Learning All the Moving Parts: Stewards
BY ALLAN REZNIK continued
Do judges have any mis- conceptions about the duties of stewards? Over his 25 years of stewarding, Elliott has observed that within the judges’ ranks, it varies from complete familiarity to much less familiarity. “Experienced stewards can try to gauge the level of familiarity early in the day so that you’re aware of how much guidance will be required from you to keep the day moving along at the required pace.” Elliott adds, “Many judges have a very set pattern of how and where they want a class called into the ring, which makes it much simpler for the steward. Some vary the pattern based on wheth- er there is an entry of one (‘straight on the table’) or more than one (lining up here or there). Other judges seemingly change their procedure with each class which makes stewarding for them a greater challenge.” Does your stewards association or kennel club allow stewards to exhibit on the same day(s) that they steward? All our panelists responded that their stewards are permitted to do so as long as they are not stewarding for any of the judges to whom they will be showing, until they have finished show- ing for the day. Well–organized chief ring stewards are careful to make sure that those individuals have no contact with a judge beforehand. Has stewarding become more com- plicated with the introduction of new awards like Best Owner–Handled? “Stewarding has absolutely become more complicated as a result,” says Elliott. “The York Kennel Club has Owner–Handled and Bred–by–Exhibi- tor Groups at one of our shows, and Owner–Handled combined with Puppy Groups at the other. Additionally, we have a sponsor that offers different tro- phies on different days and those cards must be distributed by the judge with the ribbons for the ‘class of the day.’ It can be very complicated which is why a well–trained steward is so important.” “Many exhibitors do their own entries, check the O–H box, then choose to have a non–family member show the dog,” says Greendale–Paveza. “It has improved over time but when the O–H groups were first initiated, it was a nightmare! The addition of
the asterisks has been helpful but it is not foolproof.” Knox notes that “Best Owner–Han- dled, Best Puppy, Best Veteran, etc., are very favorably received by clubs and exhibitors but it’s important to recognize that these also add length to the day of stewards, judges and exhibitors alike.” How often do you work with two stewards assigned to each ring… almost always, most of the time, some of the time, or almost never? “Sometimes we assign a trainee to an experienced steward or, if we have someone very new, or aging, we may pair them up with someone. It is decided on an individual basis; there is no rule,” says Greendale–Paveza. “How- ever, except at shows like Orlando, I prefer to work alone.” The answer is “almost always,” for Knox, “But sometimes there just aren’t enough volunteers to go around and so some of us will run a ring solo. When this happens it is even more critical that exhibitors and judges are polite and understand that you cannot give them their armband number while simultane- ously calling in the next class.” Elliott replies with a one–word answer: “Never!” Have you come up with any “tricks” over the years (organization of armbands for multiple breeds, etc.) to make the job go more smoothly? “Keep each breed separate with rubber bands and put the armbands in piles, separated by the ring times,” advises Greendale–Paveza. “Leave the after–lunch armbands in the steward’s bag until after the lunch break. Those who pick them up early tend to lose them, then you have to hunt through the absentees’ armbands to (hopefully) find the same number, or you have to make them a generic armband… all of which takes time away from your duties.” Knox has a tool box that she takes with her when she stewards. It contains extra rubber bands, lint roller, scissors, extra pens, highlighter, paper clips, wipes, safety pins, hard candy, needle and thread… all the things that might be needed in the course of a day. Elliott’s mantras are “Focus, focus, focus!” and “Call and pull. Call the armband numbers into the class, make
sure they’re all present, pull the ribbons for the class and place them near the judge’s book. Never change this proce- dure and you’ll never worry about it not being done!” He adds, “Before judging begins, make sure you understand your judge’s preference on how to handle the various situations that will present themselves, particularly with regard to placement of the class as it is called into the ring, han- dler changes and how to address them, clean–up and how to handle that, and timeliness and how your judge prefers that you keep the classes coming.” What advice would you give exhib- itors and kennel club members inter- ested in learning to steward? Many stewards clubs offer wonder- ful mentorship and apprentice pro- grams. You can also ask your local ken- nel club to put on a stewards class; it is a great educational event and always use- ful. “Apprentice with an experienced steward and make sure you have a clear understanding of the entire procedure before you venture out alone,” advises Greendale–Paveza. For more than four decades, Allan Reznik has been immersed in the world of purebred dogs: as a breeder, exhibitor, award–winning journalist, editor, broadcaster and occasional judge. He has been the Editor–in–Chief of multiple show dog publications, all of which have won national magazine awards from the Dog Writers Associa- tion of America while under his stew- ardship. In 2011, he won the presti- gious Arthur F. Jones Award for Best Editorial Column of the Year, given by the Alliance of Purebred Dog Writers. Allan appears regularly on national TV and radio discussing all aspects of responsible dog ownership and is quoted widely in newspapers and magazines. He has successfully bred and exhibited Afghan Hounds, Cava- lier King Charles Spaniels and Tibet- an Spaniels, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Afghan Hound Club of America and the Tibet- an Spaniel Club of America. He is a member of the Morris & Essex Ken- nel Club, the Western Hound Associa- tion of Southern California, the Gate- way Hound Club of St. Louis (charter member) and his two local all–breed kennel clubs.
S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2018 • 117
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