ILR Show Division Judges Committee Minutes - March 15, 2009
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ILR Show Division

JUDGES COMMITTEE Minutes
March 15, 2009
 

I.  Call to Order, Roll Call, Minutes

The meeting was called to order by John McDougall at 7:07 pm. All committee members were present: Chair John McDougall, Ken Austin, Secretary Terry Duespohl, Barb Harris, Judy Steffel, and ILR Board Member Mark Smith. There were no additions or deletions to the agenda. Minutes of the meeting of February 15, 2009 had previously been approved by email and are posted on the ILR website.

II.  Old Business

1.      The Judges Committee Mission Statement and Statement of Responsibilities: A draft had been prepared by Terry Duespohl and Judy Steffel and circulated to the committee for review. Upon motion by Ken Austin and second by Mark Smith, the referenced document was unanimously approved and will be submitted to the ILR-SD Governing Board.

2.      Standing Rules and Ethical Guidelines: Mark Smith provided a draft of Standing Rules and Ethical Guidelines for ILR-SD judges. After lengthy discussion, the first four rules/guidelines were approved with minor editorial changes. The number five item in the draft was struck in its entirety. The number six item, the language dealing with conflict of interest, will be re-drafted and reconsidered by the committee. After discussion it was decided that it would be prudent to approve the first four rules/guidelines so that they would be available for reference by judges at early shows. Terry Duespohl made the motion for approval. The second was by Ken Austin. The motion passed unanimously. The Standing Rules and Ethical Guidelines for ILR-SD Judges will be submitted to the IRL-SD Governing Board for approval.

3.      Judges Training: Terry Duespohl reported that minimal progress has been made because he was out of town on vacation. He has contacted Fran Soukup about serving on the sub-committee as a resource person for fiber. As previously reported, Barb Harris has volunteered to be a resource representing show superintendents. Niki Kuklenski had corresponded with the judges committee offering input on a number of issues related to judges training. Her correspondence was well received by the committee. Particularly commendable was the fact that where she noted a problem, she also offered suggested solutions. Terry will provide feedback to Niki on her correspondence.

4.      The committee reviewed the Governing Board minutes from their meeting of February 18, 2009. Two areas of concern were noted. The first concern addressed the number of fleece divisions in halter classes. While the committee supports the additional divisions, it also recognizes that slotting animals into the correct classes will be challenging. Carefully worded descriptions will be essential. The second area of concern dealt with the use of the same animal by youth members in youth classes and open classes. The general consensus of the committee was that this is not desirable for a number of reasons primarily related to the welfare of the animal. As a courtesy, John McDougall will contact the youth committee to inform them of our objection to this proposal prior to bringing this before the ILR-SD Governing Board.

III.  New Business

1.      Debby Ullrich has requested to be “grandfathered” as an ILR-SD fleece judge. John McDougall had asked Fran Soukup to review Debby’s qualifications. Fran provided a comprehensive transcript of her interview with Debby. The committee reviewed this information.Upon motion by Terry Duespohl and second by Mark Smith, the committee unanimously approved the Fleece Committee recommendation granting conditional approval of Debby as an ILR-SD fleece judge.The condition is that she successfully completes one apprenticeship with a current approved ILR-SD fleece judge.

2.      The committee once again discussed the “grandfathering” of judges, and reaffirmed that until March 31, 2009, the committee will consider for approval any judge that is currently or has been certified by another ILR Board of Directors approved show association.The committee will forward names that they approve to the ILR-SD Governing Board for final approval.

3.      Judy and Larry Steffel have volunteered to host a fiber clinic at their ranch in Colorado. The committee gratefully acknowledged their offer and will pass the information to the Fleece Committee.

IV.  Next Meeting and Adjournment

The next meeting date is to be arranged. Upon motion by Mark Smith, and second by Ken Austin a unanimous vote adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Terry Duespohl
Secretary, Judges Committee