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| We offer a Koi Rescue Service. |
FISHING FOR ADVICE: Dear Miss Fishing for Advice: My question is about being entered in Koi Shows by my owner, with the local Club and other Club’s in the Country. My fellow entrants and I find ourselves getting disappointed by our owners, and others, for their lack of “Show Etiquette”. Do you have some good advice on how they can help us when we’re trying to look our best for the judges? Thank you for your advice, I am sure they’ll all listen to it. Flipper (and the rest) Dear Flipper:You bring up a subject that hasn’t come up for awhile, since a lot of Clubs no longer close off the show ring during judging. I’m afraid gone are the days when we used closed circuit TV and video cameras to monitor the judge’s activities and they watched from another location. This is not completely a bad thing because people like to hear what the judges are saying about a particular fish. But it does bring up some suggestions on etiquette. A show should be a fun time for all with a few rules to keep it moving smoothly. Here are a few things for your owners to remember: 1. Your owner should remember not to feed you for at least 5 days prior to the show (sorry about that, Flipper). This allows you to keep your water sparkling clean and for your colors to show to their best advantage. It also makes the job easier for your Water Quality Team. They have a hard enough job making sure water quality is excellent without you fouling the water. 2. Get your owners to arrive early and avoid the last minute registration rush. This allows you to get used to your temporary home-away-from-home and look your best during judging. If they can, have them pre-register. Have your owners fill in as much information as possible on the registration form prior to arriving. If they aren’t sure which class to enter you in, a member of the experienced Registration and Check-In Teams will assist you. If they can, have them bring pictures, this will help things move smoothly. 3. Ask your owner to leave your show tank area during judging. The judges aren’t supposed to know who your owner is (although it is hard for them not to pick up subtle clues as they go from tank to tank). The Judges should also not see pictures of you, Flipper, before the show. Lets keep your owners’ name secret a little longer. It is a distraction to the judges if your owners are hovering around your tank chatting about how great you are while the judges are going from one tank to the other during and English style show. They also do a disservice to other entrants when they distract the judges. The judges need to remember a lot of important things about you and the other fish they are currently judging and your owner’s talking may make them forget something. (It could be you they’re judging!) 4. Remind your owner to relax during judging! The people inside the show ring are experienced and will do their best to keep you calm and in top form as they bowl you to bring you closer for the judges inspection. 5. Please remind your owner again to remain quiet during judging! If they choose to stay near the ring, they need to be quiet, or they face the embarrassment of yo being disqualified. The Show Chairman has the right and authority to tell them to leave. And if your owner feels they must sell you, tell them to wait until Sunday (or the end of the show) to discuss any transactions. 6. Your owner must respect the opinions of the judges. Your owners should also hold their questions until after judging is completed; most judges stay around or come back the next day to do this very thing. And they need to let them eat their meals in peace, they earned it! 7. You and your owner must respect the decisions of the Show Chairman. The Show Chairman will try everything in their power to right a wrong. Your owners should remember to also do their homework by reading the registration rules first. They can vary from show to show. There are also a few Don’ts: 1. Your owner should not get in the way. If they are not helping with set-up or registration, they should not be in the middle of the ring. They should see if they could help at the NFKC table or with something else. Someone will surely welcome his or her assistance. 2. Your owner should not be impatient. If someone is busy and your owner has a question, tell them to be patient. Your owner should understand everyone is doing a job (hey, maybe they could learn it too and help!) And may need a moment or two before they can answer you. 3. Your owner MUST NOT bother the judges during judging. This is basically a repeat of items above, but it can’t be said enough. 4. Your owner should not bother the Show Chairman. If they need a decision on something, they should run it by a committee member or two first. The Show Chairman is extremely busy during these times which is why they’ve chosen the people they work with so carefully. They trust their committee members to speak on their behalf. 5. Let’s all have fun - and learn as much as we can. That’s what shows are all about anyway. |
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