I did look, hard, and asked for input from more experienced judges from all over the kingdom - starting with the Laurel I judged with that day. Across the board, I received confirmation that my policy of constructive honesty was the right way to go.

I had judged bardic competitions before, but this was the first time that my musical and theatrical knowledge exceeded that of my fellow judges, so I was picking up on things that they weren't. Despite that, none of our scores were so far apart that we needed to confer, so we were all in the same ballpark. Moreover, I took great care to give encouraging and helpful comments, especially since I knew and respected both contestants. Nevertheless, I was so appalled that I was the judge who had given the lowest scores that I lost confidence in my ability to judge for a while. Only after I student judged at Kingdom A&S, and saw that my first instincts were the same as the excellent folks I got to observe, did I start to regain it. My subequent experience judging the Aquaterra A&S Championship reaffirmed my belief that the best thing a judge can do is to be polite but honest, and give the most helpful and constructive comments possible in the time given.