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Hello,
First, your site is terrific - very thoughtful
and presents all the relevant
data. In thinking about a revised point system that
helps the more numerous
breeds (I have Rottweilers) - I have an option for
awarding points to the
reserve winner that I think meets the objectives.
First, I will point out the
downside of the other two options for reserve
points:
1) Subracting the dogs used for points for the
WD, and awarding points for
the remainder to the reserve. -- This has a fair
amount of variability - if
the entries are just *one* dog shy of a four point
major, only the dogs
making the three points are subracted, so the
reserve dog gets as many as 10
dogs worth of points. If the points are *one* dog
over a four point major,
the reserve dog gets nothing. I don't think this
system will work, since it
is not really consistent - but I like the idea.
2) Awarding the reserve dog 2 points less (or
similar adjustment) than the
winners dog. -- This system will result in many
more majors for the less
numerous breeds as well. In a breed where 1pt is 3
dogs, 2pt is 4 dogs, 3 is
5, 4 is 6, and 5 is 7 (many rarer breeds are
structured this way) - a dog
defeating 7 entries for a 5 point major will also
result in the reserve dog
getting a 3 point major - and these breeds really
don't need adjustment. I
know folks in rare breeds who will just keep an
entire litter in order to
finish a dog - we in rotties and other breeds can't
possibly manipulate the
system like that.
3) Here's a third, and perhaps better option
that is combination of the other
two. For the reserve winner, the number of dogs
required for ONE point (or
possibly two?) is subtracted from the entry, and
points awarded accordingly.
Here's an example of two point scales, one for
rottweilers, the other for a
less numerous breed:
1pt = 3 dogs
2pt = 4 dogs
3pt = 5 dogs
4pt = 6 dogs
5pt = 7 dogs
In this example, only a reserve to the 4 or 5 pt
major get points, reserve to
5 pt would be (7dogs - 3 dogs) 2 pts, reserve to 4
pt would be (7dogs - 3
dogs) 1 pt. This system would minimize the
generation of extra majors in rare
breeds. Now look at the example for the current pt
scale for rottie bitches
in division 8:
1pt = 4 bitches
2pt = 14 bitches
3pt = 24 bitches
4pt = 30 bitches
5pt = 40 bitches
In this example, a reserve to a 5 pt major would
generate (40 bitches - 4
bitches) a 4 point major, reserve to a 4pt would be
(30 bitches - 4 bitches)
a 3 point major. Even the reserves for 3 points
could generate a major, if
the numbers were 28 or higher. Since in the rarer
breeds, there is very
little difference in numbers between 1 point and 3
points (sometimes only 2
or 3 dogs), subtracting the dogs for 1 point would
eliminate the extra majors
in those breeds. In popular breeds where the
difference between even a 2 and
3 point win is 10 or more dogs, this would generate
extra majors. It does
seem more fitting since that reserve winner has
defeated a lot of entries in
that case. With the 18-20% rule that the AKC uses,
in the popular breeds it
always results in a big jump in numbers between 2
and 3 points.
Implementing this would be a minimum amount of
work - and would be constantly
adjusted by each breed's point scale. AKC would
have to do a statistical
adjustment on the yearly point totals, or continue
to *only* count points and
majors earned by the WD/WB. Otherwise, this system
would just drive the
points higher, since twice as many majors would be
awarded in each region.
Would there be a requirement that at least some of
the points entered would
have to be from WD/WB, rather than all reserves?
Maybe not the majors, but at
least 5 or so points must not be from reserves -
just a thought.
I'd like to take the time to run this example
through a various point scales
for different breeds, and see at what level it
starts generating extra majors
- which is the real reason it is so difficult to
finish a dog in the popular
breeds. I know of many, many deserving dogs and
bitches in Rottweilers that
spend years and a good deal of money trying to find
majors to finish. You can
finish a Manchester, Maltese, or Welsh Spaniel just
by hanging on to a few
littermates or entering older dogs.
This issue is a personal one for me - I had also
corresponded with the AKC
about adjusting the boundaries for region 8 - since
only 20% of the shows can
be majors, and the region is SO huge. Half of those
majors available to us in
region 8 are 1500 miles and two mountain ranges
away! So, anytime they have 4
or 9 day clusters of big majors in Washington
State, that drives them to run
the numbers up (I live in Colorado - we do the same
to them). For some folks
in the midwest or eastern states, they can
potentially go to any show in
their region - we can not. An additional difficulty
is the new embargo on
flying dogs in the summer. Since I own a lovely
bitch with 5 singles, 21
reserves, and 8 of those to big majors (30 to 50
bitches entered) - I have of
course thought about this! I also had another bitch
that I finally finished
after a year and half of entering and staying home
- she had 4 or 5 reserves,
some at big shows with entries of 30 or 40 bitches.
I'm also a
breeder-owner-handler, and do not send my dogs out
with pro handlers to
follow majors or judges.
I am willing to help present or research these
options - or to join whatever
committees, present to various clubs, or whatever.
This has been a long time
coming...
Teresa Williams
EigenRotts@aol.com;
http://members.aol.com/EigenRotts/index.html
"Morgan" Select CH Vom Hochfeld's Seminole Wind CD,
HIC, CGC
"Ripley" CH Autrey's Believe It Or Not HIC, CGC
"Merlin" Wizard of Camelot V Hochfeld CD, HIC, CGC
(pointed)
"Layda" Eigenstate's Accolade HIC, CGC (the reserve
Queen)
"Bravo" Eigenstate's Bravisimo (da Baby Boy)
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