Some musings...... > But whenever I hear judges admit that they know judging isn't always honest I > have to ask Why don't you do anything about it?
There's nothing we *can* do as judges. As exhibitors and club members we can choose not to show under them and not to hire them for our shows. > Surely if judges themselves have no power to push for clean up of > their profession then what chance do exhibitors have of enacting change? Don't hire them and don't enter under them. There is no system in place at the AKC to remove breeds from judges. > What kind of monitoring is in place for judges? Constant. The reps are there at every turn. And actually they're fun! If you don't mind talking about your decision making process they can be lots of fun to work with. They know a lot and have seen much more than I ever will..... > Is there any kind of periodic evaluation? Pretty much at every show. We are often observed and we have a conversation with the rep at the end of the day regarding their observations and our thought processes. > Are results randomly reviewed and evaluated? Results are NOT reviewed outside of actual ring performances (i.e. not on paper) because that is subjective opinion. However, if a rep watches and has questions we MUST be able to talk about our decisions "using language from the standard". > Is there any kind of periodic re-certification? No. The only way judges can know where they stand is whether they get new breeds or not. If they get a lot, they're doing well. If they get a few, they're on review. If they don't get any, they're washed up. But there is no way to remove breeds. > I am curious not so much as how hard > it is to become a judge It's hard! It's a lot of work, takes a lot of money and all of your free time. There are specialties to attend, seminars to attend, judges institutes to attend, breeders to visit, tests to take, books to read, videos to watch...... Try doing all of that in some of the rare breeds, like American Water Spaniels. It's a challenge! > but as to what is done to assure judges continue to > do a good job once they are appointed, Can't be done. It's such a subjective exercise that it is very difficult to say whether most decisions are "right" or "wrong". When a judge really blows it and the rep is watching, things will happen behind the scenes that you'll never see. I've had to coach a well respected judge on a breed at ringside (outside not inside) because of a decision he had made a few days before. > especially when they start picking up > more breeds. It gets harder and harder because it's new territory. > I'd love to see the ruling bodies take dogs in the ring annonymously with > obvious flaws according to the breed standards or alteration say... an > obviously trimmed Cavalier, stretch and stack it and see if the judge acts > appropriately. But what if the entry is so mediocre that it still is the best dog in the ring? It happens you know. (Spare me the withhold ribbons response out there, okay?) > If judges didn't know when they were going to be observed > and/or tested it might help. I doubt it. We're tested and observed at basically every show. > Maybe these kinds of things are in place already I don't know. Yep. > Peer pressure can inact change much faster then anyone can from the outside. Not in this case. We can't police the body when we're all busy worrying about being responsible for our own ring behaviors. Something about stones and glass houses. It is, after all, only a dog show...... > Perhaps the greatest piece of > evidence is that there are people who spend thousands of dollars advertising > in dog magazines in order to facilitate wins. Isn't that horrible~?!? As a judge I find it terribly offensive. What do they think we are? Stupid? Pliable? Well, okay <G> maybe some of us are, but for the most part I think the entire sport would be for the better if the magazines and big money backers would just all go away. > The owners used inherited money and are now broke. As my husband likes to say, "And this too shall have its own reward...." > I guess where I differ from others is that I accept it. No one puts a > gun to my head to show dogs. I do it because I enjoy it. Good for you! Me too! "Take the high road" is the theme in our handling seminars. > Yet I think the jokes will persist because there really is politics in dog > showing. Only if you keep the thought alive. > I commend you and > the many other dog show judges who are completely honest. Completely? Hey! Who raised the bar?!? <G> Nancy ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
