Be the Referee: Cheer Judges
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
January 20, 2026
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Cheer Judges - Listen
Ready! Set!
There are a lot of moving parts to a competitive cheer competition, including safety judges.
For each competition there are a minimum of two safety judges and 3 panel judges. But what does each position do?
Safety judges are there for safety – as simple as that sounds. During competition, they are mobile, circling the mat identifying illegal skills, improper spotting techniques, time infractions, and anything else deemed unsafe. They also are counting the number of competitors and floor formations for each team.
Panel judges – and there are three of them – are scoring the round. Each round is made up of skills, floor formations, transition moves and stunts that all must be evaluated.
Both safety and panel judges can deduct points for errors in the routine.
Previous 2025-26 editions
Jan. 13: Basketball Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 6: Bowling Ball Bounces Out of Gutter - Listen
Dec. 9: Puck on Goal Netting - Listen
Dec. 2: Goaltending vs. Basket Interference - Listen
Nov. 25: Football Finals Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 18: Volleyball Libero Uniforms - Listen
Nov. 11: Illegal Substitution/Participation - Listen
Nov. 4: Losing a Shoe - Listen
Oct. 28: Unusual Soccer Goals - Listen
Oct. 21: Field Hockey Penalty Stroke - Listen
Oct. 14: Tennis Double Hit - Listen
Oct. 7: Safety in Football - Listen
Sept. 30: Field Hockey Substitution - Listen
Sept 23: Multiple Contacts in Volleyball - Listen
Sept. 16: Soccer Penalty Kick - Listen
Sept. 9: Forward Fumble - Listen
Sept. 2: Field Hockey Basics - Listen
Aug. 26: Golf Ball Bounces Out - Listen
Be the Referee: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
November 4, 2021
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Receiver Carried Out of End Zone - Listen
A football play for you to rule on today. The quarterback throws a pass to an eligible receiver in the end zone. The receiver jumps and makes the catch, but before he lands, a defensive player wraps him up and carries him out to the 2-yard line, where the receiver finally touches the ground.
What’s the call? Is the ball spotted at the 2-yard line where the receiver finally made contact with the ground? Or is it a touchdown?
Send out the extra-point team because it’s a touchdown. The receiver’s forward momentum was stopped in the end zone, while he had possession of the ball … which is considered a touchdown catch. He does not have to get a foot or any other body part down in the end zone for it to count.
Previous editions
Oct. 28: Volleyball Back-Row Block – Listen
Oct. 21: Soccer Disallowed Goal – Listen
Sept 30: Field Goal Falls Short – Listen
Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction – Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch – Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics – Listen