COMPETITION OFFICIALS

You’ll see them at every competition and grading in their standard-issue navy blazers. They’re the competition officials who, between them, ensure that a Judo event runs smoothly. Everything that happens away from the contest area, from planning the event months beforehand to timing and recording contest results on the day itself, is their responsibility.

Many competition officials first become involved in the sport through their children’s participation in competitions and gradings. Starting off helping out at your own club, it’s possible to progress to officiating at national and international events with a chance to rub shoulders with the world’s top players.

Courses to train people in the various roles are run from time to time by Senior officials in the Eastern Area. We’ll list them in our events calendar when they happen.

Timekeeper

In the hierarchy of competition officials, the timekeeper is at the bottom of the ladder, but she is a vital link between the referee in charge of events in the contest area and the team that runs things off the mat. The timekeeper sits next to, and works closely with, the Competition Recorder at a table at the edge of the Judo mat.

It is the timekeeper’s responsibility to:

• Time the length of the contest;
• Time the hold-downs;
• Display scores and penalties on the scoreboard as they are awarded by the referee.

You need to have a good understanding of:

• The contest rules as they apply to timekeeping and scoring;
• The terms used in competition Judo;
• The timekeeping and scoring equipment (these days it’s likely to be electronic).

As a trainee timekeeper, you will gain experience under supervision at a number of area competitions, after which there is a short written test. Then, if you pass, it’s down to the shops for your blazer!

Competition Recorder

The Competition Recorder is in charge of proceedings on the table at the edge of the Judo mat and works closely with the timekeeper. It is the Competition Recorder’s responsibility to:

• Ensure that all of the players needed for the contests are present at the mat;
• Call players to the mat for each contest and to make sure that the correct players are fighting;
• Record the results of all the contests on his particular mat;
• Liaise with the referee on the mat in the event of a problem which may interrupt proceedings.

The life of a Competition Recorder can be stressful; you’re shouting out players’ names to get them ready for the next contest, dealing with questions from coaches wanting to know why their player lost, trying to track down that player who wandered off to the toilet ten minutes ago and hasn’t returned, and all this while simultaneously recording the contest results and times on one of several separate pool sheets.

As well as being an experienced timekeeper with a good basic knowledge of the sport, a Competition Recorder must also have extensive knowledge of the different systems used for organising a Judo competition, be it pools, simple knockout, or compound knockout, and be competent at managing the table. After learning the ropes at a number of competitions under supervision, these skills are tested in a written exam.

Senior Recorder

During a Judo competition, a Senior Recorder is likely to spend most of her time at the main control table weighing in players, organising the pool sheets for each weight group, and doing a lot of the inevitable paperwork associated with running a Judo event.

A Senior Recorder will already have had at least eighteen months experience as a Competition Recorder (the next highest grade of competition official) and organised a number of small competitions in her own right. Comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the sport is essential as a preliminary to passing a written exam.

Competition Controller

The most experienced official at a Judo event, away from the contest area itself, is the Competition Controller. This is the person who is ultimately responsible for the smooth running of the whole event, including ensuring that all the legislative requirements for the venue are met, that there is adequate medical cover, and that there are sufficient competition officials to make the event work.

In matters of dispute about the running of the competition, the Competition Competition has the final say. This is particularly common where competition rules alone do not give a definitive answer, or are open to different interpretations.

To become a Competition Controller requires at least two years experience as a Senior Recorder (the next highest grade of competition official), have proved their worth under supervision at national events, and have passed an interview with senior people in the sport to test their knowledge of all things Judo.