Parents Gym owner also a judge at meet

[blueredzone]

It happens and at times plans change and even though they didn't mean to judge their team. Sometimes it's unavoidable. We had a situation where we were entered into a meet and had to change to a different meet and one of our coaches was judging. Didn't plan it that way but things pop up.

I don't like it when our coaches are judges. My dd gets tense and usually does worse.

But judges will always have a connection with something about gymnastics. Otherwise they would have no interest in watching gymnastics all day.

 

[e'smum]

I have to correct my earlier post from my experience. The meet where we had the issue was not a host gym judge but a judge from another gym and she was judging her girls at my dd's meet. I had to go back and look.

But I blamed it on the host gym and it absolutely wasn't the host gym at all. So I feel bad about that and slightly better about going to that meet again this year. If that team happens to show up at this meet again, they don't have any 6's so there isn't any doubt in my mind to the fairness of judging this year.

But seriously, I shouldn't have to wonder if judging is going to be fair at any meet.

 

[AWGym]

I think this is a really interesting topic of conversation. At the meets we go to, probably half of the judges are affiliated with a gym that is competing in the meet. Specifically one of our "rival" gyms...we always go head-to-head and we're only about 30 min apart. 3 of their team coaches are judges and they always judge their own kids. At the last meet we went to, they had one of their coaches judging beam AND bars. I don't agree with it.

Like I said, we always go back and forth with who comes out on top. But it's funny to me that when they have their own coaches judging, their team wins 1st....and when we go to a meet they aren't judging (not often, but we have been to 1 this season), we win 1st. IDK...just seems weird to me.

I understand there's a shortage of judges....and nobody really gets into judging without some past involvement in gymnastics and a specific club affiliation....I just think that judges should have to go to meets where THEIR OWN TEAM (if they're also coach) is not participating. I know they can't be the head judge....but if they're consistently 0.1-0.3 higher than the head judge on their own kids...that adds up quick for the team score.

Anytime they beat us, it's only by a tenth or two (sometimes less)...so you have to wonder how different things would be if different judges besides their own coaches were judging things.

 

[AWGym]

Again, I know this sport is very subjective and it is what it is.......it just sucks when your kids bust their butts training 5 days a week only to lose by 0.1 to a girl being judged by her own coach. I'm not saying she didn't deserve it....just wish there was a rule against it so that we didn't have to constantly wonder if things would be different if another judge was judging.

 

[gymdog]

I think this is a really interesting topic of conversation. At the meets we go to, probably half of the judges are affiliated with a gym that is competing in the meet. Specifically one of our "rival" gyms...we always go head-to-head and we're only about 30 min apart. 3 of their team coaches are judges and they always judge their own kids. At the last meet we went to, they had one of their coaches judging beam AND bars. I don't agree with it.

Like I said, we always go back and forth with who comes out on top. But it's funny to me that when they have their own coaches judging, their team wins 1st....and when we go to a meet they aren't judging (not often, but we have been to 1 this season), we win 1st. IDK...just seems weird to me.

I understand there's a shortage of judges....and nobody really gets into judging without some past involvement in gymnastics and a specific club affiliation....I just think that judges should have to go to meets where THEIR OWN TEAM (if they're also coach) is not participating. I know they can't be the head judge....but if they're consistently 0.1-0.3 higher than the head judge on their own kids...that adds up quick for the team score.

Anytime they beat us, it's only by a tenth or two (sometimes less)...so you have to wonder how different things would be if different judges besides their own coaches were judging things.

Gyms don't pick the judges for their meet, the state judging director makes the assignment (I'm saying this in response to "they had their own coaches judging xyz" - that's coordinated through a 3rd party). That being said, in my state, I can tell you that coaches who judge frequently do so at "home meets" because coaches can't really judge otherwise (we usually work Saturday) and judging request demands have gotten so high that these meets would have to be cancelled or severely cut down otherwise. So our state judging director has coordinated having some people affiliated with the gym (not all are team coaches of the levels competing) get certified as judges and judge at the meet. But the gym doesn't really just schedule a meet and then say cool, Susie is judging bars.

 

[AWGym]

Gyms don't pick the judges for their meet, the state judging director makes the assignment (I'm saying this in response to "they had their own coaches judging xyz" - that's coordinated through a 3rd party). That being said, in my state, I can tell you that coaches who judge frequently do so at "home meets" because coaches can't really judge otherwise (we usually work Saturday) and judging request demands have gotten so high that these meets would have to be cancelled or severely cut down otherwise. So our state judging director has coordinated having some people affiliated with the gym (not all are team coaches of the levels competing) get certified as judges and judge at the meet. But the gym doesn't really just schedule a meet and then say cool, Susie is judging bars.

No, I totally understand that. I know they don't get to pick what event they judge and that they are just assigned for the weekend. I'm just saying, that there were 2/4 events that the other team was being judged by their coaches. And then they won 1st place team, so you just have to wonder.....was it totally deserved or was it a small gift here and a small gift there?

They have like 30 level 3s....and most of them are 1st year so-so kids. High 8s. They have about 5-6 repeat 3s who do well and make up their team score. But those 5-6 kids look comparable to several of our first years so IDK.

It honestly gives me a headache thinking about it because it's just a bunch of "what ifs". And I know it won't/can't change...at least in the near near future. I just think that there should be a rule that if you sign up to judge a meet....you can't bring your own club to compete. I know that'd be hard...but it COULD work.

 

[LindyHopper]

We have a judge who is employed by our gym. But during the competitive season, she only teaches rec classes. In the off season, she coaches level 2 and Bronze. I have only seen her judge levels 4 and up.