere and on the go. I feel privileged to be working with the World Skateboarding Federation, the only organization that I know of that is helping skateboarding on a global basis and making sure that the skateboarders' financial security is a top priority.”
About World Skateboarding Federation (WSF)
World Skateboarding Federation is a governing body for skateboarding and includes members from all disciplines of skateboarding, including downhill, slalom, bowl, freestyle, vert and street. The WSF Board of Directors are: Tim McFerran, WSF Board President, Sasha Steinhorst, United States; Maga McWhinnie, Peru; Paco Manzanares, Mexico; Stefan Lillis Akesson, Sweden; Kevin Harris, Canada; Cyrille Harnay, France; Felix Arguelles, United States; Tim Gavin, United States; Jani Söderhäll, France; Andrew Brophy, Australia; and Hans Koraeus, Sweden.
WSF actively donates skateboards to youth in poverty stricken areas and supports worthwhile skateboarding organizations like Skateistan in South Africa. WSF is currently working with a number of countries, providing leadership and expertise, to help them form national federations. The mission of the World Skateboarding Federation is to promote skateboarding around the world; to grow and connect relevant skateboarders, organizations, brands and manufacturers for the further expansion of skateboarding; to assist in building quality skateparks; to provide financial assistance to top skateboarders to attend international skateboarding contests; to create a centralized judging and scoring system; and to provide a platform to create national, regional and local contests. World Skateboarding federation is a USA incorporated nonprofit 501–c–3 organization. For more information visit www.worldskateboardingfederation.org or call 888–660–1113 toll free.
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