This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, August 2014 issue.
While we have been a member of the Judges Education Committee of the Collie Club of America for many years, it was in the last three terms that the greatest strides were made. Prior to that, several members of the committee had been approached by judges both new and old, who seemed to be somewhat confused as to the most important details to be concerned with when judging the Collie. It seems that whenever these individuals went to more than one presentation on judging the Collie, the presenters seemed to have different ideas as to what was most important, as well as having a different interpretation of the Standard.
When the previous committee met for the first time, this was something that we discussed in detail, and at that time, the head of our committee, Tom Coen, had the idea of putting together a DVD that could be shared by all breed mentors so that the “message” delivered to all aspiring judges would be the same and would help deflect any confusion. Following the AKC guidelines of what needed to be included, the committee set to work to produce the product. Committee members came to the meeting with a variety of pictures of the “ideal.” Seeing as they bred different families of dogs and came from different genetic backgrounds, it gave us the opportunity to use a cross section of photos. A great deal of time was spent in selecting the right photos. All too often, the dogs that many felt were outstanding, unfortunately, did not have the photographs to depict the “ideal.
” The message was clear—we had to select the BEST photos that represented the IDEAL of the characteristics and details in the most flattering and positive way. Last year, a new addition was added to our “judges packet.” A quick “Vignette” of the Collie—something a judge could glance at quickly before judging the breed, and something that they could refer to at any given time. In short, it was a reminder of all that the Collie is about… in beauty, in structure, in details and in balance. Please see the pictures of the Vignette! In addition to the DVD and the Vignette, the Judges Education Committee also created a mentor list, which anyone can find on our National website—www.collieclubofamerica.org.
In order to become a breed mentor, one has to qualify with certain criteria. Once that criteria has been met, and the individual is approved, they are added to the mentor list. Since our National specialty rotates through seven zones throughout the country, the mentors available in those areas volunteer to sit with attendees from the Judges Education program throughout the National week and share insights and thoughts with new judges. This gives the new judges multiple perspectives to learn from.
