- Feb 22, 2011
- 384
- 302
This. I never warned a team. If i see something illegal, i give the deduction.
Yes, we don't have safety judges. We expect the coaches to read the rules, and if they are not sure, they can always send a video to get it clarified.
It was a mistake that made a stunt illegal? Okay, yes that's sad, even more for the athlete who probably didn't grab in the right way or whatever situation can happen (the crossover accidently throwing a layout on a lower level).
But to be honest:
Is there another sport where you can say - oh, sorry, it was a mistake. Can we still get the score? (I know it's apples and oranges, but still)
When i started coaching, my Junior L4 got disqualified. Back then we had no deductions for illegal elements, you just didn't get scored.
We did a pyramid and she flipped over a middlayer. The rules didn't say they had to hold hands, just that they needed to be in contact.
Was it unfair? Yes, a little bit.
Did i learn to read the rules and double check on everything? Yes.
If your coaches are not good at reading rules and doing this stuff, find someone at the gym who is and will read the rules for each competition and watch the routines full out at the gym to find out if you have critical elements.
Just my 2 cents :)
Agree. When I judge in Germany, things get deducted if they are illegal, without warning. I had a coach come up to me at the end of awards and ask how her team got such a low score - the team was really one of the best, but they just had so many deductions that it caused them not to get 1st.
I think it's a bit harder in places like Germany to implement a safety judge that is there to watch routines in the warm up/run through areas who can then hand out warnings to teams...resources are just too limited to have all that.
My old senior L6 team got big deductions at ECC in Bottrop because they (the coach or someone else in the team) didn't read the rules and built a double 421 at 3-high, which was allowed in CVD at the time. They were so upset that no one gave them a warning in the run through area about this... but really, who's responsibility should it be to watch for these things? Just some staff person who is making sure Team A is on Floor B at their designated time or the coach? I wholeheartedly believe it is the coach's responsibility to know what is legal and what is illegal - or at least know the rule book to an extent. And if it's a gray area or unclear, to ask for clarification.
As a judge/rules person in Germany, I am so surprised by how many coaches don't know simple terminology or definitions. I get asked repeatedly about the definition of a spotter, or most recently I was asked what a inverted position was.
I remember this. You had so many routines look the same without creativity. And it was terrible.
Now the system is a lot better, but not perfect.
Let's see what all these changes will bring to the routines with the requirement of a cheer and all this stuff :)
Agree. The routines back then with that system were so cookie-cutter is was ridiculous. It will be interesting with all the changes coming.