Overview
This one is short and sweet but if we don’t stop and explore this concept, nothing else is going to make sense. In this module, we’ll cover the primary role of the judge beyond just the mindset they bring to the table and the scores they assign to the teams performing at a given contest!
What’s the Job?
At the end of the day, a judge has TWO primary missions when it comes to grading at a drill team competition. They are, in order of importance:
- Ranking
- Rating
Understanding these concepts and how they relate to one another is key in doing the the best job you can do for the teams performing for you so let’s break it down!
Ranking
Ranking is defined as the placement of schools from first to last in order of merit. This is the primary task you have as a judge, no matter what drill event you’re assigned to. This means that the highest-achieving group places first, the lowest-achieving group places last, and every group in between is ranked appropriately against the others from start to finish.
This one is pretty straight-forward. If you do your job right, every group will know where they stand.
Rating
Rating is defined as the act of providing a numerical score in each category of a scoresheet. The number you provide should correlate to the performance level of a team.
The ratings – the scores – you provide the team are the TOOL by which they are RANKED. In other words, while the number you assign will be correlated to the performance level of the team, the goal of assigning the numbers is that they ultimately add up to put the teams in order of merit from start to finish.
What Am I Ranking & Rating?
Ultimately, the judging of drill asks us to rank and rate the following elements of drill:
- The “What”
- The “How”
These concepts are VERY easy to understand but many of today’s modern scoresheets mash these two ideas together in a way that forces us to make decisions about how to untie them and give the best rating possible and get the team ranked in the right order.
The “What”
The first element of drill – or any like athletic performing art – is WHAT the team is performing. In other words, without regard to how well a team is executing (we’ll get to that in a moment…), how can we best evaluate and judge the teams based on the content of their performances.
Examples of the “What” of drill include:
- In REGULATION/COLOR GUARD: How faithfully is the team bringing to life the words, spirit, and intent of their stated manual(s)?
- In INSPECTION: How accurately did the team prepare their uniforms in accordance with their stated manual(s)/order(s)?
- In EXHIBITION: What choreography did the team DESIGN for their performance and how effective is that choreography specifically in isolation from its execution?
The “How”
The second element of drill is EXECUTION – in other words, HOW the team is performing. In our world, we use the word achievement to discuss to what level a group is executing. When judging how well a team executes, we’re looking at all factors impacted by the practice and training regimen of a group.
Examples of the “How” of drill include:
- Precision
- Synchronization
- Uniformity
- Elimination of Variance Where Possible
Sometimes, balancing the judging of “what” a team is doing vs. “how” well a team is doing it can be tough – and many scoresheets in wide circulation don’t make this easy. Don’t worry – we’ll discuss that and help you figure it out.
For now, understanding Ranking, Rating, What, and How should help frame everything else about judging!
Let’s Practice
COMING SOON
This module is part of The Definitive Guide to Judging Drill Meets!