Overview and Composition
The Blind Judge is a freestyle trick consisting of a Raley followed by a Backside 180, where the rider passes the bar in the air and lands riding blind (facing backward relative to the direction of travel).
The main difference between a true Blind Judge and a “Raley to Blind” (where the bar is passed upon or after landing) is the execution of a complete “air pass” before touching the water.
Mechanics and Tips
The rider edges hard into a Raley position, fully extending their body. At the apex of the jump, they pull the bar aggressively towards their hips and use that momentum to twist their body backside. The bar is then passed behind the back quickly in the air, setting up for a blind landing.
Origin of the Name
The name of this trick stems from a famous anecdote in wakeboarding history. When legendary rider Parks Bonifay first performed this trick (an air pass from a Raley) in a competition, the judges failed to comprehend its difficulty or simply missed the fast-paced pass, awarding him a low score. The trick was subsequently named “Blind Judge” as an ironic jab at the judges for completely missing such a groundbreaking maneuver.
Derived Tricks and Competitive Context
In competitive freestyle, the Blind Judge serves as the fundamental stepping stone for advanced handle-pass tricks. It forms the base for highly technical variations with increased rotations, such as the Blind Judge 3 (BJ3: Raley to Backside 360), Blind Judge 5 (BJ5), and Blind Judge 7 (BJ7).