The conclusion of every routine is the same, regardless of the event.
Whether it is vault or balance beam, uneven bars or floor exercise, every gymnast finishes with the same move: A turn toward the judge, arms stretched high, hands above her head, and a smile.
Of course, there has to be a smile. Judges do love smiles.
For Southwest Washington high school gymnasts, that final move not only is directed at a judge but often is directed to an opposing coach. Sometimes, to their own coach.
A shortage of judges in the region has made for a challenging situation for high school gymnastics. Four of the eight high school judges are coaches, which means a typical Saturday for them will be coaching their own team in one meet and then judging another meet. Or, every so often, a coach must judge her own team’s meet.
Just imagine David Long, the head boys basketball coach for the Columbia River, officiating his own team’s game.
Alicia Green, the head coach for Columbia River gymnastics, and her assistant, Allison Sparrow, have each judged their team this year.
On Saturday, after they coached their own team’s meet at Naydenov Gym, they drove to Northpointe to judge a four-way meet that included Mountain View. Green, Sparrow and Mountain View coach Cristi Westcott are three of the judges who also coach. The other is Camas coach Carol Willson, who also is the assigning judge in the region.
They say they do it for the love of gymnastics, for the athletes, and for the survival of the high school programs.
“They all really rallied this year,” Willson said. “Had they not judged, we couldn’t have done it.”
After all, with no judges, there could be no competitions.
“We’re committed to the sport, and we want it to thrive, so we are going to be here,” Green said.
Green and Sparrow have been a part of Clark County high school gymnastics since, well, since high school. Both state champions, Green (then Alicia Ceccacci) graduated from Columbia River in 2000. Sparrow, then Stanley, graduated in 2001. Green got into coaching as an assistant at River, then became the head coach. A couple years later, she brought Sparrow back home to River gymnastics.
They also got certified as judges.
“High school gymnastics really stuck with me,” Sparrow said. “You have to find a way to stay involved and feed that passion that never leaves.”
“This is our way of staying in a sport we love,” Green said.
Westcott has been coaching since 1978 and has been at Mountain View since 1983. She used to judge, then stopped to focus on coaching, but has since returned to judging.
“No one had to twist my arm because I love the sport,” Westcott said. “If you love the sport, if you love the kids, and if you don’t want to see it go away, then you do it. You gotta step up.”
Ideally, there would be 12 to 16 available judges. It takes a knowledge of the sport. Willson holds clinics in the offseason, and there is a test to become certified.
“It’s not a quick learn,” she said.
Until there are more judges, Willson makes due with the number she has. That means, at times, coaches judge their own meets.
This is not an appearance of conflict of interest. It is, by definition, a conflict of interest.
Coaches who judge their own teams understand that some might think they will favor their gymnasts. For that reason, they all say they demand more from their own athletes. Which makes that unfair for those gymnasts.
“I’m tougher because I know what they can do,” Westcott said. “It’s harder to judge (our own) because we know their routines. If they miss one thing, I’m going to nail them. My kids are like, ‘Oh no, you’re judging.’ We’re pickier.”
Green is well aware that while she is eying the gymnasts, the parents of the other team are eying her.
“You are harder on your own team out of fairness to the other team,” Green said. “You have to be. Any time there is any kind of gray area, you always, as a judge, want to give the benefit to the gymnast. If there is gray area within your team, you can’t give them that score.”
“Judging your own team is harder than judging any other team,” Sparrow added.
There are benefits, though.
“It makes us better coaches, I believe,” Willson said. “If you understand the rule book and you understand the value parts, you’re a better coach.”
Gymnasts from different schools often practice at the same time, sharing gym space. Westcott said she has athletes from other teams ask her to watch their routines in practice, not from a coach’s viewpoint, but from a judge’s eye.
Coaches who judge can also use that platform for a good cop/bad cop routine.
As a coach, Sparrow can encourage her gymnasts for an effort at practice, then she can put on the judge’s hat and explain to the athlete what is missing from the routine.
All agree, though, that the sport would be healthier with more certified judges.
Until that happens, Southwest Washington high school gymnastics will continue to be judged by multi-tasking coaches. It is not the preferred option, but for now, it’s the only option in order to compete a full regular season.
