Page 52 - Showsight December 2020

HOW ABOUT A
We are on the verge of a new year and, after 2020, I am sure we are looking forward to some type of return to normalcy.
We have just survived a year in which so many things have happened. Debates and bad behavior have become more of the norm than the rare occurrences of the past. We live in a divided country and a world in which people do not seem to respect those who may have different views and ideologies from their own. Lack of respect does not only occur in the world of politics, but also in many other facets of our lives. Recently, our sport (as well as our ability to hold shows and trials) has suffered in too many ways to count.
Everyone in this country is entitled to his or her own opinions; it is one of the great protections of our constitution. Free speech is what makes America so unique and the envy of many other countries in our world. But free speech also has its victims as some people do not consider the harm they may be causing others by their comments, tweets, posts, and the like.
Nowhere in our sport, it seems, does expressing one’s opin- ion show up more than in the critiquing of the judging com- munity. I always tell new judges that once they start officiat- ing they need to grow a thick skin because, no matter what they do, the critics will be plentiful and not always kind.
This is not about pointing fingers at anyone. Rather, it is about respecting our sport and everyone involved (before we get to the point where we destroy it for any newcomer due to the behavior they see within the sport).
I started my journey in this sport of purebred dogs in 1972. Looking back, I believe it was a time when our sport was in its prime. In those days we had a ton of sanctioned “B” matches, a place where breeders, novice exhibitors—and even the occa- sional professional—would take their youngsters to practice and hone their skills for the confor- mation as well as the obedience rings. Living in Northeast Ohio at the time, one could attend a match on most weekends within a drive of two to three hours; they were plentiful and a great place for the novice to learn. Matches were also a place where prospective judges would learn (through true hands-on experience) about the breeds they were considering judging. Since you entered the match in the morning and the judging would follow later in the day with no published schedule, judges and exhibitors had plenty of time to talk, teach, and learn from one another. When you talk today with people who have been around that long, you will find that we all have fond memories of those times. They not only taught us about our breed and our sport, but also about the value of differ- ent opinions and outlooks on various things going on in our sport at the time. The decline in these matches is a lost opportunity for newcomers to our sport as they were a great asset in preparing for the “Real Shows.”
50 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2020
“NEW YEAR’S”
RESOLUTION FOR US ALL
BY WALTER SOMMERFELT