One of the favorite pastimes of gymnastics fans is complaining about the scoring. Do you think you could do better? Become a judge!
There is a huge shortage of gymnastics judges nationally. As the sport continues to flourish at developmental levels, state judging directors struggle to find enough qualified judges to meet the demand, and it’s no different for college meets.
Some tri meets this year required teams to have a “bye” rotation because there weren’t enough available judges to cover every event. Developmental meets and NCAA meets compete for the same judges, making some weekends in January and February very difficult to meet the demand.
Anyone can become a judge, but it takes a high level of dedication, commitment, and studying to sit in the chair at the national championships. Here, I’ll outline the steps and some resources you can use to get started.
(If you’re already a judge, skip to step eight to see how to judge college gymnastics!)
Step 1: Contact your state judging director (SJD)
The National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges (NAWGJ) is a national organization but is largely administered on a state level. NAWGJ maintains a list of all SJDs, organized by region. Send an email to your SJD, introduce yourself and your…
