Outside the Arena with...
The Judge By Georgia Akers
According to some of my hunting buddies, the prey that are the hardest to hunt are the cats (bobcat, lynx, jaguar): they blend in and are quiet. Also antelope got a vote because they spook easily and have excellent eyesight. In the sport of bull riding we also have elusive prey. They are called judges. They too must have excellent eyesight and blend in with the crowds. And they do not/will not be interviewed so they too have a spooking factor. I reached out to a judge-friendly intermediary to see if I could corner a judge. Jay Daugherty agreed to try. I explained I just wanted information on the judging process and not anything personal about a bull or a rider. One judge agreed as long as it was confidential. I want to thank Jay for his efforts. Without him, this interview would not have happened. I was a court judge for 10 years. This was, at times, a difficult job because I was making decisions that had consequences. But I had time: I could take a matter under advisement to research it or think about it or review the facts. Bull riding judges, or for that matter rodeo judges, have 8 seconds or less. And after the interview, discovering all the factors they are considering in that 8 seconds, I have decided their job is hard. I think my job was easier. Thank you again to the judge who stepped up. I am in your debt.
How did you become a judge? What is your background? I was a professional bull rider and rode when the PBR was formed. I quit riding but still had friends riding so I was a stock contractor and raised bulls. The prerequisite was you must be a rider. For a couple of years I judged bulls at various events and then came to the PBR. How do the judges work in the PBR? There are four judges. Two at the chutes (the back judges) and two out in front. The two back judges are left hand delivery and right hand delivery which is the direction the bull comes out of the gate.
Their job is to start the official time, call chute fouls, rerides, and disqualifications-everything going on in the chute. The two out front have the view of the ride. They also have a hand held stop watch in case the official clock fails and one is the replay judge. All four scores of the judges are used to determine the final score. On the Velocity tour there are two judges on the back of the chutes that can see everything. The PRCA uses the same system. Do the computer clocks make it easier for judges? The computer score system is quicker. You have to make sure of the score you give because once it goes in, it is locked in. You cannot change it. What are you looking for when scoring the bull? There are five categories or guidelines we are considering: how the bull bucks on the front end; the kick that he follows up with which then affects the front end when he comes down from the kick; the spin or direction change; the difficulty; and the intensity. All these factors go into the scoring. A bull might not buck or spin but if he is intense he will get points for that but not for not bucking or spinning. All of these combined means the bull is difficult and the score will be good. You judge each bull as if it is the first time you ever saw him. He is judged for that day. You mark him and go on. Each bull is judged on his ability and not his ability for a past ride or being compared to the other bulls that are competing.
Humps-Horns.com ¡ 16 ¡ November 2020
