Page 124 - ShowSight - December 2019

Who’s Running The Show?
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show experienced members no longer have the energy nor desire to do the job. They did it for many years and for that the club and I are eternally grateful. Having been an exhibitor and also a professional han- dler for decades I have a pretty good idea of who the judges are and also of what the exhibitors are looking for or hoping for in a panel. Any club member that offers sug- gestions is always listened to as well but the numbers and assignments have to work first and foremost.
What activities other than conforma- tion do you offer?
Besides conformation we also offer rally and obedience trials and we also offer either round table discussions or panel discussion each year for our exhibitors with a few of our judges participating. During the rest of
the year we offer obedience classes that are open to the public and we often do a meet the breeds event.
Tell us about your Juniors programs or Pee Wee programs.
Our club offers scholarships to our junior members or to children of mem- bers. We have also offer Junior and 4H handling seminars when ever we can get enough interest and we welcome Juniors to participate in our Obedience classes that the club offers to the public. We have found that inviting kids to join our obe- dience classes is a great way to also intro- duce them to conformation and the dog show world.
Does the judges’ hotel have a restaurant? Shuttle to the show?
The hotel we use for judges has a restau- rant that is right next store and connected to the sister hotel on the same property. We use this particular hotel for our judges because it is currently the only hotel in the city that offers a shuttle service! They do let us use it not only to and from the airport but also to and from the show grounds.
Do you pick up your judges or prefer them to rent cars or use ride share?
We make sure that the shuttle service has their schedules and when needed we have a few stand by members who are avail- able for rides. Because of our remote loca- tion we rarely have judges who drive and we really can not afford to reimburse them if they rent a car.
What type of lunch do you offer judges? Any organized judges’ dinner or activity?
We are blessed with a member who sets up the judges lunch with a different caterer each day. In the past we have also had mem- bers who could cook a wonderful spread of homemade foods which were highly com- plimented by our judges! We no longer offer any judges dinners due to the mispercep- tions of exhibitors who fear that if judges socialize with club members that there will be some favoritism or cheating going on so now we do what we need to to avoid such misperceptions. As a show chairman I never show at our shows and no members of my family do either and no dogs owned or co- owned by me or my family are exhibited either. As a club we do love the time spent with our judges and exhibitors who choose to participate in our panel discussions or round tables and we do offer a dinner that is included with that event. It really brings judges and exhibitors together and lets exhibitors get to know judges some on a more personal level and sometimes it even allows exhibitors understand that judges are just dog people like they are!
Who handles in-ring hospitality during judging?
Our club member who runs the judges lunch room will do it or they have runners who are volunteers who go around and check on judges needs during judging.
Do your Club members pitch in?
We have a great club that though small has very involved members. Some have had the same jobs for years and others step in and do what is needed. We even have mem- bers who have had to move away from the city and yet continue to come back and help during the shows! Many of our club members are just dog owners who want to be involved with dogs and they don’t even show or compete! A club is only as capable as it’s members. One of the things I found extremely important is making sure that the members and volunteers know they are not only needed but very much appreciated. I do all I can to be positive, supportive and I work hard to keep things positive even when negative things happen. Whining never solves any issues and bickering among members is the most destructive thing that can happen to any club.
Do you have an idea for judges’ gifts that will be appreciated?
We used to do judges gifts but eventu- ally gave it up due to almost all of our judges flying in and not wanting to have to pack things on the trip home. When most of our judges expressed that they were just happy getting the assignment and appreciated the hard work we do taking care of them while they are at our shows we decided to no longer offer judges gifts. I think most of them knew that when you hire as many
122 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019