Writing for a Judge

Writing for a judge is a lot of responsibility and can seem very intimidating at first, but in reality it's not that hard. In fact, I've learned that writing can be very beneficial. Sitting at the writer's table, you get a great view of the rabbits being judged and you get to see close up just what the judge is looking for. The following are some tips to help things run smoothly.

Get Organized.
Before the first rabbit hits the show table, go through all of the cards and make sure they're in order. For example, with dwarfs, classes are organized by color group, variety, sex and age. Go though the cards and put EVERYTHING in order. If available, use paperclips to keep everything neatly organized. Also, make sure you have extra pens and plenty of control sheets. You don't want to stop the judging because you ran short.

Familiarize Yourself with the Comment Cards.
Before the judging starts, it's a good idea to look over the comment cards. Get familiar with the layout and know what parts of the card the judge will use. If he's judging English spots, know where the boxes are for the eye circles, cheek spots, side markings, spine markings, etc are. If you've got wooled breeds, see if there's a box for wool. Got Dutch? Look for the markings such as blaze, cheeks, neck, saddle, undercut and stops. Know where everything is - it will make things run smoother in the long run.

To the right you'll see the standard comment card used at ARBA shows.

Talk to the Judge.
If this is your first time, let the judge know. They're usually eager to help out new writers and will sometimes slow down their comments to help you out. Also, you might want to let the exhibitors know this is your first time as well and that there might be some mistakes on their cards, so they need to listen up when the judge is evaluating their rabbits.

Arrange your cards.
When the judge starts looking at a class of animals, gather all of the cards for that class and stack them staircase style in order. Some folks like to order them by ear number, others will group them by exhibitor. It's up to you and what you feel comfortable with.

This time is also a good time to write down how many animals are in the class as well as how many exhibitors there are. Just make sure when you do this the cards aren't on top of one another. The pressure from your writing will show up on any of the yellow cards due to the carbonless copy paper.

Check the Ear Numbers.
When the judge is ready to place his class, he'll usually start with the lowest placing rabbit. He'll bring the rabbit over and give you the ear number. Verify the ear number by saying "yes" or "okay". If you don't have that ear number, let the judge know. Sometimes its a case of a poor tattoo, other times it's the wrong rabbit.

Taking Notes.
Once you have the ear number verified the judge will start rambling off comments. Try to get down as much as possible. If the comments are generic like "good head", "poor ear", "fair coat" simply put a check mark or an x in the appropriate box. However, if the judge is giving you more specific comments like "falls off in the lower hindquarters", "very promising junior" or "snipey in the muzzle" try to jot those notes down either in the boxes by the appropriate label or at the bottom of the card.

Some breeds have a lot of points for markings or fur. For these animals, you really need to write down as many of the judge's comments about those areas as possible. This way the breeders know where the trouble spots are in their rabbits.

If the animal gets disqualified you'll want to make sure you put down comments as to WHY it was disqualified - unmatched toenails, wrong eye color, butting teeth, etc.

Exhibitors really appreciate it when you give detailed comments on the cards. It means more to them when they can go back though them a few months later and see exactly what was said, rather than just looking at X's in generic boxes.

Speak up.
If you happen to miss what the judge said, or you can't hear them, don't be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves, speak up or slow down on their comments.

Complaints and disgruntled exhibitors.
Just remember, you can't make all of the people happy all of the time, so you're going to hear some complaints from time to time. If it gets to be too much, let the person know that you're not perfect and if they want to write, they're more than welcome to. You're not paid to do this, you're volunteering to help with the show so THEIR rabbits can be judged. If an exhibitor gets too abusive, let the show superintendent know, and they will deal with the person.

You'll Get the Hang of It.
You'll get the hang of the judge's style after the first few rabbits though. Most judges will have a pattern. They'll start at one point of the animal and finish with another. It's pretty consistent from rabbit to rabbit. Usually they start off with the head, ear and eye. Then move to the shoulder, midsection and hindquarters. Finally color, markings and condition is last.

Just remember practice makes perfect. Okay - not completely perfect, but pretty close. I've been writing for years now, and I'll still make mistakes on occasion! Just keep your chin up and don't give up!

Article written by Mindy Borer
Rabbit Registrar #RR473
www.TranquilAcresRabbitry.com