Rick wrote: (among other points)
> The AOS judging system has serious flaws that only become
>increasingly apparent over time. Many growers feel that the fees
>associated with
> receiving an award are both excessive and extortionate. Pay the
>price or lose the award. What are the costs associated with adding a
>line to a > database and printing a certificate on a word
>processor? The costs associated with producing slides were hardly
>substantial, but even these
> costs could have been reduced had the AOS not so tardily joined the
>digital age.
> Judging venues throughout the country are dominated by the decrepit
>who have long since lost their enthusiasm for orchids, but who can't
> resist playing the authority in spite of their apparent
>incompetance. Many judges, who should be constantly on the alert for
>superior plants,
> disregard all plants lacking a formal request for judging. So many
>judges seem to be in a hurry, as if their time is too valuable to
>waste on
> plants that don't measure up to their own (supposedly impeccable)
>standards. Yet they don't hesitate to dish out awards to their
>fellow judges, > even while pretending that they don't know who grew
>the plants. How does a judge bring a plant in for judging without
>being seen by all those
> already present? Many judges even travel to judging in the same vehicles.
Although there were a few good points, I can disagree with the
statement about the judges at least in respect to those that have
come to our shows in Upstate NY. For the most part, they are
genuinely enjoying their being there and there really doesn't seem to
be any rush in getting around. Though most of the judges are not
young, there are only a few that you could say are 'old' by any
means, and at least from what I've seen they are happy to be there
and often are including clerks and others in the general decision
making for ribbon judging and asking opinions and things like that.
We don't really have formal requests for judging, all are open for it
unless someone clearly asks for a plant not to be judged (rare) or it
has no name. Most often it is the commercial vendor entrants that win
AOS awards, but lo and behold they are most often the best plants
entered. I think that most of the judges (especially those that
travel down from Canada) enjoy the shows they are at, and for the
most part we enjoy having them as well. Now, if we could only find a
way to lower the cost of feeding the judges,........ (brown bagging
from now on, and no wine!) ; ) I'm sure there are places
where politics is the rule, and the statements made are accurate.
Just doesn't seem necessary to place all in the same boat when we all
know it is usually a small number of people in a group that can spoil
things for the many.
I agree about fees, and since I take awards pictures, I know
firsthand that slide duplication is extremely expensive, and am happy
that the nearby judging center is now going mostly digital. I also
don't subscribe to the Orchids magazine, but from a cost viewpoint.
If it were inexpensive I would probably buy it to see photographs of
flowers. Now if there does seem to be hurrying judges, it may be that
since they don't get paid directly, and they may be taking time from
work to travel to shows the adage 'time is money' would definitely
apply, especially if they are doing multiple shows throughout the
year. Their work may make heavy restrictions on their travel and show
time. I know I'm trying to figure out how to do a few orchid club
speaking presentations here recently, and since where I work they
have a 6 month no vacation restriction, if the meeting is during that
time, there is only one day a week the presentation could happen and
the rest of the time would involve driving like mad to and fro, and I
would likely be in a rush as well.
regards,
charles
--
charles ufford
oriskany, ny usa
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