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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

How to Deal: Beat the Cheat

 
 
This scoreboard shows a lot. It shows that these athletes worked their butts off in a ton of WODs to put all of those numbers up. But what does it NOT show? Does it show the fact that a judge let less than acceptable burpee reps slide by? No. Does it show that a judge miscommunicated the acceptable movement (let's say... shoulder-to-overhead... behind the neck jerk?) to an athlete and then was corrected by another judge MID-WOD after several reps of that movement had already been completed, putting the athlete so far behind in reps that it was nearly impossible to come back from? Nope. Does it show that in a final, head-to-head tie-breaker WOD a different start system was used and the WOD was not communicated effectively before said start? Negative.

 
Every competition... every event... will have a glitch. Here are some tips on how to avoid or deal with those glitches.

 
Event Hosts: Make sure information is communicated well, and well in advance if possible. Pick movements that are easily judged. Test your WODs. Plan for ties. Educate your judges on exactly what you're looking for - leave NO details out. Be consistent with your briefings and rulings. YOU are the START. Lay the foundation for a seamless event.

 
Judges: Make it your priority to be honest and fair. I have witnessed a guy get no-repped on 20ish HSPUs trying his hardest to finish out the WOD, and his judge had a look of pain on his face with every no-rep. But here's the reality - the athlete (ONE person) may have been thankful if he'd let a rep or two slide, but the 100+ spectators would have been outraged. Everyone wants to see the guy finish, but they want it to be done honestly.






 


Athletes: Listen during the standards briefing. Ask questions. Talk to your judge before the WOD starts. Demonstrate a rep or two for him so he knows what your good movement looks like. Josh's arms are so bulky that during HSPUs (and sometimes overhead barbell movements) it sort of looks like he's not at full-extension even when he is. He's always careful to show a judge before a WOD with those movements in it. Most judges don't enjoy no-repping athletes. Make sure you're on the same page before the WOD to decrease the possibility of no-reps and the impending frustration that comes with them. As far as how to deal with that judge that is letting bad reps slide - Be better than his athlete. Your good movement should be more efficient than his sub-standard movement. Unless you have the time to grab a higher-level judge, drag him over, and let him see this fool in action, chances are the athlete's score is going to stand. Don't use that as an excuse later on. The best way to overcome that is to beat him! Along the same lines, if we expect our judges to be honest, our athletes should be honest as well. If you know your movement is sub-standard, and you're not getting no-repped - shame on you! It's a disgrace to the sport to intentionally skimp on movement to "get ahead." Don't be that guy that everyone tells stories about months later... take pride in your reps! And if you can't muster up some self-pride, please think about your family, your coaches, and your fellow members that know what your best is. Don't embarrass your box!
 

 
 
 

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