The purpose of this article is to explain the procedures by which a chief judge manages the judging activities at a show. It is not intended to thoroughly explain the judging process nor the judging responsibilities of the chief. Those topics are well explained in the judging procedures.

The chief judge is the administrative leader of the judges. He or she is independent of the show committee and must remain so to demonstrate impartiality among the entrants. He or she usually selects judges, assigns them to boats, tallies their scores, documents winners and may present the awards. The chief judge may also be called on to break ties when members of a judging team cannot decide, although, this happens rarely. Over several years, a process has evolved that seems to work well. Following is a description of that process.

First, when one agrees to be a chief judge, one normally must select judges. The number of judges depends on the number of boats and engines to be judged. We have found judging in teams of two or three works best. And, they should not be asked to judge more than about fifteen boats. Ten to twelve is a good morning's workload. So, one of the first things to determine is the expected number of boats that will be judged. Records from past shows can give a good estimate of this number.

The next task is to determine if there will be classes of entries that require “specialty” judges—unmounted motors, non-power boats, sail boats, race boats, cruisers, etc. If so, the chief judge should recruit judges experienced with these classes. Some of the judges experienced with these classes are also qualified runabout judges, but not all. Conversely, some runabout judges are also qualified on these other classes, but not all. Be sure you have a group of judges with the capability to judge all the entrants.

There are many shows during the season and judges are in demand. In order to get those you need, it is best to ask early—as soon as the show schedule is known. If you know you will be asked to return to a show as a chief judge, you might recruit judges for next year at this year’s show. In any event, the group of judges should be invited early in the year. Also, know what perks the show committee is offering—housing, meals, etc. Include those perks in your invitation. If you are competing for judges, this may make a difference.

Find out from the show committee what awards are being given. There are almost always special awards—the “ABC Memorial Award,” for example. Find out what the criteria are for these awards. Also, find out how the awards will be given. Some shows give awards based solely on points. All boats scoring more than X get a first place, more than Y but not more than X get a second, etc. Others offer one first, one second and one third only. Others offer only one award per class. Some shows only give one award per boat while others give more than one. Some shows have a threshold score required to get any award. Others do not. Understand how awards will be given. Ask the show chairman or talk to the sponsors to find out whether the sponsor wants to be mentioned, introduced and/or present the award.

When you have the judges you need and understand what awards are to be given and how they will be assigned, your work is over until about two months before the show. That’s when entries start coming in. I’ve found it better to have a copy of all the entry forms or, at least, the important data from them. I like to prepare the judging score sheets myself in advance of the show. That way, only the late entries and incorrect entry forms need to be addressed at the show. Be sure the entry form includes the class in which the boat will compete and that the class agrees with the award categories. For example, if there will be a Skiff award for lapstrake utilities, be sure there is such a category on the entry form. Invariably, there will be boats misclassified. Utilities will be listed as runabouts. Small cruisers will be entered as utilities. If, when you are preparing the judging sheets, the class is unclear, try to verify it before the show. Contact the owner or registration chairman to verify each boat’s class. All that can be done before the show is that much less to do on the day of judging.

I’ve found it is also helpful to prepare an entrant list of boats in each class. On this list, when the scores are entered, the winners are easier to find. I list each award category and include each boat that can compete for those awards. For example, a U-22 Sportsman could be listed for both the utility and Chris Craft awards.

There is one more list I use—the list of awards in the sequence in which they should be presented. Include the sponsors and comments about the criteria for the special awards.

I know this sounds like a lot of paper and preparation, but I find it makes the job much easier on show day.

About two weeks before the show date, contact the judges to be sure they are still planning to come. If any back out, find replacements. Let the show committee know you welcome local trainee judges. You can usually accommodate two trainees at a show. Encourage them to “shadow” experienced judges, as they are tomorrow’s recruits.

As the entries come in, prepare the scoring sheets. And, add each entry to the proper section(s) of the entrant list. By the last weekend before the show about 75% of the entries will be in. At this point, you can make tentative judging assignments. I try to assign judges to classes with which they are comfortable and confident. Have a team judge an entire award class. Put experienced judges with less experienced ones. Put trainees with experienced judges you know will be open with their comments and give good instruction to the trainee.

Finally, it’s show weekend. Plan to arrive the day before the judging will take place. Get the late entries and update your sheets. Look at every boat entered to be sure it is properly classified. Make the necessary changes. If you want to reclassify a boat, let the owner know. Some care, some don’t, but they all want to know. You now have a fairly complete list of entrants and can make final judging assignments. Try to balance the workload among the teams.

Some shows want a presentation by the chief judge on the procedures of judging. If so, have such a presentation prepared and ready. I usually first recap the judging criteria from the current ACBS Judging Procedures. Then, I discuss the powerboat sheet line-by-line, explaining what the judges look for. I also describe how the awards are given. Have as many judges present as possible. It helps give them credibility and answer specific questions you may not be able to answer.

On the morning of the show, have a brief meeting with the judges. Let them know what classes they will have and with whom they will be working. Verify they have no conflicts with any boats they will be judging. Reassign them to eliminate the conflicts. Give each judge a set of judging sheets for their boats. Tell them about any unusual or specialty awards so they can be on the lookout for the best canvas, best bilge, best Gray engine, etc. Tell them to make notes on their sheets explaining the point deductions because the owners will want to see them. It also helps you when you get the inevitable call after the show about why points were deducted. Recording comments might be a task for the trainees. I let each team decide who has the best handwriting and let that judge be the one whose sheets to be shared with the owners. I don’t find it necessary to assign a captain to each team. The judges work that out themselves. Trust your judges. Only rarely do they find a point on which they can’t agree and ask for my input.

I tell the judges to each judge the boat individually, then confer and reach consensus. I want one set of scores on which the entire team agrees. I also tell them to discuss what they found. Look again. Ask the owner questions. But, don’t have a discussion within earshot of the owner. Owners sometimes interpret a discussion as uncertainty and lose faith in the judges’ credibility.

If boats are “no-shows” or are withdrawn from judging, find the team and let them know. Nothing frustrates judges more than to look for a boat for hours only to find it never showed up. Frequently, it’s a hot day. Have some refreshments for the judges—a bottle of water they can carry along.

As the teams finish, have them total the consensus score for each boat. Record that score on the entrant sheet. When all teams report back, all scores should be recorded. Depending on the show schedule, the next step occurs that same day or the next morning—assigning the awards. I always start with the top award—Best of Show. This, usually, is the highest scoring boat at the show. And, usually more than one judging team has a high-point boat. Pick those that are candidates and let each team look at the other team’s boats. Be sure all teams agree which boat is best.

Next, rank the awards in order of prestige. Is the runabout award more prestigious than the Chris Craft award, for example? I generally work from the top down, assigning the top award to the highest point boat, second best award to the second scoring boat, etc. Most shows want to spread the awards to as many participants as possible. The entrant list helps ensure this. Record the tentative awards on that sheet.

On the list of awards, list each winner with as much information as necessary to announce at the awards ceremony. Include the registration number, boat year and make, name, owner and sponsor. Make notes to mention sponsors or other namesakes of memorial awards. If they are present, know whether they want to be recognized or only mentioned. They may even want to present the award.

The last task before the awards ceremony is to be sure the judge’s comments on the consensus sheet are legible, you understand them and copy every consensus judging sheet. These will be made available to the participants. Sort them by owner’s name, registration number, boat name or other criteria so they can be spread out and the owners can find them. Keep a copy for yourself because you will get calls and questions.

Being a chief judge is a fair amount of work. These procedures have been developed over several years and many shows and work well for me. There are four key points:

1. Know and trust your judges

2. Both the day before the show and during the judging, have help to find boats and deal with late entrants

3. Maintain your independence from the show committee and owners. Don’t let any hint of favoritism or politics show.

3. Have fun. It’s a hobby for most, not a business.