Beth Morrison

Youth participation in judging will provide multiple benefits in addition to the skills learned in the project area. Judging exposes youth to team work, effective communication skills, analytical thinking and builds confidence to defend decisions. Developing these skills will benefit youth in almost every other area of life, both now and in the future.

Understanding of the basics of what is being judged (project area) Consistent procedures for contest Purposeful notes Writing written reasons Presenting oral reasons

A knowledge of the standard of desirable and undesirable traits. Form a mental image of several items and rank them. Reasoning that takes into account practical application. Honesty and sincerity. Confidence in one's ability to make independent decisions. Judge classes as seen on the day of the event.

Format a situation/scenario Make it simple and clear Relevant to the topic Make sure youth can determine the needs and situation Remember that judging is the forming of an opinion and being able to back it up. It is not always a matter of right or wrong.

Make sure that the youth know that quality standards do exist and they have been prepared to the level of judging you are providing. Class identification must be clear. Announce class numbers and name at the start of the contest. Be sure that each item/animal is clearly marked and the purpose of the class is clearly stated or marked.

Make sure youth can determine the needs and situation i.e. make a snack after school, breeding livestock or feed for an animal Items in the class should be the same type of thing/specie. I.e. four water buckets, four bread items, four of a kind Determine the level of difficulty you want to achieve. Larger differences are easier to judge and create larger cuts. Equally matched items are harder to judge and create smaller cuts.

Observe – get a feel for the class, sometimes this is where you find your top and bottom pairs Examine/Compare – Measure the pros/cons of each individual animal or item Decide – make a final decision on your top middle and bottom pairs Tell Why – take notes and prepare for oral and written reasons

Gather materials needed 4 items per class Pencils and score sheets Timer Scoring system Master score sheets Volunteers to assist with contest Class ID

Analyze the entire class from a distance. Look for something that stands out — an easy top or bottom or maybe the class divides itself clearly into a top and bottom pair. This helps narrow the class and gives a mental picture that will help as reasons are given. Examine the class at close range. Your placing may be confirmed or changed by closer examination. Handle the products, it this is permitted, to help discover finer points of quality. Make a final decision. Take notes to prepare for oral reasoning.

Keep youth moving class to class at predetermined times. Silence during the contest. Youth may ask questions of group leaders, adult volunteers but not discuss with each other. If necessary have handlers that have knowledge of the class being judged to avoid confusion after the judging group has left.

Have group leaders mark all cards before moving on to the next class. Group leaders are responsible for their group moving to the next class. Leaders should remind youth of the classes that they will be competing in oral and written reasons. Group leaders are also there to remind youth to judge in silence.

A top score is based on 50 points. An official judge places a class and assigns a numerical score to indicate the differences between the pairs in the class (cuts). A class of four has three pairs, a top, middle, and bottom. A numerical penalty or cut is assigned to each pair according to the difficulty of placement of the things being judged. There is a range of 1-7 point penalty for cuts.

mel.html If you do not have a computerized scoring system in place you can use this website to determine youth placing. Enter the official placing and the cuts and then print a master score sheet for all possible combinations. There are twenty-four (24) possible placings for each class of four.

Official Placing – 3, 4, 2, 1 Penalties (Cuts) – 3, 2, 5 Contestant Placing – 4, 3, 1, 2 Did contestant place 3 ahead of 4? No 3 3 ahead of 2? Yes 0 3 ahead of 1? Yes 0 4 ahead of 2? Yes 0 4 ahead of 1? Yes 0 2 ahead of 1? No 5 Sum of Penalties 8 Contestant’s Score (50 – 8) 42 Determining a ribbon placing is generally done on a curve.

If a member gave sound reasons for the placing, they should not be penalized for giving importance to a different aspect of the item than the official judge. Scores are based on ability to make an organized, reasoned argument for your decision. Reasons are an opportunity to explain why you made your choice.

Organize their thoughts Learn to express themselves in a logical, convincing manner Speak effectively Develop a system for analyzing a situation Think more clearly on their feet Improve their voices Develop their memories

When setting up a competition be sure your expectations are the same as what the youth have been taught. We are setting up a learning environment to develop youth life skills. When organizing a learning plan for the year be sure that all leaders and adults have the same expectations and similar knowledge of subjects.

Make A sincere and precise presentation. An appropriate voice level. With a strong voice. Clear enunciation and voice inflection, and grammar. Speak with the utmost conviction and sincerity. Do not talk too rapidly. Vary your delivery - make your main points impressive. Proper presence, eye contact and posture Do not stand too close to the official. Stand with your feet spread to about the width of your shoulders. Keep your hands together, too many gestures are distracting to the listener.

Be prompt. When it is your turn to give a set of reasons, do not keep the official waiting. If you find yourself being rushed, just ask the official to extend your time. Never carry a notebook during your reasons. Do not chew gum, play with hair, or do things that can distract from your presentation. Enter the reason room with an air of confidence but do not over do it. Look the official in the eye, or at least give that impression. Above all, do not let your eyes wander. Do not go over two minutes on a set of reasons. This is a rule for most collegiate judging contests.

“Feeling” words are not as strong as descriptive words when presenting oral reasons. kind of, better animal, number 1– instead say - 1 is Do not use “it” every item has a descriptive alternative. These words tend to be weak: placing, criticizing, faulting. Instead, say I place, I fault, I criticize,

There are many words and phrases to use as transitions from one pair to another or one topic to another. When compared to peers in the class In addition to Not only Granted Shifting focus to Moving on I concede True Yes Admittedly I recognize Now I realize But, nonetheless However Nevertheless But even so I do not deny

When taking notes for a set of reasons class you will need to make notes on each pairing of items. General statements Reinforcements Grants Criticisms

General statement: The most important factors for placing the pair on this day. In my top pair of heavier muscled, red steers, I placed 1 over 2 because he is thicker made and more adequate in his finish.

Reinforcements: Go into more detail to back up the general statement. In my top pair of heavier muscled, red steers, I placed 1 over 2 because he is thicker made and more adequate in his finish from hooks to pins. The number one steer also carried a desirable amount of finish overall on this day.

Grants: Grant the biggest assets first. I realize that 2 is a trimmer steer and should display a carcass with a higher yield grade.

Criticisms: List the primary reasons for the lower placing individual to be in that position. However, his cutability works to his disadvantage as he is less likely to receive a choice stamp.

In my top pair of heavier muscled, red steers, I placed 1 over 2 because he is thicker made and more adequate in his finish from hooks to pins. The number one steer also carried a desirable amount of finish overall on this day. I realize that 2 is a trimmer steer and should display a carcass with a superior yield grade. However, this works to his disadvantage as he is less likely to receive a choice stamp.

The key difference between oral and written reasons is that the youth has the ability to present their views in writing with correct grammar, spelling and legible penmanship. Transitions, scoring and terminology are all the same for both oral and written reasons.

The judge takes the members ability to give good reasons, knowledge of essential qualities and organization of ideas. The member’s use of descriptive vocabulary and general confidence.

Judging is choosing between four selections and being able to explain a placing confidently. It is not good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. It is most ideal compared to least ideal. Be sure to provide a challenging situation for a senior member while keeping in mind that you need to have a familiar topic for junior members. A contest should cover a wide range of abilities and teach while challenging all participants.

Sound knowledge acquired through practice and experience in order to give effective reasons for a decisions made. A firmness to stand by and defend one's placing without offending or in any way implying that other decisions are inferior.

df df EM4647 – judging guide h.purdue.edu/downloads/CDE%20(Judging%20 contest)/4- H%20FFA%20Handbook%20rev.% pdf h.purdue.edu/downloads/CDE%20(Judging%20 contest)/4- H%20FFA%20Handbook%20rev.% pdf Page 17 is a good layout of what to do starting two weeks prior to the contest date