Gerald’s Own Criteria (With a Little Help from His Friends)
[Judging for 2012 will be the same as it was for 2011]
A Note on Judging. Judging has always been a challenge. Gerald always tried different methods and ideas to make the judging as fair as possible. The result after all these years is a blend of mathematics and art. And like so many athletic contests, it is naturally influenced by human subjectivity. For example if you asked 10 different falconers how high a bird might be, you may get 10 different responses with a wide gap between them.
Our judges do their best to be fair, and consistent. Consistency is paramount. For example, a judge may call a bird’s pitch at 1000 feet. In reality, if the judge could find it in a range finder or if a balloon were in the air as a bench mark, it might actually be only 700 feet. We will no have instant replay cameras to review. But what is important is that the judging is consistent for every flight and all birds are measured against the same standard.
It is both challenging and rewarding to be a judge. They have the best seat in the house, but are occasionally treated like referees at a professional basketball game, when the call doesn’t agree with coaches or players. Gerald began this competition to have a little fun at the end of the flying season; we appreciate your respect for the judges and for not letting the competitive nature of the event supersede the fun we can have.
Specifics. The judged sequence of each flight is determined from the time the falcon is cast off to the time it catches or gives up on the competition pigeon, and the falconer has reported to the head judge with his or her falcon. A total of 15 minutes is allowed for this flight. Any other flying beyond this is not judged, and points will be deducted at 1 point per minute for going overtime. During this flight, the falcon will be judged on pitch, stoop and the pursuit after the stoop. We are also introducing the Judge’s Choice points which is explained below.
Changes. After careful discussion and input from falconers and past judges, this year we have eliminated the mounting and position portions of the judging. We want to simplify the judging while keeping to the spirit of Gerald’s original intent.
Mounting and Position Eliminated. The idea here is to let the falcon determine how and where its best advantage is in the sky. For one falcon that may be straight overhead, for another its style might be wider. One falcon may stay wide until the serve then dash across the sky putting in a dramatic stoop, while another falcon may stay wide and miss the same advantage.
One falcon may mount up straight over head, while another will race wide then come straight back over head. Contestants still have 15 minutes from the time the falcon leaves the glove until it is returned to the glove and the falconer has reported back to the head judge with his or her falcon. It is left to the particular style of the falcon and the falconer as to how that time is used.
Here is the exact wording from last year that we are eliminating.
Mounting (20 points) Mounting represents the time from when the falcon leaves the falconer’s fist until the falconer calls for a height reading, just before calling for the serve. The height (pitch) the bird reaches will be divided by the time segment from initial cast off to calling for the serve. Mounting skill is determined in feet per minute and measures how quickly the falcon gets into position for the stoop.
Position (20 points) Measured at 1 minute intervals, position is determined by the angle the bird is above the horizon by means of an inclinometer. A bird that has a wide ranging flying style will likely score less on position. However this flying style may be an advantage when considering pitch. (This often happens when a bird seeks a thermal to gain height.)
Pitch (20 points) Pitch represents the height the falcon reaches when the falconer calls for the serve. The judges will do their best to determine the height range of the falcon.
The points for pitch will be distributed for the following height ranges:
0 ft. to 300 ft. = 0 points
300 ft. to 500 ft. = 5 points
500 ft. to 1000 ft. = 10 points
1000 ft. to 1500 ft. = 15 points
1500 ft. or higher = 20 points
Please note: to give the pigeon the same head start advantage it might have flying in the wild, the falcon must be at least 300 feet high before the pigeon is served.
Stoop (20 points) It is especially during the stoop, the freefall of the falcon towards the pigeon, that the art of the competition is measured. The 20 points for the stoop will be measured in two segments: pitch and the technical aspects of the first stoop. 10 points can be earned for each segment.
Pitch. The first 10 points are earned by the pitch of the falcon at the time of the serve. A falcon that stoops from 1500 feet will receive a greater portion of the first 10 points than one that stoops from 500 feet. Specifically:
If your falcon received 20 points from the pitch measurement, (1500 feet or higher) it will receive 10 points for the pitch portion of the stoop. The points drop proportionally from there: 1000 ft. to 1500 ft. will receive 7.5 points for the pitch portion of the stoop and so on.
Technical Aspects. When considering the technical aspects of the stoop, Gerald felt it was unimportant what style the falcon used to get down, as long as it cuts through the quarry at the bottom of the stoop with some oomph!
Gerald’s scoring criteria for the technical segment are as follows: catches the pigeon = 10 points. Feathers the pigeon = 8 points. Pursues with considerable force, but no contact = 6 points. Intent on the pigeon, but not close = 4 points. Some intent = 2 points. Not too interested = 0 points.
Pursuit (15 points) Pursuit points are earned as the falcon makes additional threatening passes at the quarry. There is a degree of difference in a crafty pigeon offensively dodging a pursuing falcon and one that is forced defensively to dodge an immediate impact. 5 points are awarded for each time the falcon forces the turn of the pigeon. (Up to 3 turns awarded) 3 points are awarded if falcon forces the pigeon to put in to the judges, the crowd, a bush, etc.
The full 15 points are awarded if the pigeon is caught in the pursuit. If the pigeon is caught while putting in at the judges table, under a car, etc., this is a put in and only the three points are awarded. Note: This is also a reason to limit the number of people in the field with the falconer.
Judge’s Choice (5 points) Some flights are just magical. The falcon climbs, stoops and pursues with such flair that “extra credit” is deserved. The head judge will have at his or her discretion the opportunity to bestow up to 5 points for such flights.
Additional Rules
The tradition established by Gerald Richards since 1975 lives on. Here are a couple of additional items:
- The Sky Trials is a one shot deal. No second flights for any reason. Gerald was adamant about this. Every time we fly we risk the interference of unpredictable quarry, wild prairie falcons, eagles, etc. (This rule may in a rare, extreme circumstance be mitigated by the head judge.)
- The head judge or organizers may call no contest if they feel the Sky Trials is compromised by unfair manipulation, intentional or otherwise. The judges’ decisions are final. No contest means no contest, no awards, no refunds. It is in the best interest of everyone to work to see that the event is fair to all.
- All dogs must be kept on a leash. The only exception will be the dog of the falconer that is competing during his allotted time slot.
- No live lures. Any contestant using a live lure within one mile of the meet will be disqualified. Please have your birds trained and in proper weight so that they will come down to a lure.
- Pigeon selection. The contestant should pick the pigeons he wants for the flight, but should not touch the pigeons at any time.
- Time Limit: 15 minutes. Each contestant will be allotted 15 minutes for their flight. Timing begins as soon as the falcon has been cast off, and ends when the falconer has reported back to the head judge with his or her falcon. Contestants will have one point deducted for each minute beyond this time limit.
