This week we have been going over the Vegvisir Intramural Open and the CrossFit Games Open. In doing so we may have mentioned once or twice that you will have a judge with you during each workout. Well I’m about to tell you why we need judges, what they do, and why you should consider becoming one yourself!

CrossFit Has a Competitive Sport Side and Sports Need Rules

Football, Hockey, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, and any other competitive sport that is played has a set of rules. A standard state of play allows for fair competition and allows for the outcome of these competitions to be as clear as possible (Dez didn’t catch it. Sorry Cowboys fans). 

CrossFit is no different! We have standards for each of the movements, range of motion, and what constitutes starting and finishing a workout. These rules are decided upon each year by CrossFit HQ and released in a rule book for general rules of the season every year and give specific standards out for each workout as they are released during all stages of competition. 

In order to make sure a judge has proper understanding of their job, CrossFit also releases a judge’s course each year that every judge will have to take if they wish to officiate. (Want to take the judges course? Here’s the link: https://oc.crossfit.com/course?id=55 )

Since most of the job is deciding whether a rep counts or not, each athlete in a competition receives a judge. Each athlete is required to have a judge to make sure that there is as accurate of a rep count as possible! The Open is especially a time where judges are in need because there are so many athletes performing the workout!

The Judge’s Job

A CrossFit Judge is only expected to do three things: make sure the athlete starts/stops the workout on time, call out good/bad reps, and count the reps of the athlete. The Judge is not meant to determine the qualify of the rep (I.e. calling out knees caving in) or be a cheerleader.

It may seem like a simple job, but it is incredibly important. You can see its’ importance in the most exciting Games finish yet here: https://youtu.be/45pEzEWYzqw?t=284

(You can see Tia not lock out her arms at the end as she crossed the line and the judge called a no rep. While she did complete the lunge, she didn’t uphold the fair standard and was called back. Something as simple as counting reps matters!)

Becoming a Judge is Rewarding!

Getting certified as a Judge is definitely worth while if you want to volunteer at CrossFit events. Every event needs a judge and it’s a great way to be involved in the sport without having to tear your hands or roll around on the floor wondering why your legs hurt so much. 

Outside of that there are some pretty awesome reasons to take the course as well!

1. Taking the course will give you even more of an understanding about the movements that we do in CrossFit! 
   1. We require our coaches to take this course yearly more for this reason then the need for judges! Even the pros need refreshers!
2. You will get 10 points for you team in the Vegvisir Intramural Open!!
   1. Judging was a big deciding factor for last year’s top teams!
   2. The more you show up as a judge, the more opportunities you’ll get to judge and even go more points!

Whether you want to judge or not, we hope this gives you more insight into the world of CrossFit and get’s ya even more excited for the upcoming Open!!