What We’re Talking About

Judging interview… Boot meet hornet’s nest. We get a lot of feedback every week and every week we get comments and complaints about the scoring. This prompted a running segment on the show called Corrupt or Correct where we discuss an impossible score(s). The problem was the conversation had become so common that it became boring to listen to and we’ve been pulling back. Yes, another impossible 9.95 when a gymnast took two hops. Yes, another impossible 9.85 when they missed two connections, wobbled and bent their knee on the dismount. Making matters worse is that many of the commentators repeatedly say things like, “I don’t know where they’re getting the deductions.” So listeners write to us, hoping we won’t also gaslight them into not believing their eyes. The most devastating e-mails are the ones saying they will no longer watch because of this issue.

So you can imagine the elation when Jason Buttons, a long-time coach and judge finally said the quiet part out loud. We received so much feedback it felt like a DDoS attack. We heard from listeners, coaches and judges. Ninety-eight percent of the feedback was positive and affirming. The other two percent–from arguably the most important constituency in this conversation–was from a minority subset of irate judges, in addition to a lack of feedback from the National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges (NAWGJ). To that group, I’d say the first step in addressing a problem is to acknowledge there is one.

Former Utah coach, Greg Marsden (who has forgotten more gymnastics while eating his bowl of Cheerios this morning than most will absorb in their lifetime) commented on the folly of NAWGJ ignoring the concerns with their public statements and killing the conversation. One of the criticisms we heard is that our guest doesn’t know what he’s talking about and doesn’t know what he’s doing. Well, if that’s the criticism, doesn’t that just prove his point–only he’s the problem and not you or your colleagues?

Look, judging is hard. Humans are fallible and nobody’s perfect. Referees in every sport are dragged across the coals for their judgments on the field of play. In all major sports, however, there are checks in place to make sure the outcome is as fair as possible. Major League Baseball just implemented a new ball tracking system where players can immediately challenge a call (it’s even sponsored!). The NFL also offers a challenge system. And when there’s a penalty in football the referee (who is identified) stands in the middle of the field and announces to the world what the penalty is and who did it. In gymnastics, the scoring happens in a black box. We don’t know who the judges are who gave what score and deducted for what skills. How is this helpful?

Nearly all gymnastics fans will watch the competitions from a broadcast. This means they’re seeing the sport at different angles and in slow motion. When a judge misses something (which is understandable), why is the viewer afforded more tools to deduce the accuracy of the competition than the judges? Like I said, judging is really tough, why not make it easier?

If it’s a money issue then the NAWGJ needs to flex their muscle. Bargain for more. Refuse to judge until you’re properly funded. Like Jessica said in the episode, if coaches and athletes can now make $1 million, it seems to me that the NAWGJ should be asking each conference to pony up to help grow the sport where integrity is restored and all will benefit.

Instead the NAWGJ seems to be digging in their heels. We have repeatedly reached out to them and the only response was the one we shared on social media. It says “…the interview included repeated assertions about judging, qualifications, testing, accountability, meet referees, and administration that were inaccurate, unsupported, and harmful to the judging community.” When it comes to accountability, why is there an option to opt-out of The SCORE Board, an oversight committee aimed at standardization of judging accuracy and fairness in NCAA competitions. We specifically asked the NAWGJ what was inaccurate and unsupported in the interview with Buttons. Disappointingly, we received no response. The thing is, everything that was said in the interview regarding scoring and judging we’ve been hearing for years from judges, coaches, commentators and fans. We have also seen it with our own eyes. If the judging criticisms are unsupported it’s only because the NAWGJ doesn’t want to collect and tally the data. They could start with the most egregious examples and figure out how to weed those out. It wouldn’t take much to build a database of impossible scores. They could even recruit fans to post submissions. If they’re wrong then the NAWGJ has an amazing opportunity to educate on the social platforms to restore trust. If they’re right then they have one more supported claim they can address.

Going back to the interview, there was, of course, some opinions that Buttons expressed that aren’t universally true because they’re based on his experience; but in the open conversation of the interview the larger truths are what should matter. And that is:

The current scoring in NCAA women’s gymnastics is not considered trusted, but rather accepted.

The NAWGJ should make a public statement. First, acknowledging there’s a problem and then listing the steps they are taking to make corrections. To express an understanding that there is room for improvement and there are ways to get there. This isn’t an attack on judges it’s a commitment to support them.

Feelings

• Jesolo floor champion Reese Esponda looks great
• Emma Slevin is a delight
• The Tigers are special: Hannah Horton is the third Mizzou athlete in a row to earn SEC Specialist of the Year award
• It’s amazing that Utah has never failed to qualify for a National Championships
• The Gadirova twins look good in Cal gear
• When Aly Raisman is hanging with Malala Yousafzai you know the world is healing
• A tough early exit: Kimberly Smith announced she ruptured her achilles
• It’s very unfortunate that Auburn isn’t at full strength heading into the postseason
• We anticipate the margaritas at Simone’s Taste of Gold are bomb
• Elated that Rebeca Andrade announced her return to competition in 2026
• Bonus: Two weeks left to get your 2026 Season Pass

Facts

• The All-American list came out.
• Ella Schell (Iowa State) is transferring to Iowa
• Tickets for the LA 2028 Olympics go on sale this week (but only for select locals)
• The cheapest priced ticket is $28
• It’s official, Fisk is ending their gymnastics program
• If the old NQS was in place Clemson and Auburn would swap rankings
• World Gymnastics announced a new real-time judging system for rhythmic
• Arkansas chose to start their competition on floor and to end on beam
• USAG is seeking a new National Technical Committee Chair
• The Cairo World Cup is still scheduled for this upcoming weekend
• Bonus: Get – The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles for under $5!

What’s On the Socials?

 

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Quotes

“My first big job was Miley Cyrus.”
~ BJ Das, Floor party orchestrator

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What? You want even more? Join Club Gym Nerd and you get a bonus episode, College & Cocktails, every weekend after our meet of the week. Once the NCAA season is over you continue to get a weekly bonus episode every Friday afternoon. Plus you get access to all of our archives, exclusive content and more. Then we give the sober analysis on Monday (or Tuesday) after we’ve allowed the data to penetrate our feelings.

This column was composed and compiled by Steve Cooper, Editor at GymCastic and co-author of “The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles“; some thoughts culled from hosts Jessica O’Beirne and Spencer Barnes.

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