Williamsburg Hunt Test...HOLY CRAP!
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Hopefully people that have dogs to run will jump in and help where they can. Also might throw in a shot gun and offer to shoot some birds. I'm not running this h/t but I try to help where I do run. A lot of people don't realize how much work these test are to put on.
Good luck to every involved
Good luck to every involved
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the bane of the online entry, who would have thunk up such a thing?
I guess you blame it all on Shayne?
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I guess you blame it all on Shayne?
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1,209 Posts
The new "Normal "trend is for everyone to wait until the last day to enter. The problem with this is that the clubs are left scrambling at the last minute to find workers, get more hotel rooms, and line up more Marshalls and Stake Managers. But again it is the norm.
As the chair for the Ohio Valley HT with 3 days until the close I find myself checking EE every chance I get. Right now we stand at 47 Friday Master dogs, 52 Saturday Master dogs and 18 OHQ dogs. Last year we were around 86 Master dogs each day and 30 OHQ dogs. Will we hit the 90 mark and make my life a little more dramatic???
We will see.
As the chair for the Ohio Valley HT with 3 days until the close I find myself checking EE every chance I get. Right now we stand at 47 Friday Master dogs, 52 Saturday Master dogs and 18 OHQ dogs. Last year we were around 86 Master dogs each day and 30 OHQ dogs. Will we hit the 90 mark and make my life a little more dramatic???
We will see.
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Having the ability to limit entries would help event committees alot. If there is a potential to get "locked out" of an event, that would force people to sign up earlier rather than wait till the last minute. However, I dont see the AKC allowing us to limit entries as that limits their revenue stream. I also understand the handlers desire to wait till the last minute, as that gives them a better idea of where they stand with there dogs closer to test day. I'm guessing the pros wait so they can decide which dogs there going to load up on the truck closer to test date (whos ready, who needs a little more time?)
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Let's not be so quick to blame AKC. Let's blame ourselves for not demanding control of OUR sport. I have heard that there is a proposal for the RHT advisory committee to present to AKC. I heard a comment from someone that they tried it before, and club members were filling up the available spots and others were unable to enter. I know in our area, Our club members could not fill up an entire event. I would like to see a system that would advertise a event with a designated size of event and a defined opening and stay open until filled or closing date 7 to 10 days prior to the event regardless of entries. They should NOT allow day of- walk up entries.
I think you will see the events fill up on the first few days of the opening.
I would much rather go to an event where the clubs have had time to prepare properly, make sure they have adequate grounds for the events they have committed to. Have judges that committed months in advance and understood in advance they would probably be judging a full flight of dogs.
I'm interested in what others think! How about HT Secretaries and Chairpersons what do you think? Let's hear it!
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I would love for our club to have a double master, but we simply cant because the AKC wont limit the number of entries. We might could survive if we had a double and 1 split, but if we had a 3 way split, we would go down in flames.
I personally think limiting the entries would be much better for the sport. Most clubs would start to offer doubles which would get you more bang for your traveling dollar. Not to mention be easier on the club as they would know entry size many weeks in advance verses days. That would make the secretaries life so much easier.
I personally think limiting the entries would be much better for the sport. Most clubs would start to offer doubles which would get you more bang for your traveling dollar. Not to mention be easier on the club as they would know entry size many weeks in advance verses days. That would make the secretaries life so much easier.
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I do not understand at all why you would wait till the last minute to enter a hunt test unless you had something personal going on and werent sure you could make it. What possible difference could it make when you enter??????????
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I agree Steve. But thats not the norm. I personally don't think an extra week of training will make the difference.
I have to agree that it is very frustrating to wait until close to see what the final numbers are going to be, especially when trying to plan for an event. However, the reason for the lateness is because EE made the fee for everyone $4.50, without early registration discount, so why not wait until the last possible minute to enter. No reason for me to give EE my money earlier than absolutely required.
Now with that being said. If MAX entries is not a possibility, I think we need to start realizing that ALL master tests will be above the 60 dogs from here until the future (when the Master National is within reasonable distance away - i.e. East Coast and Mid-West for Alabama this year). because the AKC has now created the Master National Hunter designation where people need to pass multiple MN events before getting the designation.
From here on out, every single club should prepare for splitting when considering to run a hunt test, and then cut back in the event a split is not needed. I know that creates some problems, but I just ran a hunt test where a split was required. This club decided that both A and B stakes would run the same exact test. They had all series already set up with holding blinds and wingers and when one finishes, they just went to the open series. It went smooth. It was effiicient....etc. No need for more grounds. Yes there were more workers required as each flight kept their workers, but it was not much more.
Just my opinion.
Now with that being said. If MAX entries is not a possibility, I think we need to start realizing that ALL master tests will be above the 60 dogs from here until the future (when the Master National is within reasonable distance away - i.e. East Coast and Mid-West for Alabama this year). because the AKC has now created the Master National Hunter designation where people need to pass multiple MN events before getting the designation.
From here on out, every single club should prepare for splitting when considering to run a hunt test, and then cut back in the event a split is not needed. I know that creates some problems, but I just ran a hunt test where a split was required. This club decided that both A and B stakes would run the same exact test. They had all series already set up with holding blinds and wingers and when one finishes, they just went to the open series. It went smooth. It was effiicient....etc. No need for more grounds. Yes there were more workers required as each flight kept their workers, but it was not much more.
Just my opinion.
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Just off the top of my head:
- Dog may come into season a few weeks early--try to avoid the trouble of a scratch by waiting until the last moment.
- Unexpected vet bill or car repair--want or need to wait a payday to see if you can afford the test and travel.
- Spring test--the Old Man may or may not be in condition to run a double master, wait until the last moment to decide what to do.
- Waiting to hear if a work opportunity or obligation might come up for that weekend.
- Dog has only been in water 4 or 5 times this season--two blowups, two or three pretty-goods... wait till the last weekend of training to decide whether to throw the money at it.
- Just plain nervous--want to see what kind of event it looks like before throwing 80, 160, 240, 320 dollars at it plus as much in gas and hotel.
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At some point, a club is going to say, "We can't do a triple (or whatever) split on these grounds/with these workers/with looking for judges/etc.," and the money will be returned.
THEN something might change.
With every new split crisis overcome, clubs are teaching the AKC that they can handle it, so why would it change?
THEN something might change.
With every new split crisis overcome, clubs are teaching the AKC that they can handle it, so why would it change?
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why???
because they can, that is why.
Do you all remember when the random draw was done "In public" with two or three members of the retriever club at the secretaries kitchen table. All the entries in a salad bowl and you all took turns plucking out names to get a running order???? And every time, EVERY TIME, ten minutes before the close there were cars in the driveway and knocks on the door with folk with ether cash in hand or even better, the ever popular dated check!!! It has always been this way. But I still blame it all on Shayne!;-)
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"the Master National has no effect on our weekend tests"-author unknown, circa 2010 on RTF.
there is not one club in New England that could deal with 194 master dogs. the grounds here will not support those numbers.
the whole AKC hunt test game is on a course that cannot be sustained unless they give clubs the ability to limit entries.-Paul
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Why blame AKC? Why blame late entries?
Why don't the clubs move the closing dates up. Instead of closing 7 to 10 days before the event, close 30 days before the event?
If someone can't plan that far in advance, they can either lose their entry fee or enter a later event.
WRL
Why don't the clubs move the closing dates up. Instead of closing 7 to 10 days before the event, close 30 days before the event?
If someone can't plan that far in advance, they can either lose their entry fee or enter a later event.
WRL
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A big heads up is having that many the evening before the close. At 60 you can easily plan on twice that much if not more. It depends on the judges you have also and the nearest conflicting test. It helps to know your pro's and amateurs. They usually talk in the gallery about how many they need to qualify for master national etc. I pretty much take that all in consideration as the close gets closer and I see who is entering. It really shouldn't be that big of a surprise once Wednesday morning rolls around.
We were worried about having much more then we did last weekend. We were ready with extra equipment borrowed from nearby retriever clubs and the paid bird boys are pretty easy to find. The grounds would have been compromised with the bad weather that was predicted but it was doable. The biggest snaffu was getting the judges. It was a bad weekend in that department.
We were 3 entries over the 60 per flight cut off. We called AKC and asked if we could leave our test at two master flights. The expense for another flight for just 3 dogs would have been ridiculous. Another consideration along with the lack of judges. They were very accomodating,
Angie
We were worried about having much more then we did last weekend. We were ready with extra equipment borrowed from nearby retriever clubs and the paid bird boys are pretty easy to find. The grounds would have been compromised with the bad weather that was predicted but it was doable. The biggest snaffu was getting the judges. It was a bad weekend in that department.
We were 3 entries over the 60 per flight cut off. We called AKC and asked if we could leave our test at two master flights. The expense for another flight for just 3 dogs would have been ridiculous. Another consideration along with the lack of judges. They were very accomodating,
Angie
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