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#1
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Judging Orchids
Once again, I'm going to cause some trouble.
After watching the gymnastics competitions for a couple of days in the Olympics I thought about the orchids that are judged at a competition. So how does an orchid get judged (ie. by what criteria can one orchid of one species win over others in the same species)? Can anyone share some first person experiences? Horace Hi Horace, And good evening all. Long time no see. Jerry got it right, but I will offer a bit more detail in case you are interested. AOS Judging at a show is conducted just as it is at Judging Centers in terms of the basics. A judge must nominate a plant, and then all nominated plants are split among the judging teams. There is an effort most of the time to ensure that a plant of genus X will go to a team where at least one judge knows a lot about that particular genus or breeding line. However, no judge may ever evaluate their own plant. This is where those blessed creatures who handle registration come in. They not only have to figure out where the plants are to be sent, but they also have to make sure that no judge is asked to evaluate his or her own plant. Given how many judges grow and show, it can be a real juggling act to make sure no plant goes to the wrong table for evaluation (but when it happens, the plant is just sent back with no fuss, so no worries.) Once a plant is in front of an AOS judging team, there is usually discussion of the plant after which the team votes whether to score the plant. Majority rules, and if the plant is scored there is a series of strict rules for how to average and tabulate scores, and what to do in the event that the point spread between judges is too large. This is all pretty well figured out and you will usually not see a lot of drama unless a plant is a borderline FCC/AM. That is when things can get interesting- especially since an FCC requires further evaluation beyond the vote of one team! (In case you do not know, an FCC is 90-100 points on the judging scale. There are usually 10-20 of these each year out of thousands of plants judged.) The criteria go into what you might expect- color, shape, size, substance, plant and flower condition etc. But the overriding factor, and one reason why judges have strict requirements on their frequency of judging, is that the plant must be outstanding relative to its parentage and type as well as in general. That last point is important. It is very difficult to get a high award on a white Phalaenopsis any more because that breeding has reached a peak where improvements are incremental at best. However, in a new breeding line a flower can achieve a very high award and still not be of the same overall quality and form as a top white Phal that gets nothing. Time is vital. Best case of this is the highest FCC score ever granted- several decades ago to a Vanda Rothschildiana. The plant got a 98 point FCC. I am not aware of this score having ever been exceeded since. Well I have seen a picture of the flower, and that same Vanda Rothschildiana today would not even get nominated. In 50 years of Vanda breeding, what used to be an FCC grade flower in the 1950s pales in comparison to the top plants of today. As for ribbon judging, this is where life can get very interesting. I am not an AOS Judge by the way, but I have clerked many a time for shows (the guy with the clipboard who shows the judges to the plants to be evaluated.) For ribbon judging you have teams of judges once again. Usually also a clerk who has a list of the plants to be evaluated. Unlike with AOS Judging, ribbon judging does not usually involve the plants being moved from their exhibits- at least in the US. So instead of having all the pink Cattleyas in one place to compare and give out ribbons for the "pink Cattleya section" (ficticional category by the way, more on that in a moment), the judges have to walk around to all the exhibits and see which plants in which exhibits are up for the ribbons in the category being judged. There is no scoring system for ribbon judging- it is pretty much to the discretion of the judges with the check and balance being that the work is done in teams of judges (and teams are intentionally mixed with judges from different cities/regions) and any suspicious or bad "calls" will usually be met with direct opinions Once the plants are all seen, there is a vote and that is it. As for categories, it varies by show. Really large shows may break out Cattleyas into general color schemes and flower size ranges. Small shows may just have a Cattleya category. AOS ribbon judging does however require adherement to a complex set of categories based on genus, breeding line and flower size- with some discretion to blend categories if the show is too small to have enough plants for there to be a good selection for each category. Typically there are also show trophies- AOS Show Trophy, Best Commercial Exhibit, Best Novice Exhibit etc. Aside from the AOS Trophy which has specific criteria, the other show awards are pretty much designed at the discretion of the local society. And of course there is often best in show as well- Best Species, Best Hybrid, Best Grown and for large shows best of each genus- Best Cattleya, Best Phal etc. These are usually selected from ribbon winners in all categories for the genus. Ribbon and AOS judging often happen on Friday evenings. Many judges have flown or driven in from out of town, many have spent all day setting up their own exhibits and/or vendor booths. Judging can go until 1-2 AM at times (AOS Judging that is, ribbons are usually disposed of first and with great speed.) Most people are reasonable and there to have fun. But every show will have at least one colorful tale when you take that many educated and opinionated people, ship half of them out of town and keep them up until 2 in the morning Tom. |
#2
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Dear Group,
CBR (botanical recognition) and CHM (horticultural merit) I believe are both provisional upon taxonomic verification. All awards are provisional on payment of the fee. The biggest part is the fee payment **GRIN**. Actually, according to Handbook on Judging and Exhibition (HJE) (5.5.3.1 Provisional Awards) (1) All AOS awards that cannot be certified for publication pending registration of awarded hybrids or taxonomic verification of previously unawarded species, shall be classified as provisional awards. Species not identified to the satisfaction of the judging team may also be given provisional awards. A new unnamed hybrid, brought to the table as A x B, can be given any AOS award by a properly constituted AOS team, including a FCC. The award will be provisional until 1) It is named and registered with RHS, 2) the registration info is relayed to Chair of the Judging region, 3) the provisional status is removed by the Chair and the award is forwarded to AOS, and finally 4) payment of the AOS fees. There is a one year period, but extension are often granted. In the case of new species, previously unawarded, the award is provisional until taxonomic verification is received by the Chair, then same scenario as above. BTW, the award can be any award, not just CBR or CHM. HJE (5.5.2.1 (5) ) HJE 5.5.2.1 (6) Any AOS Certified Judge, on the floor (NB not on team), may question the identity of a species being considered for any award. The award will be provisional until taxonomic verification. I was in just such a situation several years back, questioned the identity of a species, it went to taxonomic verification and was a different species, which already had a CBR, but not an AM. So it got an AM for the correct species. The slides are automagically submitted to the AOS for consideration for one of the national awards - can't remember which off the top of my head (best FCC). Down here, Florida North Central (FNC) we select slides from FNC awarded plants for the year and submit them to the Trustees' meeting for all the national awards, such as Butterworth, Nax, etc. The FCCs are sent to AOS for publication in the magazine edition which shows all FCCs, awarded by the AOS for the year. Last year 2003, FNC awarded 6 FCCs, I was on the team for four of them. 20 years of Judging, never close, then 4 FCCs in three months, the more amazing 2 at the same judging session. Incredible flowers. Cheers, almost as much wind as Frances Jerry Camp Lot A Noise Tropicals (C. L. A. N.) http://www.clanorchids.com Orchid Species, Hybrids, Supplies, Photos and Books Chat (941) 352-2483 Fax: (941) 351-2483 X 123 Order Only 1-800-351-CITE |
#3
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Dear Group,
CBR (botanical recognition) and CHM (horticultural merit) I believe are both provisional upon taxonomic verification. All awards are provisional on payment of the fee. The biggest part is the fee payment **GRIN**. Actually, according to Handbook on Judging and Exhibition (HJE) (5.5.3.1 Provisional Awards) (1) All AOS awards that cannot be certified for publication pending registration of awarded hybrids or taxonomic verification of previously unawarded species, shall be classified as provisional awards. Species not identified to the satisfaction of the judging team may also be given provisional awards. A new unnamed hybrid, brought to the table as A x B, can be given any AOS award by a properly constituted AOS team, including a FCC. The award will be provisional until 1) It is named and registered with RHS, 2) the registration info is relayed to Chair of the Judging region, 3) the provisional status is removed by the Chair and the award is forwarded to AOS, and finally 4) payment of the AOS fees. There is a one year period, but extension are often granted. In the case of new species, previously unawarded, the award is provisional until taxonomic verification is received by the Chair, then same scenario as above. BTW, the award can be any award, not just CBR or CHM. HJE (5.5.2.1 (5) ) HJE 5.5.2.1 (6) Any AOS Certified Judge, on the floor (NB not on team), may question the identity of a species being considered for any award. The award will be provisional until taxonomic verification. I was in just such a situation several years back, questioned the identity of a species, it went to taxonomic verification and was a different species, which already had a CBR, but not an AM. So it got an AM for the correct species. The slides are automagically submitted to the AOS for consideration for one of the national awards - can't remember which off the top of my head (best FCC). Down here, Florida North Central (FNC) we select slides from FNC awarded plants for the year and submit them to the Trustees' meeting for all the national awards, such as Butterworth, Nax, etc. The FCCs are sent to AOS for publication in the magazine edition which shows all FCCs, awarded by the AOS for the year. Last year 2003, FNC awarded 6 FCCs, I was on the team for four of them. 20 years of Judging, never close, then 4 FCCs in three months, the more amazing 2 at the same judging session. Incredible flowers. Cheers, almost as much wind as Frances Jerry Camp Lot A Noise Tropicals (C. L. A. N.) http://www.clanorchids.com Orchid Species, Hybrids, Supplies, Photos and Books Chat (941) 352-2483 Fax: (941) 351-2483 X 123 Order Only 1-800-351-CITE |
#4
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Clanorchid wrote:
Down here, Florida North Central (FNC) we select slides from FNC awarded plants for the year and submit them to the Trustees' meeting for all the national awards, such as Butterworth, Nax, etc. The FCCs are sent to AOS for publication in the magazine edition which shows all FCCs, awarded by the AOS for the year. That is pretty much the same procedure we use, where we select our center's candidates for the various awards. Assuming we ever give an FCC, however, we don't actually have to select it, it is sent for consideration by default. I guess that isn't quite the same as automatic... Last year 2003, FNC awarded 6 FCCs, I was on the team for four of them. 20 years of Judging, never close, then 4 FCCs in three months, the more amazing 2 at the same judging session. Incredible flowers. Wow. That sounds fun. I'd like to see a few FCCs in my lifetime. Of course I'd rather be receiving the FCC than judging it, but I'll take either one. Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list ) |
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