Judging
Click here to download the Judges Manual
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Outline
At the present RGA is using 3 judges for Gunfighting and Living History performances. More judges just means more confusion. There is also a Safety Officer (SO) at the judges table who should ask for volunteers to be stationed at vantage points for clarification of safety disputes.
Qualifications
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An official RGA head judge will sit on the judges panel with the other remaining judges at all sanctioned RGA competitions.
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An official RGA judge is one that is knowledgeable in the rules and standards of the organization.
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All divisions will be judged as prescribed in the appropriate division rules. A 3 judge panel will consist of RGA member qualified judges. Celebrity judges may sit at the judges table and critique the shows but will not score the show unless permitted by the State Director in which the competition is held.
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All judges are to ask and discuss any questions of rules and policy with the head RGA judge during a competition. This will assure the organization that these judges are judging in a fair, non-prejudicial way in accordance with RGA policy. The qualifications to be admitted as an official judge will be as follows:
1. Knowledgeable of ALL RGA rules and standards in clothing and ability in reenactment.
2. Known for integrity and a non-bias attitude.
3. Shows total loyalty and dedication to RGA and is not a member of another sanctioning organization that would be in conflict with the division he or she is judging.
Duties
At the beginning of a show, the judges should:
1. Have all the members of the performing team come to the judges table so the judges can get information
on the show such as time period, location and any specific items declared as "prop guns", knives to be used
in the show, etc. to verify their safety. (Any performer with special make-up doesn't have to be present
if the team doesn't wish the performer to be seen before the show).
2. One of the judges will be the official time keeper with a stop watch as the shows are limited to 8-15 minutes
on the judging sheets without penalty points.
3. When "TIME" is called by one of the performers the clock starts as action begins. The judges need to be
attentive to all aspects of the show and any questionable actions, verbiage, possible safety violations, clothing,
guns, leather, etc., should be noted in the appropriate category on the RGA score sheet to be addressed with
the performers at the completion of the show when "TIME" is again called.
4. All the performers should again approach the judges table "in character" to answer any questions about notes
the judges have made on their scoresheets. If the performer has a legitimate and believable answer for the
question, no points should be deducted by the judge. However, the judge has the final decision on whether
the answer was good enough to waive the point deduction. Each judge has the responsibility to address EVERY
comment on his score sheet with the team/individual for their rebuttal. If they do not, the issues that AREN'T
addressed can't be penalized! No performer should leave the judges table with unanswered questions as the
issues will not be addressed at a later time for consideration. The judges should ask "are there any more questions"
so there can be no doubt all issues/questions were addressed
5. At such point as all issues have been addressed the judges will release the performing team/individual and
complete the tally of their score sheets. NO communication should take place between the judges except for
clarifications on the score sheet or anything of that manner. No discussion of penalties or overall judging
perceptions will be allowed. After the sheets are complete they are to be handed to the designated scoring
personnel for tabulation.
NOTE: REIMBURSEMENT FOR JUDGES AND HEAD SAFETY OFFICER:
Judges should be compensated for their mileage to the event (based on Mapquest), and rooms. The mileage should be determined with the prevailing fuel costs. It is the responsibility of the event coordinator and the individual judges to work out the details of their agreement in a written contract so that both parties are fully aware of their agreement prior to the event taking place. Some judges may not need to be compensated if they are already from the local area, already attending the event and needed for a fill in spot or have made alternative arrangements. In any case, all agreements must be accomplished in advance to eliminate any misunderstandings.
The official RGA scoring personnel are responsible for the tally of scores as well as setting up the list and names of the winners beginning from the bottom up.
The score tallies will be given to the respective Master of Ceremonies for announcement and award presentation. The score sheets will be in the control AT ALL TIMES of the official score keeper. After awards presentation, the scoresheets will be given to the representative of RGA as well as copies to the competitors.