Competition Format
There are three 2-way disciplines. We will start with FS (belly) tournaments in 2020 and will add MFS tournaments in 2021. AXIS created a new discipline HFS and we will eventually also hold tournaments in this discipline.
The competition format is an all-play-all tournament, in which each competitor meets all other competitors in turn. Each participant flies with every other participant once. Athletes try to accumulate wins into a final statistic by collecting as many points as possible in a 35 second working time. The Crucible round-configuring-system is a fair way to determine a winner from amongst all participants. One or two bad performances do not jeopardize a competitor's chance of ultimate victory. Therefore the Crucible tournament fosters a fun and inclusive environment.
Photo by Keith Fournier.
All participants are guaranteed to showcase their skills for the entire duration of the event. Final scores of the competitors represent the results over a longer period against the same opposition.
On average a Crucible Tournament takes four hours to complete from arrival to departure. This includes the competitors brief, prep time, short breaks, flight time, and awards ceremony.
Please note that in 2020 we will only have tournaments for one discipline (FS). We will add tournaments for MFS and HFS in the future. Given the time needed for one tournament, we might have to schedule different disciplines to take place on different dates.
Speed Maze
Each flyer showcases their individual flying skills during two rounds called the Speed Maze. The solo flyer races against the clock in order to collect as many points scattered around the tunnel walls as possible. There will be pads on the tunnel walls, numerically sequenced from 1-10, and the competitors have to tag them with their hands or feet in numerical order. Once a competitor tags number 10, s/he repeats the sequence from number 1 until the end of the 35 seconds working time. The points collected during the speed maze rounds are added up and are part of every athlete's total score.
Prizes and The Forge Invitational
The top three winners of a Crucible tournament receives an invitation to compete at the final exclusive year-end event, called The Forge. Winners of all Crucible matches from the past year continue to fight for supremacy, earning the title Crucible Champion. All participants receive a certificate, bragging rights, as well as some vendor swag from our sponsors.
The three athlete with the highest overall point score at the end of the year will receive a stand-by invitation to The Forge.
Coaching & Train-ups
Fly with the creators of the Crucible to learn the dive pool and rules, as well as getting better at the speed-maze by focusing on developing your personal flying skills. For those who wish to be prepared and have a strong showing at the Crucible, training with AXIS Flight School coaches is available prior to the event. For coaching and Crucible inquiries, contact Nik at niklas [at] axisflightschool.com.
Judging
Judging is done live and scores are posted shortly after the last round.
Prerequisites
Every participant needs to demonstrate that they have the skill to perform the 2-way discipline of their choice and that they understand safe tunnel practices prior to the event. Demonstrating one’s readiness can be accomplished by:
- having flown/received coaching from an AXIS coach,
- showing videos of your skills to the meet director,
- verifying your skill through the IBA flyer chart.
Necessary IBA sign-offs per event are as follows:
FS (all belly) - All Flyer Level 1 and all Formation Level 2 sign offs.
HFS (belly & back) - All Flyer Level 1, 2, and all Formation Level 2 sign offs.
MFS (belly, back, head-up, head-down) - All Flyer Level 1 and 2, Static progression 3 and 4, as well as all Formation Level 2 sign offs.
Those interested in receiving IBA sign offs can do so through our bodyflight programs.
