Message-in Question 2

[Rob Rixon]

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Question from Lynexpress

A topic that i think could be brought up concerns line judging and half way stewards having racecards with them surely not as this could be deemed to favour a certain dog.

Would it not be far better to have just a pad and pen and write down the colour.

Good Point.

Hi Lyn - Philippa (my wife) has been a judge at all the recent Champs - and I know she has never had a card. Just a sheet with the race numbers on. She marks the Races that include our runners - Muppy Puck and Laika Angel, not only so that she doesn't judge her oun dogs but because she has to pick them up at the finish. (I tend to do the trapping end). )

As far as the half way stewards - I did one Champ this year and I had a programme for the finals only. Reason being I was doing a write-up for Whippet News and I alway take notes of the runners. I don't think the card would effect the way I looked at the runners. And I am prepared to stand by any Disqualification that I Flagged - but there wasn't any.

Any other comments? )

 

[Rob Rixon]

Reply from Judy

A good point and in an ideal world, yes.......but if I can't keep up my programme, I'm not line judging. If I'm working during the racing, I have to much else to do in the break to have time to make it up then. Maybe some other people don't keep up their programmes properly or don't have as many dogs to get out or get ready for the next round. Anyway, I'm very happy for other people to do it if they want to

Also everybody I speak to when I'm line judging says the same thing. Even if they look at the programme just before the race, by the time the dogs are crossing the line, they find they are so busy writing the result down before somebody speaks and puts them off, that their brain just doesn't work quickly enough to remember which dog is in which colour yet alone switch them round and cheat, even if they wanted to!! I guess that's another one of the reasons there are 3 line judges and not just one. When you're line judging and trying to place 3-5 dogs in order, its not the same as just watching one dog to see where it comes in the race.

I can see it more with half-way judges where knowing a particular dog is coming up might make you watch it more if it has a reputation for fighting. And also blaming it if something does happen.

 

[Mark Roberts]

line judges do it out of goodwill, IMO it would be wronge to deprive them of a race card so they could follow racing the same as everyone else.

lets face it there isnt £10,000 on the line is there? (or have I been missing somthing)

 

[peppermint lady]

to be honest most of us all know one another and dogs, so if you see who is putting the dog in the traps and what weight group is running then its not hard to work out who the dog is anyway :thumbsup:

if folk are good enough to judge the line then they should also be able to fill out their program after all it shouldnt matter what dog is running the result should be the same :thumbsup: with or without a program

imo :thumbsup:

BIG UP THE HELPERS :cheers: :lol: without you the racing wouldnt happen :thumbsup:

 

[June Jonigk]

I get a lot of enjoyment from watching my friends dogs too, so if I couldn't have a programme on the line, I don't think I'd line judge either - and someone's got to do it!!

I'd hate to think that anyone would be dishonest on the line - you just have to hope that people are honest, and in the main I think they are. I certainly don't worry about people having programmes on the line.

 

[BeeJay]

When line judging Opens at South Cotswolds and West Somerset we record the results on plain pads of paper. We don't record the results on programs.

 

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

If you have plain paper no club can be accused of being anything other than fair because the system of plain paper does not lend itself to any misguided perception of favourites etc.

My personal view is a harsh one, that no programmes should be on the line, as they are not needed. I also think there should be a line judge on the opposite side of the track and that given some of the finishes, clubs should have photographic evidence of the finish. I also think that at Champs level this evidence SHOULD be made available to the owners of every dog involved in the race under stewards adjudication.

 

[conway]

i dont think there should be people near the line judges, as some owners call out the colours as they cross the line and that DOES make a difference to the results. (if someone line judging is not sure of what they have seen) as to having a programe on the line i dont think it makes much difference. imo. :- " i think that MOST of us whippet racers are honest .

 

[Darcia]

Reply from Judy
A good point and in an ideal world, yes.......but if I can't keep up my programme, I'm not line judging. If I'm working during the racing, I have to much else to do in the break to have time to make it up then. Maybe some other people don't keep up their programmes properly or don't have as many dogs to get out or get ready for the next round. Anyway, I'm very happy for other people to do it if they want to 

Also everybody I speak to when I'm line judging says the same thing. Even if they look at the programme just before the race, by the time the dogs are crossing the line, they find they are so busy writing the result down before somebody speaks and puts them off, that their brain just doesn't work quickly enough to remember which dog is in which colour yet alone switch them round and cheat, even if they wanted to!! I guess that's another one of the reasons there are 3 line judges and not just one. When you're line judging and trying to place 3-5 dogs in order, its not the same as just watching one dog to see where it comes in the race.

I can see it more with half-way judges where knowing a particular dog is coming up might make you watch it more if it has a reputation for fighting. And also blaming it if something does happen.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Spot on Judy! I dont think that I would want to judge either if I couldn't keep my programme up to date (not that I manage to do that half of the time anyway!) but at least I have the result which I can then use to fill my programme out when I get the chance.

I guess it is all down to how seriously you view the racing, I see it as enjoyment for myself and the boys seem to love it too, that doesn't mean to say that Im not occasionally annoyed when someone says to me that your boy came 2nd and should have gone through there - especially when a few people say it to me, but thats life and it probably evens up over the course of the season anyway - after all, judges are only human. I just respect the fact that they are doing the job for the good of all whippet racers!

Take note the racer who came and shouted at us when we put up what we believe to be the correct result at the Inde bend earlier this year!