Naples couple reflects on Olympic judging journey in skiing events

When people think about the Olympics, they often picture the athletes, the gold medals, and the podium moments. However, behind many of these competitions are the judges, who are responsible for scoring each moment correctly.

In Naples, Sarah and Jay Simson know firsthand the pressure that comes with being Olympic judges.

"When you're an official at a high-level sport, people don't realize that you are under the same pressure that the athletes are to perform," said Jay Simson, a former Olympic judge. "You have to get everything right and in a split second, and you don't have replay."

Jay served as the head judge at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, overseeing moguls and aerial competitions. Two decades later, Sarah earned her own Olympic assignment, scoring mogul and freestyle aerial competitions at the 2020 Games in Beijing.

"It takes a lot of years of training," said Sarah Simson.

"People start at the local level," said Jay. "They'll judge for several years before they're invited or they're even interested in moving up to the next level of national, national level competitions, and then eventually international competitions."

Every score matters at the Olympics, where a single number can determine whether an athlete wins gold or silver.

"The challenge of watching a run and knowing the criteria and applying that precisely to the performance of that athlete, that's a real challenge," said Sarah.

"We really want to make sure that we get 123, right," said Jay. "We want to get the podium right, because that is what everybody remembers, and that's what everybody sees."

Their pins, credentials, and photos tell the story of years dedicated to the Olympic Games, where medals go to the athletes, but memories and love of the competition last a lifetime.

"It's a challenge, but it's also fun to get it right," said Sarah.