New IRV Judging Officer – Katharina Heymann

From 1 January 2024, Katharina Heymann will take over from Miriam Kaufmann as IRV Judging Officer and leader of the IRV judging team. Miriam will continue as a judging team member. Katharina has been part of the IRV judging team for many years, and alongside Alexander Müller, she has had an instrumental role in the developing and writing of the new IRV Code of Points. Known as KC in the wheel gymnastics family, Katharina has been part of the judging team at many World Championships. She has prepared and led judging courses on site and online, and is also active as a coach for international elite gymnasts.

“It is a huge task to take over this position from Miriam”, says Katharina. “Few people are aware of the sheer quantity of work Miriam has done over the years.”

Miriam’s work has provided a structural framework for the entire Code of Points, including the difficulty catalogues, with the recognition and implementation of new elements. Miriam has gathered a competent team around her with whom she meets on a weekly basis to discuss elements, structure groups and classifications in all wheel gymnastics disciplines. It is not an exaggeration to say that Miriam is the living Code of Points – or as IRV President Henning Henningsen puts it: “Miriam has laid the foundation for the IRV judging system, which is used by all the member countries.”

Sometimes people do not understand why the IRV Code of Points needs to be “frozen” from time to time. The Code of Points is a living document, functioning a little bit like the human body: If your knee has a problem, this could stem from your hip or your foot. The same principle applies to the Code of Points. If something is changed in the general regulations, this will have repercussions for other sections, which means that it is constantly being revisited and re-written. This makes it necessary to have periods where no changes are made so that the judging team has time to work on preparing the next stage of development.

While Miriam is stepping down from the front line, she will continue to work on the difficulty catalogues and will also provide advisory support to the IRV in the future. Miriam has been preparing for this change for a long time and has passed on her diligent working style to Katharina.

“It is incredible how much Miriam has achieved for our sport over the years”, says Hennig Henningsen. “She can be proud of what she has accomplished, and we as the IRV are extremely proud of her and grateful for her work and dedication.” The president is particularly happy that there will be no disruption in this vital part of the development of wheel gymnastics.

Thank you Miriam and welcome Katharina!