Shows - New Award????

[luke frisbee]

Well i got a bunch of old rinkos where they talk about the GC owner getting a car and all the minor trophies got "motoercycles" (I do not think they were Harleys.).

[aquitori]

Okay, so what can show organizers do to make shows more attractive for hobbyist? Everybody seems to think they have the ringer, but for bragging rights for a show doesn't seem interesting enough. I know and have seen fish out there that would make the regulars on the show circuit look like domestics, but that my opinion.

[luke frisbee]

an inexpensive addition...
the Dutch show 2 years ago had an index of photos of all the awarded koi.

The obvious; this allowed each owner to get a great amount of public recogniton.
Not so obvious, other hobbyists could compare their koi to the "winners." i would think that non-showing hobbyists would have become less leary of showing their koi when seeing some of the winners.

PLUS THEY WERE PICTURES, AND AS SUCH PROBABLY ALOT OF PEOPLE WENT TO LOOK..THIS ADDED TO THE POPULARITY OF THE SHOW AS WELL.

[luke frisbee]

"RETURN WINNER"...THIS AWARD WOULD GO TO A KOI THAT HAD BEEN IN THE SHOW PREVIOUSLY AND HADN'T WON.....IT WOULD BE BASED ON THE STANDARD HIERARCHY, just that the winner would have to had been shown in a previous year. (In today's world this would be as simple as keeping a catalog of the koi shown each year...which would be a wonderful way to chronicle the improvement in koi over the years, and the popularity of a show over time.

[luke frisbee]

"HOBBYIST'S CHAMPIONS".
Every hobbyist that enters koi gets a ballot with the categories open to hobbyists' voting...it could be as little as just the GC...or could include the "Baby Champion" on up....along with a "tategoi" award....and perhaps, "The Koi I'd Most Likely Buy For My Pond" if I could afford it.

[luke frisbee]

"People's Champion"
This would be voted on by NON-koi people attending the show...more than likely a metallic, doitsu, Ginrin, Longfin would be the "People's Champ".

[dick benbow]

My involvement in shows has seen a coupla decades come and go. I have seen lots of activities and concerns placed with those who buy thier koi and bring them in just before a show. But I have always felt bottom line to restrict or hinder the process rather deemed good or bad would affect the opportunity to see splendid examples of koi. I could never compete with those that brought in koi in the twelve to twenty thousand dollar range. But i always took pride in presenting my koi as the best they could be. In the beginning many keepers couldn't keep a koi from year to year, Yet now i see it has a normal happenstance.

If i understand the question as originally posed, I'd suggest each club name an award after a long time member of a club that best exemplified the nature of the award. if you have an individual that home breds his own koi and therefore has total hands on to all processes for all the years of the show life of the koi, that would be noteworthy.

[MikeM]

Lots of good ideas here. Friendship Awards serve some of the purposes of Luke's suggestions, but not at as high a level. I particularly like the "return winner" idea. We get a lot of koi entered in U.S. shows that need a year or three to be ready for showing. Recognizing that a winner is a return entry is a nice way to also recognize husbandry. And, Dick's idea of naming awards in honor of accomplished hobbyists/breeders is worthwhile .... although might need a corollary that the person has retired from the show circuit.

[mrbradleybradley]

If an award encourages participation, the better. Not everyone can own a GC. But awards can be made to recognise the rest of us non GC owners.

Bradley

[Akinosan]

How about a novice category? Those who are just starting in the hobby or have been in the hobby under two years. I think this would give a little more intrest to people who haven't yet gotten into the high dollar Koi.