[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Boring National? What the ????
- From: <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <hckryhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "ShowGSD_L" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:18:06 -0500
I had intended to write to Christine privately, but seeing how her post to me
was public, I'll go public as well...
Christine, I agree with some of what you've said, but I still say the National
wasn't boring. Just not for the reason you presumed -- i.e. due to my
fledgling dog career. (Which, by the way, I'm very much aware and don't need
to be reminded.)
Christine, despite the fact that I am an ignorant newbie, please don't presume
to know what I do or do not understand about competition and the thrill of the
win -- in *any* sport. You don't know much about me or my past. If you did,
you'd realize just how presumptuous you are being.
Before I go any further, I must say -- please don't respond to anything I write
unless you first learn how to read. Now where in my post did you see me
mention the word "exciting" in reference to the judging? I think you'll find
the words "tedium," ("tedium" as in -- dullness owing to length or slowness.)
"different," "confusing," "learning experience." I think you'll even find
the word "disappointing." What you will *not* find is the word "exciting."
In fact, you will not find the word "exciting" mentioned anywhere in my entire
post.
But, yes, I did find it exciting seeing the bitch that went GVX. I know, I
know. I wouldn't (shouldn't) know a good dog if it came up and bit me in the
a#@. But, I don't live my life by listening to people who tell me what I
should or should not know or what I should or should not do. And, I did find
portions of the Specials competition very exciting. As did the crowd that was
cheering and stomping on the bleachers. (Perhaps you weren't in the building
when this was happening.)
Yes, I did find it exciting getting a "bird's eye" view of the dogs no matter
whether they were standing, walking, coming&going, trotting, whatever... And,
I did find it exciting to actually lay my hands on several Select dogs and
bitches to *feel* their structure and to evaluate their temperament in some
small way.
And yes, I did find it exciting standing right beside judges/breeders/handlers
and listening/talking to these people. This was one of the greatest learning
experiences in the world. I even found it exciting discussing the health
problems and the future of the GSD with people who were already in the Breed
while I was still a kid and know more about the Breed than I can ever hope to
learn.
In fact, I find LEARNING to be extraordinarily exciting! I always have and
always will.
The bottom line -- Yes, I would have liked to have seen some of the dogs moved
longer -- at ALL speeds, in a *bigger* ring, and on better turf. I know I'll
get to see this at next year's National and I'm looking forward to it
immensely. And I do know that no matter the judging format and no matter how
many Nationals I attend, I will *never* be bored! Fellow newbies reading this,
GO TO THE NATIONALS!!! You won't be disappointed.
Paulette McGuirt, GSDCA Member
Allemande German Shepherds
Qui Me Amat, Amat et Canem Meam
----- Original Message -----
From: <hckryhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "ShowGSD_L" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 12:22 AM
Subject: RE: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Boring National? What the ????
Paulette, Perhaps since Nationals are relatively new to you, this one
seemed exciting. In my opinion, the "art" of evaluating dogs, was relegated
to "paint by numbers" in the Intersex competition When you look in the
stands and folks are reading books( not their catalogs), reading the paper,
talking on their phones, chit chatting, eating at the concessions, sitting
out in their vans, something must be askew. The "tone" was set for this
national a couple of months ago when the wind was blown right out of the
sails of most of the fancy by the intersex judge when all exhibitors were
put on notice that the dogs would be "walked" with a "scribe"writing down
the evaluations. Exhibitors and spectators want a dog "show".."show" being
the key word. We come to see the dogs gaited..compared and evaluated. We
want to get excited about the dogs we see. You don't understand this
Paulette, because at this time in your fledgling dog career, you have not
had the experience of hearing the crowd cheer your dog on to a GV or select
title, or even a class win.When the judge brings the favorites out..looks
at them..moves them around, lets each of the top contenders lead..allowing
the fancy in the stands to also evaluate and lend their support to their
favorite..it gives you goose bumps!! As a breeder, if I breed a dog that is
a good mover, I want the fancy to see it comparatively and I hopefully want
the fancy to have a chance to get excited about the dog I am showing!
Some day, when you experience this, you will fully understand why many felt
cheated of the opportunity this year.We had in our presence this year a few
great moving dogs and bitches, unfortunately, with the exception of about
one pass trotting, we never got to see the movement of these dogs
showcased. However,we did get to see dogs pulling in a walk, and we did get
to see( and I timed it) anywhere from 4-6 minutes of the dog standing
during the individual, while the judge filled out some check list that was
meaningless to most the exhibitors, but perhaps had some meaning for the
judge. So at the end of the day, I don't think I would exactly choose
"boring" as the word to describe the intersex judging, I would describe it
as" passionless." Christine
hckryhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Steve and Christine Grainger
WWW.HICKORYHILLGSD.COM
> [Original Message]
> From: <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: ShowGSD_L <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 11/10/2008 2:42:53 PM
> Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Boring National? What the ????
>
> Having returned from Beaumont and read some of the posts regarding the
National, I'm scratching my head and wondering if I attended the same event
as some of the folks who have posted to the List. Or, perhaps I did attend
the same event and someone slipped something into my tea?
>
> I stood ringside throughout the judging of the entire BOB competition.
(The ring was such that one could stand just inches away from the dogs if
they chose to do so.) And no, I did not fall asleep. <G> In *my* reality,
here's what I saw and did not see...
>
> Helen did not give the dogs *only* one shot around the ring. They did
get more than one opportunity to prove themselves. Coming and going was
repeated until the judge was satisfied with the evaluation. The dogs which
Helen judged as having temperament issues were dwelt with discretely by
placement toward the end of their prospective groups.
>
> Helen did ask the handlers to move the dogs at different paces. (Helen
did ask that the dogs walk.) Gaiting was carried out in an orderly
fashion. Dogs were not allowed to bunch up or overrun one another. When a
dog was not being moved as Helen asked, she spoke to the handler and asked
that the dog be taken around again. The dogs and bitches were gaited
quite extensively. (Unless, one considers gaiting at a *moderate* pace to
be something other than gaiting.)
>
> Sure, what I described above caused the judging to take longer than
usual. And, the format of Helen's judging was indeed "different." Yes, it
was a little confusing when the groups were brought back into the ring and
were lined up side by side. But, there was a method to Helen's "madness."
As Helen explained at the Victory dinner, she did this for the benefit of
the spectators. As a comparative study.
>
> Yes, it was a *very* long day. Everyone was tired and my feet hurt like
the dickens. But, I would not have missed this "boring" National for the
world! I would gladly stand another 8 hours (or more) to recapture that
moment when Olivia first walked into the ring with the incredible Open
bitch who went on to became WB and our new Grand Victrix. She took my
breath away!!!
>
> Then, when Liz brought this bitch back in for the Specials competition,
nothing else mattered... I didn't give a d%#@ how badly my feet hurt. Or
how tired I was. Or how anything I was. I was at the NATIONAL and
watching one of the *finest* specimens of the *greatest* Breed in the world
gait around that ring! The bitches that placed behind this glorious girl
were the icing on the cake! And, all this after spending half the day
watching and studying some pretty darn good Dogs!
>
> What a *privilege* it was to attend this year's National! What an
incredible learning experience it was! Congratulations to all the winners,
their wonderful dogs, and their *hardworking* handlers. Thank you to the
judges who came and did the job they were asked to do. Thank you to the
Board and everyone who worked so hard to make the 2008 National a success.
And, thank you to Evan and Zoe for bringing the National to the PP's who
were unable to attend.
>
> A bit of tedium? Sure. Some disappointments? Of course. Sad times?
Unfortunately, yes. A few "say what?" moments? Yup. A boring National?
NO WAY! How could being under the same roof with so many of the finest
dogs in the world and the people who love them *ever* be boring?
>
> Plus, I got to meet and talk for some time with the infamous Ed Barritt.
Ed told me his life story. Now, *that* was definitely not boring! <VBG>
>
>
> Paulette McGuirt, GSDCA Member
> Allemande German Shepherds
> Qui Me Amat, Amat et Canem Meam
>
>
============================================================================
> POST is Copyrighted 2008. All material remains the property of the
original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS
of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author
AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
>
> ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
>
> For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
> NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
>
============================================================================
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2008. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
============================================================================
Other related posts:
