I recently received this article from a group of concerned beaglers:
Recently a group of us were discussing the state of our sport in regards to sportsmanship. Sportsmanship as defined by Webster: Conduct (as fairness and respect for ones opponent and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport. We feel that this facet of our sport needs improvement. Listed below are some reasons why this improvement is necessary. Do you know any of these people in our sport?
l. Hot Heads: They are the ones that get angry and make a spectacle of themselves. They are confrontational with the judges, they rant and rave, and they spin their tires when leaving.
2. Club House Instigators: They are the ones that really get the hot heads going- Jim, you got shafted! You should have been high! -If they are lucky, they may have seen one brace run
3. Know It alls: They know everything about every facet of our sport. They feel they have superior knowledge and they let everyone know it.
4. Complainers or whiners: They may say, They arent going to look at my dogs, I dont want that rabbit, Dogs these days arent what they used to be, or What a crummy meal, you name it, and they will complain.
5. Guys who never lose: No matter what happens they always win, and if they dont then its because the judges are crooked or incompetent.
We participate in a sport where the judging is subjective. No two judges look at two dogs the exact same way as two others may. The definition of a judge is; to form an opinion through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premise; one who gives an authorative opinion. Judgment; an opinion; the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing. Our sport isnt alone when it comes too subjective judging. Other examples include floor exercise, synchronized swimming, dog shows, horse shows and 4-H judging. Judging is an opinion when evaluating using a preset standard as a guide. When we go to a trial and pay our entry fee we are asking for an opinion of our dog from two people. This doesnt mean that we agree and it doesnt mean that we think any less of our dog or the judges because the judges opinions of our dog dont go our way. It certainly shouldnt mean that we exhibit poor sportsmanship!
We have many good sportsmen in brace beagling who exhibit good sportsmanship. Its great to see the winners congratulated after winning and its also nice to see the judges being thanked for their hard work. We have many positive people in our sportLets not let the negative participants ruin the fun times for everyone else.
Some clubs have a great tradition when it comes to good sportsmanship. After the trial each owner of a placed dog is introduced and given a round of applausewhat a great way to end a trial!
The challenge is to all of usare we going to be beaglers of character and exhibit good sportsmanship whenever possible or are we going to be put into one of the aforementioned negative categories? Lets not let the poor sports pull us down or spoil the fun that we have at our trials.
Out suggestion is to those who cant go to a trial without getting stressed and exhibit poor sportsmanshipJust stay home and let the rest of us enjoy our day!
A group of concerned beaglers.
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