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Helpful Hints for Potential Marshals At some time or other, all of you who are involved in running hunt tests or field trials will be asked to marshal. I know that I was asked to marshal the first seven trials I ran when I started doing field trials. My husband said I had “sucker” written on my forehead, but it is a wonderful way to get to know persons and to become more aware of just what putting on a hunt test or field trial requires. Although I knew relatively little about being a marshal, I had a tremendous amount of experience putting on swim meets, track meets, horse shows, and just about anything that involved my kids as they were growing up. I felt if I could handle some of the parents I encountered, I could cope with just about anything. The first thing I recommend is to SMILE! Sometimes this is a very difficult recommendation to follow, but it really does help. Your most important job as a marshal is to see that the judges have dogs available to judge at all times and that no time is wasted in setting up tests, getting persons to help work, rebirding, etc. Every minute saved early in the day can be immensely important at the end of the day when dusk arrives. The best thing that can happen to you is to have an experienced co-marshal to guide you through these steps. If not, or if your co-marshal(s) are as novice as you, be there extra early on the day of the test, explain to your judges that you are doing this for the first time, and please would they give you some guidance about what they need, expect, and how best to serve them. If at all possible, if you can join the judges and hunt test committee members during set-up the day before, this will give you some insight into what they are trying to accomplish and what you can contribute as a marshal. Dogs should be run in order as closely as possible. The only exceptions would be when someone is working in the field and/or will be going out into the field to work or where there is a conflict with another stake. One reason it is important not to line up too many dogs in a row is that you can have someone show up who needs to work their dog in so they can return to another stake. Often a pro will show up with quite a few dogs to run, he/she needs to run them so he/she can return to another stake. To have the whole hunt test run smoothly, all the stakes need to cooperate with each other in this regard. When you line persons up, you will want to call out “Dog One to the line, Dog Two in the holding blind, Dogs Three and Four get ready.” Once you have called a dog’s number, that dog should run even if someone else comes up and says they must run immediately. This is one reason not to line up too many dogs in advance. You might want to list who is there for your own benefit, but do not call their numbers early. I have seen tests where the marshal will line up twenty-five dogs and then when (for example) a pro shows up with three dogs that needs to be fitted in, persons are very upset because they are bumped. If someone comes from the Master Test (for example) to the Junior Test to run, try to fit them in as smoothly as possible so they may get their dogs run and return to the Master. It is important to fit them in as tactfully as many persons who are running in Junior are inexperienced, nervous and worried, and they do not realize how important it is for the overall success of the hunt test to allow someone from a conflicting stake to be fitted into the lineup out of order. Although it is a person’s responsibility to check in with the marshal when they arrive, you should request the numbers of the persons who are there (unless you know them by sight) so you will know how many of your early dogs are available to get started. If someone isn’t there, be sure there is someone else (in numerical order) ready to run so the judges are not kept waiting. Occasionally a person will have two or three dogs in the same test. They MUST run their dogs in the proper order. They cannot run their third dog first, or their first dog last. This is the same for the pros. Keep a count of how many birds are out in the field at each station so you can be ready to rebird as efficiently as possible. If you have a gun change, take out additional birds at that time. If you can coordinate it, have a change of workers and a rebirding at the same time so less time is lost overall. Birds that are badly damaged should be set to one side and not reused. When putting the birds in bags, try to balance the number in each bag so when rebirding each station will get approximately the same number of birds. Many of these birds will be needed for another series or for use at another stake, so be sure none are given out to anyone unless cleared with either the Head Marshal or the Field Trial Chairman. If popper shells and shotgun shells are left with you, please keep an eye on them as sometimes these disappear and it becomes costly to the Club. Check with the judges before running the first dog if they have any special requirements with regard to running the test and pass on their instructions to the entrants. Be sure that someone who may have missed the verbal instructions due to being at another stake knows what those requirements are. The following instruction is less likely at a hunt test, but is something that could be given at a Field Trial—“all dogs and contestants must run from the mat.” An easy way to accomplish this is to put a note up in the holding blind closest to the line listing the requirements. If the Gun Captain hasn’t already done so, try to line up workers ahead of time so no one has to stay out in the field working an inordinate amount of time. Usually there are persons running the stakes who are more than willing to work. Be sure that if they are throwing a bird, they have experience or are shown how in order to keep “no birds” to a minimum and make the test as equal as possible for all contestants. When lunches are delivered, the main workers all get one in addition to the judges and you. If there are extra lunches, try to be as generous as possible in seeing that persons that have helped a reasonable amount are offered a lunch. Be sure the judges are kept comfortable and have drinks available. If hot, be sure all the workers in the field are offered plenty of drinks. A test dog should be lined up for each test. In Senior and Master, a by-dog will be needed at some point. Usually someone who is no longer competing or who has an extra dog will volunteer for this. It can be hard to obtain a dog to run as the test dog in the first series as often everyone there has a dog entered so do not leave it to the last minute. For test dog, it is important to obtain a dog which is capable of running at the level being judged. Sometimes this requires a considerable amount of tact! Record all scratches you receive and let the judges know that those dogs are scratched. Check that all equipment needed is at the stake and at the end of the stake please be sure all the equipment gets back to the Head Marshal or Field Trial Chairman. Anyone in the gallery wearing white should be asked to step back so that he/she is not visible to a dog being handled or should be asked to change into something less prominent. Much of this will be spelled out for you before you begin and there are generally persons around who have marshaled many times who you can ask for advice. When you agree to marshal, you will be greatly appreciated. Again, use it as a learning experience because you are in a great position to see good dog work and experienced handlers. Remember, you receive a star in your crown for every time you marshal! |
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