[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: was....Check out the numbers
- From: <cnnpmm2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:18:26 -0400
Kathy <Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx> writes: How our clubs made it appealing in the
past and how the SV does it today...I just don't know.
I don't presume to know the answer either. All I can do is relate what I saw
at the North American Sieger Show I attended last Fall. Showing in the SV ring
is a TEAM sport. Usually involving whole families and/or groups of friends.
There are still "politics" involved. There are still some dogs who win and you
just don't understand why, but people *of all ages* are having FUN at these
shows. They mingle. The dogs mingle. And, lots of kids are thrown into the
mix. This fact bothered me just a little when I looked down to see a youngster
cramming dirt and grass into my dog's ears, but I forgave the little bugger.
(She was pretty darn cute and just an unruly "pup.")
Anyhow, I think the key is to somehow instill camaraderie into the sport of
showing dogs. I think that's what's missing in the AKC ring. When people in
the Breed tell me about the "good old days," they don't just talk about the
huge entries, they tell me about the great times they had just getting to the
shows with their friends-- by convoy, trains, whatever. They speak of talking
dogs into the wee hours of the morning -- *after* the shows. Or, they tell of
the fantastic parties revolving around shows. The good times weren't just
about the dogs. Perhaps everyone is just getting too old and too tired for
this stuff? Not meant as a criticism -- I'm not exactly a teenager myself
anymore. But, when I look around at a show and see that I'm a "youngster," I
*know* we need "new blood." How to bring in the newbies? That I haven't
figured out...
Paulette McGuirt, GSDCA Member
Wellborn-Allemande German Shepherds
Qui Me Amat, Amat et Canem Meam
----- Original Message -----
From: <Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx>
To: <RChesnut70502@xxxxxxx>; <HelenFranklin520@xxxxxxx>;
<showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:54 AM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: was....Check out the numbers
Helen,
I remember the very tail end of the large number days. In a huge class
you had one or two contenders and the rest wouldn't make it out of today's
pet pile.
Now, the puzzle for me is how in the "old days" you had so many people
willing to run around with a dog that didn't have a chance in hell of
finishing. The same holds true for the numbers you reference from the SV. A
few
are good ones, many aren't.
Today, the only people we see dragging dogs around without a shot are
newbies. Then, bless their hearts, they either smarten up or go broke. If
they smarten up, they show up the following season with a better specimen.
Most of "us" don't start a dog who couldn't finish, or, if we're on the
fence, we might give them a handful of shows to see what we think.
If I don't have something competitive in a particular situation, I can have
a great time at a show without showing anything. In fact, I have a MUCH
better time than if I brought something and lost.
We'll probably see a lot of posts on the economy, the cost of handlers,
limited family time etc., etc., but if those were the "only" reasons, the SV's
numbers wouldn't still be as high as they are, so, personally, I discount
those reasons. They've made it fun for the losers. How?
So....they've managed to do is make it fun for the folks without a shot.
I "get it" when it comes to performance sports. It's fun to get a dog to
be the best they can and qualify. It's fun to work hard and do a better job
than you did last week. I get it.
For me that doesn't extend to the breed ring. You can work as hard as you
want, but you won't change structure, and dragging a dog around that
doesn't have a shot...well, it's just not that appealing. How our clubs made
it
appealing in the past and how the SV does it today...I just don't know.
Here's an analogy: My nephew, who is five, is on a ski team. At the end
of the season they had some kind of a race event. He called my parents,
ecstatic, that he'd won a medal. The results/times were on line, so Dad
printed them out. Well, heck, everyone who managed to stay upright won a
medal!
That's OK when you're five. I get it. I don't get it at fifteen, twenty
five etc., any more than I "get" taking a dog to the breed ring that
doesn't have a prayer.
JMO
Kathy, member GSDCA, DVGSDC
Celebrating generations of Dual Titled TC'd Champions
visit www.geocities.com/pinehillgsds
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