WESTMINSTER 2018 J N McGinnis III continued Their 142nd, my 39th, and always somebody or something’s First
AKC & WKC’s combined MEET & COMPETE during the weekend encompasses Agility, Mas- ter Obedience competition and MEET THE BREEDS®, a personal favorite and covered elsewhere. Monday dawns with promise as we head to the Piers for the main event. The move from our longtime home in Madison Square Garden Center to Piers 92 & 94 for daytime breed judging is still being discussed, dissected and dissed. Let’s put it this way: I don’t think we had another option and this really does work well, given the logistics of city and site. I don’t really settle in, however, till we’re back in the Garden, dressed to the nines and wating for the clock to hit eight. Or earlier, as spectators of Junior Showman- ship finals are stunned by the talents and tenacity of these up-and-coming stars. They’re an inspiration to all and I hope we can keep them happy and at home within the fancy as they “age out” of Juniors into mainstream com- petition. Many already show there and do very well, indeed. Group judging and Best at the Garden is by any measure a thrill. The energy level and the enthusiasm ricocheting around the building are enough to kick you into the highest gear you can attain; I remain there for weeks after- wards (perhaps even all year). But there is an annual occurrence, sitting in my seat, that gives me pause and mutes the surrounding buzz. It normally takes place in the lull between the final Group and Best in Show, as we wait for the finale that rivals all others. I glance around the arena as if looking for a clockface on a wall, but in fact I’m seeing faces perhaps no one else can see. I see Kay, and Anna K., and Chet, and Annie and Ed, and way too many more to mention, people who were always there with us and always there for us. Their presence lingers in the Garden as it does in our minds and our actions, since they taught us well by their example and by their generosity. The tools they gave us to carry the past on into the future are within our grasp; it’s up to us to wield them with dexterity.
Feeling the reverberating absence of these friends sets me back a few steps, but their inspiration never fails to propel me forward that many more. I thank them. I thank Westminster. And I thank you. This was my 39th trip. I will see you next year for my big 4-0. Until then I wish you nothing but the Best.
180 • S how S ight M agazine , M arch 2018
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