MAG Coach as the judge

[momto2js]

We have a meet on Friday and our coach is the floor judge. She has told the boys and scored their routines several times in practice. I don't have a problem with this because I know her well, but would you have a problem with a competitors coach as a judge??

 

[Quadqueen]

I think this is a bit odd, but I understand from reading here it happens a lot at some gyms. Only one time have I seen this happen. One of DD's coaches who is also a judge filled in for a judge on an emergency basis for one session for lower levels when a judge couldn't make it to a meet at our gym. I probably would not be completely comfortable seeing it at a meet.

 

[Mom2twingymnasts]

This happens all the time in Michigan for Boys meets. I'm not sure if the coaches really favor their gymnasts but you can get that impression. I'm sure if they had other options they would choose judges that didn't have boys competing at the meet. I have never seen this happen at a girls meet - expect for fun meet.

 

[skschlag]

our head coach does not judge. He is there with the boys during the meet. If your head coach is judging, who is with the boys?

One of our assistant coaches is a judge. He hasn't judged the boys yet. Knowing our coaches though, they will be harder on our boys. They know what they can do!!

 

[bookworm]

This was common practice in our old gym that one of our main coaches judged at EVERY meet we went to ...including States,Regionals and Nationals. She was a Brevet judge and definitely didn't cut our girls any slack, if anything she was harder on them. My only "issue" with this is that she always put in for her travel with the parents' association and the board was always too afraid to say that her travel to/from meets to judge and make money didn't fall on us...her premise was that she could coach when not judging ...

 

[profmom]

My impression is that around here, it's more frequent on the men's side than the women's. I can't imagine it happening at a girls' meet without a lot of complaint and concerns about bias. But it does for the guys. My DS's level 5s "belong" to a junior coach. At their last meet, he judged optionals on floor and level 4s on vault. But no way was he going to let the boys' program director handle his baby ducks at the meet! (They coached the boys together for their session.) Word on the street was that he did a great job as a judge. I'm not surprised.

DS recognized the h bar judge for his session as a level 10 who had competed brilliantly the previous night.

 

[nameless]

i would not like that at all! i haven't seen it at any of my dd's meets and i hope i don't.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

one of our coaches is also a judge and occasionally she is judging at one of our meets. She is very fair as there are usually 2 judges on each event and if there were any favoritism going on it would be noticeable when comparing the 2 scores. If anything her scores are probably the lower of the 2.

 

[mariposa]

Happens all the time here. I throw it in with the parts of gymnastics that aren't really fair, but just a part of gymnastics. I have heard they are even more tough one their own gymnasts and they know what deductions to look for, etc. Not sure I believe it, but I also think that most judges are just doing their best to judge and be fair. And usually there are 2 judges at all events, at least at night meets normal state and beyond, so it balances out if their were any favoritism.
Like I tell my gymmie, gymnastics isn't always fair, neither is life. You just have to accept that if you are involved in the sport.

 

[bookworm]

My impression is that around here, it's more frequent on the men's side than the women's. I can't imagine it happening at a girls' meet without a lot of complaint and concerns about bias. But it does for the guys. My DS's level 5s "belong" to a junior coach. At their last meet, he judged optionals on floor and level 4s on vault. But no way was he going to let the boys' program director handle his baby ducks at the meet! (They coached the boys together for their session.) Word on the street was that he did a great job as a judge. I'm not surprised.

I don't know about that...there are a lot of women's coaches in this neck of the woods who are also judges. You don't really see bias towards their team because the coach/judge's score can't be more than .3 in either direction from the rest of the judging pool on that event without a conference about it....

 

[profmom]

I think that vibe is more specific to my area. Women's coaches judge here, but I believe our state rules prohibit them from judging in any meet where their gym's athletes are competing.

 

[gymdog]

In MAG it's inevitable, and mostly no one "cares." They are just glad someone will be the floor judge after all! It's a perspective that WAG could learn a little from.

 

[Danica76]

Our HC is a judge and on occasion she judges her gymnasts. I would definitely say that she is fair, if not a bit harder on her girls. I believe that she can judge her athletes, but cannot be head judge. Like PP have said, there are 2 judges on each event & this would help prevent favoritism. She is judging at the meet we're attending this weekend, but will only be judging on the optional side of the meet. We were originally going to attend a different meet, but the dates were changed, so we ended up doing this one. I know she'd much rather be out on the floor coaching her girls than judging then. But, it is what it is! I know my DD is glad she's not judging compulsories. It makes her 10 times more nervous!

 

[OzZee]

Here every club has to provide a judge for each competition or there is a $100 fine. So lots of the judges will probably be someone competings coach or have coached them at some point.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

it's a necessary evil. we don't have enough judges. and even less that know what they're doing.

 

[Aussie_coach]

This is normal and very, very common. Especially in MAG, there is a limited supply of MAG judges so often the coach has to be used. Most will be very fair.

 

[profmom]

In MAG it's inevitable, and mostly no one "cares." They are just glad someone will be the floor judge after all! It's a perspective that WAG could learn a little from.

Agreed! All the boys on the team would laugh hysterically at the thought that Coach Z would cut them an ounce of slack as a judge. He'd be more likely to tell them they could skip conditioning! What makes it even more interesting for those of you who haven't been to a men's meet is that there's usually only one judge per event. But around here, there's always some talk here and there about how much the color of the leo matters at a few meets a year.

But a question: I know the men's judges have to attend a judging clinic to get certified, and I think there's a "continuing ed" component. Don't the women's judges??

 

[bookworm]

But a question: I know the men's judges have to attend a judging clinic to get certified, and I think there's a "continuing ed" component. Don't the women's judges?[/B]?

Yes, why do you ask?

 

[profmom]

It's interesting that the norms are so different (again, just speaking of what I have observed in my area!) if the requirements and expectations are similar. The question is also prompted by Dunno's comment about people not knowing what they are doing.

 

[CoachTodd]

It's actually quite common for a coach to be a judge. The coach that did my daughter's floor ruotine years ago also judged floor at a few of her meets. She was actually tougher on my daughter since she knew what it could look like.