As a judge your behavior and actions are constantly monitored by the coaches, gymnast, parents, volunteers and runners. Be careful that your behavior to coaches and gymnast while on the floor or in uniform are professional. What you say is ALWAYS overheard by someone! Make sure your comments are always positive and not critical.

Alabama expects all judges, after the first year of certification, to wear the official uniform at USAG meets. A uniform order form may be found in the back of this book or on the NAWGJ web site (NAWGJ.org) First year judges must wear a white blouse/shirt and navy skirts (pants for males). Only the official navy NAWGJ slacks are acceptable as part of your uniform.

All cell phones must be disabled while you are on the competitive floor. Do not make or receive calls from your judging table. If it is necessary (emergency) to make a call on your cell phone, please notify the Meet Referee and leave the floor to place the call. It is encouraged that phones placed on vibrate be placed with the Meet Referee or Meet Director so calls do not distract your concentration while judging.

Refrain from talking to the other judge(s) while you are judging or calculating your score. It is easy for observers to assume that you are talking about the athlete's performance and trying to influence the score of the other judge or that you do not have knowledge of your event. Meet Directors are paying for independent judgments from every judge. Only comment on routines when asked to do so by the Chief Judge in a conference situation.

Facial expressions are just as powerful as words. If an athlete makes a mistake, maintain a neutral facial expression even though it may sometimes be very humorous! Wrinkling your nose or sighing, are all expressions that parents/coaches pick up on. It is courteous to smile at the gymnast at the conclusion of their routine. Judges take a deduction if athletes do not salute judges at the end of a routine so give them the respect they deserve by acknowledging their signal when they finish their routine.

By the end of long meets, you may have a hard time looking alert. Try to maintain food posture throughout the entire meet and not sit with your head resting on your hand or slumped down in your chair.

Stay at your event until the entire meet finishes. Do not walk around and talk to other judges and/or coaches if your event finishes early.

Check your seating arrangements and line of vision prior to the first competitor. Once the first athlete competes, your seating arrangement must stay the same throughout the entire meet. Every athlete is entitled to be evaluated from the same viewpoint as all other athletes.

If you have a family member or team competing in the same meet you are assigned to judge, you have a responsibility to maintain a high standard of behavior that demonstrates fair and impartial activity. You will be required to take off the "MOM" or "COACH" HAT and put on the PROFESSIONAL HAT. You may not acknowledge that you have a child or team is in the meet. If your child is too young to understand these different rules, it would be wise to decline a meet in which your child or team is competing.

While you are in the NAWGJ uniform, you should not be seen hugging athletes (even if it is your daughter). Please do not use the Meet Director's phone to call your home or gym to inform others of the outcome of your athlete's performance. Do not provide coaches or parents with information about the judging at a particular meet or event. If the coach would like feedback, the gym should invite you or another judge to the gym to evaluate routines and provide consultative assistance. The judgments that occur at a meet should not be shared with others.

The responsibility of score averages is the responsibility of the Chief Judge. A panel judge should never answer questions the coach may have about their gymnast routines. Refer the coaches to the Chief Judge. It is okay to discuss the routine with a coach IF the Chief Judge ask for your comments.

It is a nice gesture for each judge to sign a thank you card at the meet. If a thank you card is not furnished by a Alabama NAWGJ board member, it would be a nice gesture for you to send the meet director and volunteers a thank you note expressing appreciation for their hospitality. Running a meet is a big responsibility for parents and clubs and it is always nice to know that a judge appreciated their efforts.

If you attend a meet to watch (not as a judge), you must pay for the meet as a spectator. Judges should not accept offers to enter a meet for free or reduced prices this suggests a lack of impartiality. The only time you are admitted into the meet for free is when you are judging, practice judging, or volunteering. Please do not ask the meet director for special favors.

It is best to refrain from providing information to other spectators about the judging while you are sitting in the stands. It is best to answer questions in a general manner rather than to comment on a particular athlete s routine or possible execution errors to the gymnast. If a parent asks you a question, you can say it is different watching a meet as a spectator than as a judge and that, unless you have your pen in hand, it s hard to predict a score or apply a deduction.

Judges should NEVER ask or indicate to a meet director a desire to judge their meets. Even a simple statement, "it has been a long time since I was assigned a meet at your gym" is a no, no. When you indicate to a meet director a desire to judge a meet, you are placing the meet director in a very awkward position.

Judges who wish to be considered for Regional Meets must complete at least 9 hours of in-gym-experience. ALL judges, not just those wanting to judge Regionals, should obtain in-gym experience every year. Even if a judge coaches or works in a gym, it is helpful to go to another gym and observe how other coaches and gymnast are approaching various elements and techniques. Judges should use the following procedures when arranging in-gym time:

• Contact the coach of the gym you would like to visit and ask if it is ok for you to come in. Explain the purpose of your visit and describe your objective for coming to the gym. For example, you may want to observe gymnasts working advanced bar skills, particularly release moves.
• Ask the coach the days and times of workout and the best day and time for you to come to the gym for the purpose you describe.
• Explain to the coach that this is a volunteer experience and you will not be obtaining scores or judging routines for the purpose of giving scores.
• Once you arrive at the gym, ask the coach where you can stand/sit to be unobtrusive yet have a good view of the athlete's workout.
• The judge's activities should be under the supervision of the coach. Ask the coach how he/she prefers to respond to questions. This should be an interactive experience between you and the coach yet should not distract the coach from responsibilities with the athletes.
• Remain professional at all times. Remember that the gym club is a business and professional behavior is expected.
• Ask the coach if he/she would like you to give any feedback based on your observations (if you have any) or if there is anything that would be helpful to reinforce from a judging perspective. Be constructive in all of your comments with the athletes.

All judges are REQUIRED to have on file in the Active Status Coordinator s office a resume of membership. As you receive your NAWGJ membership card, USAG membership card, Safety Certification Card, JCI Certification Card, and Active Status Card a copy must be sent to the ASC. Judges who fail to assume this responsibility will fall to the bottom of the availability list and will not be issued contracts unless no other judge is available.