Vancouver Island Region Judge's Bureau Policies and Procedures

The Vancouver Island Region Judge's Bureau is divided into three areas - South, Mid and North Island. Each area has coordinators responsible for coordinating test days. Judges Training is assisted by local Test Chairman in providing trial judging opportunities.

Clubs must work together to host coordinated test days to utilize the available Judges in the most efficient manner. In the South the clubs coordinate all test days for winter, spring and summer season. Mid Island clubs in Duncan area (Fuller Lake, Kerry Park, Duncan and Cowichan Lake) coordinate test days while Sandy Shores, Mount Arrowsmith and Nanaimo coordinate their test days. In the North Campbell River and Comox Valley should be working together as well.

Definitions:

South - includes the following clubs - Peninsula, Oak Bay, Saanich, Raquet Club, Victoria, Juan de Fuca, Sooke

Mid - includes the following clubs - Sandy Shores, Mount Arrowsmith, Nanaimo, Cowichan Lake, Duncan, Kerry Park, Fuller Lake,

North - includes the following clubs - Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port Hardy, Gold River

Low - Primary and Jr. Bronze dances, skating skills and freeskate

Intermediate - Sr. Bronze to Jr. Silver dances, skating skills and freeskate, Sr. Silver to Gold Freeskate, Sr. Silver, Gold, Interpretive tests Bronze to Gold

High - Diamond Dances (probably most Sr. Silver and Gold dances will be held at coordinated High tests due to partnering issues and time requirements)

- a panel is required for all competitive tests for freeskate and pairs

Winter Season - September to March

Spring Season - April to June

Summer Season - July and August

TESTS

A. Low and Intermediate

1. Each club test chairman contacts their area coordinator (south, mid or north) three weeks prior to their test day with the number and level of tests submitted. The area coordinator contacts evaluators as to their availability and determines how much ice is available for tests. Every effort will be made to conduct coordinated low and intermediate test days among clubs in the same area.

2. Two weeks prior to the test day the test chairman give the area coordinator their club's finalized test list (after scratches). The coordinator then draws up a schedule for the tests. Any tests scratched after this date (without a medical excuse) will be entered as a retry on the summary sheet and the test fees will not be refunded.

3. Draws for skating order are conducted, either by the host club's test chairman (Mid and North) or by the coordinator and the test chairman from all the clubs involved (South). This procedure may vary from area to area depending upon availability and distances involved. Completed test papers and summary sheets must be given to the host club test chairman as soon as possible. Schedules may then be posted at each club's arena. (Remember to put on the notice "Schedule subject to change" and reminder of when skaters should be at the arena in advance of their test time).

4. Judges wishing to trial at a test day should give the test chairman four days notice that they wish to trial and what tests they are trialing so that the chairman can copy the necessary papers. If no notice is given it will be up to the trial judge to make up their own papers and make the necessary copies.

5. The host club test chairman (hopefully with the help of other area test chairman) organizes the test day. The host club is responsible for providing volunteers to work at the test day, an ice captain, runners, music players, a timer with a stop watch (for free skate tests) and any other help required to make the test day run as smoothly as possible. Meals and snacks for the evaluators and volunteers are to be provided.

6. Each participating club's test papers - the top half of each skater's test paper and the summary sheets signed by the evaluator (minus the yellow sheet) are returned to their home club. PLEASE NOTE the summary sheet number on each test paper. As soon as possible after the test day the host club submits all of the yellow sheets together with a judges committee form for each evaluator to the statistician (Mel Pettett for V.I. Region). The host club then bills each participating club for it's share of the expenses using a standard expense form provided by the judges bureau.

7. Each club test chairman sends their club's white summary sheets and the test fees to the Skate Canada. The $3.00 fee for each test is submitted to the Judge's Bureau treasurer (Judy Burwash). This money is used for operating expenses ($1.00) and for Judge's training ($2.00) within our region.

B. High Tests

1. Vancouver Island is allowed four high tests each season. The dates and location of these days will be determined by our region, taking into consideration the availability of judges and ice and tests submitted.

2. Procedures for high tests are the same as for low and intermediate coordinated test days. Test lists are submitted to the area coordinators and they contact judges and arrange for the ice necessary.

3. If sufficient Judges at an appropriate level are not available from our region the judges bureau chairman may contact the B.C. Coast Region coordinator for assistance in locating a judge from their region to attend our test day. This request is to be made as far in advance as possible.

4. Completed test papers and summary sheets are forwarded to the host club as soon as possible. After the test day the papers and summary sheets (minus the yellow sheets) are returned to the skater's home club. (See items A. 6 and A. 7 above).

C. On Call Tests

1. On call tests are only available for Preliminary level tests - Preliminary Freeskate, Dance and Skating Skills.

2. The club test chairman submits potential on call tests to their area coordinator three weeks before the proposed test date. This test date must be on a regular skating session and must not interfere with other skaters on the session. The area coordinator will arrange for an Evaluator to attend the on call test session.

3. In the South a list of primary evaluators is kept by the area coordinator and on call tests are assigned on a rotating basis. This is necessary to give all of the large number of primary level evaluators in the Victoria area an equal opportunity. In the mid and North Island evaluators are used when and where they are available.

4. Test fees, summary sheets and judges bureau fees are handled in the same manner as a regular test day.

D. Spring and Summer School Tests

1. Test days for Spring and Summer Schools must be applied for through the section judge/evaluator's committee and in order to do so Clubs must submit their dates to the V.I. Region Judges Bureau Chairman by February 15 each year for Spring School dates and April 15 for Summer School. The VI Region Judges Bureau then forwards it to the Region Chairman (Lynne Henderson-Drake) and then a master list will then be submitted to the Section Judges Bureau Chairman.

2. Professionally run Spring and Summer Schools which apply directly to B.C. Section for sanctions are asked to also advise the VI Region Judges Bureau Chairman of the test days. This aids in planning for test days.

3. Every effort is made to coordinate test days among schools in the same areas, particularly when high tests are involved.

4. The school test chairman submits all paper work and fees to the appropriate places (white to Skate Canada, yellow to Statistician - Mel Pettett) and returns the top to the skater's test paper and a photocopy of the summary sheet to their home club.

JUDGE'S TRAINING

1. Officials training is funded through the V.I. Judge's Bureau. $2.00 of the skater's test fee is ear marked for this purpose. This money is used for funding training seminars and to reimburse (reasonable) out of pocket expenses for judges who must travel for training and/or to trial judge skaters/events not available here.

2. Test chairs in each area of the region help recruit new evaluators/judges.