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Coach Blair · Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1492 Location: Bay area/Sacto

I'd really like a lot of the senior coaches to post or pm me back on this one. Any coaches who also judge out there. I need to ask the judge who also coaches at our gym from time to time and the senior coaches as well.
I'm more interested probably in mens judging since well I'm a guy. Do other guys judge girls comps? Is it just weird and few numbers? Obviously there is a huge demand and many male coaches coach womens gymnastics ( more numbers, profitable, different perspective,etc ) Unfortunately there are a few mens coaches and more than likely few mens judges and numbers period.
I'm something of a beginner intermediate seasoned coach. 4 and sometin years in. Basically compulsories with faint ideas of what happens in optional levels be it mens, girls, Tramp, or Tumbling. I just happen to have caught on to the bug and picked up a lot by myself or working or training with/under others.
I'm thinking it will help me get more exposure to being a coach. More experience. Push me further to learn more about the women's as that test it up sooner than the men's. ( I missed the womens earlier this year and the mens last year to decide to watch some old students at Zone. ) Obviously the womens is going to change and the mens has yet to be announced as it just has changed. I'm thinking experience in will help a bit though as to my intention of going beyond just a rec/compulsory coach.
Has it really helped any other coaches out there or just become something extra to do. I'm fairly knowledgeable in many of the judging requirements and deductions/protocols [ more so with the mens than womens but I just spent 4 hours going through 5/6 and started recognizing it again ]

Thanks all.

GymChick23 · Joined: 06 Nov 2003 Posts: 125

good luck becoming a judge! i have no knowledge on that subject and i have a ton of respect for all the judges becuase i know it is hard and i don't think i could ever become a judge.

Coach Blair · Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1492 Location: Bay area/Sacto

Apparently after a few calls with the judge trainer...male judges for women's aren't so uncommon. JO routines change next year so would require a retest.
There is also a piece of software out there that goes over the JO judging stuff. Way neat.
After watching routines and remembering them and thinking about all these deductions, I think I'd be a lot harder judge than when I coach. I generally don't go crazy about deductions when coaching, then again I'm not the main coach and didn't really remember them all really, nor is that our focus at this gym. This week I will think on them, as they prepare for their first meet. I'll think about whether to practice judge or watch them from the stands after the judging training on monday and wednesday.

TipGuy · Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:52 am Post subject:

I'd recommend going for it. We need good judges in the JO program. There are a lot of judges out there that shouldn't be. The ONLY way to be fair is to be a very strict judge and take all the deductions. It pushes the kids to better performance, and takes as much subjectiveness out of the equation as possible.
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Coach Blair · Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1492 Location: Bay area/Sacto

Steve Butcher has been talking about the new boys program with an emphasis that the judging will not be so Gimme anymore and a lot more exact.
He did mention a judging clinic but didn't say when. After trying the judging clinic for womens, while I now what to look for when coaching girls now a lot more; it does as the other men's coach said...take a lot of the fun of coaching from that POV. I disliked that. That and the head of the womens judge testing didn't get back to me, still. Solved that, I guess.
Perhaps boy's judging will be more interesting. Not so umm...well NM. I just remembered I forgot to look at some of the elements of the mens FIG tonight...and my cellphone. I might do a post or ask about those, Tipguy.