The quote is attributed to Anthony J. D’Angelo.
(Original Quote: “Always be nice to secretaries. They are the real gatekeepers in the world.”)
What does the Show Secretary do?
It can vary from club to club, but the two things that all Show Secretary do is
- mange the entries BEFORE the show
- sort, organize, and record the results AFTER the show.
Before the Show
We often create the show catalog, but not always.
In our case, one of the wonderful members of the board has been doing that.
Thank you SO MUCH, Stephen Hultholm!
Fees and Rules
ARBA sets rules we MUST follow. Please familiarize yourself with them.
In particular note:
- Any chartered club may make additional rules or regulations, provided they do not conflict with ARBA rules.
- No rabbit or cavy is officially entered until required fees are paid, which must be done prior to the start of the show.
- No substitutions, changes, or additions will be allowed in a breed after judging of the breed has commenced. (More on this below.)
- In cases where entries are made and the exhibits are not received, or if an exhibitor leaves before judging, the entry fees collected are forfeited.
- All animals must be the bonafide property of the exhibitor(s) prior to entry. Each owner’s personal name(s) must be listed on the entry form, but a rabbitry name may be added, if applicable, when entering shows. It will be the responsibility of the owner(s) and Show Committee to not submit or accept an entry in family or rabbitry names. The determination / confirmation of ownership is the responsibility of the exhibitor. (A) In case of disqualification under this rule, other exhibitors shall, if qualified, be moved up on the list of winners.
- Each animal must be exhibited in its natural condition. An exhibitor in violation of this rule will have their animal disqualified, and the remainder of their entry may be disqualified from competition and not be judged. Examples include dyeing, plucking, trimming, or any other action designed to deceive.
Other rules can be put in place by the show-giving club, usually because someone did something that caused trouble for the club, for other exhibitors, or for the public who were watching.
Please don’t pack up and leave the show too early. We often get space, ribbons, prizes, or or other things donated by the organization whose space we are using. When our show is part of a public event, we are part of that public event. The sponsoring organization will not be happy if we pack up and leave too early, and may not want to work with us again.
The Entry Deadline
Show Secretaries NEED time to get everything entered and make sure it’s all in order.
Please respect the entry deadlines.
Once the entries are all recorded in the show program, the secretary will send out the check-in sheets.
Please look them over carefully.
See below for more on the check-in Sheets.
Filling Classes
Please please please look over your rabbits carefully and enter what you want to enter BEFORE the deadline. Show Secretaries often get multiple messages from various exhibitors asking about specific entries (“How many Rex are there?”, “Do we have enough of this class to make a leg?”). While I do understand the desire to fill classes and earn legs, this practice has several problems.
- Most judges take a fairly dim view of the practice. Some consider it quite unethical.
- Asking the Show Secretary to add more entries AFTER the deadline is contrary to the rules.
- It adds to the workload of the Show Secretary. Plus, it’s annoying.
- This one is my own opinion and not the official position of SARBA. Entering rabbits simply to bump up the numbers for legs cheapens the win. If that “filler” entry was not good enough to enter with your other entries, then why are you entering it now? Very often those who are wanting to add an entry after the deadline to “fill” the class are the very people who are themselves hoping to win that leg. You are basically buying a leg, which is not the point.
From Deadline to Show
Please please please look over your check-in sheets CAREFULLY.
This is the time to make any changes that need to be made. You will have 48 hours (2 days) to check and notify the secretary of any mistakes or changes that need to be made. Once the show begins, you will NOT be allowed to make any changes. Only scratches. That includes a rabbit entered as the wrong sex, variety, or ear number. According to ARBA’s rules, these rabbits must be disqualified. If there are two or more shows running simultaneously, and both have started judging, that DQ will apply to ALL shows that day. If you would like to correct the error for the second (or subsequent) day(s), then you MUST have the Show Secretary record the change.
Showtime!
ARBA rules the day.
According to ARBA rules, once the judging has begin, the ONLY change to the judging sheets that are permitted are scratches.
NO MORE CHANGES.
There should be a set of forms provided for rabbits that are scratched during the show. They should be recorded on this sheet as well as being noted on the judging sheet. The extra sheet is so that the Show Secretary can note the scratches before they begin entering the results.
The Show Secretary is not necessarily involved in the clerking, and so may not have seen the breed be judged (for more on clerking, see HERE). Often, especially in smaller shows, the Show Secretary will remember changes that have been made, but it still adds to the workload.
Anything you can do as a clerk or exhibitor to make the judging results clear and uncomplicated will be appreciated.
Please don’t make ANY changes to the judging sheets without the Show Secretary’s approval.
It creates real headaches when trying to enter the final results if there are unexplained and unexpected changes to the judging sheets.
After The Show
If everything has gone as it should, entering the results is quite straight -forward.
if not, it’s a nightmare.
The results must be transferred from the judging sheets to the show program. Then the results and any earned legs get mailed out to the exhibitors, and finally the show reports are generated and sent to ARBA as well as any specialty associations that need them.
The job of the Show Secretary is not an especially difficult one, but it DOES require meticulous attention to detail. If the Show Secretary is frazzled and angry from having to deal with too many “special cases” or “special requests”, it increases the chances of mistakes, AND it increases the chances that they will not want to do the job again.
