TALKING POINTS

CLARIFICATION REQUIRED

RING steward Katherine Marks has echoed the thoughts of Rebecca Penny in her recent H&H column (29 June issue) about set shows being inadequately explained to competitors by judges through their stewards.

“I strongly agree that set shows should be explained to the whole class by the judge, not the steward, and pinning details in the collecting ring is a fantastic idea,” said Katherine. “This would make the process more efficient. I have stewarded for a judge who set a complex show and even after he had explained it, competitors were confused and I ended up walking the show out for them.”

MAINTAINING ETIQUETTE

HOWEVER, Katherine points out that most stewards are giving up their time free of charge.

“I have noticed that respect and etiquette have gone astray from some competitors,” she said. “Social media has a lot to answer for and ‘judge bashing’ and ‘steward bashing’ have become hot topics. There have been incidents of judges posting details of their personal life on social media, then going forward to judge those connections.”

Katherine believes this is something societies need to monitor more closely as people may be put off entering when they feel there is a “fix” element to the results.

“Showing is meant to be fun,” she said. “Enter the ring with a smile, cooperate with the instructions and enjoy yourself.”