August 1, 201115 yr +1 to what ducecoop. I just observed my first a few months ago and they paired me up with someone to show me the ropes. By the end of the event he had me doing the section by myself. That helped me a real lot. The one thing he told me was "Be consistent".
August 2, 201115 yr Another good tip is to pack a whistle (football referee type). These are ideal if you can't quite see the start of the section, and save you a lot of shouting when you are ready for people to ride. As others have said - consistency is the main thing - and enjoy it. Any hassle - threaten them with a 5 - they will soon shut up!
August 2, 201115 yr [Keep the score with your fingers, my first time, I started 'forgettng' after 30 riders or so... ( getting old, I guess )
August 2, 201115 yr The tip that helped me most when I've had to observe,(We often struggle to get enough) is to put the tip of the pencil on the riders number and hold it there as the rider goes through the section.Using the board to wave them into the section is a very positive way to invite them to start too.My short term memory is poor,(I often forget sections I marked the day before....) so anything helps.As said if you mark everyone the same way thats about all you can do.At a recent trial a young mono rider asked if he was OK for a clean after he made a lovely job of going up a muddy climb - he did not like the 5 I gave him for having a foot on the ground for about 4 or 5 secs while the bike rolled bike nearly a foot.I explained the rules of the day to him - next lap he made the climb for a clean,no stopping or going back with a foot on the ground - and I got a big smile when he saw the clean signal from me when he looked back....
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