All-Star Coaches Judging At Competitions

[AScheer]

There is one local competition that we refuse to compete at, because we typically know most if not all the judges. Along with that we know how qualified or more importantly unqualified some of them are. Reading through the judges at UCA nationals recently I didn't realize how many of those judges I know or have been aquatinted with. I feel on that level all of the ones I did know were more than capable of scoring fairly and accurately, even knowing some pretty recent ties to certain teams. I think it's a lot harder though to find unbiased judging for little local events. The cheer industry is pretty small when you really get down to it and to get judges not tied to any teams there you would have to fly them in from pretty far away. Even then you run the risk of coaches knowing or previously working with gyms/athletes. I communicate regularly & have worked with coaches & teams out west, so there is a chance that even judging an event so far away I could have a tie to one of the programs. I don't believe you can ever have a judging panel completely untied to the teams competing.

 

[NoDramaCheerMama]

If it's the recent thread posts referring to this subject I can attest to the fact that the coach in question was announcing at the awards ceremony according to my CP. I don't know if he also judged, I believe he said dance in the thread. But he was definitely announcing some awards.


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[juscheerthatisall]

Thank you for your answers. I honestly hadn't even thought about the fact that judging would not be a lucrative career. And what you are saying makes sense to me.

I understand what you are saying about the ranges, etc. and see your point. Also find it helpful to know that as a coach you are not opposed to other coaches judging you.

I am curious to know if you think that there are any advantages to your being a judge other than your obvious level of expertise? Presumably all coaches could educate themselves enough in the range information, at least for their own team(s). But is there an advantage to knowing the ins and outs of how other teams are scoring? Regardless of certain ranges, I have personally experienced a lot of variation in comps that use the same scoring grids, so I am curious. I mean for when you compete yourself, not judge?


Do the other programs you do compete against know you are also a judge, and have no issue with it?

Also if there is a different set of criteria for worlds teams does this also apply to things like the summit?


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There is absolutely advantages to being a judge and a coach, if you sit on the panel you will have a better understanding of what the judges are looking for which will ultimately help you increase your score. I believe that every gym should have someone on their staff who is certified to judge so that they can stay in the know. This is not "top secret" information just things you may not consider, for example I use to harp on my kids makeup being exactly the same, then one day I realized I have never paid attention to a single girls makeup, they could have stripes on their face I wouldn't notice, so even though I like my kids to look nice I don't mind if they all don't have the exact same look (this is a shallow example but I didn't want to use anything skill related just in case someone decided to take my comment at face value) being a judge or even certified is a resume builder so when you apply to coach, this is something that should make you more enticing to a gym--my opinion.

A lot of people know I judge ( probably because I have judged them) I never knew of anyone to have an issue with it. I can't even remember the last time I went to a competition where I didn't know at least one, usually multiple members of the judging panel. A LOT of judges coach, the cheer world is incredibly small so when I go to a small local competition I expect to know every judge if I didn't I would be wondering who is this person? There really is no person that is qualified to judge cheer in my area that I don't know (even if we don't have a personal relationship). If you have been in the industry for a long time and go to a big comp (like cheersport for ex) with 40+ judges I guarantee there will be at least one judge probably multiple who: coaches a team you know, used to coach with you, used to coach you, used to cheer with you, did your gyms choreo, sold you your uniforms something. It's just a really small industry everyone knows everyone.

My criteria (which bears no real relevance and is just my opinion) applies to worlds only and not the summit, worlds teams have become very main stream, everyone follows them, we know their routine, if they make a change everyone knows it, we have preconceived notions of who the best teams are etc. all these factors make them difficult to judge and even a judge with the best intentions trying to be completely unbiased might find it difficult. Same doesn't hold true for the summit.

 

[MomMomMamaMom]

There is absolutely advantages to being a judge and a coach, if you sit on the panel you will have a better understanding of what the judges are looking for which will ultimately help you increase your score. I believe that every gym should have someone on their staff who is certified to judge so that they can stay in the know. This is not "top secret" information just things you may not consider, for example I use to harp on my kids makeup being exactly the same, then one day I realized I have never paid attention to a single girls makeup, they could have stripes on their face I wouldn't notice, so even though I like my kids to look nice I don't mind if they all don't have the exact same look (this is a shallow example but I didn't want to use anything skill related just in case someone decided to take my comment at face value) being a judge or even certified is a resume builder so when you apply to coach, this is something that should make you more enticing to a gym--my opinion.

A lot of people know I judge ( probably because I have judged them) I never knew of anyone to have an issue with it. I can't even remember the last time I went to a competition where I didn't know at least one, usually multiple members of the judging panel. A LOT of judges coach, the cheer world is incredibly small so when I go to a small local competition I expect to know every judge if I didn't I would be wondering who is this person? There really is no person that is qualified to judge cheer in my area that I don't know (even if we don't have a personal relationship). If you have been in the industry for a long time and go to a big comp (like cheersport for ex) with 40+ judges I guarantee there will be at least one judge probably multiple who: coaches a team you know, used to coach with you, used to coach you, used to cheer with you, did your gyms choreo, sold you your uniforms something. It's just a really small industry everyone knows everyone.

My criteria (which bears no real relevance and is just my opinion) applies to worlds only and not the summit, worlds teams have become very main stream, everyone follows them, we know their routine, if they make a change everyone knows it, we have preconceived notions of who the best teams are etc. all these factors make them difficult to judge and even a judge with the best intentions trying to be completely unbiased might find it difficult. Same doesn't hold true for the summit.

I so appreciate your well thought out answers to me. I am trying to form my own opinion and realize how little I know. When people take the time to articulate their opinions, I find it so helpful. Thank you!


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