By Jack Burden

The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) Water Ski Council has approved the first meaningful adjustment to trick point values this century, voting to increase scores for 13 high-difficulty tricks — including 10 flips — beginning November 1, 2026.

Most notably, the long-standing 1,000-point barrier has finally been breached. Several of the sport’s most complex maneuvers will now carry four-figure values, a symbolic shift many athletes have argued was necessary to properly reward progression.

Under the approved changes, a handful of more commonly performed tricks receive modest bumps. The wake seven back (W7B) rises from 480 to 500 points, while the toe wake line front (TWLF) moves from 380 to 400. The mobe front-to-front (BFLO) and super mobe (BFLSLBB) each gain 50 points — meaningful, but measured adjustments.

The largest increases are concentrated at the extreme edge of difficulty. Several “super” flips pioneered by world record holder Joel Poland see significant gains, including his signature super move five (BFLSL5F), which climbs to 1,030 points. Poland’s Super Front Five (“Matrix”) now tops the table at 1,150.

Similarly, several advanced front-flip combinations see notable increases, including the front half twist (FFLB), front full (FFLBB), and the front five (FFL5F).

Most of these tricks remain rare — or entirely absent — in tournament runs. Whether higher values will coax them into mainstream competition is one of the most intriguing questions heading into the next rules cycle.

There is also a clear subtext in the revisions. The boosted values for advanced ski-line flip combinations play directly into the strengths of skiers like Poland, whose high-risk “super” flips have sometimes outpaced their scoring reward under the previous system.

They may also favor a new generation of boundary-pushing trick skiers such as Jake Abelson and Axel Garcia, both of whom possess arsenals of advanced front flips rarely seen in tournaments.

The decision follows years of mounting pressure from elite athletes who argued the fixed scoring table had begun to discourage innovation. Still, the Council’s approach is unmistakably cautious. Rather than the sweeping overhaul some had called for, the IWWF has opted for incremental tuning.

From an early read, the move appears deliberate: nudge the incentives without destabilizing the discipline.

Council minutes acknowledge the work is ongoing. Additional trick values may warrant future review, and accompanying rule-wording revisions are still in development to modernize judging interpretations — a reminder that trick scoring reform remains a long, technically complex process.

Whether the changes materially reshape elite runs remains to be seen. Trick skiing is, after all, in a relatively healthy competitive moment, with rising scores and deeper fields already pushing progression forward.

For now, the IWWF has taken a conservative but meaningful step — one that finally lifts the artificial ceiling while stopping short of the full reset some in the sport envisioned.