[koicluboftheair]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow In life I have learned not to try and second quess what someone meant....when they said something that i was not privy to. The judges I know from AKCA travel around a lot and may or may not have seen the fish they are judging before. In the top shows in Japan, even average koi people know the top koi in shows and follow their progression to the top. So I think in Japan more than other countries this advancement of koi year to year may give that impression that there is politics involved. As Jim has indicated, in japan there are hobbyists and professionsal involved in various show judging which may give a different emphasis on criteria. Being human, there may even be some attempt to influence a decision for any number of reasons. AKCA ( like ZNA) is made up of judges from the hobbist side. It doesn't make them any less human or any more right. But when you have many judges in Japan making many votes, I think the chances of any one person being that influencial is diminished.... As for me, I just as soon keep a positive outlook on the hobby that I so care about.

Oh, I agree with you about keeping it positive, but just as Tom Hatfield recently shared at a Nth Florida Koi Club meeting that most Taiwanese breeders will through fraud be able to qualify for importing koi into the U.S. under the new import restrictions to protect against SVC we should try to sort out the fact and fiction if we truly love the hobby and want it to flourish in these United States. There is little that we cannot accomplish in the U.S. as we demonstrate over and over again with a litany of examples. IF we are not able to breed the best quality koi for show then why is that? Assuming we are incapable due to some mystery like fog covering the issue isn't acceptable to thinking and caring people

What is the official position of AKCA regarding the quality of our koi compared to that in Japan? Does ZNA have one for that of Japan? And of course is there a middle position for those in the leadership of AKCA/ZNA's?