Re: Emeritus Judges, Urgent


Some things are perfectly fine. However, AIS Judges are the backbone of the Awards system--and it is not perfectly fine.

The ballot is overwhelming. Even the most knowledgable judges have never heard of many cultivars on the ballot. Somewhere along the way, it was decided that every iris that was introduced should be eligible. In some classes, that may be acceptable, but in others it makes the ballot too long and subsequently impossible to complete.

The result is that in many ways, the Awards system is more about popularity and marketing than it is about gardenability. If you don't believe it, check out a bed of Dyke's winners.

What would happen if irises had to be nominated for awards? What if nominated irises were required to be guest plants at AIS or Section conventions and Regional meetings? What if the vote had to be accompanied with supporting documentation?

I know several judges who quit. It wasn't because they don't love irises. It was because the task is impossible and the results that are generated by the Awards system are dubious at best.

Lest you thimk I'm casting stones, one of my introductions got an Honorable Mention this year. It was the first year on the ballot. May one of the stones hit my iris.

Dennis Hager





----- Original Message ----- From: <MORRISJE1@aol.com>
To: <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 3:58 PM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Emeritus Judges, Urgent


In a message dated 9/18/2009 8:09:13 A.M. Central Standard Time,
cemahan@aol.com writes:

I, for  one, think the current criteria for judges are perfectly fine. As
one responsible for getting a number of people nominated for emeritus judge,
I can  tell you what it takes.




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*******************
Clarence,

I stand by my previous statement that the nomination requirement for
EMERITUS JUDGE has a poor set of criteria. There is nothing wrong with our criteria for JUDGES in general. In the six year's Jean was on the Board and
the five I have been on it, the nominating letters and supporting letters
last year were the best we have seen as to answering the OVERALL judging
criteria, skill, performance and knowledge of the candidates. Some nominations
we have seen in the past were pathetic to the point that we wondered  why
anyone bothered to do such a disservice to some good people.   Nominating
someone because they are a good ole boy who hybridized a few or many irises, or
they have judged for 30 years and are about to die isn't good  enough and
not appropriate either. Your personal nominations in our time on the board
were the best in our opinion until last year's nominations.

Has everyone deserving been nominated? No, and in private discussion with
Bob Pries we agree on four who are most deserving and overdue for
recognition (yeh, make Bob the Emeritus Judge's Czar!)  We disagree on two
speciality hybridizers who do not grow a representative collection of irises other
than their type of speciality.  To my knowledge they never have as
evidenced by their garden that I have visited several times over a 25 year or more
period (not in my Region either).

I believe our problem starts at the Master Judge level where a  judge
automatically becomes one after 15 years as a Judge. There is no criteria for
EARNING this level, no written examination, no requirement to make  iris
presentations, tutor apprentices, judge shows, provide AIS service, have a
formal review of their Regional Judge's Chairman's records (now that's a novel
idea), etc.   Bob's contrast of our program with the Master  Gardener's
program is appropriate I believe, although I wouldn't go so far as to charge fees for the training and award. But their requirement for Master Gardeners to formally fulfill service requirements and report on them is worthwhile.

And now back to our huge Greentree Festival (Kirkwood city projected over
25,00 visitors)where we are selling about 7,000 irises this weekend.  It
has been a bloody intense two weeks of work in preparation for the sale.
Wish us luck and good weather.

Jim M.

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