| By Diane Loving, Allaglitter persians
The Junior Showmanship rings are held so that young people can: Experience winning and losing among those who are similar in age; learn the correct way to present and handle the breed they own; practice presentation skills in competition; improve their knowledge about their breed and others; prepare to show in regular classes and to judge in Juniors in the future. The definition and purpose as stated in the CFA handout for Jr. Showmanship states: Junior Showmanship classes are non-regular classes, which are judged solely on the ability and skill of Juniors in presenting their cats in the show ring. The purpose of Junior Showmanship competition is twofold: 1. To introduce and encourage Juniors to participate in the sport of pedigreed cats, providing them with a meaningful competition in which they can learn, practice, and improve in all areas of handling skills and sportsmanship; and, 2. To educate them in the care of cats including feeding, vaccinations, habitat, and to educate them about breeds and their standards. It is important that all judges of Junior Showmanship understand the definition and purpose of these classes and take seriously their role in guiding the future guardians of the sport. JUDGES ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN JUNIORS AND IN JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP COMPETION. The age of exhibitors in Junior Showmanship will range from 8 to 15. The regular Junior. classes will be: Novice - This shall be for boys and girls who have not competed in three novice classes at a licensed show. Open-This class shall be for those who have competed in three novice classes. Junior and Senior Divisions -- This group must have won three first places in the Open class. The Junior Division is for those under the age of 12. The Senior Division will be for those who are 12 to 15. These divisions require the handling of additional cats of the same and different breeds from those being shown by the Junior handlers and will require knowledge of different breed standards and grooming methods. Juniors are expected to know the breed standard for the breed they are showing. They should know the distinguishing traits of their breed, most undesirable faults and the breakdown of the points in the breed standard. They should be able to identify both faults and desirable traits in the cat they are showing. The Juniors should have a general knowledge of cat care. The judges will have prepared questions for the Juniors and they must be able to answer these questions while handling their cat. The judges can ask anything from grooming, feeding, vaccinations, altering, breed standards and in the last show I attended about peer pressure. The Juniors should be aware of the appearance of both themselves and their cat. The Juniors cat must be a CFA registered cat but it does not have to be show quality. The Junior is judged on their ability to handle their cat and the knowledge of their breed. The cat should be groomed, as they would be for the regular ring. Most judges ask the Junior if he or she groomed the cat and what is involved in preparing it for show. They also like to ask how often they are bathed and with what products. The Junior is responsible for all grooming and maintaining of the cat they show. My son, Jay shows CH All Aglitter Priscil in Jr. Showmanship. He knows more than most of us silver and golden breeders about the shaded silver. Junior handlers here in Florida give a history lesson as they are handling their cats. Did you know that silvers came to the USA from England in the early 1900's? The standard for the silver and smoke Persians was adopted by The Silver Society Club in Canada in 1913 and is basically the same one in use today. Silvers are called the Cadillac of Catdom; they are very popular with the general public. Their large expressive eyes, black mascara, and sweet expression captivate everyone. The Junior Showmanship season ends in September of this year. The Friskies company is the official sponsor of the Jr. Showmanship Program. They will be sending the top three Juniors from each region to the International Show this year with all expenses paid. This makes the Juniors try even harder to win. Last year 17 Juniors competed at the International show, this was the first year for the program. My son was one of the Junior handlers and it was a very exciting experience for him. He placed second in the Novice class. Copyright © 2000-2005 SGE News Photo Gallery. All rights reserved. Founded and maintained by Pamela R. Martin/Castle Paws, website headline banner by Stephanie Ujhelyi/Purrshinka Persians |
| What is the Junior Showmanship Program? |
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