You see it all the time at the athletic events.

Judges throw up high scores, while some throw up low scores.

Where is the consistency?

You see this in all sorts of sports…diving, gymnastics, figure skating, and I am sure more than those three I listed.

How do judges score athletes on their skills, not comparing them to the others around. Not comparing them to what they have seen the athletes do in other competitions.

How do you keep things fair for the athletes?

FINA, a diving committee, has tried to fix this judging suggestiveness by making judges take a test…proving them reliable or not when it comes to judging big time diving events.

FINA also does not allow the judges to see the divers warm up…so that way no expectations will be created in the minds of the judges about the athlete’s ability prior to the actual meet.

As for gymnastics, the judges have the same kind of rules. They must be tested to see if they are worthy of judging big gymnastic events.

In big-time competitions, it is much more fair when it comes to the judges consistency and qualifications to judging the event…

If only that was the case in high school and collegiate athletics.

In collegiate/high school sports, judges are the coaches.

Meaning the coaches see the athletes practice everyday and tend to judge them on how they COULD do the trick rather than how they DID do it at the time of the meet.

I was a coach, trust me, I use to do that.

If I knew my divers could do a dive better…I tended to judge them tougher.

How do we keep athletics fair for the athletes benefit??

This is the first of a few posts on this subject of many I am sure.

What do you think? Is judging fair in athletics…no matter the level?