WAG Food for judges at meets

[raenndrops]

I am in CAand more often than not gyms provide a separate sitting/eating area for the judges, even if it just is a small office or curtained off area.(especially for state meets and larger invitationals held at large facilities) Food for coaches and judges is generally together in a buffet style presentation. Ocasionnally smaller gyms my not have the space to do this if they are hosting a smaller meet, everyone just kind of looks the other way,

We separate judges and coaches... But out of convenience for coaches. Since judges get specified breaks and coaches may be eating on the run, coaches hospitality is closer to the gym than judges room... But judges are located closer to the nice bathroom.
As for food, catered donuts and other pastries and fresh fruit for breakfast ... Along with juice, coffee, milk, and water. Lunch/dinner is a mix of Subway and homemade dishes or a catered meal from a local restaurant.
We are told we need enough food for x number of judges and y number of coaches.
Now... Coaches and judges do talk to each other - chit chat type stuff. But ALL the coaches do it. We know the judges are going to be unbiased (except the one that hates our team - lol)... But she has been known to award my YG a personal best score on beam 2 meets in a row

 

[z2akids]

Hmm, Region 5 as well. At both the meets hosted by DD's gym, the coach and judges hospitality room is the same room. Honestly, I have never worked hospitality, so I have no idea if there is some sort of separation. As far as other meets, the only times I have noticed the hospitalty, the sign outside the door usually says coaches and judges hospitality (including at Nastia Cup meets). I have no idea if there is a separation once past the doorway.

There is really a pretty small pool of judges. The group stays stable over time and so the coaches and judges seem to know each other fairly well.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Well, also not to sound like I'm picking, but I'm backing up @MILgymFAM here too-all the meets we've attended (except state) had the coaches and judges eating together. It may be against the official rules, but that doesn't mean it's not done. Thirteen years is the sport and knowing the way it should be done doesn't mean that's the way it's done evetywhere. Not sure why you would call her out like she's lying or something.

I didn't say she was lying, I said a lot if what she says goes on in her area, like Xcel movement to JO, or this situation, are often things being done against the rules or borderline breaking the rules. No one called anyone a liar. Reading comprehension.

 

[momnipotent]

I didn't say she was lying, I said a lot if what she says goes on in her area, like Xcel movement to JO, or this situation, are often things being done against the rules or borderline breaking the rules. No one called anyone a liar. Reading comprehension.

I didn't say you said she's a liar, I said you are calling her out like you feel she is a liar (speaking of a lack of reading comprehension...) You start out by responding to her post (which IS how it's done in several places, as several other posters here have acknowledged,) with a "no, the coaches and judges have to eat separately", then come back with a snarky "It's not like I'm picking or anything", and then continue with "a lot of your posts talk about bending the rules", it does sound like you are doubting her and questioning her knowledge or honesty. There was no need to respond to her posts the way you did.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I've been to many,many meets as a coach and judge in region one where the eating area was separate for coaches and judges. If you are just attending a meet as a parental spectator you may not know everything that is happening behind the scenes.

 

[OzZee]

So are judges in the US not usually coaches?
Ours mostly are so they'd likely to be coaching session A then judging session B. Lol so where would they eat?
Clubs here have to provide a judge for each session they have gymnasts entered into. (At least for comps run by the state body).

 

[wandrewsjr]

So are judges in the US not usually coaches?
Ours mostly are so they'd likely to be coaching session A then judging session B. Lol so where would they eat?
Clubs here have to provide a judge for each session they have gymnasts entered into. (At least for comps run by the state body).

No, the meets here in the US are generally so large that the judges and coaches are not usually the same at a particular meet. It would just be a logistical nightmare when a meet has 3 days of 4 sessions per day(sometimes with 2 or 3 full sets of equipment).. Many judges are coaches also however, and will judge on weekends when their gymnast aren't competing.

 

[OzZee]

Thanks.
Lol have to keep remembering that we have a national population far smaller than some of your states and gymnastics is a small sport so things are I'm sure so different in the US.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Same here @OzZee , each club has to provide a judge or pay a "fine", which is usually a coach. Coaches normally don't have a break or eat at the meets I've seen, they just grab a bite when they can.

 

[coachmolly]

At most of the meets our team goes to, the coaches and judges are working on different schedules so even if they share the hospitality room, we don't run into them a ton. They tend to eat when the athletes are warming up and, unless you have a free session with no athletes, you're not going to be there at that time. But really, no matter how it's set up, I think most coaches/judges know how to appropriately interact with each other at a meet.

As far as what to serve, I love real food, either homemade or from a local place. I typically don't eat processed foods, and I've been to some meets that have only served pre-packaged muffins and the like and I tend to just walk right past and hope I remembered to pack a Lara bar. Even just a fruit/veggie tray is good. I also like stuff I can just grab and run. Sit down type food is great for the judges and if you have an open session, but for the coaches who are running from one to the next, it's nice to have something quick- sandwiches, fruit, etc.

I also appreciate meets that offer some type of breakfast option for the early sessions. We drive on average 2 hours for our meets, so when we have a 7:30/8am start time, that means a crazy early morning and I'm often not together enough to grab more than a yogurt or granola bar before heading out which isn't enough to get through a long day of meets. We have one meet that has a really nice breakfast buffet with real breakfast foods (eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and some sweets too) that is very appreciated.

And most importantly, coffee. All day. Just because it's past noon doesn't mean I don't want coffee. Especially if I'm on session 3 of 5 and haven't eaten for hours. And don't let a parent who isn't a coffee drinker him/herself make the coffee that's not okay

 

[MILgymFAM]

I've been to many,many meets as a coach and judge in region one where the eating area was separate for coaches and judges. If you are just attending a meet as a parental spectator you may not know everything that is happening behind the scenes.

I only spoke to home meets for my DDs two gyms where I have personally worked hospitality. It's all good that it may not be the way it should be but it's the way it was. I'm not sure about anything to do with big invitationals or anything, because ours were small home meets with honestly nowhere to even do them separately. I certainly didn't wish to start a fight over something so trivial, so it's all fine. Questions answered and moving on for me.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

Directly from USA Gymnastics Guidelines for hosting a meet:
. "Coaches’ and Judges’ Hospitalityi. Coordinate with the Volunteer of Decorations to continue the theme of the competition in setting up the coaches’ and judges’ hospitality room. The judges’ hospitality room should be separate from the coaches’ room." (This was found with a Google search)

If you replace the bold with 'rules' and 'must' then I guess some clubs are breaking the rules. Given the wording, I cannot see a problem if a club chooses to deviate from the norm/standard due to space.

 

[sce]

I only spoke to home meets for my DDs two gyms where I have personally worked hospitality. It's all good that it may not be the way it should be but it's the way it was. I'm not sure about anything to do with big invitationals or anything, because ours were small home meets with honestly nowhere to even do them separately. I certainly didn't wish to start a fight over something so trivial, so it's all fine. Questions answered and moving on for me.

I think this more common than many realize. Ideally, they should get separate spaces but many meets are held in gyms and they don't have that many separate rooms.

 

[fuzi]

Some input from both a coach and a judge (region 1):

Every meet I work at has separate seating areas for coaches and judges (whether that is two different rooms or a curtain depends on space). Sometimes, each room has a separate spread of food, other times the food is all in one place and then you take it your respective seating area. Either is fine, as long as there is enough. Judges get grumpy when the "coaches already took all the food." While coaches might be there all day, it is very common for judges to be there from 7:30-10:00, often with a 2-hour drive on each side. We want food and coffee.

Some meet directors/hosts will send out an email asking judges about any dietary restrictions and try to accommodate. That is certainly appreciated, though not required. Here in CA, it's not uncommon for 1/2 the judges to be vegetarian, and most meets to a very good job accommodating that. When I was in OH, and the only vegetarian, ever, I knew I might be scrounging for food a lot - and I knew it wouldn't kill me to just eat the salad and bread for a meal.

Hot breakfast is appreciated, but not required. Coffee is. Judges appreciate protein sources at each meal, so if breakfast is going to be pastries and donuts, and you can put out some yogurts and hard-boiled eggs, everyone will be happier.

For the other meals, homemade or catered "real" food over fast food. Most judges here seem to appreciate the make your own whatever-bars. Here's a bunch of delicious taco stuff, make your own taco, make your own baked potato, chili (meat and veggie) with assorted toppings, a nice salad bar with some chicken as a protein option.

 

[kayjaybe]

Thanks, everyone, for all the feedback. It sounds like what we've been doing for the coaches can translate over to judges with some possible adjustments. We do offer all homemade and quality food, so that is covered.

 

[Sari]

Sometimes I wish I'd been born in the US. Homemade food at meets? The best thing I've gotten for my judging was a box of chocolates, otherwise it's cheap store-bought cookies.

 

[3rd_time_around]

So are judges in the US not usually coaches?
Ours mostly are so they'd likely to be coaching session A then judging session B. Lol so where would they eat?
Clubs here have to provide a judge for each session they have gymnasts entered into. (At least for comps run by the state body).

There are a lot of coaches who are judges, but they are not allowed to coach and judge in the same meet.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Sometimes I wish I'd been born in the US. Homemade food at meets? The best thing I've gotten for my judging was a box of chocolates, otherwise it's cheap store-bought cookies.

Some feed you so good, it's like having a private chef! Most gyms do a really good job when it comes to the food.

 

[raenndrops]

There are a lot of coaches who are judges, but they are not allowed to coach and judge in the same meet.

That is debatable. They OBVIOUSLY can't do both in the same SESSION, but affiliated judges CAN be used under certain circumstances.
We actually had a situation in which a judge left extremely ill after one session. The only judge available happened to be a coach for one of the other teams. She did not coach the sessions she judged... And it was within the rules.

 

[JessSyd]

No, the meets here in the US are generally so large that the judges and coaches are not usually the same at a particular meet. It would just be a logistical nightmare when a meet has 3 days of 4 sessions per day(sometimes with 2 or 3 full sets of equipment).. Many judges are coaches also however, and will judge on weekends when their gymnast aren't competing.

It IS a logistical nightmare at our big meets. I have seen judges have to rush off and change into their coaching shirts for a single session then rush back to put their judge's uniform back on. The question of which room they would eat in is almost irrelevant. They do not really get time to eat. Generally the people doing the scheduling will try to see that there is no clash between coaching duties and judging, although coaches do sometimes have to judge their own kids. This means that for really large meets there are usually a few drafts of the judging schedule as adjustments are made when a judge needs a session off to be a coach. Sorting it all out is a big job.