Page 59 - Judge Manual 2017

• At all times when the recorder is running, take extra care to keep voice and
tone objective and impersonal. Refer to competitor by sail number only and
avoid personal or editorial comments. Good recordings of well-articulated penalties
can significantly improve a Judge’s credibility with the competitors.
• Be aware that some Judges object in principle to being recorded. Ask your
fellow Judge’s permission before using a recorder, and consider the
recording confidential unless both of you agree to share the recording.
• Occasionally review your recordings. Listen for improvements you can make
in articulating the behavior you are seeing.

I.7.3 Explaining the penalty to the competitor

Judges should be available to answer questions from penalized competitors.
They should be available either afloat between races, or ashore after racing.

When discussing the infringement with the competitor, give as many details as
possible about the competitor’s actions. Describe what first attracted your
attention to the boat and competitor. Describe how the competitor’s actions
affected the boat. Explain what rule he or she broke, and the relevant World
Sailing interpretation.

Competitors can be angry, upset or confused by the Judge’s penalty. Be aware
that some will link the penalty to an implicit accusation of cheating. A Judge can
mitigate the risk of an emotional confrontation by talking calmly about the
competitor’s specific actions, and avoiding implications of the competitor’s
motives or intent. If both Judges that were involved in an incident are available,
they should try to talk to that competitor together. One Judge should calmly
handle most of the conversation. The other Judge should watch for signs that
the discussion is becoming confrontational or argumentative. If this happens,
the second Judge can suggest that they continue the conversation later. If only
one judge involved in an incident is available it is the best practice to ask some
other judge to be present while explaining the penalty to the competitor in order
to avoid any misinterpretations at a later stage.

Most of the time Judges should let the competitors initiate the discussion.
Judges should be more proactive about instigating a meeting when they believe
a competitor may not understand how their actions break rule 42. This is
particularly appropriate at junior or low-level adult events, with inexperienced
competitors, or when a competitor has incurred a second penalty for the same
action. By explaining and clarifying how the competitor is infringing the rules,
the Judges can help the competitor avoid additional penalties.

I.8 Positioning the Boats

When judging any sport, being in the right position at the right time is crucial to
doing a good job. For on-the-water rule 42 judging, the objective is to place
boats in positions where they are close to potential problems. This requires:

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