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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=2>I sure
Concur..</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=2>
del</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=ehaury@houston.rr.com href="mailto:ehaury@houston.rr.com">Earl
Haury</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">Discussion List, NSRCA</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, May 21, 2004 9:57 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Good Judging</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I believe that our judging is the best it has
ever been. I've been around long enough (pattern since 1974) to be familiar
with the variety of judging practices in place over the
years.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Certainly there was a time when club judges were
pretty good, but then each club had a number of good pattern flyers to draw
from. Sort of a form of contestant judging, as most of these folks were
competitors in their own rite. Hard to pull this off now with only a few
pattern folks in a club.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The larger meets used "pro" judges (who later
formed the USPJA ). Some of these folks were very good and very dedicated. In
my opinion their shortcoming was the lack of a good training program for
growing the numbers of new judges. Eventually the number of skilled folks
dwindled and their replacement with under-trained staff caused the quality of
work to suffer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Three things got us to where we are. First, the
acceptance of the notion that contestants could compete and also judge. Most
contestants are dedicated to the game and are more knowledgeable of the rules
/ judging techniques than the lay club member generally is. Second, the AMA
judging video that graphically explained judging concepts and details
that are difficult to describe via the printed word. Thirdly, the NSRCA Judge
Certification Program (and importantly the requirement that Nats judges be
certified) that provides a requirement that the "old pros" refresh their
training and gives new enthusiasts an opportunity to learn both how to judge
and what's expected of their flight efforts.</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>
Importantly, the training process is dynamic and works to ensure everyone is
on the same page.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If a club has the resources to provide
knowledgeable (trained) judges for a contest, then I for one will enjoy the
time off from judging for relaxing conversation. On the other hand, if the
club judges aren't skilled enough to measure the quality (lack) of maneuvers -
what's the point of the competition, it has become a
fun-fli.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Contestant judging makes a competition a whole
lot more work for the competitor. It is as much work (more) to do a good job
judging than to do a good job flying. I find that most take judging seriously,
some are better than others, but that applies to flying also - if we were all
capable of totally perfect performance there would be no need for competition!
A plus from this locally is that one will fly in front of nearly the same
judges during the season. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This allows one to monitor scores during the
season and get a good handle on what is OK and what needs work.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have worked with judges at numerous Team
Selection Tournaments, the Nats, and a WC. This includes many hours of judge
meetings and training. I have always found that everyone works hard to
understand the process and methods of application. Competency is high, as is
effort. My point being that judges for large events take the job seriously and
work hard to get it right. Of course individuals may view the quality of any
given maneuver differently, that's why we use more than one
judge. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>With participation in many rounds of Nats
contestant judging to draw upon, I believe the same effort and professionalism
exists there. Often I've been in a group of judges that included a "name"
flyer. I will tell you that these guys are generally as accurate (in my view)
in judging as they are in flying. It makes sense - they know what they're
doing! I have never been aware of anyone intentionally under (or over) scoring
anyone. Sure scores differ, even the best judges will differ some -
there're are always subjective issues like "smoothness and gracefulness" where
judgmental opinions will vary. I am afraid that if I were aware of any sort of
definite "retaliation" judging that some form of assault would be likely. I
suppose that biased judging has / does occur and retaliation is one possible
reason unique to the contestant / judge, but such despicable behavior is
likely very limited.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Of course one way to minimize the effect is to
pitch statistical outliers. Unfortunately this can penalize the one judge who
may have been the only one to get it right. Additionally, stats become very
unreliable as the sample number diminishes to the range normal for scores even
in large meets. Best not to create a big problem trying to solve (I hope) a
small one.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sorry for the long reply, but quite a few
good folks have worked hard to bring judging to the level that it
is today. While bad apples should not be tolerated, giving the impression that
this may be becoming the norm is unfair to the many dedicated folks that
strive for professionalism every time that they sit in the judges seat. For
those who have seen injustices in a few instances, please work to correct them
and consider the generally good state of the overall picture.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Earl
Haury</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>