Showsight January 2018

Learning All the Moving Parts Stewards BY ALLAN REZNIK

Whether a club chooses to hire a stew- ards association or make use of its own members as volunteers, efficient and knowledgeable stewards play a huge role in the smooth run- ning of any show. We assembled a panel of three longtime stewards to shed light on the skills needed to expertly per-

of calling back second–place awards for Reserve Winners, make sure that Selects are given out and help keep the ring running on schedule when there are photos being taken or breaks needed.” What qualities should a good ring steward possess? “Patience, patience, patience!”, says Knox. “A steward needs the ability to easily multi–task, moving from one job to the next and back again, seamlessly.” Elliott says, “An individual must be both organized and focused. There will be a million distractions all day long each day, and it is your duty to remain focused to keep your ring running smoothly, regardless of what may be happening around you.” Greendale–Paveza emphasizes “A pleasant disposition, patience, an understanding of ring procedure and a voice loud enough to call in the exhibitors.” What misconceptions do exhibitors have about ring stewards, and how could they make the stewards’ job easier? “The ring steward cannot change your class, move your dog up to Best of Breed or change the order of your time in the ring,” says Greendale–Paveza. “Exhibitors could make the job easier by reporting absentees. The worst offenders in this regard are the professional handlers!” For Knox, the biggest misconception is that a steward can somehow have some weight in the way a judge adjudicates the exhibits in the ring. Nothing could be further from the truth. The most important thing an exhibitor can do is come to the ring with your dog at least five minutes before you are scheduled to show and have the correct armband on for the dog you are showing. If you are showing multiple dogs, make arrangements beforehand to have someone standing ringside and ready to walk in the ring or switch dogs with you. Knox also wishes exhibitors would understand that the time to talk to a judge at length is not while the next class is waiting to come in the ring. Politely ask the steward if the judge is will- ing to speak with them and if so, when.

form this job. Sulie Greendale–Paveza of Hamden, Connecti- cut, in addition to being a multi–Group judge, has stewarded for 33 years, is a member of the Stewards Club of America, has been an officer of several all–breed and specialty clubs, and has served as chief ring steward many times. Jerome Elliott of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has stewarded for 25 years, is a member of the Eastern Stewards Club, a Board member of the York Kennel Club for the past five years, and has served as past show chairman of the Willamette Valley Saluki Club among other organizations. Cindy Knox of Aurora, Colorado, has stewarded for more than 30 years, been chief ring stew- ard for national specialties and large (20–plus rings) all–breed shows for more than 20 years, and has served as president of an all–breed kennel club for a decade. What do you consider the most important responsibili- ties of a ring steward? For Greendale–Paveza, it’s keeping the ring moving so the judge stays on time; asking a judge’s preferences first thing (e.g. where do they want the dogs brought in, where would they like the table and ramp); distributing armbands correct- ly; asking the judge’s preferred beverage before judging starts so that when Hospitality comes around you already know and don’t have to interrupt the judge; assisting new exhibi- tors and having ribbons and trophies ready for the judge to hand out.

Elliott emphasizes that a good steward should be able to multi–task. You must distribute armbands, call the classes into the ring and pull ribbons to be handed out for all classes. You must accurately provide the numbers of absentees to your judge so that counts are correct, and at the same time you must be aware of late arrivals, handler changes, acci- dents requiring clean–up and other surprises. He adds that “In some cases, you must remind the judge to keep track The biggest misconception exhibitors have, in Elliott’s experience, is that they think the steward should know what class they are supposed to be in. Over the course of hand- ing out more than a hundred armbands, it is not typically possible to remember which person had what armband and many exhibitors fail to realize how much juggling the stew- ard must do. It’s always a good idea to know what class you’re in, know the order of the classes and be there when you are needed. “GOOD STEWARDS SHOULD BE ABLE TO MULTI–TASK...”

116 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2018

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