How referees check takes

Takes on OpenContest are checked on a ladder that gets stricter the higher a take ranks. Every take gets an automatic check. Anyone can flag a take they think is wrong. A referee reviews every take in a top 10 and every new record. And if you disagree with a ruling, a different referee hears your appeal. The videos behind ranked results stay public, so anyone can check them.

Why a ladder and not one check

Not every take needs the same scrutiny. A first attempt at the strict pull up contest that lands mid-table on a city board does not need a referee counting frame by frame. A take that sets a city record does. The ladder puts the most careful checking where it matters most: at the top of the boards, where people care about the result and where a wrong result would push someone else down.

Step 1: the automatic check

Every take is checked as soon as it is submitted. The automatic check looks at three things:

• Is the take unbroken? Official contests need one continuous take filmed in the app, with no cuts and no edits.
• What is the result? Reps are counted, or the time or hold is measured.
• Does the form hold up? Reps that break the rules are flagged, for example a pull up where the chin is not over the bar.

While this runs, the take shows as Checking. If it passes, it shows as Counted: it is ranked on the boards but has not been reviewed by a person.

Much of this happens while you are still filming. The live counter and form check in the app flag reps that do not count as you do them, so most problems are caught before you ever press submit.

Step 2: flags from anyone

Anyone can flag a take they think is wrong. A flagged take shows as Needs a look until it has been checked.

Flags are useful because people who know a contest well spot things: a hip that never reached depth, a foot that touched the box. But flags can also be used to get at someone, so anonymous flags against friends are limited. People cannot use the flag button to attack each other.

Step 3: a referee for the top 10 and records

When a take lands in a top 10, on any board, or sets a new record, a referee reviews it. Referees work in a console on the web with tools built for this:

• the video with frame stepping, so they can stop on the exact moment a rep is in question;
• a recount of every rep, or a check of the time;
• approve, which marks the take as Verified;
• reject with a reason and a timestamp, so you can see exactly what was ruled out and where;
• ask for a re-film when the video cannot settle the question, for example when part of the body is out of frame.

When you submit a take, the thank-you screen tells you when to expect the result, and you get a notification when it is in.

For gym contests, staff at the gym can act as referees on their own gym’s contests.

Step 4: appeals

If a take or a rep is not counted, you see the reason and the timestamp where it happened. You can try again, or you can appeal.

To appeal, explain why you think the ruling is wrong and point to the moment in the video that shows it. A different referee from the one who made the first decision reviews it. Their decision is final. A second pair of eyes catches honest mistakes without turning every result into a long argument.

Strikes and bans

Most takes that are not counted are honest mistakes: a rep that was short, a phone that slipped. Those carry no penalty beyond the result.

Repeat cheating is different. It earns strikes, and an account that keeps cheating is banned. When an account is banned, its takes are removed from the boards, so the people who were pushed down by them move back up.

Why ranked videos stay public

The videos on ranked boards stay public, so anyone can watch the take behind any result. This is the part of the system that holds the rest together.

A result without proof is a claim. A result with a public video is something anyone can check: the record holder’s take is shown at the top of every board, and you can watch every rep of the take ranked one place above you. Public videos also keep the referees honest, because their decisions are visible to everyone who watches.

How to make the checks easy

The best way through the ladder is a take that leaves nothing to argue about: phone propped up at the angle the contest asks for, whole body and equipment in frame, good light, and a recording that starts before the first rep and ends after the last. How to film a take that counts covers all of it, with the right angle for contests like the deadlift.

And if you want to know why being checked at every level is worth it, everyone is first somewhere explains how a single take is ranked on many boards at once.