What the Judge! Part II
We all know how it is when we are in a comp. Sometimes the calls seem to go our way, and other times it seems like the judges were just blind or the call felt biased. Even before judging, I always felt I needed to trust the judges call, otherwise it would just ruin the fun for me. More than that, I knew there was no way I could see everything that is happening, AND concentrate on my driving. I'm just not that good and I'm not sure if anyone really is.
Then suddenly there's a fool-proof method to make sure the calls are correct! Have your buddy bust out his phone and get the runs on video! This way you can review it later and see if the judges were just picking on you, or if you really did lose. I mean, video doesn't lie.
Since we have been doing our Weekly Fun Comps, I will get people asking me the day after why they lost, or someone will feel they were singled out and the judges were out to get them. Nothing could be further from the truth. We all know even one biased call can ruin everything and kill the fun forever. However, I can see why it's easy to feel that way. Especially when some people aren't quite clear on the rules and how the judging works. Add to that video proof to back their feelings, and it's basically impossible for them to believe otherwise. I mean, you can hardly blame them at that point.
It's really hard to explain to someone why, when they have video that shows something that could have or should have had a different outcome. I will state for the record, every time I have gone back to review a questionable call based on this type of scenario, it always comes back that the judges were right. I'm not saying we can't and wont make mistakes, I'm simply saying that every time this has happened, it's is proven we made the correct call.
With that being said, please check out this video for a perfect example of why having video for the purpose of double checking the judging may upset you for no reason. In fact, you may be ruining the experience for yourself, depending on how seriously you take it. Remember, in the end, it's all about fun. We are all doing this to have a good time and get away from the every day grind.
Disclaimer: The video is a little dry and boring, but it's meant to be informative over entertaining.