Overview
While EVERY part of a drill meet is just a piece of a complex ecosystem, every judge who wants to depart on schedule has an obligation to make the process of receiving a team, evaluating their performance, and moving to the next as seamless as possible. While the flow described in this module may vary slightly based on events, physical venue, proximity of drill areas, host-published schedule, etc., this should give you a good starting point to make your day as smooth as possible!
Arriving to the Venue
A judge should strive to arrive at the drill meet venue, usually a school campus, at least 30 minutes in advance of the published judges briefing time. This allows you the chance to park, situate yourself wherever the briefing is to take place, etc. Ideally, you’ll arrive in the prescribed uniform of the day but plan ahead if you need or plan to change at the venue. Staying on time begins with starting on time so the old adage that “early is on time and on time is late” definitely applies here!
In-Briefing & Preparing
Most meets will utilize some kind of in-briefing process to help familiarize the judges with:
- The host’s expectations for conduct
- The general layout of the campus to include locations for food/coffee, restrooms, etc.
- A general talk-through of judging expectations
- A talk-through of event specifics
- A walk-through of the drill area(s) for the meet
Because you’ve done these modules, you’re over-prepared for this process. Once the briefing has concluded, you’ll want to make sure you have the following:
- A printed drill meet schedule of the teams and their performance times
- Your assigned scoresheets
- Writing utensils
- A clipboard
From here, you’ll head to your assigned area. Hosts: we recommend conducting any event-specific briefing with the smaller team of judges assigned to that event AT their drill area with SCORESHEETS in hand.
From here, things go quick!
Before a Team’s Performance
1. Ready your materials and yourself. Check the schedule to ensure you’re on time and the next team listed is the one on-deck. Sign your scoresheet.
2. Team stages in ready area. If the team seems confused or isn’t staging themselves at their prescribed time, politely help motivate them to take their position in the ready area.
3. The Head Judge (or other Subject Matter Expert judge) greets the cadet commander and offers their initial briefing which should include any particulars (i.e. pointing out any peculiarities of the drill area, letting the commander know their cue to begin performing) as well as a request for additional questions. Field judges should position themselves around the floor and prepare to grade.
4. The Head Judge takes position and commands, “XYZ High School, REPORT” or similar to VERBALLY cue the team to begin their performance.
During a Team’s Performance
5. The team begins their performance.
6. The Head Judge takes the report in & returns salute or verbally signals confirmation to continue.
7. ALL judges actively follow the team and make notes on their performance. Judges should follow the team closely enough to clearly evaluate but not close enough to be in the way, intimidate, or otherwise impact the performance.
8. The Head Judge should be positioned to receive a report out in advance of the team taking their position to conclude their performance.
After a Team’s Performance
9. All judges complete their scoring; judges MAY confer about the performance but should NOT compare their scores.
10. Double-check that your scoresheet is complete & give to the scoresheet runner/helper.
11. The Head Judge should ready themselves to brief the next team & repeat the process.
12. Don’t forget to grab a quick drink!
When the Last Team Has Performed
Once the final team has completed its performance, do not leave the venue yet! First, collect all spare materials and return them to the host in the expedient manner possible. Then, locate someone responsible for the meet and double-check that you are cleared to depart. Oftentimes, the host wants to make sure your final scoresheet is clear with no issues since once you leave, it’s impossible to ask questions or fix the issues.
If you’re ABLE, many hosts appreciate judges who can remain on-site to present awards, help judge fun knock-out contests, etc.
Let’s Practice
COMING SOON
This module is part of The Definitive Guide to Judging Drill Meets!