After every major contest, Ski Gabber is almost always filled with threads disputing the days results. Someones score was too high, someone else's too low, someone didn't grab, someone didn't have big enough tricks, and someone else didn't have enough style. As soon as the final results come in, the NS community starts guzzling Haterade as fast as it can.
While sometimes the hate can be a bit much too handle, it makes sense. Skiing is a judged sport and no judge or judging system is perfect. Additionally, unlike a stopwatch who's results are entirely unbiased, judges have opinions. Opinions, which are often times different from the athletes and the spectators.
That being said, there has got to be a way to improve judging at pipe and especially slope contests, right?
So what should freeskiing do? Should there be some kind of judging formula that is used at all the contests? Should certain features/tricks be worth certain values? Should judges be trained how to judge? Should amplitude be judged in slope skiing? Should some contests be all style and others all technicality? Should everything just be overall impression? Should there be a sanctioned body of judges or should there be different judges at every event? Should the athletes judge?
In the thread by sander_h titled "Dew Tour Judging", one of the big debates seems to be about Goepper and Wallisch and who should have come out on top, with many of you siding with Tom. We here at Ohio Dreams are stoked to see one of our former campers on top of the podium today, but like everyone else we want a fair contest. Tom was smoother, Goepper had bigger tricks. Who should come out on top and why?
Throughout all of these threads hating on judging, I see an awful lot of angry/disappointed posts without much insight into why people have the opinion they do and what should be changed. So I'm asking you NS, if you had the power and the ability, how would YOU judge freeskiing events?
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