APPRENTICE HANDBOOK (REVISED 2/22/17)

APPRENTICE HANDBOOK (REVISED 2/22/17) 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 HOW TO APPLY 3 NEW APPRENTICES 3 TRAVEL GRANTS 4 ROLE OF THE APPRENTICE 5 PROMOTION 6 CONTINUING EDUCATION 7 APPRENTICE FEEDBACK FORMS 9 2

INTRODUCTION This manual is designed to help you enter and navigate through the AVA Judges Program. It is an intense and at times can seem to be a confusing process. Whatever your goal is (r), (R) or FEI we will try to spell out as specifically as possible what needs to be completed prior to beginning the program or asking for promotion. The primary focus of the manual will be on the American Vaulting Association s requirements. When applicable, reference will be made on where to find USEF or FEI information that is pertinent to your training. How to Apply Information on how to apply for the AVA Judges Program can be found in the AVA Rulebook under Article 606. Please thoroughly review the requirements and do not apply to the program until all requirements have been met. Some applicants have had trouble successfully completing the reference portion of the application. The requirement states that you must submit the names of nine references, ALL of which must respond in order for your application to be processed and accepted. Specifically, you will need three character references, three Registered (R) or (I) Judges, and three other AVA Individual Members who are not affiliated with the applicant s club (if any). A good way to handle this requirement is to have a conversation and receive a commitment from each person you are selecting as a reference. Make sure they have positive things to say and are willing to take the time to write a response, and that you can depend upon them to do so. New Apprentices Welcome to the AVA Judges Training program! Our training program has set the standard and has been used as the template for training judges all the way up to the FEI level. This program is an intensive 3 year commitment that will require many things from you. One of the first things all apprentices should do upon acceptance into the program is start an ongoing journal which should include trainings attended, their subject matter and the director; volunteer jobs at competitions, shadow judging and judging of unrecognized competitions, and any other activities they participate in that may add to their knowledge of the horse and/or the sport of vaulting. At the end of each year, or more frequently if you d like, your journal should be sent either electronically or by mail to: Suzanne Detol 34142 SW Johnson School Rd. Cornelius, OR 97113 sdetol@aol.com 503-780-6163 3

It is impossible for the program chair to track this information any other way. There are numerous apprentices and too many competitions during the year. This is 100% the responsibility of the apprentice. This does not have to be a complicated journal but it should offer a complete explanation of what you accomplished. See below for an example: July 5, 2015 AVA/USEF Region III Championships, Eugene OR Clerk for Sue Detol for the following classes/medal exams Copper, Bronze and Silver Compulsories and 2 Trot, 3 Bronze and 1 Silver medal exams Timed for Team Judged all unrecognized barrel Preliminary Barrel Open Barrel 3 6 Man Team You should plan on attending as many in-person trainings as possible each year. Discussion with current judges and other apprentices is invaluable in helping you to form your own judging methodology. Use your time clerking and timing to interact with existing judges and ask questions. Many things come up only in competition, and this is a great learning opportunity. When at any training, a high level of interaction is encouraged for all apprentices, as it gives the Technical Committee an idea of the knowledge level of each of the candidates. If there are specific areas that need improvement, this information will be provided on your training evaluation form that will be completed by the trainer after each training. The Chairman will notify you of any concerns. In addition to the very specific promotion requirements, the following are suggested minimum amounts of clerking hours: (The table below pertains to goes. For example, you should have clerked for at least 10 rounds of canter team compulsories). These requirements should be completed prior to requesting promotion to (r): Canter Trot Ind Ind Ind Ind Ind 2-Phase Canter Trot Team Team Gold Silver Brnz Copr Trot Comps PdD PdD Compulsories: 10 5 20 20 20 20 30 4 Teams 5 pairs 5 pairs : 10 5 20 20 20 20 20 6 Teams If you are having trouble achieving the above hours, you may request special trainings. Some timing hours may be substituted for the above clerking hours. They are equally as valuable as timing allows you to see and hear what s going on, listen to the judge s comments and learn a variety of methodologies. Travel Grants Funds may be available annually to help support AVA apprentices and judges in their efforts to attain or maintain r or R status. All requests for funding will be reviewed and voted on by the Technical Committee prior to funds being issued. 4

Funds may be requested for the following activities: shadow judging any competition that will have at least 2 teams competing and all levels of individuals represented; clerking at a competition being judged by a FEI or R judge; attending any one-day training; and attending the Annual Judges Forum. Funds granted will not exceed travel related expenses. A maximum of $500 per year may be awarded to an individual. Role of the Apprentice After attending your initial Annual Judge s Forum, you will be added to the list of AVA Judges and Apprentices on the AVA Website. You may also provide a brief biography and photo to be posted. Although apprentices may not charge a fee for judging, it is standard protocol that they will have all of their expenses paid by the competition management who has hired them. Apprentices should be treated with the same respect as any AVA judge, given adequate breaks and a lunch, if judging for more than 5 hours. You are expected to dress in appropriate attire. While there is no official dress code for judges, women should wear a skirt or slacks, blouse and blazer. Men should wear slacks, dress shirt and blazer with a tie. Arrive with enough time to train your volunteers and clarify any questions you or they may have prior to your first class. Understand all of the volunteer positions, and be prepared to train a new scribe and/or timer every time you sit down. It is helpful to have a quick summary sheet that goes over the basics of what is required from them in order for them to meet your expectations. Be sure to explain that there is no talking amongst themselves while the competition is going on, and that what is said on the Judges stand, stays on the Judges stand. Most importantly, you set the tone and level of professionalism at your table. How you run your arena will be noted by competition management and shared with others! Make a good impression. There are forms at the end of this manual that you are encouraged to use to add valuable information regarding your apprentice judging and other requirements for promotion to your file. For more information review the Judges Courtesy agreement that can be found on the AVA s website: http://www.americanvaulting.org/members/pdf/2013judge_courtesy.pdf Before the Competition Make sure you have reviewed the Prize List thoroughly well before the competition begins. If you have any questions, clarify with competition management prior to the beginning of the class as to what management s intention is for that class. For any class that competition management does not define clearly, you can reference the AVA Guidelines for guidance. If not listed in this section, clarify with competition management how you intend to judge the class, and make sure they are in agreement. 5

And this is how you will spend the next 3 years: Accumulating as much knowledge and experience as you can and sending in your progress reports to the Technical Committee Chair. The next section will cover the promotion process. Promotion When you are approaching the completion of your third training year, you may start the promotion process. Here s what you need to have completed prior to applying, per Article 605 in the AVA Rulebook: 1) Applicant must be listed in Active status for the previous twelve months prior to applying. 2) Attended a minimum of eight (8) training sessions, two of which must be Annual Judge Forums. In addition, special training sessions may be assigned to any or all applicants, depending on experience. 3) Applicant must clerk or time with a Recognized Judge for all types of recognized events; (applicant must fulfill this requirement with a minimum of three (3) different Recognized Judges). 4) Applicant must have experience as a clerk during medal exams. 5) Must have received satisfactory participation evaluations from all trainings (See Continuing Education pamphlet). 6) Negative comments or complaints from competition management within the past 36 months will be considered and may affect promotion. After the applicant has completed all requirements, and the Technical Committee has reviewed your file and agreed that you are ready to be promoted: 7) Applicant must pass a written and/or practical exam. 8) A fee is required on promotion to Recorded judge (r). The first step in the promotion process is to write a letter requesting promotion, enclosing an up-to-date hard copy of your judge s log, if not already submitted and stating the reasons why you believe you are ready for the promotion. Send this letter in writing to: Suzanne Detol 34142 SW Johnson School Rd. Cornelius, OR 97113 Once received the Technical Committee will review your file in its entirety and meet to review your request. Normally the written and/or practical exam will be given at the Annual Forum in November. 6

Promotion to AVA (r) Judge As an AVA (r) judge, you may judge all medal exams (except Gold) and all classes at AVA Recognized competitions. You may not judge USEF classes at USEF competitions, but you may judge classes that are not recognized by USEF at those events. For example, you could judge Copper Individuals at Nationals because it is only an AVA recognized class, but you could not judge Bronze or above, as they are USEF recognized events. Please note that promotion to AVA Registered Judge (r) does not make you automatically a USEF (r) judge. This is a separate process that must be handled through the USEF. This process normally takes approximately 6 months because the USEF Board only grants promotions two times during the year. You must be a member of USEF before you can apply for USEF recognition as a judge. You can go to the USEF website and download the required forms. You can find additional information at https://www.usef.org/documents/licensedofficials/licenseforms/vaulting-registered2.pdf Continue to keep records of your judging and vaulting-related experiences and send it in periodically (at least annually) for your file. All judges (r), (R) and FEI have a continuing education requirement that must be met each year. It includes the mandatory Annual Judges Forum, as well as attending at least one other in-person training. Promotion to AVA (R) Judge The next step is promotion to Registered or (R). You must complete the following requirements, prior to asking for promotion, per Article 604 in the AVA Rulebook: 1) Applicant must have attended a minimum of eight (8) judge s general training sessions, two of which must be the AVA Judges Forum, from the time they are promoted to (r) status to the time requesting promotion to (R) status. 2) Applicant must have judged a minimum of six (6) AVA Recognized competitions, four (4) of which he/she must a have served as Chief Judge for the entire competition. 3) Applicant must have judged a minimum of four (4) USEF Recognized competitions, two (2) of which he/she must have served as Chief Judge for all USEF Recognized events offered. 4) Negative comments or complaints from competition management within the past 36 months will be considered and may affect promotion. In addition to the above listed requirements, special training sessions may be assigned to any or all applicants depending on experience. To start the promotion process you are required to send a letter in writing to the Technical Committee Chair. In the letter state why you believe you are ready to receive this promotion and include your Judge s Log which should list your judging and clinician experience, as well as Judges Training s that you have attended since being promoted to (r) status. 7

Promotions are generally considered at the Annual Judges Forum, where the candidate must take and pass a written or practical exam. The Technical Committee must vote to approve all promotions to Registered Judge (R). A fee of $50 payable to the AVA is required upon promotion. Please note that promotion to AVA Registered Judge (R) does not automatically make you a USEF (R) judge. Once again, this is a separate process that must be handled through the USEF. This process normally takes approximately 6 months because the USEF Board only grants promotions two times per year. You can go to the USEF website and download the required forms. You can find additional information at https://www.usef.org/documents/licensedofficials/licenseforms/vaulting-registered2.pdf Continuing Education In order to maintain Active status, all AVA apprentices and judges are required to meet the following requirements: 1) Maintain AVA Individual Membership in good standing throughout the calendar year 2) Apprentices or Judges may not have outstanding debts to the AVA. 3) Apprentices and Judges must attend the AVA Judges Forum each calendar year. 4) Judges must successfully attend a minimum of one additional official Judge s training each calendar year and receive a Satisfactory or Marginal evaluation from the training session director(s) and by the AVA Technical Committee Chair (if present). If the listed criteria are not met, you may be placed on probation or Inactive status. Please see the Continuing Education for AVA Judges for full details. 8

Apprentice Clerking/Timing Form Name of Apprentice: On, 20, at (Competition Name/event), the abovenamed apprentice clerked and/or timed for the following Recognized National Events: Canter Team: A, B, C (Circle) Compulsories Trot Team: Compulsories Clerked Timed hours Individual Gold Compulsories Individual Silver Compulsories Individual Bronze Compulsories Individual Copper Compulsories Individual Trot Compulsories Team Two-Phase Compulsories Barrel Pas de Deux Other unrecognized Events please specify and give a description Event MEDAL EXAMS Novice Trot Bronze Silver Gold Additional Comments: Judge s Signature NOTE TO JUDGE: Please send an email or mail to the Technical Committee Chairman with any additional comments you wish to make regarding the above-named individual that you think may be useful to include in their file. (Appearance, conduct, preparedness, knowledge, etc.) 9

Apprentice Judging Feedback Form Name of Apprentice: On, 20, at (Competition Name/event), the above-named apprentice judged for the following unrecognized classes: Competition management please make a few comments regarding the above-named individual that you think may be useful to include in their file. (Appearance, conduct, preparedness, knowledge, etc.) Management s Signature 10