Sunday, March 26, 2006
Richmond, Kentucky, Show
Congratulations to Dwayne Scott for his TWO Best In Show wins! Dwayne says that he usually doesn't stick around for the BIS judging, so this was his first time to win Best In Show in fourteen years as an exhibitor. That's a great way to have a first! Do you think maybe he might decide to stick around more often now that he's had a taste?
I'm so proud of my friend Linda Norris, who took a BOSG with a chinchilla doe in the first show and the BOS with a broken black doe in the last show under Brian Hartzel. You know how I love those broken blacks!
Also, congratulations to Denise Crafton, one of my favorite people, who won a BOS in the first show. Great job!
It was a wonderful show. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it and visiting Kentucky again. The worst thing that happened all weekend was that my biscuit wasn't really hot at Cracker Barrel and my juice was a little weak at the motel! Otherwise, the weekend was just about perfect. All three clubs, The Kentucky State RBA, Lexington Rabbit & Cavy Club, and The Holland Lop Club of Kentucky, deserve great praise for a great job. Aside from national shows, this might be my all-time favorite show.
Linda arrived in the late morning on Friday. We packed up, had some ice cream, and hit the road. The trip zoomed by. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we overshot our exit by about five miles. The six hour trip felt closer to two.
Our motel room was a bargain - just $41 plus tax. There was a nice breakfast, a clean room, and friendly personable staff. It was next door to one of our favorite restaurants and just ten minutes from the showroom.
We went to the showroom Friday night to drop off our rabbits. We met several members of the various clubs that worked together to put on the double show plus double Holland Lop specialty (and double Jersey Wooly specialty). The folks there made us feel welcome and as though they were glad that we came. They really seemed to want to make the show enjoyable for us and worked hard to make good matches between the judges and the breeds. We found the facility to be very nice. I just have to mention that those were the cleanest bathrooms at a fairgrounds that I've ever seen.
We got our blank comment cards so that we could get them ready for the show. With a day of show entry and a quad show, I had 60 comment cards to complete for my 15 bunnies.
After we got the rabbits settled in, we went back to the motel and tried to get a good night's sleep. That's useless. So after hours of lying there mostly awake, we rose early, had breakfast in the lobby, and went to the show.
The check-in period went pretty smoothly. Hollands started out with judge Kitty Lynch. I wrote for the youth and then we started with open. I took two classes but nothing else in the first show. Jo-Jo got her first of four legs on Saturday. And Rio took his class. Kitty was her usual very personable, very entertaining self. I enjoyed writing for her. We all had fun, I think. I noticed that there were quite a few black and colored Hollands in the top animals. That's nice to see.
The second judge was Cathy Patrick. I'd never had her before, but she's now on my favorite judge list. She is very systematic in how she evaluates a rabbit and gives comments in an organized fashion that shows her very clear thinking as she judges. She shows a real understanding of the breed and has an excellent touch with the Hollands. Many of the rabbits seemed squirmy this weekend (mine were like that in the barn as I loaded them), but Cathy really had a special way with the bunnies, really bringing out their best.
Jo-Jo was BOS, Gypsy won her fifth leg, Rio took his class, and Hilary was BOSG.
We had Pam Nock for the first specialty show. She is another judge that I had never had before. I didn't get to hear a lot of her comments because her show started while I was writing for Cathy Patrick.
Then the fourth show started and rabbits were flying in all different directions. It was a good thing that every Holland breeder there kept a good attitude and their sense of humor. Folks helped each other get rabbits to and from the table (and found those that judges were keeping as class winners to complete the table for the other judge - it was very confusing!)
I wish I had heard more of Pam's and Brian's comments. But by seeing how they judged my own rabbits against each other, I find that I definitely agree with their placements to that extent. I would gladly drive 6 hours again to have my Hollands judged by either of them.
Under Pam Nock, Boris was BOG, Jo-Jo was BOS, and Latifa (Gypsy's sister) won a leg. That was her third leg. Latifa and Gypsy are out of LaForge and Mtn's Daphne. Of course I sold their mother! Alison, I hope you have good luck with her like I did! The Nature Trail's Sakata took her class and I believe was BOSG (like I said - things got crazy). She a little doe out of May & LaForge - the same one who took the class last week under Randy Shumaker.
The last show was my best. Jo-Jo was BOSV. She had quite the day and has now earned 11 legs. Latifa took the solid junior doe class of of 16; that's her fourth leg. Sakata won her third leg. I'm so proud of that little girl.
And Rio, my last minute substitute for Merlin, was BOB. Merlin doesn't usually travel well two weekends in a row. I checked Rio's weight, which was good, so I pressed him into service. At least two judges weighed him, so I'm glad that he was right on the money! I had assumed that when I put him back into a regular cage on regular feed that he would balloon up to 5 lbs. or something.
But no. He just varies between under 4.01 to almost 4.03, and was luckily on the low side Friday. He doesn't eat well when he travels, so he can lose an ounce or so on the trip, which he apparently did this time. He had gotten down to 3.10 when I was showing him more often earlier this year and was pretty rough (and still took classes). But yesterday, he was at his best show weight and really looked good. I'm glad I brought him. I didn't realize that he hadn't earned a herdsman point this year (he'd had BOGs and BOSGs, but no BOS or BOB wins). Of all of the rabbits in my barn who ought to be contributing a herdsman point, it's definitely him!
So, for me at least, the show started very slowly. By 1:00 p.m., we were still in the first show and nothing spectacular was happening for me at least (Dwayne Scott was having quite a different experience, however, getting ready to win his first BIS). Then things started to swing into action and my rabbits started being found by the judges. After that, we progressed to a real showing frenzy. It was really crazy. And then, in the last sentence of the show, I had my most exciting moment: "The BOB is the broken senior buck."
Congratulations to The Holland Lop Club of Kentucky and especially to Keat Hor, show secretary, for their good planning and hard work putting on such a wonderful show. I love the single carrier with the BOB label on it. I appreciate practical awards.
Linda and I had planned to stay the night in Richmond, figuring that a quad show would not get out early. I believe that we finished before 5:00 p.m., though, so we had plenty of time for a leisurely dinner and an early bedtime. We had two last treats on the way home. We got to see a little snow in West Virginia and we had second breakfast (just like the hobbits do) at Cracker Barrel just 1 mile south of the Tamarack, WV.
It was a great weekend.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 4:54 PM
I'm so proud of my friend Linda Norris, who took a BOSG with a chinchilla doe in the first show and the BOS with a broken black doe in the last show under Brian Hartzel. You know how I love those broken blacks!
Also, congratulations to Denise Crafton, one of my favorite people, who won a BOS in the first show. Great job!
It was a wonderful show. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it and visiting Kentucky again. The worst thing that happened all weekend was that my biscuit wasn't really hot at Cracker Barrel and my juice was a little weak at the motel! Otherwise, the weekend was just about perfect. All three clubs, The Kentucky State RBA, Lexington Rabbit & Cavy Club, and The Holland Lop Club of Kentucky, deserve great praise for a great job. Aside from national shows, this might be my all-time favorite show.
Linda arrived in the late morning on Friday. We packed up, had some ice cream, and hit the road. The trip zoomed by. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we overshot our exit by about five miles. The six hour trip felt closer to two.
Our motel room was a bargain - just $41 plus tax. There was a nice breakfast, a clean room, and friendly personable staff. It was next door to one of our favorite restaurants and just ten minutes from the showroom.
We went to the showroom Friday night to drop off our rabbits. We met several members of the various clubs that worked together to put on the double show plus double Holland Lop specialty (and double Jersey Wooly specialty). The folks there made us feel welcome and as though they were glad that we came. They really seemed to want to make the show enjoyable for us and worked hard to make good matches between the judges and the breeds. We found the facility to be very nice. I just have to mention that those were the cleanest bathrooms at a fairgrounds that I've ever seen.
We got our blank comment cards so that we could get them ready for the show. With a day of show entry and a quad show, I had 60 comment cards to complete for my 15 bunnies.
After we got the rabbits settled in, we went back to the motel and tried to get a good night's sleep. That's useless. So after hours of lying there mostly awake, we rose early, had breakfast in the lobby, and went to the show.
The check-in period went pretty smoothly. Hollands started out with judge Kitty Lynch. I wrote for the youth and then we started with open. I took two classes but nothing else in the first show. Jo-Jo got her first of four legs on Saturday. And Rio took his class. Kitty was her usual very personable, very entertaining self. I enjoyed writing for her. We all had fun, I think. I noticed that there were quite a few black and colored Hollands in the top animals. That's nice to see.
The second judge was Cathy Patrick. I'd never had her before, but she's now on my favorite judge list. She is very systematic in how she evaluates a rabbit and gives comments in an organized fashion that shows her very clear thinking as she judges. She shows a real understanding of the breed and has an excellent touch with the Hollands. Many of the rabbits seemed squirmy this weekend (mine were like that in the barn as I loaded them), but Cathy really had a special way with the bunnies, really bringing out their best.
Jo-Jo was BOS, Gypsy won her fifth leg, Rio took his class, and Hilary was BOSG.
We had Pam Nock for the first specialty show. She is another judge that I had never had before. I didn't get to hear a lot of her comments because her show started while I was writing for Cathy Patrick.
Then the fourth show started and rabbits were flying in all different directions. It was a good thing that every Holland breeder there kept a good attitude and their sense of humor. Folks helped each other get rabbits to and from the table (and found those that judges were keeping as class winners to complete the table for the other judge - it was very confusing!)
I wish I had heard more of Pam's and Brian's comments. But by seeing how they judged my own rabbits against each other, I find that I definitely agree with their placements to that extent. I would gladly drive 6 hours again to have my Hollands judged by either of them.
Under Pam Nock, Boris was BOG, Jo-Jo was BOS, and Latifa (Gypsy's sister) won a leg. That was her third leg. Latifa and Gypsy are out of LaForge and Mtn's Daphne. Of course I sold their mother! Alison, I hope you have good luck with her like I did! The Nature Trail's Sakata took her class and I believe was BOSG (like I said - things got crazy). She a little doe out of May & LaForge - the same one who took the class last week under Randy Shumaker.
The last show was my best. Jo-Jo was BOSV. She had quite the day and has now earned 11 legs. Latifa took the solid junior doe class of of 16; that's her fourth leg. Sakata won her third leg. I'm so proud of that little girl.
And Rio, my last minute substitute for Merlin, was BOB. Merlin doesn't usually travel well two weekends in a row. I checked Rio's weight, which was good, so I pressed him into service. At least two judges weighed him, so I'm glad that he was right on the money! I had assumed that when I put him back into a regular cage on regular feed that he would balloon up to 5 lbs. or something.
But no. He just varies between under 4.01 to almost 4.03, and was luckily on the low side Friday. He doesn't eat well when he travels, so he can lose an ounce or so on the trip, which he apparently did this time. He had gotten down to 3.10 when I was showing him more often earlier this year and was pretty rough (and still took classes). But yesterday, he was at his best show weight and really looked good. I'm glad I brought him. I didn't realize that he hadn't earned a herdsman point this year (he'd had BOGs and BOSGs, but no BOS or BOB wins). Of all of the rabbits in my barn who ought to be contributing a herdsman point, it's definitely him!
So, for me at least, the show started very slowly. By 1:00 p.m., we were still in the first show and nothing spectacular was happening for me at least (Dwayne Scott was having quite a different experience, however, getting ready to win his first BIS). Then things started to swing into action and my rabbits started being found by the judges. After that, we progressed to a real showing frenzy. It was really crazy. And then, in the last sentence of the show, I had my most exciting moment: "The BOB is the broken senior buck."
Congratulations to The Holland Lop Club of Kentucky and especially to Keat Hor, show secretary, for their good planning and hard work putting on such a wonderful show. I love the single carrier with the BOB label on it. I appreciate practical awards.
Linda and I had planned to stay the night in Richmond, figuring that a quad show would not get out early. I believe that we finished before 5:00 p.m., though, so we had plenty of time for a leisurely dinner and an early bedtime. We had two last treats on the way home. We got to see a little snow in West Virginia and we had second breakfast (just like the hobbits do) at Cracker Barrel just 1 mile south of the Tamarack, WV.
It was a great weekend.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
¶ 4:54 PM
