To revise the USCA Judges Program Applicant Requirements

EB # 08-22

EB Motion 08-22 – To revise the USCA Judges Program Applicant Requirements

Motion by Nathaniel Roque, DOJ and seconded by Gary Mcgillivary, DAL, to revise the USCA Judges Program Applicant Requirements.

Background: Due to changes in in our sport, training and trial experience in the last 10 years I am proposing changes to the minimum requirements to enter the USCA Performance Judges Apprenticeship Program. The purpose is to ensure that our applicant apprentice judges have adequate minimal experience to start the apprenticeship program and have success.

In recent years most apprentice judges have required more dogs evaluated or more trials than what the minimum current requirements are in the judges program.

The following changes are approved by the USCA Judges Committee.

  1. Change the minimum dogs trained to 2 German Shepherd Dog/s trained from BH to IGP/IPO/SchH 3 and a 3rd dog of any breed BH to IGP/IPO/ SchH 1 (it is currently only 1 GSD Bh to IGP3 and 1 dog of any breed BH to IGP/IPO/SchH 1).
  2. Change the minimum requirement to must have competed with a dog trained by the applicant in at least 2 USCA Championship Events (Regional- WDC-National). It is currently only 1 championship event.
  3. Change the minimum number of trials judges as an apprentice to 8 (it is currently 6). This was the previous number in the original program. Due to so many smaller entry trials most apprentices have had to do more than the current minimum of 6 to complete their apprenticeship either to get the required dogs or experience.
  4. Increase the total number of dogs evaluated to 80, it is now currently 65 dogs’ total. The additional 15 dogs will be accepted in any level IGP 1-2-3. The minimum in each level remains the same 15 BH, 2 AD, 2 FH 1 or 2, 15 IGP 1, 2 IGP2, 15 IGP 3, the remaining 29 dogs may be IGP 1-2-3 or FH1/2.
  5. Must participate as “long Down Judge “during their apprenticeship at least 2 times at either the WDC or nationals. This is not currently in the program requirements, but all recent apprentices have done this, and it has been a good learning experience for them as well as helping to introduce the apprentices to the membership.
  6. Remove the Teaching Judge Title from the Judges Program. It is a redundant position as all fully licensed judges with at least 5 years’ experience and have judged at least 5 championship (regional or above) and attended a Judges College within 2 years are eligible to preside over an apprentice with approval from the Director of Judges.

The purpose of these changes are to improve the entry requirements of our judges program, to have more experienced apprentices and produce judges that are more prepared in their probationary period as a new judge. The reason to add the additional dog training requirement as a GSD is because we are a GSD organization and our breed just as all breeds have some specific differences in temperament and our judges must have the most experience as possible with the GSD.

VOTE RESULTS:

YES 17: President, Vadim Plotsker, Vice President Jim Alloway, Treasurer John Kennedy, Secretary Michele Clubb, DOJ Nathaniel Roque, NBW Heidi Theis, DAL Mike Diehl, Dennis Vander Linde, Gary McGillivary, RD’s Robin Ayling,  Don Yelle, Trisha Wicklund, Pedro Jimenez, Cherie Flores, Hal Lymus, Jennifer Sutrick and Richard Shook

NFD 1: RD Mike Sweeney,

NO RESPONSE 2: DAL Alan Barltson, RD Laura Bollschweiler

MOTION CARRIED APRIL 4, 2022