Questions about NAN Judging
Since Jackie Arns-Rossi has been extensively involved in
judge selection for past nationals, including the most recent show in Palm Springs, I asked her to answer some
of the most frequent questions that have come up about
judges and staffing decisions.
Who picks the judges?
The NAN Chair currently makes the decisions on the
judging staff. I believe that past NAN Chairs have made
an honest effort to select the best, but the sheer personnel
requirements we have now prevent this from happening,
especially when people decide to take a year off to show.
It also frustrates me when I decide to show (after working the show several years in a row) and I find my Artist
Resin halter horses are being judged by someone who is a
brilliant collectibility judge, but does not appear to know
how horses move or look. Why is it acceptable for the
Chair to select three judges for a class but not one? Do we
trust this person’s judgment or not?
How are judges selected?
People often worry about how judges are selected. I can
tell you how it was done in 2015, as I did the selecting.
There was no shadowy committee doing it. This is a small
hobby. The showing aspect is even smaller. We all know
each other. I am tired of the volunteers who work to make
the show happen being treated like the Illuminati—like
no one knows who they are or how to get into their group.
Yes, it is often the same people because there is a core
group of volunteers who are still willing to deal with the
stress and criticism that goes with this job. And we are
always willing to take new volunteers who want to work,
too; we are nearly always begging for a NAN Chair. It is
not an “exclusive” or “elite” club if no one wants to join it.
For 2015, people were nominated or suggested and I asked
for resumes. Some nominees were not used. I did not hire
the people who had never judged before, or the person
with a giant string of red lights. I did not hire nominees
when multiple show holders could not offer any opinion
on their judging ability other than to say that the person
was nice and judged a lo