posted Nov 6th, 2015 - All right, I have to tell this story, even though I know I will just put myself into trouble again. Freedom of speech is a nice word and a great thing to lean on; however, it surely does not protect you from getting in trouble. In fact, it's a human right that encourages discussion and controversy, which is not really a pleasure in most cases. Controversy and related discussion can be very productive and enjoyable when it's happening with great people, and I know and appreciate many of them in the judging community. All right, there you go: I will be talking about judges, and some of them will hate me, which is actually nothing new...

Here is the latest story, and it is NOT related to an actual judging issue.

I usually get in trouble when I disagree with judgment calls or when I question the general quality of judging, or the prep work and knowledge before coming to the competition site. This time, I will leave all these issues alone and try to move beyond the usual topics.

Here is the story that made me write this and that led to the additional thoughts on a broader level.

TURNING POINTS: Toilets only for judges

I visited once again one of the major Formation Skydiving events this year, this time the FAI World Cup, to provide the usual live coverage for the SUN PATH PRODUCTS NSL NEWS. The host, the skydiving center in Teuge, Netherlands, had kindly invited and welcomed me to do what I do, which usually benefits the events and the sport (I hope so at least... )

Mike Pennock, organizer and main manager of the event, passionately engaged in the sport for many years as the co-founder of the European Skydiving League, assigned some office space for me that I needed to set up the miniature headquarters for the event. It is usually a small desk or some table space with Internet access where I am typing away.

I was fortunate enough that I was not alone in the room, as I like company when I am doing the job. It is usually a pretty social affair anyway, as I like to mingle with the teams, competitors and officials. Exi Hoenle was with me in the same room as the FAI Controller at this event. We have known each other for many years, long before he actually ran the German Skydiving League for a while. In fact, we even trained and competed together in 4-way and 8-way, including the World Meet 1987 in Brazil.

So, we have stuff to talk about, and we do - mostly about recent events, rules, the sport in general, etc. We did this for a while in our little office room, him working on his official functions, myself typing away after collecting footage and information, and then sometimes chatting away too.

We did not have any troubles sharing the room, which was also "frequented" by some other officials - the judges. They would show up once in a while to get a coffee and spend a few minutes away from the job. The Dutch host provided good Dutch coffee... However, we did not realize we were actually troubling other people who were not so happy that we were using the room.

The other people were the judges. Some of them apparently grumbled behind our backs that we were taking the room away from their discretional usage.

Eventually, the scandalous overtaking of the room by Exi and me became so offensive and disruptive that the officials filed a complaint to the organizer and insisted on the full availability of this room at any time without anybody else using it. All right, I skipped an argument over that and just packed up. Mike Pennock found a new place for me, which was actually much nicer with more action around me and closer to my favorite crowd - the teams and competitors. The Internet connection was better there, too, and the coffee was just as good in the skydiving club's bar...

It was not over yet. The judges "allowed" Exi to stay in the room. Well, I understand, he is an official too, and they could handle and accept his company easier, I guess. However, Exi was now just as curious as I was how much the judges were actually using the room. We did not pay too much attention to that while we were doing our jobs. Exi likes the numbers, and he kept track of their usage, just for the fun. Reality was that six single people used the room during the whole next day. Once there was a group of three people in the room at the same time for three minutes, including two strangers (not judges). Exi was by himself for the rest of the day...

OK, what's so relevant about this story? I will tell in a minute. Let me just say quickly that there was also a sign on the door after I was fired that read: "Judges and officials only!!!! And don't take the chairs away."

And that was still not the end. There was another sign on the toilet across in the hallway: "Toilet for judges and officials only." This one had a "Thank you" on it... It was the only toilet nearby for the crowd of teams and competitors who were on the creeper pad and in the DZ-TV viewing area around the corner.

OK, long story for a short introduction of a broader topic: the relationship between the judges and the rest of the world. The judges are obviously a relevant part of the sport. However, some of them sometimes seem to think that they are very important - important enough that other people should not pee into the same potty they are using. Those who seem to feel so important about themselves should once in a while remember that the teams and competitors are actually giving them the job they do. They should also remember that the teams and competitors even pay for their trips to the major events, their accommodation, food and allowances.

In return, the athletes expect at least reasonable preparedness and performances in the judging room, which is not always guaranteed. The teams and competitors surely don't mind (me neither) if the judges use our toilets and facilities if they want to. In fact, we also don't mind if they mingle with us, which most of them don't do too much or too often. Most of them usually appear in a separated bunch.

Last and not least in this short summary of a sad experience: There will be no competition without the actual athletes - no trips to the events or all the special treatment for the officials. However, there can easily be a competition without "official" and somehow "sanctioned" judges. We have done this often enough and in perfect harmony: Judging competition jumps between the team captains, who have much better eyes than the judges anyway.

So, yes, there can be a competition without judges, but there can never be a competition without the teams. Maybe a good thing to remember once in a while in the judging room...