For many of today’s judges, the only aspect of the assignment that is in their control is the actual evaluation of the entry in front of them. Every other part of the assignment is controlled by some other outside influence, and the situations we encounter can be very frustrating and stressful at any given show.
The first part of the process is getting to the location of the show. This is usually done by driving or flying to the location. The decision to drive or fly varies from person to person. Some will drive up to a certain amount of travel time or mileage while others prefer to fly for a variety of reasons. As we all know, driving may be impacted by several issues. The routes taken, traffic, weather, accidents, and backups can make a trip take several hours longer than planned, adding to the stress of getting there.
If the judge is flying, a whole new set of “out of your control” items kick in. Many judges try to get an early flight out to the show’s destination, just in case of cancellations and delays, which seem to happen more and more all the time. Take, for example, the weekend of July 19 of this year when the CrowdStrike computer glitch shut down thousands of flights. Carol and I had a 6:00 a.m. flight out of Knoxville that was canceled, and the rebooking would not get us to our location until the next day.
We contacted the airline and found that we could get a flight out of Nashville, about three hours away, for that afternoon, leaving at 4:00 p.m.. So, we drove to Nashville where the flight was also delayed a few hours. We were able to make our destination but it was after midnight when we finally arrived and, of course, we had to fly back to Nashville and then drive home, as our car was at the Nashville Airport. My understanding is that several judges for other shows had to cancel as they simply could not get to their locations.
Another aspect of flying is transportation from the airport to the show. Some clubs allow for a car rental, which has its own set of issues, or in many cases they assign a club member or service to pick up the judges and transport them. Occasionally they will schedule one pick-up time for several judges, and those who arrive early must then wait on later-arriving judges before transport. When this is done, the early judges are at the mercy of everybody running on time. I know of a judge who recently had to wait with the driver for seven hours because the judge they were waiting on was stuck on the tarmac waiting for a gate.
The other aspect of transportation can be to the show site and back to the hotel after judging, as well as providing a way for judges to get to the restaurant for dinner. If a judge is done with an early Group or has no Group assignments, they often have to wait until Best in Show is over to get back when, if they had a car, they could go back and relax at the hotel to rest and prepare for the next day’s judging.
Breakfast varies a great deal from hotel to hotel, and on most weekends those that offer some type of breakfast usually don’t start until 7:00 a.m. While most of today’s shows start at 8:00 a.m., this does not allow much time for eating and getting to the show on time.
The judges have no control over the schedule of the superintendents and, in some cases, they don’t make a lot of sense. We have good ring stewards as well as some who are not as well-trained, which can also make a day better or worse depending upon that person’s ability to keep things moving.
As judges, we deal with all kinds of exhibitors. Many are experienced, on time, ready to show, and keep things moving. Some are brand new and most of us want them to be successful, so we will take some extra time when possible to help them and make those first experiences good so that they will stay in the sport and continue to grow. We also have those exhibitors who could care less about their fellow exhibitors, making them and the judge wait while they switch dogs or don’t pay attention to the ring and come running into the ring late.
Exhibitors need to remember that a judge with a full load will be on his or her feet judging between 7-10 hours a day, including Groups. Being on time and showing good sportsmanship can help to make the judge’s day more enjoyable.
As judges, we are all trying to do the very best job we can. However, as you can see, there are also many things out of our control which can affect our assignment. In July, I had two very enjoyable and uniquely different judging assignments; one in Florida and one in Wisconsin.
The World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, was the site of this fantastic cluster. The Equestrian Center is just a superb facility in a phenomenal resort, with too many amenities to mention.
We arrived at the brand-new Riding Academy Hotel, a truly top-tier hotel with great features and a dog-friendly atmosphere. The rooms were large and spacious, with high-class decor, and the great grounds included a swimming pool. Multiple areas throughout the facility had poop bags available for cleaning up after the dogs. With a room rate of $179, including up to two dogs, this was one of the finest hotels I have stayed at in a long time.
The show building or Expo Center was air-conditioned and well-lit, with nice, large rings so that all of the dogs had plenty of room. It also had a very large area for grooming and crating.
Show Chair Vickie Jordan and her assistants, Michelle Aweshah and Debbie Murdock, went above and beyond to be sure that all of the judges’ needs were taken care of. We had a great judging panel, and Steve Herman was a great guide for finding a few dining places for us to enjoy.
The main hotel at the resort is filled with several restaurants and shops, and there is fantastic dog art to be found everywhere you look. Outside the main hotel is an outdoor Grand Prix Horse Jumping Arena where Cindy Lane, Gus Sinabaldi, Larry Terricone, and I spent Saturday evening, enjoying the competition on what was a very comfortable night in Florida. We were told the complex can accommodate up to 3,000 horses in the barns as well as 300-plus RVs with full hookups. There are multiple barns and arenas throughout and it is indeed a spectacular site. Being dog-friendly makes it even better. I hope other clubs can work with the facility, as it is one of the best.
The Central Wisconsin State Fairgrounds played host to the Marshfield Area Kennel Club. The fairgrounds houses the “World’s Largest Round Barn” and it is an impressive barn. The show itself was a throwback to the glory days of dog shows when local fairgrounds were the site of so many shows in years past.
Show Chairman Dale Meyer and all of the members of the club worked together to make it a great show for exhibitors and judges alike. The fairgrounds are nestled in Central Wisconsin and there really is no airport close by to fly into, so most of the judges flew into Minneapolis-St. Paul and drove three hours to the show. Flying into other airports would have required multiple plane changes, so we all decided Minneapolis-St. Paul was the best option. Little did we know it would be the weekend of the CrowdStrike computer shut down, but we all made it and we were all glad we did.
The local Marshfield Hotel was outstanding and the treatment by the staff was great. The hotel restaurant was very nice as were the breakfasts and the rooms themselves. It is especially nice when the judges have a good restaurant in the hotel to relax and enjoy dinner.
For me, the best thing about the show was the number of owner-handlers and brand-new exhibitors at the show. I would venture to guess that about 70 percent of the dogs exhibited were shown by owner-handlers. There was great sportsmanship between them and when we were able to help them and give them tips and suggestions they were all very appreciative of the attention given to them. This was especially true of several exhibitors who were experiencing their very first show.
On Sunday morning, the local ladies of the Sweet Adelines performed a great rendition of the National Anthem that brought the crowd to its feet with a loud and appreciative clapping gesture.
Being at the fairgrounds, the club provided a warm lunch each day prepared by members; a throwback to the “old days.”
Everything ran on time and, with a mid-sized entry and a panel of experienced judges, the shows ended between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. each day.
If you live in the Central Wisconsin area, these are shows that you will want to put on your schedule in the future.
So, the next time you are at a show and one of the judges looks a little out of sorts, it might just be that, for him or her, the hardest part of their weekend was getting there. No doubt, travel in the 21st century can be a real nuisance.
