Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Good Holland Judge
We all want a good Holland judge to evaluate our rabbits. Sure, when I got started, I used to joke that I wanted bad Holland judges who might accidentally pick my rabbits! But even then, I really wanted a judge whose opinions and placements really meant something. But what makes a really good Holland judge?
The Right Touch
We can argue about which characteristic is the most important, but for me, it is the right touch. Hollands require gentle but firm handling. A Holland cannot be forced into the right pose. They are independent enough to fight that. The Holland must be encouraged into the right pose. The judges with the best touch seem to barely touch the rabbit, but still convey exactly what they want.
We know that Hollands' ears should be evaluated when the rabbit is calm, but that really goes for every part. A top line doesn't look right until the rabbit settles in a bit. And many Hollands calm best when being handled by calm, reassuring hands. I've had rabbits that were allowed to sit on the judging table to relax. The judge obviously didn't realize that that freedom kept the Holland's curiosity - and ears - in high alert. Calming hands would have reassured the Holland and those ears would have come right down.
Who has the best touch? I haven't shown under all judges, so this is not an exhaustive list, but I have high regard for Todd Naragon, Allan Ormond, Cathy Patrick, Randy Shumaker, Bruce Ormsby, Greg West, and Terry Fender in this area.
Uses The Standard Over Personal Opinion
I've heard judges say that a rabbit has to have x, y, or z to be successful on their table. If you have been showing for a while, then you know that certain judges favor certain parts over others. The famous "meat judge" reputation is tantamount to a judge only caring about the body. All of these approaches are just wrong.
There's only one way to judge any breed and that is according to the specific standard for that breed.
I love to see a judge review the standard before the rabbits come up. And I give kudos to any judge who checks the standard again when trying to make final selections. A judge may recognize that bunny A has a better crown and bunny B has better fur. That's the time to see where the points lie and break any ties according to the standard.
[I must add, too, that judges vary in their skill at accurately interpreting the standard. The best judges have supplemented their reading with real life experience with Hollands so that their interpretation is real and accurate, not just their understanding of the words.]
Allan Ormond gets top award for this, mentally calculating the points as he judges. Lee Engel has a nice understanding of our breed. Rusty Westhoff is good at checking that standard. Robert Frizzell also keeps his standard nearby and refers to it as necessary. I know I've seen other judges do it often as well.
I hope that judges don't see checking the standard as a sign of weakness. Generally I've noted that it is the very best judges who do it most.
Good Time Manager
This skill, in my opinion, is far less important than the first two, but has the potential to ruin an otherwise promising judge. The worst time management error, in my opinion, is the one who rushes. Sure he or she has some nice bunnies at the top of the class, but they tend to miss more worthy bunnies, too.
Too slow is okay for new judges. But we should see improvement over time.
The best time managers have a very good system. They can take stock of the class size, make a plan, communicate it to their writer and ramrod, and work through the class logically, whether there are 5 or 50 or more. They save time by knowing what they are looking for and handling the rabbits less often. They spend more time at the top, making the close calls between the top placing rabbits. They don't spend a lot of time organizing the bottom of the class.
Jeff Hardin impressed me at Nationals with the clarity of his thought and his management of the classes he judged. Todd Naragon is extremely thrifty in movement and time without giving rabbits short shrift.
Impartiality
I've heard judges sum up a breed of rabbits before they even came to the table. They know which breeds have an outstanding rabbit in that geographical region and they expect that rabbit to win. I've seen exhibitors who routinely rush to schmooze the judges before the show starts and even cross over the line in interacting with the judge while he or she is judging. Those are the ones who plop their rabbits down right in front of the judge or always hold their rabbits until last, so that the judge is sure to know which is theirs.
The best judges are immune to exhibitor behavior, calling the worst behavior to the attention of the show superintendent, and start each new class with a totally clean slate and open mind.
It's nearly impossible to forget that a certain rabbit has 40 legs or that you just picked it Best In Show last week. Judges are just human, after all. But the best judges make a conscious effort to say to themselves, "This is a new day and a new competition." They are open to the a whole new set of outcomes.
I can't evaluate judges on this dimension. All we have to go by is appearances. I do know there are some judges who need to ask themselves some tough questions and to evaluate their appearances of bias.
Professionalism
An otherwise great Holland Judge loses all appeal if she or he lacks professionalism. There's no place for a defensive judge, an antagonistic judge, the prima donna, the complainer, or a rough talking, insulting judge.
Any legitimate comment can be made by a judge in a professional manner. Judges that have problems at the show should bring them to the attention of the show superintendent. Complaining or whining is not becoming.
A professional judge, in my opinion, is friendly without becoming best buds with just a few exhibitors, exudes confidence so there's no need to be defensive, makes all comments in non-inflammatory terms, arrives on time, gives complete comments, and treats the table secretary as a team member.
One of the most professional judges ever is Ray Brewer. He's friendly, gives complete comments, and let's it be known that we do things the ARBA way at his table, without being the least bit offensive about it. He strives to be consistent in his application of the standard. We could use more judges with his level of professionalism.
I've shown under Ray quite a bit, so I can personally vouch for his consistency. I've shown under Joe Lugo just three or four times, but he also shows a high level of professionalism at the table. I've seen him twice at national-level shows and once locally. I look forward to showing under him again some day.
I recently showed under Terry Fender for the first time, and he struck me the very same way - very professional. I hope that the sample I saw was his normal way of operating. If it was, then I'd have to nominate him for one of the most professional judges.
Total Package
I'm sure there are lots of other qualities that go together to make the total package, but these are the most important qualities to me. There are probably many judges who exhibit these qualities that I'm not yet familiar with. But I'm always on a quest to add a new judge to my "Favorite Holland Judges" list.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design
¶ 9:03 AM
The Right Touch
We can argue about which characteristic is the most important, but for me, it is the right touch. Hollands require gentle but firm handling. A Holland cannot be forced into the right pose. They are independent enough to fight that. The Holland must be encouraged into the right pose. The judges with the best touch seem to barely touch the rabbit, but still convey exactly what they want.
We know that Hollands' ears should be evaluated when the rabbit is calm, but that really goes for every part. A top line doesn't look right until the rabbit settles in a bit. And many Hollands calm best when being handled by calm, reassuring hands. I've had rabbits that were allowed to sit on the judging table to relax. The judge obviously didn't realize that that freedom kept the Holland's curiosity - and ears - in high alert. Calming hands would have reassured the Holland and those ears would have come right down.
Who has the best touch? I haven't shown under all judges, so this is not an exhaustive list, but I have high regard for Todd Naragon, Allan Ormond, Cathy Patrick, Randy Shumaker, Bruce Ormsby, Greg West, and Terry Fender in this area.
Uses The Standard Over Personal Opinion
I've heard judges say that a rabbit has to have x, y, or z to be successful on their table. If you have been showing for a while, then you know that certain judges favor certain parts over others. The famous "meat judge" reputation is tantamount to a judge only caring about the body. All of these approaches are just wrong.
There's only one way to judge any breed and that is according to the specific standard for that breed.
I love to see a judge review the standard before the rabbits come up. And I give kudos to any judge who checks the standard again when trying to make final selections. A judge may recognize that bunny A has a better crown and bunny B has better fur. That's the time to see where the points lie and break any ties according to the standard.
[I must add, too, that judges vary in their skill at accurately interpreting the standard. The best judges have supplemented their reading with real life experience with Hollands so that their interpretation is real and accurate, not just their understanding of the words.]
Allan Ormond gets top award for this, mentally calculating the points as he judges. Lee Engel has a nice understanding of our breed. Rusty Westhoff is good at checking that standard. Robert Frizzell also keeps his standard nearby and refers to it as necessary. I know I've seen other judges do it often as well.
I hope that judges don't see checking the standard as a sign of weakness. Generally I've noted that it is the very best judges who do it most.
Good Time Manager
This skill, in my opinion, is far less important than the first two, but has the potential to ruin an otherwise promising judge. The worst time management error, in my opinion, is the one who rushes. Sure he or she has some nice bunnies at the top of the class, but they tend to miss more worthy bunnies, too.
Too slow is okay for new judges. But we should see improvement over time.
The best time managers have a very good system. They can take stock of the class size, make a plan, communicate it to their writer and ramrod, and work through the class logically, whether there are 5 or 50 or more. They save time by knowing what they are looking for and handling the rabbits less often. They spend more time at the top, making the close calls between the top placing rabbits. They don't spend a lot of time organizing the bottom of the class.
Jeff Hardin impressed me at Nationals with the clarity of his thought and his management of the classes he judged. Todd Naragon is extremely thrifty in movement and time without giving rabbits short shrift.
Impartiality
I've heard judges sum up a breed of rabbits before they even came to the table. They know which breeds have an outstanding rabbit in that geographical region and they expect that rabbit to win. I've seen exhibitors who routinely rush to schmooze the judges before the show starts and even cross over the line in interacting with the judge while he or she is judging. Those are the ones who plop their rabbits down right in front of the judge or always hold their rabbits until last, so that the judge is sure to know which is theirs.
The best judges are immune to exhibitor behavior, calling the worst behavior to the attention of the show superintendent, and start each new class with a totally clean slate and open mind.
It's nearly impossible to forget that a certain rabbit has 40 legs or that you just picked it Best In Show last week. Judges are just human, after all. But the best judges make a conscious effort to say to themselves, "This is a new day and a new competition." They are open to the a whole new set of outcomes.
I can't evaluate judges on this dimension. All we have to go by is appearances. I do know there are some judges who need to ask themselves some tough questions and to evaluate their appearances of bias.
Professionalism
An otherwise great Holland Judge loses all appeal if she or he lacks professionalism. There's no place for a defensive judge, an antagonistic judge, the prima donna, the complainer, or a rough talking, insulting judge.
Any legitimate comment can be made by a judge in a professional manner. Judges that have problems at the show should bring them to the attention of the show superintendent. Complaining or whining is not becoming.
A professional judge, in my opinion, is friendly without becoming best buds with just a few exhibitors, exudes confidence so there's no need to be defensive, makes all comments in non-inflammatory terms, arrives on time, gives complete comments, and treats the table secretary as a team member.
One of the most professional judges ever is Ray Brewer. He's friendly, gives complete comments, and let's it be known that we do things the ARBA way at his table, without being the least bit offensive about it. He strives to be consistent in his application of the standard. We could use more judges with his level of professionalism.
I've shown under Ray quite a bit, so I can personally vouch for his consistency. I've shown under Joe Lugo just three or four times, but he also shows a high level of professionalism at the table. I've seen him twice at national-level shows and once locally. I look forward to showing under him again some day.
I recently showed under Terry Fender for the first time, and he struck me the very same way - very professional. I hope that the sample I saw was his normal way of operating. If it was, then I'd have to nominate him for one of the most professional judges.
Total Package
I'm sure there are lots of other qualities that go together to make the total package, but these are the most important qualities to me. There are probably many judges who exhibit these qualities that I'm not yet familiar with. But I'm always on a quest to add a new judge to my "Favorite Holland Judges" list.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design
¶ 9:03 AM
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Laurie, I always wondered why the same exhibtors always dragged their feet getting their rabbits to the table---they were letting the judge know that this is their rabbit! Wow I got alot to learn I guess!
Thanks for the article,
Cathie
Three Little Ladies Rabbitry
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Thanks for the article,
Cathie
Three Little Ladies Rabbitry
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