The obstacles you list can be overcome if a club wants to. You need a well balanced membership the feels the breed deserves to be exhibited in all venures (been preaching that forever) or a realistic membership that knows if you do the trials well, you can financially support your club's specialty ectivities, educational programs, etc. You need members who are willing to work - willing to assist other clubs and get them to assist you. You have to be willing to get up at 3 to be able to be at the tracking park at 7 and standing by until it is time to walk with the judges plotting the tracks. Then do it again the next day to lay the tracks. You have to be willing to work the events you do not compete in because you want other club members to work the events you do compete in. You have to search for facilities. We all want ot do what we love best and just want the events to happen. But in order to do that we have to be willing to help out to allow others to have their events. Of course if you do not want to do the work, you could always come up with the money to hire others ... (but you will miss out on a lot of the sport of dogs that way) Ruth ________________________________ From: "ejdegen@xxxxxxx" <ejdegen@xxxxxxx> To: Stormy435@xxxxxxx Cc: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thu, January 21, 2010 10:02:36 AM Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: mixed breeds competing in AKC As someone else has already stated, it might be "possible" to add judges, however it is usually not PRACTICAL in agility trials. Besides the SPACE required (which usually isn't available); the additional equipment needed is not normally available and even if it would be, it is extremely expensive. Stormy asks "why aren't more specialty clubs offering them"....well, they need to be approved to do it and it does take a *lot* of workers! Some of my favorite trials to go to, tho, are run by some "other" breed specialty clubs. They've committed to the time and work it takes to put on the trials, they pick good judges (agility may be a "mostly" objective sport with the actual judging, but the judges design the courses, so we like judges that design decent courses!), they give great incentives to work their trials and they have them in good locations on safe equipment. Tracking is usually limited by space required as well as workers. You need experienced people to be tracklayers. Tracking judges and workers commit to working ALL DAY two days in a row (one day plotting tracks, the next day running them). It is a lot of work and, depending on the terrain, can be exhausting. Tracking is not a money making event...but we greatly appreciate any clubs that commit to putting them on! :-) Course C is limited because of the numerical limits a judge can judge per day (because of the length of time each run requires) as well as the large number of sheep required for the course. It takes a lot of sheep to do Course C and they need to be conditioned to be worked on Course C or no one will enter! You also need a very large area for Course C and most places just don't have the ability to have multiple courses set up. Julie Degen _www.caissonkennels.com_ (http://www.caissonkennels.com/) "A well-balanced German Shepherd has a title on both ends!" In a message dated 1/21/2010 10:47:10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Stormy435@xxxxxxx writes: Julie raises some important points and there are more questions than answers. When conformation shows have more than the expected entries, do they have the option of getting a second judge? I know in the all breed rings, there is some shuffling around when entries exceed the limits. Do Performance trials have that same option? If Agility trials are that popular (wow!), is there a mechanism for opening another ring, bringing in another judge? Obedience? Rally has become very popular, rings are easy to set up, add a judge?Do AKC agility trials have that kind of entry? Why aren't more specialty clubs offering them... oh, right, workers in the rings and out of them :-( Tracking is another story. Tracking has been so difficult to enter for what seems like ages. Space needed, time per dog, helpers, etc. And are there less tracking judges than other venues? Is that the same, by the way for herding Class C? Time and space? It seems that even without the added entries of mixed breeds there is a problem. What are the solutions to the first problem, then that might make the second problem not so great? I don't have answers, just questions :-) I would bet with the correct outcry of unsterilized mixed breeds registration privileges will get that one changed quickly. Stormy ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2009. 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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/ ============================================================================