- An immediate family member of a competing gymnast or of the gymnast's coach(s), or of the club owner whose team is competing.
- A person on the payroll of a competing Club.
- A team member or parent of a Women's Artistic team member of a competing club.
- A parent of a men's or rhythmic team member of a competing club is not considered affiliated.
- A parent of any child enrolled in a recreational class of a competing club is not considered affiliated.
- A coach of a club that has gymnast(s) competing in the meet.
- A club owner whose club has a gymnast who is competing in the meet.
When May affiliated judges be assigned?
Affiliated judges may be assigned to meets with the following stipulations:
- An affiliated judge may be assigned as a Panel Judge or as the Meet Referee.
- No more than one judge with the same affiliation may be assigned per panel.
- An affiliated judge may not be assigned as a Chief Judge, regardless of certification.
- In meets using one-judge panels, an affiliated judge may be assigned only when there are not enough non-affiliated judges available and only with the approval of the RTCC.
If the club with which a judge is affiliated is not participating in the meet, the judge is not considered affiliated at that meet.
The regulations regarding affiliation are NOT meant to prevent officials from judging, but to prevent the perception of potentially unfair situations for gymnasts.
If a judge has family members or a team competing in a meet, the judge has a responsibility to maintain a high standard of behavior that demonstrates fair and impartial activity. Affiliated judges may not acknowledge that they have a child or team in the meet. This should be clearly explained to the competitor prior to the meet. If the children are too young to understand the difference in roles between "Mom" and "Judge" or "Coach" and "Judge", it may be wise for the judge to decline the meet assignment.
Parents of affiliated athletes competing in the meet should ask themselves a series of questions when deciding to accept a contract: Is it more important for me to watch the meet as a spectator and provide emotional and social support for my child or is it more important to judge the meet? If my child is injured in a meet while I am judging, will I be able to give judging my full attention? What would I do if my daughter needed to go to the hospital for treatment while the meet was still going on?
When accepting a contract for a meet at which a judge will be affiliated, the affiliated judge must agree to act in such a way as to avoid the appearance of partiality by participants, coaches, parents, and spectators.
While wearing the NAWGJ uniform, judges should not be seen showing partiality to athletes such as hugging athletes, arranging their cards for the competition order, or attending to the personal needs of athletes such as braiding their hair, pinning on their competition numbers, etc.
Remember that what is said on the competition floor or in the judging room should not be repeated to parents, gymnasts, or staff at your gym. Do not provide coaches or parents with information about the judging at a particular meet or event. The discussion that occurs during conferences should not be shared with others.
Affiliated judges who coach athletes should not leave their judging station to talk to fellow coaches or their athletes during the competition.
Affiliated judges who coach athletes should keep their eye contact on the gymnast they are judging at their event and should not try to watch the performance of their athletes unless competition on their event has concluded.
Affiliated judges should not ask to see the scores of their athletes while the competition is in progress.
Parents who are affiliated judges should not ask other judges at the competition for feedback to improve their child's routine. This information should be given to the coach of the athlete, not the parent.
Affiliated judges should carefully review their scores after every meet to assure a lack of bias in scoring of their own athletes/child.
Affiliated judges who coach athletes should not attend the awards ceremony in their NAWGJ uniform and cheer for their athletes who receive awards.
Affiliated judges should not use the Meet Director's telephone to call home or the gym to inform others of the outcome of the athlete's performance. Use a pay phone or cell phone to communicate with family members and gymnastics staff at a gym.