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ABRA Shows Judges Apprentice Program
ABRA Shows Judges Apprentice Program
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ABRA Apprentice Judge ProgramBecoming an ABRA judge will take some time, and commitment from apprentices. The ABRA wants to ensure that the Judges we have know their stuff!Someone that is interested in becoming an ABRA Judge may submit a letter to us outlining their desire and giving us some history regarding their involvement with American Bulldogs. We also need an assurance that you are committed to learning and developing your judging skills forever, that you will help the show hosts follow the ABRA rules and take responsibility for returning the show results to us immediately after the show. The results of the show are of paramount importance, we cannot survive if we do not keep an accurate, up to date points listing! Being an ABRA Judge is a difficult job, at the end of the show you are surrounded by many disappointed individuals. If you have done your job well you will be respected but if the competitors think that your decisions were based on anything other than the qualities of the dogs you judged you are in for some serious harassment. We want our new ABRA Judges to be well educated and prepared for their first time in the ring by themselves. Your first job as an apprentice is to completely familiarize yourself with the ABRA breed standard. Read it a hundred times, memorize it, know it inside and out. If there is anything that you do not understand completely, ask questions. Secondly, make arrangements to attend 4 weekends as an apprentice judge. While in the ring you have a perfect opportunity to pick the ABRA Judge's brain about every detail of the dogs you see, use this time wisely. You should apprentice under the same judge all weekend, really get to know the judge and their judging style. You will have to communicate with the judge before the weekend to make the arrangements. The judge can only have 2 apprentices in the ring at a time. Ask the ABRA Judge for a letter of approval, the letter must say that you were very focused, interested in learning, you participated in the analysis of each dog and you understood the Judge's decisions whether or not you agreed with them. Write your letter ahead of time and have it with you for the Judge's signature at the end of the show, when you have all 4, submit them to us for approval. Your third task is to answer questions that we have prepared, the questions will be based on the Standard, the ABRA rules and the Points Listing system. And your final test will be to evaluate 5 dogs that have been previously chosen by an ABRA Test Judge, certain things will be noted by the Test Judge before your evaluation, and you will be expected to pick up on this for at least 4 of the 5 dogs. At the end of this process we feel that you will be well prepared to enter the ring by yourself and choose the next Best In Show! The evaluations may take place anywhere, anytime as long as an ABRA Test Judge is available and arrangements have been made in advance. Judging at an ABRA show is a voluntary position but you can expect the show host to compensate you for your travel expenses, gas/flight, hotel/acommodation, some meals, please clarify the compensation before you accept the responsibility. Once you accept the responsibility to judge someone's show it is absolutely critical that you attend the show and judge, failure to do so will risk your ABRA judge status. Current ABRA Test Judges are Lesli Rose, Lance Rose, Tony Mancera, Jerry Leist, Evan Strachan |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 October 2011 10:41 ) |