The second step is joining MCJA (Michigan Cheer Judges Association) and attending training.  We feel this is a key step to becoming a successful official.  It is important to be trained before judging your first competition.  You want to feel comfortable and confident so you enjoy the experience and judge the teams fairly and consistently.  Being a well trained judge will help you to receive judging opportunities from schools.

MCJA Membership costs $40 for two years.  The membership benefits include: training at no extra cost; newsletters and email updates throughout the year; emails about judging opportunities during the season; listing on our membership roster that is shared with tournament directors; mentoring program with experienced judges; and professional support.  You can find our membership application which shows our organizational goals on this website. 

MCJA holds an annual Fall Conference in November each year that provides various training sessions to get prepared for the upcoming competitive cheer season.  We also host a summer judges' camp with training sessions.  We do hold other training opportunities throughout the year when requested by groups.  The training sessions break down the judging categories on the score sheets and offer further knowledge and strategies for judging each category.  You can attend training sessions without being an MCJA member, but the cost is $25 per session.  The $40 membership cost for two years is usually more economical.

A third step that we recommend is mentoring with an experienced judge in your area.  MCJA has a mentoring program that will help connect you with judges in your area that are willing to mentor you.  This usually means attending a cheer competition and sitting with your mentor to see the preparation prior to the competition and the officiating process during the competition.  It helps give you a feel for the process before doing it on your own.  After you have joined MCJA, you can get additional information about finding a mentor in your area.

Competitive cheer judging is a great way to continue your love of cheerleading throughout life.  You choose which competitions to officiate based on your availability.  The more you train and officiate, the more experienced you become.  We have MCJA members who have been officiating over 30 years.

If you have additional questions, feel free to email our Membership Secretary, Juli Brown, juli@championcheerleading.com. If you choose to become a competitive cheer official, we look forward to judging with you in the future!


2. Answer: How do I get Judging Contracts?
So you registered with MHSAA and you passed the test. Then you went to MCJA training and you got a mentor. You have been to several meets with your mentor now AND you even went out and bought a black suit. Now what? How do you actually get a school to hire you to officiate at a meet?

Well, there are several approaches to getting those first jobs. The first way is to turn to that mentor you've been working with and make sure that she knows you want to find a job. If she thinks you're ready, then she may have an assignment that she can't accept and would be willing to share. Or she may hear about an opening at one of the meets at which she is officiating. She might also be a source of information about which schools will be hosting meets in your area this season. Network with other judges when you are mentoring or attending training; they, too, may be looking for a replacement or know of an open judging slot.

Another place to turn is your associations. MCJA, your statewide organization, often sends emails to its members with information about schools needing officials. They also maintain a roster of members with the training received that is sent to athletic directors across the state. In addition, local/regional organizations may help find assignments for judges in specific areas of the state. LMCCOA*, while not an assigning organization, can help provide information to its active members who live in Kent, Ottawa , and Allegan counties, while SMOCCA* enrolls members in its assigning organization located in the Down River and surrounding area. Sandy Collins* has an assigning group in the Macomb County area, while Dee Hammond* is a judge in the Lansing area who is very willing to help new judges find assignments in that location.

One method hat has proven to be effective for many new people is to take the time to call the athletic directors in your area and introduce yourself. Also, the calendar that appears online at

www.geocities.com/MICheer03 will let you know which schools will be hosting meets, and often the meet manager's name is also provided. It would be helpful to mail or fax a brief cheer resume to people you speak to so they will have a record of who you are and how you can be reached.

Once you have been offered a contract, it is very important that you follow through and behave appropriately. That includes behaving in an ethical manner. First of all, conflicts of interest – judging teams with whom you have a personal relationship – should be avoided at all costs; to that end, avoid anything that might even have the appearance of a conflict of interest. Then once you sign a contract, it should be honored by a judge who arrives prepared and on time. If an emergency arises that makes your appearance impossible, it is your responsibility to 1. notify the school (in timely fashion) and 2. find a replacement to offer to the host school. (The school may choose to find its own replacement, but it's best if you have an alternative available.)

When you behave appropriately and professionally, it's likely that you will be asked to return the next year, and the task of filling a schedule becomes easier with each passing year.

Like most things, this process becomes easier over time. A willingness to accept the job that's a little farther away or go to a meet that's a little smaller than most are things that help build your resume and reputation. Since there is a definite shortage of trained competitive cheer officials, it won't be long before your calendar is full and you will be offering advice to the next new person who wants to know how they actually get a job. Good luck and have fun!

Contact info:

LMCCOA stamfam@chartermi.net

SMOCCA jstahr22@yahoo.com

Sandy Collins sandycollins@wideopenwest.com

Dee Hammond hammondd57@yahoo.com