- Joined
- Jan 14, 2006
- Location
- At home on the range in Wyoming
I definitely think this is a great start. However, I do think every judge should have a date of last certification and be required to re-certify on a set basis, whether it be every 2 years or whatever. If their certification date is beyond that, then they aren't a certified judge, which would tend to keep them from judging many contests. I don't know that a complete online re-certification will cure some judges, but it definitely can't hurt as a start.
Where the training breaks down most of the time is when an instructor provides their opinion as answers to some questions. Removing this opinion from the instructor is the challenge that KCBS has to help level the playing field. Again, you can't change taste buds or the quality of the turn-in, but you can at least make sure all the judges are starting from the same frame of mind, or framework, when it comes to scoring. This, I think, is what all the cooks are really looking for.
What would a mandatory re-certification involve? In my area judging classes are not that frequent, and I would think that re-certification would not require as much time as initial certification.... traveling 500 miles to a re-certification site might not be that popular and be hard to mandate. However, at every competition, you have a room full of judges. Could time be set aside before judge check-in or between 2pm and the award announcement for some sort of re-certification? If re-certification involved an exam the Reps could assign a proctor for that task.
Agreed. Honestly, that's why I think that the bulk of the training should be online. That's the only way to control the training, and control the information given to judges.
I agree with the online option. Standardization is the key. People absorb information differently, so a written manual, a Power Point, and/or a video with narration are all good choices.
This really needs to happen along with some type of closed book certification test. Think about this If you are a CBJ and become a KCBS life member you are a valid CBJ forever.
I suppose you could cheat or have the rules and Judges Handbook in front of you when taking any online test including the current practice test, but they could incorporate a timer to discourage that. Have you taken the online practice test, and if so... what did you think of the caliber of the questions themselves?