Apprentice Judges

It?s easy to get involved in CCCA Judging. (Even I did it.)

The first thing to do is call or write headquarters, and tell Toni (the nice lady who answers the phone) that you are a member, and you?d like to become involved in the Judging Program. She will send you a Judges Manual, and a test/questionnaire, which you need to take after you study the manual. The test is an ?open book? version, so you should do well. I will caution you that some of the questions are not as obvious as they look. The whole point of this exercise is to make you read all the rules, and more importantly, understand them. You?d be amazed how many people flunk this test, because they didn?t look up the rules. Never assume anything.

Once you?ve satisfactorily completed the test (you need to send it back to HQ, who will forward it to the National Head Judge) you will be considered ?enrolled? in the program.

The next step is to find a Grand Classic that you can attend. Once you determine a time and location that works for you, you need to contact the Area Head Judge for that meet, and inform him that you would like to Apprentice Judge at his (or her) Grand Classic. He may assign you to a team as the fifth man, or he may actually have you judge a class right off the bat.

Now you may think ?Who me? Judge? Are you kidding, I don?t have any experience. I might kill someone?s car!? Don?t worry. Our judging system takes into account erratic judges. You see, we discard both the high and low scores from any judging team, and average the two median scores. This keeps a judge who hates everything from penalizing the car owner. It also keeps the judge who thinks every car is 100 points from wreaking havoc.

In fact, we often find that ?fresh? judges frequently do a better job than some of their senior counterparts. That?s because they:

1. Actually follow the rules.

2. Really want to do a good job.

3. Don?t have any preconceived notions.

After your first Judging experience, the National Head Judge will make note of your participation. He?d also like to know when you judge at another car club?s events, a Concours, or any other information that is pertinent. It is up to you to keep him informed. He assigns you points for everything you do, including how you did on the test. When you receive enough points, you will become an ?Accredited Judge? and be awarded a nice cloisonné pin that says so. Eventually with enough CCCA judging experience, you will pass to the status of ?Master Judge? and you?ll be awarded a numbered cloisonné pin. That takes some time and experience, but it?s a lot of fun in the process. I don?t know of any other way to really get to know a lot of fabulous cars, and not have to be responsible for paying for them!

I urge you to take that first step. It really can be a lot of fun, and you?ll meet a lot of very interesting people, and get to really enjoy their cars.

thank you so much for the information, Chuck. I will call today!

It sounds like a lot of fun. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Just to bring you all up to date, I have received the materials and am now reading through the manual. I am looking forward to getting more involved in the CCCA. Thank you, Chuck, for the information and suggestion! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Wait until you go to your first Judges Breakfast. You'll get to watch out "famous" judging tape which I produced several years ago. It's me carrying on for about 25 minutes. I don't think anyone has fallen asleep yet, but there is always a first time. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />