PART 2 -JUDGES

 1.    There will be one Head Judge and at least two Field Judges who will judge all Unarmed/Armed regulation and exhibition events. Three additional judges will judge the Color Guard event. The Head judge will view the drill from the front of the drill area and receive the commanders. The Field Judges may observe the drill from any where on the drill pad so long as not to interfere with the team’s performance. The judges starting a particular phase of the competition must complete that phase before being relieved.

 2.    The judges will not confer while sequences are being executed. Throughout the competition day, judges will avoid discussing team performances.

 3.    Each judge will develop, to the best of their ability, criteria for scoring to insure all teams are rated on the same basis and that basis will not change as the competition progresses.

 4.    The judges will complete their rating forms immediately after each team completes its performance. They may  make remarks concerning the teams performance on the back of the form. While these remarks will not alter the scoring, they should serve to help teams understand their ratings.

 5.    There will be a minimum of three judges to grade the Individual Drill Down and Rifle Twirl 0ff.

 6.    The decision of the judges will be final unless overruled by the Drill Meet Coordinator.

 7.    Care must be exercised in the selection of the Drill Instructor for the Individual Drill Down. Their command  voice must be understandable by all contestants and knowledge of drill must be unquestionable.

 8.    Personnel needed to assist the Drill Meet Coordinator and Judges:

 A.  Two runners for the Inspection Judges and two runners for the drill area judges.

 B.  Additional personnel needed to handle computations and checking score sheets.

 9.    Judges should pay close attention to the scoring sheets to insure each cadet/team gets a fair evaluation.

 Information for the Judges

 1.    It is extremely important that each cadet/team be graded using the same criteria. The first team judged must be graded by the same standards as the last team.

 2.    For Inspection Phase, each cadet is assigned a grade from 1 —20, which is the judges impression of how that cadet rates on that scale. A specific standard should not be assigned to any specific area such as hair, clean hat/cover, shined shoes, etc., since the degree of the infraction must also be considered.

 3.    Each judge should inspect only one squad/element of each platoon/flight and assign a grade to each cadet in  that squad/element. Not more than 90 seconds should be required for any cadet.

 4.  If the judge wants to inspect headgear, he will request that the cadet remove his own cover.  After he has inspected the cover, he will hand it back to the cadet to be replaced on his head.

 5.  During the inspection phase, a maximum time of ten minutes for Armed and Unarmed teams and five minutes for Color Guard will be allowed, for the team to be finished.  A whistle will sound at two minutes and one minute remaining to alert the judges.

 Questions and Answers

 1.    Questions and answers are part of the personnel inspection process. There is no requirement to ask questions of  the cadets, but it may be done at the discretion of the judge as a means of determining cadet poise and confidence. The ability of cadets to respond may be taken into account when determining the inspection grade. Not more than 90 seconds should be needed to inspect any one cadet.

 2.    There are limits to the knowledge of the cadets and in keeping with the spirit of the JROTC program, it is not the intent to unnecessarily embarrass the cadets. Accordingly, a specific list of questions may be asked by the judges. The list is limited in scope and does not include standard items such as General Orders of a  Sentry. Judges will confine their questions within the limits provided.

 3.   Cadets are to begin their response with “Sir” or “Ma’am” as appropriate. “Sir” or “Ma’am” may or may not be repeated again at the end of the response.

 4.   Cadets are expected to know the following:

 A.  Uniform. General uniform questions such as placement of ribbons, name tags, patches and badges. Length of pants, correct wear of hat/cover and maintenance of shoes.

B.  Chain of Command. Cadets should know the chain of command by both title and name.

C.  Day and Date. Cadets should know the day and date.

D.  Cadet Name and Rank. Cadets should know their correct rank. Name should match name tag.

E.  Years in JROTC. Cadets should know how many years they have been in JROTC. This should be indicated by stars, ribbons or oak leaf clusters.

F.   Year in School/Class. Each cadet should know what year they are graduating. Such as 10^th  grade/sophomore, class of 2000.

G.  Clarifying Questions. If the questions above disclose a discrepancy such as a name given that does not match the  answer, clarifying questions may be asked.

 5.    Other Questions. Other questions such as the First General Order of a Sentry, etc., that are not  specifically included in paragraph 4 above are not to be asked. Other questions should be avoided, particularly questions that cause confusion such as “Do you want to be a marine?” or that are derogatory in nature.

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