Re: [AISdiscuss] Handbook Revision

[carolyn9999@comcast.net]

Always place ribbons based on cultivar name, not class.  If you don't "spread the wealth" no one will participate.  National Garden Club learned that many years ago but there are still some who want to pit the entire class against each other and not subdivide by cultivar.

Carolyn Hawkins

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Jandjcope@aol.com 

> Hi, 
> We have had an experience with point scoring a show that you might want to 
> conceder before you decide on the revision. Along time ago, we were asked to 
> a judge a show in MIO, MI with an other judge who had been trained with an 
> earlier version of the hand book than the current one at the time. He refused 
> to give a blue to any specimen without a terminal flower in full bloom. Rather 
> than argue through the show, we decided to point score from the new 
> handbook. We wrote the score on the tag and let the clerks give the ribbons. 
> This can 
> be done fast after the first few cultivars. The secret is to not spend any 
> time on specimens with low scores. 
> 
> Mio, Mi is in a rural community and has some exhibitors who travel 100 miles 
> to get to the show. You might think they have a small show but the opposite 
> is true. They have 200-300 specimens and a large youth section. They, at the 
> time, had their show on Farther's Day and the crowds line up to get into the 
> show after church. The Iris Show is what you do on Father's Day in Mio. I 
> wish our show could get such a dedicated audience. 
> 
> That year STEPPING OUT was grown by all of the exhibitors and it was in peak 
> bloom. We had decided to give a blue ribbon to 90 points and above but we 
> could only give one blue ribbon per class. The result was that some 95 point 
> specimens were getting red or even white ribbons. When it came time to pick 
> Best in Show and the court, we just went to the highest scores. This was easy 
> but resulted in some red ribbons on the court and with the youth court, too, 
> there were 4 STEPPING OUTs on the court. Since the show is to show the public 
> what a good iris should look like, this show looked like there were only a few 
> good iris. 
> 
> You may know that the reason for the loose-leaf form of the Handbook, is so 
> the revisions could be easily made and not need a new book. I am not in favor 
> of revising the whole book. At least in part because if a new page comes to 
> be exchanged with an old page, the judge will read the new page and remember 
> the changes. When there is a new book, most of us don't sit down and read it 
> from cover to cover. There may be JT on the new book but not all judges will 
> take it. It seems to me this will result in uneven judging. 
> 
> I think if point scoring were a requirement, we would need to give more than 
> one blue ribbon per class if merited. And this, while more fair to the 
> exhibitor it makes our statement to the public too narrow. The show is for the 
> public not the exhibitor. 
> 
> Best Wishes, 
> Jill Copeland 
> 
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