Concours Judge's Training

Jaguar Club of Austin Judges Training

Welcome to the exclusive Judges Training session where you'd better show up ready to learn how to criticize your friend’s pride and joy without getting punched. Training happens at Jeff’s Resurrections, where the coffee is strong, the Jaguars are shiny, and the jokes are inevitable.

Here’s what you will experience:

• You will learn how to read the Concours Rule Book like it is a sacred text, where every tiny bolt, nut, and footwell carpet has its own paragraph. Judges must know this stuff so well they can recite it during dinner conversation.

• You will practice filling out score sheets. This is where you mark down every tiny imperfection like it is your job, because it actually is your job. Practice sheets will be graded by the Chief Judge and compared to the actual Rule Book.

• You will learn the proper way to walk around a Jaguar without tripping or stepping on a jack handle. Spend at least one minute walking around each car just like the pros do.

• You will learn how to judge Exterior, Interior, and Operational Verification without blinking. Judges are trained to spot things you probably have never noticed, like whether the turn signals blink 100 percent correctly.

• You will learn how to be polite while deducting points. It is a skill. You have to explain deductions with a straight face and sound helpful. That takes practice.

• You will learn what being Certified means, so you can judge at events beyond our club’s concours. Certification includes training, testing, and a lot of nodding like you understand every rule.

• Most importantly, you will learn how to stay focused amid the smell of wax, polishing cloths, and the delicious lunch Jeff promises may or may not be provided.

By the end of the day, you should be able to judge a Jaguar’s condition, originality, and cleanliness with authority, all while remembering that every car owner is also watching you. Training isn’t just about the rules, it’s about learning how to be fair, confident, and maybe a little scary (in a good way).

Come prepared to measure, inspect, discuss, and laugh. You might even become someone other judges ask for advice.