Judges Corner - June 10
“Learning From McDonalds”
By Glenn Mayer
What’s one thing that McDonalds does well? They make hamburgers right! It doesn’t matter which McDonalds you go to, that hamburger is going to be the same. That’s called "Consistency". I have found over the years that in the Modified class, we tend to lack consistency in our judging.
In looking over the score sheets of the last few years for one particular car, I have noticed that each time the car is judged, the person or persons doing the judging can’t make up their minds as to how many points should be awarded for each modification. For an example, let’s take the TRUNK/HATCH & ENGINE COMPARTMENT sections of the modified judging sheet for this particular car.
In May, we had our annual Spring into Summer judged show. Out of a possible 5 points for the trunk/hatch section this car was awarded 0 modification points. For the engine compartment of which 40 points is the maximum, 17 points were awarded. At a previous Spring into Summer judged show, this particular car was awarded 2 points for the trunk/hatch section & 30 points for the engine compartment. For a past Roundup judged show the same car received a perfect score of 5 for the trunk/hatch section & another perfect score of 40 for the engine compartment. As you can see, the scores are pretty inconsistent.
If I have replaced the original 289 cid engine in a 1965 model with a 1987 computer controlled fuel injected 302 cid engine, how will it be scored? Will it count as one modification or many modifications? If the original C-4 automatic transmission has been changed to a 4-speed automatic overdrive model, does that fall under engine compartment or undercarriage section? If the undercarriage has been undercoated, why would points be deducted if the car is modified? Many of our members have changed to aftermarket front & rear disc brakes. Which section would that modification fall into & how many points is it worth?
What is my point of these questions? We need to standardize! We need to inform or instruct our judges to judge fairly and consistently in our modified class. How do we do that? I think it is time to overhaul the way the modified cars are judged. I’m not saying to go against MCA rules. What I am saying is that we should come up with away to help our modified judges do their job. I believe that more hands-on training sessions would be helpful and/or the addition of a scoring sheet, listing as many modifications as possible by category, with the number of points that the modification is worth. With a scoring sheet, a judge would then have a guide to go by. If a judge was unsure of any modification, he/she could consult with the head judge with his/her decision being final.
This is just one idea. If you agree with me, then lets do something about it. Let's take the lead and set the standard to instill more consistency and fairness in our modifed class. If you have any ideas, speak up. I would like to volunteer to be part of a committee to address this issue. How about you?