The two trial system....
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2003 10:44 am
What does everybody honestly think of this two trial system????
Its been in place for about 5 years now in Large Pack, and now it seems to be a big fight over dates.
For instance, look at the first weekend in May. I live in Western Massachusetts...there are at least 5 trials that promote the style of dog I run that weekend with in 3 1/2 hours from my house. 5 trials, which means at least 30 judges...thinking some judges are doing two classes. Three of these trials are SPO (two on hare, one on rabbit), the other two are large pack. All but one of these clubs holds two trials a year.
Last year 4 clubs ran on this weekend, all amazingly breaking 100 entries. With one club actually getting over 100 entries in one days time.
The third weekend in September the same thing happens. There are 5 AKC trials and one CKC trial running on the same weekend. These trials are all within 4 hours of my house. All but one of these clubs runs two trials. Two of these trials are SPO-R the other 3 Large Pack.
I believe only two of these clubs broke 100 entries.
At my "home" club we only run one trial. For the following reasons: we can't get the help for two, we have two other clubs in the area that use our grounds for their trials, we don't want our grounds closed for that long.
Before 1998 we averaged 185 entries for the weekend. We were the second trial on the Northeastern Large Pack circuit, after Paskamansett.
Since 1998 we have only broken 100 entries once, that being last year. We are the forth large pack trial after the first of the year. The 6th hare trial. We also run against a designated "large pack" club that is running SPO on hare less then 200 miles away. With many letters and phone calls to the AKC, this hasn't been stopped.
A lot of people say that this two trial system is helping the sport, smaller classes, easier for the judges to look at.
But on the other hand judges are being worn thin, with the majority of all veteran judges taking over 10 trials a year. Clubs are being forced to run two trials just to have the income that they had 5 years ago.
In the past in large pack, with the large classes, field trial committees would elect to split the class at a certain number of hounds. Letting the judges look at smaller packs of hounds. Also in many cases an alternate judge was advertised in case of a large class this judge was on standby to be added in.
With these smaller classes there are dogs out there chasing points with plenty of wins. There is one dog in SPO that has 7 wins and needs less then a point to finish. There is another dog that has ran in both that has 4 wins and likes 15 points for his International Field Championship.
Please don't take this post as a beagler crying and complaining about the AKC. But a beagler making a case against the two trial system and what it is doing, not only to the breed but to the sportsman who take part in this sport.
Its been in place for about 5 years now in Large Pack, and now it seems to be a big fight over dates.
For instance, look at the first weekend in May. I live in Western Massachusetts...there are at least 5 trials that promote the style of dog I run that weekend with in 3 1/2 hours from my house. 5 trials, which means at least 30 judges...thinking some judges are doing two classes. Three of these trials are SPO (two on hare, one on rabbit), the other two are large pack. All but one of these clubs holds two trials a year.
Last year 4 clubs ran on this weekend, all amazingly breaking 100 entries. With one club actually getting over 100 entries in one days time.
The third weekend in September the same thing happens. There are 5 AKC trials and one CKC trial running on the same weekend. These trials are all within 4 hours of my house. All but one of these clubs runs two trials. Two of these trials are SPO-R the other 3 Large Pack.
I believe only two of these clubs broke 100 entries.
At my "home" club we only run one trial. For the following reasons: we can't get the help for two, we have two other clubs in the area that use our grounds for their trials, we don't want our grounds closed for that long.
Before 1998 we averaged 185 entries for the weekend. We were the second trial on the Northeastern Large Pack circuit, after Paskamansett.
Since 1998 we have only broken 100 entries once, that being last year. We are the forth large pack trial after the first of the year. The 6th hare trial. We also run against a designated "large pack" club that is running SPO on hare less then 200 miles away. With many letters and phone calls to the AKC, this hasn't been stopped.
A lot of people say that this two trial system is helping the sport, smaller classes, easier for the judges to look at.
But on the other hand judges are being worn thin, with the majority of all veteran judges taking over 10 trials a year. Clubs are being forced to run two trials just to have the income that they had 5 years ago.
In the past in large pack, with the large classes, field trial committees would elect to split the class at a certain number of hounds. Letting the judges look at smaller packs of hounds. Also in many cases an alternate judge was advertised in case of a large class this judge was on standby to be added in.
With these smaller classes there are dogs out there chasing points with plenty of wins. There is one dog in SPO that has 7 wins and needs less then a point to finish. There is another dog that has ran in both that has 4 wins and likes 15 points for his International Field Championship.
Please don't take this post as a beagler crying and complaining about the AKC. But a beagler making a case against the two trial system and what it is doing, not only to the breed but to the sportsman who take part in this sport.
