Chief Judge Certification
The World Swing Dance Council trains and certifies the officials who enforce its rules at Registry and Trial Events.
Hire a Certified Chief Judge, and the event does not carry the violation for a rules error that Chief Judge was there to enforce.
Chief Judges Requirements, World Swing Dance Council
The path to certification
Apply
The application goes to the Chief Judge Committee through the World Swing Dance Council. The fee is $100. An applicant who does not yet meet the experience requirements may take the training now and be certified once the events are on record.
Requirements and applicationTrain
Three courses are open in the programme.
Chief Judge Training
The core course. WSDC rules, the Chief Judge’s duties on the day, and the callback scoring system.
Understanding, Measuring, and Reducing Implicit Bias in West Coast Swing Chief Judges
Twenty lessons from SwingDiversity on how bias enters a judging decision, and what reduces it.
Continuing Education – WSDC Rules January 2025
The January 2025 rules update. Ongoing training of this kind is what keeps a designation current.
Pass the final exam
Certification requires passing a final exam. That is what evidences a thorough working knowledge of the WSDC rules, rather than a completed video.
Sign the Code of Conduct
Every Certified Chief Judge signs the Certified Chief Judge Code of Conduct.
Certified
Designations run on events worked, not on courses taken. Submitting the documentation for a designation is the Chief Judge’s own responsibility. Every Trial Event must be run by a Platinum or Gold Certified Chief Judge.
Where to go next
Already in the programme
Your courses, progress and certificates sit in your account.
Not yet in the programme
Requirements, designations and the application form are held on the WSDC site.