[Ansteorra] Shenanigans and calculating point scores

[Christie Ward]

One of the things that the Laurels Retreats have tried to do is to help Ansteorran Laurels "calibrate" judging by bringing some sample items to judge, then discussing the scores assigned at various ends of the spectrum and why.
 
Despite such efforts, scoring A&S is really variable. Some judges start at a perfect score and deduct. Some people start at the median score and add or subtract from there. For me, on a 100 point scoring system, 100 points would represent an item that was 100% period in technique and materials, and well-documented. I have co-judged with people who refused to give a perfect score because the only piece that would merit such in their eyes would BE an actual period artifact (a view I found illogical and unreasonable, but what are ya gonna do?)
 
The "well-documented" part is because WITHOUT good documentation, there's really no way for the judge to be able to assess how splendiferous the piece really is. You could have a "perfectly period in practically every way" piece that the judges can't score well because you didn't provide enough info in the documentation to allow them to do so. Not sure what to do with documentation? The Laurels' Website has good "how to write documentation" articles available to help you at http://laurel.ansteorra.org/
 
I also think it's a GREAT idea for EVERY SINGLE ARTIST who ever enters a scored A&S competition to ask a Laurel to let you accompany them and help judge a few times. The reason why is that when you yourself have to figure out what to put on the page, you QUICKLY find it's harder than you would think! Doing this with a Laurel who will explain their thought processes to you as they develop the score for an item can be invaluable in understanding the scores you receive on your own work. EIther help judge an area you are not entered in yourself, or judge at a competition where you have no entry at all to maintain fairness.
 
One of the harsh realities of serving as an A&S judge and giving real feedback is that some people entering these contests are unwilling to receive anything BUT praise. I've had people who told me to my face to "not pull any punches, tell me the harsh truth" get all bent out of shape when I suggested places they could improve their next project. Don't take your score as being equivalent to a scholastic "grade". It's just a point total on a judging form, not a commentary on your worth as a human being.
 
My personal belief is that if you do not genuinely want to know how you could improve a piece, you should not enter it into competition. If all you want is praise, you should take it to a Laurel and say, "See my spiffy new whatsis! Isn't it lovel?" This cues the Laurel to make a generally amiable statement, smile brightly, and sidle away to make a break for it. You can also get this effect by entering populace-judged bean-count competitions.
 
::GUNNVOR::
 
Still long-winded.