Competition Rules and Guidelines
The Throw & Catch event at UFO competitions is a 60 second round where each throw is scored based upon where it is caught.
There are 3 judges on the field, and typically an announcer that acts as the timekeeper. The 3 judges are the Head Judge, the Line judge and the Footfault judge.
The Head Judge watches the catches and records the score received. They have final say on all calls made on the field.
The Line judge stands on the opposite side of the field from the Head judge and also watches the catches to make the call where it was caught. In some instances, especially big important events like the European Cup Final or the World Cup Final, there may be 2 Line judges, one on each side of the field, in addition to the Head Judge.
The Footfault judge stands at one end of the throwing line. They indicate to the announcer/timekeeper when the team is in position and ready to start. Once the round starts, they watch the throwing line on each throw to spot possible foot fault infractions. Should this happen, they will say in a normal speaking voice "foot fault" and put a hand in the air. When the round is finished, and if there were any foot faults, they will go tell the head judge which throw(s) had a foot fault. The Footfault judge also listens to the countdown, and at the end, they make the call if the throw was release before "TIME". If the competitor requires a replacement disc, they can go to the footfault judge (who will not move away from their spot), and exchange their disc with a backup given by them to the judge.
In the Throw and Catch Round, competitors are given 60 seconds in which to complete as many throws as possible with one disc. The canine and the thrower must be behind the line before time starts. The start sequence will run as follows:
"Judges Ready?"
The Announcer will ask the judges if they are ready. Judges should indicate they are ready.
"Competitor Ready?"
The announcer will then ask the Thrower if they are ready. The foot-fault judge will also ask the thrower if they are ready. This is a serious question. If the thrower is NOT ready, they should say so!
When the thrower is ready, the line judge signals to the announcer that the competitor is ready. The signal is the line judge putting their hand in the air.
"GO."
At this time, the announcer says "go" and starts the clock at the same time.
Alternatively, many event organizers use a recorded timer instead of a human reading a stopwatch. These many vary in how they start time.
The UFO strongly recommends the use of a "fast count" timer. This is available on the UFO downloads page.
When the Footfault judge puts their hand in the air, the timekeeper will start the timer. It will say:
"3,2,1,GO" in rapid succession.
Throwers must be behind the line for all throws, but they may move around the field freely between throws. If the thrower steps on or across the throwing line at the time of the release of the disc, the throw will not be scored. If, during a round, the competitor believes the disc has become unsafe for the dog to catch because of a broken rim or a large tear, it may be handed to the judge for replacement. The damaged disc must be handed to the line judge before a replacement is given, and time will not be suspended during a disc change. Countdown of time remaining will be given at 30 seconds, 10 seconds, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and time. Catches are scored as long as the disc leaves the thrower's hand on or before time is called.
The field is measured in meter increments from 0 to 50 meters. There are 4 Zones, 1-4. Zones are marked by a line on the ground. To score points, the dog must catch the disc. The points are assessed based on which zone the dog is in as they catch, or for a mid-air catch, which zone they land in. The determining point is the rear-most paw. The rear-most paw must be fully on or across the line to get the points for the higher zone. If any paw is in a lower zone when the dog makes the catch, they get the points for the lower zone.
Points are awarded for successful completions as follows:
| Zone |
Distance
|
English Conversion
|
Points |
|
1
|
0 - 15 Meters |
15 Meters = 49 feet, 2 inches
|
0
|
|
2
|
15 - 25 Meters |
25 Meters = 82 feet
|
1
|
|
3
|
25 - 35 Meters |
35 Meters = 114 feet, 10 inches
|
2
|
|
4
|
35 - 50 Meters |
50 Meters = 164 feet
|
3
|
| Bonus | 35 Meters |
5 Meter radius half circle at 35 meter line
|
4
|
The field is set up so that competitors have a choice to throw from either end of the field; however, the throwing direction cannot be changed once time has started. Low profile cones are placed 20 meters apart along the edge of the field. There is no out-of-bounds along the sides or on the ends of the field.
1 meter = 1.0936 yards = 3 feet, 3 3/8 inches = 39 3/8 inches
There is no extra score for mid-air catch.
Bonus Landing Zone-The Bonus Landing Zone is a half circle with a radius of 5 meters and is centered laterally between the boundary cones. The front edge of the Bonus Landing Zone is located on the 35 meter line. A bonus point is awarded if the following two criteria are met:
1. The completion is spotted beyond the 35 meter line (i.e. in Zone 4)
2. Any paw is located in the Bonus Landing Zone at the time of the catch or during landing (if the dog is in the air at the time of the catch.)
Ties are broken using the following criteria:
1) highest score in a single Throw & Catch round,
2) highest number of Bonus Zone completions.
Throw & Catch Shootout
If the above criteria are not sufficient to break the tie, then the tied competitors will break the tie in a Throw & Catch Shootout.
A coin toss determines which team goes first, and each team will be allowed one throw in each round of the shootout. The team that scores higher wins the shootout and is awarded the higher finish.
Shootout rounds continue until one team outscores the other. Competitors will be allowed to rest their dogs as necessary.
2020 Sponsors of the World Cup
The UFO competition field is setup so that T&C players can throw in either direction. The distance from 1 throwing line to the other is 50 meters. Field setup should include a 5 meter "buffer" zone behind the throwing line. There should be no flags, banners or tents within that buffer zone. Taking into account space for tents and people to walk around the field with a dog, it is recommended that a space of no less than 70 meters long be used for the UFO T&C field.
Typical width for a UFO T&C field is 20 meters. This can be made slightly narrower, 18 meters, for a small space, but it should not be any narrower than that. The field can be setup wider as well-up to 25 meters. This gives more space along the "end zone" for competitor tents. Field width should not exceed 30 meters.
There is no out-of-bounds in play in UFO, but there may be flags or tents setup along the edge of the field.
It is a good idea to add a couple of extra meters to the planned width of the playing field for space on the outside of the cones.
Outside the flags, make sure to leave room for tents and shade structures.
Field should be painted with grass-friendly, water-soluble paint. Chalk powder can be used if there are restrictions on paint at a venue.