 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last update - 11/18/05 Content Provider: Jim Orsborn Copyright © 2005 STCA |
 Observations From Ringside STCA National Sweepstakes, Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 by Jim Orsborn STCA Webmaster Edited by Tina Khera Photos courtesy of Bill Simmons
Preface If you have never been to an AKC Dog Show, this article is written from the perspective of a ringside observer and includes an explanation of some of the differences between a regular AKC dog show and a breed Sweepstakes show. One of the truly great things about a Sweepstakes is the opportunity to meet and talk with newcomers and fellow fanciers of the breed -- in fact a Sweepstakes show should be viewed as a tremendous learning opportunity for everyone. In fact, I had the opportunity to meet one such couple at ringside. They had come to Montgomery from North Carolina. This show was one of the first AKC Dog Shows that they had attended, but they were there on a special mission -- to pick up their new Scottie puppy from the breeder who had traveled from Texas for the weekend. We took the opportunity to talk about what was happening in the ring and these discussions became the seed for this article. Sweepstakes: A showcase event
for breeders and owners The Scottish Terrier Club of America hosts two Sweepstakes shows each year. The first is associated with the National Rotating show that is hosted by one of the Regional Scottish Terrier Clubs affiliated with the STCA. The second Sweepstakes show is always a special event, because it is held each year in association with the STCA's National Breed Specialty. Even though there are several other All-Breed Dog Shows held over the weekend; this weekend is always referred to as "Montgomery County Weekend" because it culminates with the Montgomery County Kennel Club's (MCKC) All-Terrier Dog Show. This is a very special AKC Dog Show because entries are restricted to the Terrier Breeds only. The 71st Annual MCKC Dog Show was scheduled for Sunday, October 9th 2005 at the Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, just north of Philadelphia, PA. For at least the past 15 years, the STCA Sweepstakes has been held the Friday before MCKC and has been held at the Lulu Temple in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The First Class -- 6 to 9 Month Male Puppies go First --
With almost 80 dogs entered in the show, there was a large crowd set up three deep around the ring as observers. I had a position across the ring from the entrance and close to the diagonal pathway across the ring. From this position, I had a clear view of two or three walkways, the examination table that was near the entrance, and both the entry and final placement lineup areas. The judge, Mr. William (Bill) Berry, asked the handlers to have the two dogs walk around the ring and then put the first dog on the examination table. Kathi Brown, Owner / Handler for the first dog, did as she was instructed. She placed her dog (known as number 184 by the armband worn on her left arm and listed in the catalog) on the table and had him strike a pose for the judge. The judge spent a few moments looking at the dog's bone structure, teeth, eyes and coat condition and then he asked the owner to take the dog for a walk around the ring. The second dog was examined in exactly the same manner. With the table examination of both dogs finished, Mr. Berry was ready to make his first choice as winner of the class. He had them make one final circle around the ring and then selected his first and second placement winners. First place went to number 184, Blueberry's Surely You Jest and second went to number 238, Beinnein's Advocate General. The winner of this first class, know as number 184, went on to win the 6 to 9 Month Puppy Division and then came back later to win Best In Sweeps for the day; but that was three and a half hours later after Mr. Berry had examined over 70 other Scotties. Miss the first 10 minutes of Sweeps The 6 to 9 Month Puppy Bitch class was bigger than the Dog class. With all 11 entries present in the ring at the same time, Mr. Berry had a full house. Sweepstakes are often held in conjunction with AKC Shows, but they serve a slightly different purpose and can follow slightly different procedures. Sweepstakes provide breeders and owners with a unique opportunity to show their breeding stock to other Scottie breeders from all around the country.
Once all of the entries were checked into the ring, Mr. Berry asked Nancy Walthers to take her entry around the ring twice, and then put her onto the examination table. Because the line of bitches extended half way around the ring, the judge asked to have the dogs go around the ring twice so that he could get a good look at their ring attitude and movement before seeing them on the table. As an observer from ringside, the author could see that this judge was going to include Scottie movement as a critical part of his examination. A pretty head, grooming and presentation were not going to be enough to win under this judge. Nancy Walthers was showing a bitch, SnoMtn's Touch Of Magic, that is co-owned by Gail Fisher, Ray Dubreuil and Linda White. Again, Mr. Berry took the opportunity to examine the bitch on the table. After the show, shared with this author some of the points that he was looking for when examining each dog.
After all of the movement exercises, Mr. Berry placed Kimberly Lindsay with her Wild Wind Dancing In The Dark in first place. Second place went to Nancy Walthers with SnoMtn's Touch Of Magic. Third and Fourth place went to Pamela Wilson with Wilscot's Fire N'Ice and Bill deVilleneuve with Duff-De Red Dirt Girl. Back to Top6 to 9 Month Division Winners
When finished, the judge assigned the following order to the 6 to 9 Month Division placements:
9 to 12 Month Division Classes
Every Scottie in the ring represented a quality dog that could be a winner on most any day at a local AKC Dog Show. Mr. Berry used the same procedures to examine these dogs as he used to examine entries in the previous division. After check-in, the first dog was asked to go around the ring twice and then go onto the table. Each dog was examined on the table, and then asked to take a walk with a triangular pattern. A final down and back walk was then followed by a walk around the ring to the back of the line to wait until all of the other dogs had been individually examined. Exhibitors should be aware that some judges will keep the entire class under observation at all times, while others will focus their attention on only specific elements. A judge is evaluating your dog anytime he he looking at you, pay attention to what the judge is doing anytime you are in the ring. Again, in this observer's opinion, exhibitors should always keep track of when the judge is (and is not) looking at them and never miss the opportunity to show the judge the best side of their entry.
The 9 to 12 Month Junior Dog winners were Nancy Walthers with Greatscot's Roadshow in first place and Debbie Brookes with Seafire's Mt. Rainer in second place. Then third and fourth place went to M-A-C The Magnum P.I. and Rosedale War Devil O'Kintail. The bitch entry in the 9 to 12 Month Division was rather large. There were 24 entries and only 4 were absent. Faced with 20 dogs in the class, the judge decided to divide the class into two groups. After judging each group, Mr. Berry had a list of 10 entries that he brought back into the ring for the final placement selection. With these 10 bitches in the ring took the time to have them move around the ring again and checked them over carefully. His final placements for the 9 to 12 Month Junior Bitch class were Kari Hill with Charthill Energizer in first place and Danica Burge with J-Mar's Elegant Attire in second place. The third and fourth placements went to Helen Krisko with Kriscot's Sweet Sonata and Bill deVilleneuve with Duff De Cinnamon Girl.
The first and second place winners from the Junior Dog and Junior Bitch classes were brought back for the 9 to 12 Month Division competition. After examining these four winners again, Mr. Berry made the following selections for the four, 9 to 12 Month Division placements:
12 to 18 Month Division Classes & Best In Sweeps The 12 to 18 Month Dog Class had eleven entries, with only 1 dog absent. After examining each dog and having them perform similar movement exercises, Mr. Berry made the following placements for this class: First Place went to Anstamm Stonewall Jackson, handled by Cindy Cooke. Second place went to Besscotts Murphy Of McClune, handled by Elizabeth Cooper. Third and fourth placements went to Charthill Ball Of Fire and Charthill Masterpiece. The 12 to 18 Month Bitch Class had eighteen entries with only 2 bitches absent. So again, Mr. Berry had to divide the class into two groups of 8 bitches. Mr. Berry cut these two groups down to 8 entries that were brought back into the ring, and from these he selected the following placements: First Place went to Ruffton Ragtime Rhythm, handled by Rick Fowler. Second Place went to Strutfires Amazing Grace, handled by Donna Cone. Third and fourth placements went to Barbary Bit Of A Vamp and Neidfyre Beautiful Obsession. The final placements for the 12 to 18 Month Division were:
It was now approaching 5:30 PM. A long day for the judge, exhibitors and spectators alike; but there still remained one final class and the selection of the overall winner for the day. As the final class, Mr. Berry asked to have the three Division winners brought back into the ring. The dog and two bitches took the ring with style and grace. They went around the ring once, with heads held high, ears alert and full of Scottie attitude and presence. These were truly three wonderful Scotties. They each represented breeding program with years of experience. But Mr. Berry still had the task of selecting only one of these dogs as the Best In Sweepstakes for the day.
Closing Remarks The Annual STCA Dinner and Awards Banquet followed the completion of Sweepstakes judging. At one point during the dinner, the Show Chairman, STCA VP Karen Hansen, asked Mr. Berry to come to the podium and offer some comments on his assignment as Sweepstakes Judge. After taking the podium, Bill express his feeling about what a great honor and privilege it was to have been asked to judge the STCA's National Sweepstakes. Throughout his remarks, one could see how truly moved he had been by the whole experience. As a ringside observer, I can say that Mr. Berry treated each and every entry with the EXACT SAME opportunity. As he said during his remarks, all cards were "face up" on the table and he judged each entry as an equal. Every judge, whether they are an AKC judge or a breeder Sweepstakes judge has to determine their own procedures and priorities for conducting their examinations. AKC guidelines and our own STCA Breed Standard for the Scottish Terrier provide a foundation for these elements, but they do not and cannot offer a formula. Because in the end, judging Scotties (and other breed as well) is an art rather than a science. After the STCA Banquet, I took the opportunity to tell Mr. Berry what a great job I felt he had done judging Sweepstakes. He confirmed to me (as well as earlier during his public remarks) that movement had indeed been a significant element in his judgment. Although some faults had been noted during the individual table examinations, the final decisions were typically based on movement and overall Scottie attitude and ring presence. Quick Links: |
||||||||||||||||||
References to terms used in this article
Note: Some Sweepstakes will follow the format shown
on the right. In this case, the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch
would compete for the
Best In Sweeps award. The other would then become the Best of
Opposite Sex to the Best In Sweepstakes.
Behind The Scenes, is a
story about the STCNO Specialty which follows a traditional
class order.
|
