Keeping Score: The Judging Process

Since my last blog post, I finally took and passed my judging certification test. This means that I am technically now able to judge all compulsory USA Gymnastics levels. Although, I have the knowledge to judge, I am lacking practical experience. Gaining this experience is the final part of my ELI.

The day after taking the test, I had the opportunity to shadow-judge at a small intersquad meet. Doing this allowed me to talk with and get insight from other judges and to put my knowledge to the test. I was happily surprised with the result! While judging, it was not hard to recall the deductions, and my scores were within range (with the scores of the judges) most of the time. I found beam and floor easiest to evaluate. My scores were pretty good on bars but I was not able to write the deductions and the symbols simultaneously, and I really struggled to judge vault simply because it goes so fast.

The experience of jumping right into judging was great, but what I learned from just talking with the judges was also invaluable. When judging you write the symbols for the skills performed and deductions underneath. The purpose of writing the symbols is to ensure that the athlete met the requirements, and also to have some record of the where mistakes occurred. Since efficiency is so important in judging, the other judges gave me some tips for writing deductions such as writing a + for a 0.05 deductions and using a T for “text” errors (errors in choreography). Once the routine is over the judge then adds up all of the deductions and subtracts that number from the starting value. The starting value is the perfect score gymnasts can receive for the skills they perform. A perfect starting value is a 10.0, but if athletes do not meet the requirements of their level they will have a lower starting value.

After the judges calculate their scores, the scores are averaged. To do this the outliers (high and low scores) are dropped, the two middle scores (in the case of a four judge panel) are averaged, and the score range is checked. The score range is the acceptable discrepancy between the two scores. For example, it is not acceptable for one judge to give a routine a 9.5 and one judge to give the same routine an 8.0. To resolve any score range issues judges discuss any major errors, such as falls or missing elements and adjust their scores accordingly. Once the score is averaged and the range has been checked, the score is flashed and it is on to the next routine!

~Rachel