Welcome to the latest JUDGE’S CORNER post, in which one of our awesome Judges answers the second-most* asked question we receive at meetcritique HQ: Why don’t you give a score?
This answer to this question is “we do – kinda.” meetcritique judges point out all level specific bonuses and deductions and do not give a score. But… we realize getting a score from your meetcritique does not require an advanced calculus degree. Especially when we give all of our optional routines a Start Value. The decision to not display a score ranks as one of our most heated internal debates. But in the end, we decided to focus our attention on deductions and offering judging insights into corrections.
We know parents and gymnasts are going to add up our scores and compare them to what was given at the meet. If you’re one of these parents (and there’s no shame in that game!), have you ever wondered why there might be a difference in your meetcritique score and the actual meet score? There are several factors that can play into this.
Angle of the Video
As we said in our previous blog post about angles, where the judges sit plays a large role in what we see and how we see it. If the video you submit to MeetCritique is from a different angle than the judges sit (even if it is only slightly off), that difference can make an impact on the deductions taken.
Obstructions in the Video
Has another spectator walked in front of your video? Are you sitting right behind a pole and your gymnast tumbles right behind it? These are moments in the routine where deductions can occur that we could be missing that the judges at the meet saw.
Quality of the Video
Sometime the quality of the video can inhibit our ability to see deductions such as bent knees, flexed feet, turn angles, and more. This is an area were we can see a huge differences in videos shot on the latest iPhone, Android or Pixel phone vs one shot on even a 3 year old model.
How Far Away the Video is Taken
If the meet is set up where spectators are seated further away from events, it can be harder to see deductions in the video.
We Get to See the Routine Frame by Frame
To our benefit, meetcritique has great technology which allows the judges to slow the routine down and view it frame by frame. We can rewind, pause, and rewatch anything we want! However, judging in real time requires split decisions, no rewatching, and no frame by frame review!
Your routine is only reviewed by 1 judge
Unlike most meets, your meetcritique video is reviewed by a single judge instead of 2 or even 4 judge panel!
A Score is an Opinion
Remember, scoring is subjective! There are guidelines in which judges use to take deductions, but where one judge may only take 0.1, another may take 0.2! These differences can really add up. You might even notice these differences meet to meet depending on the panel of judges.
We give it our all here at meetcritique to give you and your gymnast meaningful feedback in each judged routine. So if you notice a little or even a big difference in scores between meetcritique and the competition, take a step back and remember this list.
*Number one question by a factor of 100: when will our meetcritiques be ready??
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