Moving to Florida?

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Welcome to Florida! We hope you will enjoy your new life here and become active in Florida's judging community. We have about 85 NAWGJ members in Florida including 8 Brevet, 22 National, and 15 Level 10 judges. We assign judges to approximately 90 meets per year.

Please read through the various links on our website to learn more about judging in Florida. Because procedures vary from state to state, we thought the following information would be helpful as you make the transition to judging in Florida.

• Please send an email to Catherine Fariz, State Judging Director, asking for his address so you can mail a copy of the following: NAWGJ membership card; USAG membership card; Judges rating card; USAG Safety Certification; and Active Status card for the last completed year. In addition, send your Florida address, home, work, and cell phone numbers, and email address. Please send a statement letting us know if you own an official NAWGJ uniform so we can update our uniform list for the national office.



• If you would like to be assigned a mentor to help answer questions during your transition to Florida, please send an email to Susan Monahan our Mentorship Chair, and she will connect you with one of our outstanding and friendly Florida judges!



• All communications are done electronically so you must have an email account or access to an email account to receive information and newsletters.
  
  
• Please send your change of address to Betty Sroufe, National Secretary/Treasurer.
  
  
• We have two assigners in Florida. Carol Curley assigns meets in north and central Florida. Sharyn Strickland assigns meets in south Florida. The SJD will forward your contact information to the assigners so you can receive an Availability Form.
  
  
• The meet schedules for fall and spring  are finalized in June and are posted on the NAWGJ website. A few meets are added throughout the year.
  
  
• The assignment of fall meets is completed by the end of August. The assignment of spring meets is generally completed by October. If you are moving to Florida after assignments have been finalized, it may be too late for you to be assigned meets for the upcoming competitive season. However, you will be added to the list as a replacement in the event someone has to pull off a meet or if it is possible to split a weekend assignment.
  
  
• The USAG compulsory season is conducted in the fall with state meets for Levels 2 - 6 in December.  The USAG optional season begins in January and concludes in March/April to coincide with regional and national meet schedules.
  
  
• Florida has two large and active AAU programs: one in the south and another serving the remainder of the state. AAU compulsory meets (Levels 2 - 6) are held from September through May. AAU optional meets are held in the spring and often include compulsory sessions. If you wish to judge AAU meets, you will need to join the National AAU organization. Contact AAU for on-line registration or membership form. Membership is valid from August to August so if you move to Florida toward the end of that timeframe, you should wait until the next August to join. The AAU league for north/central Florida also requires membership in the AAU Team Florida organization. For information on joining the state AAU organization, contact Kathy Stuenkel.
  
  
• NAWGJ also provides judges to YMCA meets and USAIGC meets although only a small number of meets are hosted by these organizations in Florida.
  
  
• In order to be placed on the NCAA assigning list, a judge must hold a Level 10 rating. Florida has one college gymnastics team, The University of Florida. UF is a member of the South Eastern Conference (SEC). Assignment of SEC meets is done by the Regional NCAA Assigner through the web-based NCAA assigning system. The UF Meet Referee, Amy Diuguid, coordinates volunteer judges for the UF home competitions. Requests for volunteers are published in our newsletter. By traveling to Gainesville as a volunteer or as a spectator, you will get to see some of the best collegiate teams in the country!
  
  
• Almost all meets are 2 days in length in the fall and 3 days in length in the spring. When you send in your availability form and contracts, you need to have the ability to judge the entire 2-3 day weekend. Depending on the meet, it may be possible to split assignments with another judge (see "What's New" section). However, judges are committed for the entire weekend once they accept a contract.
  
  
• All judges in Florida are required to wear the official NAWGJ uniform, i.e., the blazer and skirt. Pants are allowed at meets below the state level but must be the official pants sold by the manufacturer. The AAU program has official polo shirts that may be worn with navy blue or black slacks for AAU meets. AAU shirts may be ordered from Kathy Stuenkel.
  
  
• Assignments to meets are primarily determined by geographic locale, rating, and carpool possibilities. The majority of meets are held in the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami areas with some meets hosted in Jacksonville, the Panhandle, and Sarasota/Venice areas. If you live near one of the larger cities, your opportunity to be assigned to meets will be higher because of the larger number of meets scheduled in these areas.
  
  
• Judges are assigned to carpools for almost every meet to keep the costs reasonable for meet directors. Meet directors provide hotel accommodations for judges who need to stay overnight. Please review our website to learn more about travel arrangements.   Be sure to keep track of your mileage and only charge the Meet Directors for the actual mileage you incurred.



• Meet Directors and Booster Clubs in Florida have a tradition of providing outstanding meals and hospitality for judges.  Virtually all meals are provided on site with the exception of those that occur during travel time.  In appreciation of the hospitality we receive at our meets, Florida judges often do not charge the full, allowable per diem amount for meal expenses incurred while traveling.  Typically, reimbursement is requested only for the amount on the meal receipt.
  
  
• Florida is fortunate to host many regional and national events. In 2004, we hosted J.O. Nationals and Level 8 Regionals. In 2005, we hosted Eastern Nationals and Level 8 Regionals. Many Regional Training Camps are conducted in Florida. For the past three years, we have hosted the Future Stars Training Camp and the Level 8/9 Training Camp.
  
  
• Elite clinics, training camps, and qualifying meets are often held in Florida. Other locales in our region that frequently schedule elite events include Atlanta, Georgia; Auburn Alabama; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Because of our warm winter climate, many elite athletes/teams from all over the country choose to participate in winter competitions in Florida.
  
  
• Region 8 requires judges who wish to be considered for regional and national assignments to complete at least 10 clock hours of in-gym time with athletes competing at the same level as the competition assigned. Please consult our website section "Meet Assignments" for additional information and links to the Region 8 Website. These in-gym hours are over and above hours submitted for your CPE credits. 
  
  
• Our Judges Cup is conducted as the opening meet in September and is held in Tampa. If you will be in Florida in September, approximately 65 judges volunteer their time during the weekend. It will be a good chance for you to meet other judges and ask all the questions that remain unanswered.
  

We look forward to meeting you and hope that you enjoy our beautiful Florida weather and beaches. You will LOVE living here in the winter!