I'm a judge and I like it - I have learned so much about skating that I never thought of so much as a skater - like if I see something on a test that I know if wrong, I really have to figure out what the skater is doing wrong, how to analyze it very quickly and decide whether it is acceptable at the level - in the beginning of judging I would ask my coach and say, "I saw this on a test - what are they doing?" and she would explain it to me.

This comes up especially in Moves. Freestyle is easier as the skater usually has the jump or doesn't, etc.

I'm glad the USFS has determined that judges can teach LTS - I haven't done it yet but if I need to I know that I can do that and I think it would be fun!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

The US is so sue-happy, maybe USFS subsidizes the $10/year Basic Skills deal. Unless the included insurance doesn't protect coaches and/or rinks as well as they hope.

An average athlete gets a medically reported injury twice a year. [Arnheim, Arnheim's Principles of Athletic Training.]

If one in 100 parents sues, twice a year, and each suit costs thousands of dollars to fight, and some win, there is no way unsubsidized insurance can cost USFS that little, unless I'm missing something.

I've always wondered how well coaches understand judging criteria. Since the materials sold to coaches and judges (in the US) are somewhat different, maybe they sometimes guess wrong.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

I didn't want to trial judge at our last comp for that very reason! I wasn't competing, and looked forward to leading the cheering - especially for the lower levels of learn to skate, where the audience have no idea what to clap, I like to get them going.

It's odd, because I wish I could do all 3: skate, coach & judge, and I can, technically. I don't think I can give my all to them all at once though.

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Katz

Saved by Synchro!
I was over it, now I'm into it again !

As may be, but ISI is pretty-much USA-specific, too. It is different in different countries, and one needs to check with one's own national organisation (NISA, etc) what the precise regulations in your country are. Here (UK), for instance, coaches judge the SkateUK and passport levels, usually in the context of a class or a lesson, but do not judge the "real" tests. On the other hand, we only need one judge until level 7 or above, whereas I believe that under USFSA regulations, all tests require two judges.....

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

No tests require two judges, because what would happen if they disagree?

The first one or two tests in each discipline require only one judge, although they can also be judged with three.

The rest of the tests require three judges to judge them. If a majority, i.e., two, give passing marks, then the skater passes the test. But there have to have been three judges on the panel -- you can't have a panel of two judges.

Ah, right. We have one judge for the lower levels, and then two for higher ones - I don't know what happens when they disagree, I imagine they average the marks.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

No, I think you have to get a pass from both of them - if they disagree, then it's a retry.

Thank you! I thought you would probably know.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!