DynaMath
May/June 2008

Read an exciting interview with the person we profiled in this issue's Math on the Job article!

For this issue of DynaMath, we talked to Pat Panichas. Panichas is a college professor and a former gymnastics coach. She's also a judge at this summer's Olympic Games!

DynaMath: How did you get involved in judging gymnastics? What kind of test did you have to take?

Pat Panichas: I was an athlete. My coach encouraged me to take the test. There's two parts to the test. One part is where you judge a film, and the other part is the written exam.

DynaMath: Is there any math in the written exam, or is it mostly to test your skills in judging gymnastics?

Panichas: It's mainly testing your skills in judging gymnastics. If they say, What is the maximum deductions (points you can take off), and they gave a series of deductions, you would have to be able to add them up.

DynaMath: Were you a competitive gymnast?

Panichas: Yes. I competed at the World University Games (a competition for college athletes).

DynaMath: When you were a gymnast, did you have a favorite piece of equipment?

Panichas: I liked all of them, but I liked balance beam a lot.

DynaMath: How did you get to be an Olympic judge?

Panichas: The FIG (Federation of International Gymnastics) does a draw (like a raffle) for the A panel. They draw by country. Then they draw by judge. The United States was drawn as one of the countries that would have a member on the A panel for the Olympics. Out of all of the people in the U.S. who could be a judge, one person's name is picked. It's the luck of the draw.

DynaMath: Do you consider it an honor to be doing this?

Panichas: Absolutely! I think it'll be a once in a lifetime experience. It'll be very exciting to represent the country and watch our athletes do really well.

DynaMath: Is being an Olympic judge your main job?

Panichas: No. I'm full–time faculty (teacher) at Southern Connecticut State University in the exercise science department. I coached for 28 seasons; I'm not coaching anymore. I was coaching and teaching; now I teach only. We prepare physical education teachers.

DynaMath: What kind of skills do you need to be an Olympics gymnastics judge?

Panichas: I think it helps to have some kind of gymnastics experience, as an athlete or a coach. That is very helpful. You have to make sure you're in the gym so you're seeing the skills on a regular basis. And then it's a matter of being able to determine: is it the correct angle, and is it the correct deduction if it's not?

DynaMath: Thank you Pat, and good luck at the Olympics!