The judge was wrong on both counts.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO criteria in a spin that requires the plane to stop forward motion. ALL that is required is that the plane is stalled. Relative ground speed is irrelevant. This judge needs some more schoolin.

In many figures, especially in the lower classes, the count method works close enough. It all depends on how much energy is lost during the roll elements on the line. You need to practice your count method to see how close it comes to giving you equal lines.