Overview of a Tournament Day
Overview of the Day
Plan to arrive at the tournament between 8:00 and 8:30 AM. When you arrive, you should check in with your school’s coach to let them know that you have arrived – that way we know that you are here, and we can assign you to rounds! From there, you can head to the judges’ lounge for some hospitality.
At around 8:45, the day begins with an opening assembly for all students and judges. Following that, students are dismissed to their rooms, and a short judge meeting will be held. The meeting is where last minute instructions will be given, and round 1 ballots will be distributed. After the meeting, the competition begins.
Each tournament offers three rounds of competition in each event. These rounds run consecutively from about 9:15 until about 4:30. A schedule (“schematic”) of when each of the events will run, what rooms they will be in, and who will judge them will be posted in the cafeteria and in the judges’ lounge. Judges should typically expect to receive two or three assignments throughout the course of the day. If you don’t receive an assignment for a particular round, you should remain in the judges’ lounge for a little while past the start of the round, in case we need to make a last-minute substitution. Periodically, coaches will offer workshops on the different competition events; if you are free, you are welcome to attend one of those to learn more!
When you are assigned to judge a round, you will receive a ballot (or, if you missed the distribution in the judges’ lounge, you will need to pick up your ballot at the tab table). The ballot will list what room you are judging in and what competitors you will be hearing. The ballot contains useful instructions on the event and judging the round, so read it carefully! After the round is over, you will need to fill out your ballot with your decision or ranking (more on that later), and then you should return the ballot promptly to the tab table.
Upon completion of the third round, there will be an awards assembly in the student cafeteria.
Reference: Sample Tournament Schedule