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Dear Walt:
I tried to speak to the judge but was not allowed near him either during ( understandable) or after the judging. We waited 3 1/2 hours after the judging was completed to speak with our APA judge and was not allowed near him. I suppose I could have yelled to him that I wanted a moment of his time but felt that would be rude. When is the correct time to "push" yourself towards the judge and get his/her attention that you would like to speak to them? What is an acceptable amout of "push"? How is this done without offending anyone or being, well, pushy?
Edited for spelling
Judges are usually well protected while judging, but you should have access after the judging. I would recommend contacting the show staff while the judge is working and let them know that you would like to talk to the judge when he is finished. This way you don't interrupt anything and they will hopefully tell the judge that you want to talk with him after the judging. Some judges just don't want to talk to the exhibitors, but IMO it is part of their job to explain their placings if asked. Not only explain their placings, but they should be helpful as they are representatives of the APA/ABA while they are doing their job.
Judges are people....so you get some that are not social, some that are not confident in their placings etc, etc. Not all doctors are good doctors, not all lawyers are good lawyers and not all judges are good judges. What I like to see in a judge is a person who is consistent, pays attention and teaches. I think most judges are good judges and are willing to discuss their placings.
Keep in mind that judges only have a minute or less to make a decision about the bird they are handling. Owners have had the time to look at their birds for months and know every intimate detail of the bird. Many exhibitors also do not know what is important in judging. The type is number one, so you may see birds place high that in your opinion are off colored or have some other imperfection. As an example some people get overly hung up on some color points or how many points on a single comb and other things that really don't make that much difference point wise. Most people really have no idea how birds should be placed. They also have no idea what the bird really looks like opened up and examined......they only see what they can see from outside the cage. You can't judge a bird from outside the cage!
I highly recommend that everyone read pages 3-34 of the APA SOP. Most people never pay attention to that section and it is the most important part of the Standard.
If you read that section, you will have a much better understanding of why a bird is placed. If you know that section the judges placements will make much more sense.
Walt
Hey Walt,
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to come to BYC and help us get educated on judging birds! So THANKS!!!!
I have always found that the judges were very approachable at all the shows I have been to. It may be hard to get to them because they are always being spoken to; someone is always trying to pick their brain.....
