Q&A- There is a question and answers section on the regional web page under the technical section.   Questions can be submitted on line.  Answers will be available on this site for all to see.  This should help keep us all on the same wave length in this busy year with all of the new rules.  You can access this Question and Answer at Q & A.

There is also a specific place to submit Prep Opt Questions and Answers.  You can found that at PREP Opt Q & A.

Judges’ Accreditation - Clarifications regarding procedures:

-    All past ratings are valid through the end of December 31, 2009

-     Judge’s must have tested and received a new rating by December 31, 2009 in order to judge in 2010.  Remember to plan ahead.  The assignor may have to set a date earlier than December 31 in order to obtain a replacement judge.

-    Former judges who have no current rating may start testing again at the level they previously held.

-    Judges who hold a current foreign Brevet and are now living in the U.S. will be required to submit documentation of their Brevet and attend a Level 10 Optional judging/rules clinic prior to being assigned to a Jr. Olympic meet. A person who held a foreign Brevet in the past, but does not hold a current Brevet rating, may begin testing at Level 10.

-    All Optional-rated officials must test at Level 5/6 in order to judge at the Compulsory levels.

-    CPE deficient: If there is a need to assign a judge who has not completed their CPE, the assignor must inform the meet referee, so that the specific judge’s fee will be reduced by $5.00 per hour as per the Rules and Policies, page 66, A. 9. c.2).

-    When hosting a clinic, it is the clinic organizer’s responsibility to have staff available, in addition to the clinician, to sign the CPE forms. Reminder that for multi-track clinics (like Regional Congress), only sessions that pertain to coaching and/or judging of competitive gymnastics can be used for CPE hours. It was suggested to designate the CPE-eligible sessions by an asterisk and to title the judging/coaching tracks as Women’s Artistic, rather than judges/coaches.

Petitions - In order to petition to the Level 9 or 10 Regional Championships, the coach must provide a photocopy of a least one pre-state meet score from the current season (at the level to which the gymnast is petitioning) indicating that she has achieved an All-Around score that is a minimum of 35.00 AA.  If the gymnast competed in the previous year’s Regional, East/West or National meet, she may submit that All-Around score, provided that it is a minimum of 35.00 AA and is also at the level to which the gymnast is petitioning.

Petitions for Regionals should be mailed to Marian Dykes with a copy faxed to Debby Kornegay – it is the coaches responsibility to get all information needed for the petition.  The petition must be received no later than the Wednesday following the state meet.  Please call or FAX Marian to notify her that a petition is coming.  A check for the entry fee must accompany the petition sent to Marian.  If the petition is accepted, Marian will forward the check to the Meet Director.

Qualification to Level 7 & 8 Regionals is by placement.  Therefore, there are no petitions to Level 7 or 8 Regionals. Prep Opt requires participation in the state meet.  Therefore there are no petitions to Prep Opt Regionals.

• The new J.O. Code of Points is in force. It is so important for coaches and judges to familiarize themselves with the new rules.
• All optional judges are required to recertify in 2009. Compulsory ratings continue in force with no additional action on the part of the judge.
• Meet Directors should not publish birthdates of athletes in “pre-meet information.” Age groups may be listed using a range of birthdates.
• Meet Directors are responsible for the charges for the first checked bag when a judge is flying to a meet. Overweight baggage cast will not be reimbursed.
• Judges flying to a meet should deduct 30 miles roundtrip from mileage to the airport unless carpooling.
• For levels 7-10 it is recommended that all landing areas (vault, bars, beam) be equipped with 4” matting equal to the width of the landing area (base mat).
• If a hand placement mat is used, it must be placed on the vault runway Velcro side down.
• The required warm-up time for Level 4 is now 45 seconds.
• New music is available for compulsories. Either new music or old music is allowed. 

FIG BREVET COURSES
The FIG-Continental Brevet Course will be in Indianapolis, Indiana February 10-14, 2009. Region 8 will be represented at this course by the following outstanding judges: Sue Ammerman, Lucy Fox Joan Gnat, René Niccollai, Kristie Phillips-Bannister and Chelle Stack. Good luck to these fine judges.

Know Your R&P
Please remember that there is no video review at any Junior Olympic competition. Coaches should not request this and judges should not allow video review. If you want to reference this rule, you may find it in the Rules and Policies 2008-2009, on page 45, J (5).

Regional Availability Forms
Availability forms for 2010 Regional Championships on line at Judges Availability. You will not receive an individual mailing. That is right; there is no longer a paper form. Forms should be completed on-line. Your completed form will automatically go to Marian Dykes and Sheila Ragle in an electronic format when you complete and submit this form on-line. Forms must be completed on-line by June 1, 2009. You can also print a Region 8 In Gym Sheet from Region 8 web page.

Rules Clarifications - Shapes
The deduction of 0.10 for having more than 2 elements with the same shape on Balance Beam or Floor Exercise was clarified effective August 1, 2006. The definition of the same shape for this deduction is “a wolf or tuck position with or without turn or more than two straddle jumps with or without turns.”
EXAMPLE: If the following jumps were all included in an exercise, it would be considered overuse of dance elements of the same shape: Wolf Jump, Wolf jump ½ (180°) turn, Stride leap with change of legs to wolf position, tuck jump. Deduct 0.10 for overuse of the same shape.
 

CRITERIA FOR NOMINATIONS
All nominees must be:
Professional Members of the Women's Program at least 21 years old and in good standing for a minimum of two (2) consecutive years immediately prior to the nomination.

A member in good standing is defined as a person who has complied with all aspects of the program as outlined in the Rules and Policies.  Special circumstances involving residency criteria for any State or Regional Chairman position can be petitioned to the Regional Administrative Committee Chairman (RACC), in consultation with the National Administrative Committee Chairman (NACC), if necessary.

Prior to being placed on the ballot, all nominees must sign a document that verifies that they have read and understand the duties and responsibilities of the office for which they have been nominated.

REGIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (RJOCC)
1. Must have coached a gymnast who has qualified to Level 9 or 10 Regionals within the prior or current Olympic cycle and
2. Is presently coaching at the Junior Olympic level.

REGIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (RTCC)
The Regional Technical Committee Chairman (RTCC) must hold a current Brevet rating.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE:

REGIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (RJOCC)
A. Attend the meetings of the National Junior Olympic Committee (NJOC).
B. Serve as:
• Chairman of the Regional Junior Olympic Committee (RJOC)
• A member of all Regional Committees
C. Provide a minimum of one (1) Regional training camp per year for gymnasts and coaches.
D. Assist with the regional clinic or congress and competitions when called upon by the RACC.
E. Submit a financial report to the RACC for reimbursement of travel, phone and postage expenses.
F. Be prepared to represent the views of the region at annual meetings by the use of surveys and observations.
G. Support the regional teams at Junior Olympic Nationals and investigate and pursue financial support or donations for regional apparel.
H. Act in conjunction with the Regional Technical Committee Chairman (RTCC) on petitions and element evaluations.
I. Recommend topics, content, and presenters for Regional Congress.
J. Establish a Regional Junior Olympic Committee (RJOC).
K. Submit a written report to the Regional Administrative Committee Chairman (RACC) of their activities in the region i.e., clinics, training camps, etc.

REGIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN (RTCC)
A. Attend the meetings of the National Technical Committee (NTC).
B. Serve as Chairman of the Regional Technical Committee (RTC) and as a member of all Regional Committees.
C. Serve as the USA Gymnastics Women Program technical consultant for the States and Region and answer any correspondence in that regard, with copies sent to the appropriate regional/national personnel.
D. Act as a technical advisor to the Regional Junior Olympic Committee (RJOC).
E. Assist with Regional Clinic/Workshops.
F. Actively participate in the training of judges, gymnasts and coaches in the technical aspects of the rules and regulations.
G. Assist other regional personnel with the format for Regional Competitions.
H. Recommend topics, content and presenters for Regional Congress.
I. Notify the Junior Olympic Program Manager of qualifiers to the National Junior Olympic Championships.
J. Consult with the International Elite Committee in regards to the evaluation of new elements performed by Elite athletes.
K. Submit competition results for all regional elite meets to the Women’s Program Director/Athlete Development.
L. Keep a record of active status for all Brevet judges.
M. Select a regional Junior Olympic Technical Assistant, if deemed necessary.
N. Select a committee of two to three (2-3) of the most highly rated judges to serve as the Regional Technical Committee.
O. Make interim decisions on element evaluations for the Jr. Olympic Program, in conjunction with the Regional Junior Olympic Committee Chairman.
P. Serve as Meet Referee for Regional Championship competitions. (If necessary, may appoint any other properly rated official).
Q. Dispense information of a technical nature to the membership through the office of the Regional Administrative Committee Chairman (RACC).
R. Coordinate decisions on petitions for Regional competitions in consultation with the RJOCC and the State Administrative Committee Chairman (SACC) or the Regional Pre-Elite Committee Chairman
(RPECC) and notify petitioner and meet director of approval or denial.
S. Approve the assignment of an affiliated judge on a one-judge panel or the assignment to a competition of a judge who does not have the proper rating.
T. Submit recommendation for judges for Junior Olympic National competitions to the National Technical Committee Chairman (NTCC) and the JO Program Manager.
U. Verify the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) for all judging recommendations within the region.
V. In consultation with the Regional Pre-Elite Committee Chairman (RECC), assign judges for Regional Pre-Elite Competitions.
W. Submit a financial report to the Regional Administrative Committee Chairman (RACC) for reimbursement of travel, phone, and postage expenses.
X. Administer a National Judges’ Exam, if necessary, for retest.
Y. Conduct a Test Administrators Workshop, if necessary, within the region.
 

REGIONAL MEET ENTRY:

Please be sure that you have ALL necessary information at your State Meet to enter your gymnasts in the Regional Meets -- USAG athlete number, birthdate, etc. - and one club check per Regional Meet for entry fees. No checks from parents are allowed.

Regional Meet entry fees and forms MUST be turned in to your State Chairman (or designated official) at your State Meet -- within the specified time.

If a gymnast's Regional Meet entry is NOT turned in at the State Meet; in order to enter the gymnast(s) in the Regional Meet the following penalty will apply to the coach:

- a $25.00 late fee per gymnast (in addition to the regular entry fee) must be paid to the Regional Meet Director

PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR GYMNAST HAS QUALIFIED (according to the official announcement of qualifiers) -- AND ENTER HER PROPERLY WITHIN THE SPECIFIED TIME.

PETITIONS: (No petitions for Level 8 Regionals)

1. Any petitions should be mailed to the RTC, Marian Dykes -- it is YOUR responsibility to get all information needed for petitions.

2. Marian must RECEIVE petition NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY following State Meet.

3. You should call, FAX or E-mail Marian to notify her that a petition is coming. (770-451-6910 Ph, 770-457-0943 Fax or mariandykes@aol.com )

4. List all petitioning gymnasts on bottom of entry form under petition section.

5. Complete Petition Form from Region 8 Winter Newsletter. Fax a copy of Petition Form to Debby Kornegay 205-951-0184

6. A photocopy of one pre-state, sanctioned meet results from the current season (at the level to which they are petitioning) showing a score at least one (1.00) point greater than the regional qualifying score.

7. A club check for entry fee MUST accompany petition to Marian. She will forward check to Meet Director if petition is accepted. (Check will be returned if not accepted.)

AT REGIONALS:

To be allowed onto the floor of competition, all coaches MUST show their current USA Gymnastics pro membership card with Safety Certification and Background Check expiration dates at Coaches sign in.

Level 9 & 10 coaches - you need to have with you ALL necessary information to enter your gymnasts in the National meets - including club checks for entry fees, extra T-shirt purchases, and any JO National apparel that you wish to purchase.

CHECK REGION 8 WEB PAGE FOR REGIONAL MEET SCHEDULES!

 

The Region 8 USAG Committee will continue to make regional assignments in the summer. The USAG Region 8 Committee at their summer meeting made assignments for both 2009 regional championships. These assignments can be found in the minutes posted on-line. If you are a judge interested in being considered for a regional meet, you will find the regional availability form as well as the in gym card experience form on the Region 8 Web site. While no judge is guaranteed an assignment, meeting all of the criteria year after year is noticed.

 In-gym experience cards for regionals 2010 will only be on line. These cards can be completed using in gym experiences from June 1, 2008 - June 1, 2009. This June 1 due date is a date received. Please be sure you meet this firm deadline. Any Level 10 or higher judge must complete this card to be eligible for consideration by the Region 8 Board for assignment to a regional meet in 2010.

Remember, you will not receive an individual mailing. Completed forms and in-gym cards must be printed off of the website and returned to Marian Dykes with copies to Sheila Ragle and received by June 1, 2009.

All optional judges are required to re-certify in 2009.