Be A Judge

The North Carolina NPC always welcomes individuals interested in becoming an official judge. The process involves a qualifying exam, which is composed of two parts - a practical test of your ability to evaluate and score competitors, and a written test of your knowledge of NPC rules and regulations. The guidelines for getting started are outlined below. If you need any further information or have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Getting started is simple. At any of the sanctioned contests here in North Carolina, you may apprentice judge. Contact the North Carolina Apprentice Judge Coordinator, Terry Moore, at (803) 419-1756 and notify her of your interest in apprentice judging. Terry will send you an "NPC Rules and Guidelines for Judge's" information booklet and instruct you on the time that you should arrive at the contest . You will be sitting in the judge's area, scoring the event along with the official judges. The Apprentice Judge Coordinator will instruct you on how to properly fill out your scoring sheets. Every judge should score the contestants on their own opinion, using criteria established by the NPC. Judges should minimize communication between themselves, but they can confer with the head judge if necessary. For example, a judge can ask the head judge to view the contestants from different positions in the line up, or ask to have particular competitors called out into the line up.

After prejudging, the Apprentice Judge Coordinator will take up your paperwork and calculate your scores relative to the official judging scores that day. You must apprentice judge 3 contests. One of the contests must include the Open North Carolina State Championships.

To pass the practical part of the Apprentice Judging, you must score a minimum of 90% relative to the official judges' scoring in each of the 3 contests that you apprentice, including the State Championships.

The next step is to arrange to take a written test at one of the contests. This exam covers NPC rules and regulations. The written exam can be taken at any of the contests that you are apprenticing provided you first make arrangements with the Apprentice Judge Coordinator. You must achieve a minimum score of 85% on the written test. After satisfactorily completing the practical and written tests you are officially qualified to judge.

Being a judge is an important way to contribute to the unique and interesting sport of bodybuilding. I hope that you give serious consideration to completing the judging apprenticeship.

MIKE VALENTINO
NPC District Chairman for North Carolina