Episode 11 (english) - Euro Rapid Surf: Inside the new judging system with Head Judge Eric Zbären

The first ever official European Championship in Rapid Surfing is about to go down - the Euro Rapid Surf 2026.

Not only is the event itself a significant step for this young and still niche sport, but also the development of the underlying judging system. Just like in Ocean Surfing, behind every score there is a complex process of evaluating a surfers performance. However, rapid waves provide a different and more stable environment. Therefore, the judging has been adapted to that over the past years.

In this episode, I sit down with Eric Zbären, head judge of Swiss Surfing and the upcoming Euro Rapid Surf, to take a closer look behind the scenes. In addition to his several years of experience as a judge, Eric was a key contributor to the development and implementation of the new Euro Rapid Surf judging format - the CVE.

We talk about how judging actually works, how the new European judging system was developed and the function of its main components: Commitment, Variety and Execution (yep that’s what CVE stands for).

We also discuss judging benchmarks, the judge selection process for the Euros, the balance between experienced and new judges, and one of the more controversial topics, like the 25-second rule and how to balance risk and progression with consistency and fairness.

All of this makes Episode 11 a behind the scenes look at how Rapid Surf judging has evolved, where it stands today, and what it might need in the future to fairly represent the sport.

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📸 Ondrej Kolacek