Author Jo Ann
of Luv 'N Chins
2004 Southeast Coastal MCBA Show
November 20, 2004
Hosted by the Southeast Coastal MCBA Chapter
Rock Hill, SC
For those of you that have never attended a chinchilla show ... you are missing out on a day of fun, fellowship, and learning. I want to take you through a little of what happens before, during, and after a show ... but, it's nothing like being there! This one is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. and end by 5:00 PM, with a question-answer social at 7:00PM till ???
7:01 a.m. All is quiet.
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7:08 1st to arrive, Jamie, all smiles.
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7:13 Ann ...What to do first?
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Months of planning and work by many have gone into this show ... announcements, fliers, e-mails, forms, sponsors, judge, helpers, speakers, more paperwork, trophies, sale items, luncheon, dinner and raffle prizes. So much to do! It all boils down to one day. It’s here and now it's time to get it to come together without a hitch and make it appear to be easy ... that's the trick ... but it does...
Chinchilla breeding is a family affair ... all ages pitch-in to help in the preparation ... arranging the tables, covering them with plastic and white paper ... unloading trucks and vans ... everyone helps.
From sitting-up the reception table to putting together, lining-up, and numbering cages to posting the number chart for the sale of the chinchillas showing, it takes team work all the way!
Chinchillas (93) have a last minute grooming (after months of grooming) for the judge and all who come to see the best of the best in each category. Each chinchilla wants to look its best, so they are combed, trimmed, rubbed, rolled and fluffed by the proud owners.
Spectators take time before the show starts to try to decide which chin they think will win and which they would like to buy to help improve their herd.
Judge, Dave Woods, with the help of Jim Ritterspach, categorize each chin it its own division. Each chinchilla has to be placed in a group that will allow a fair judging against other ones of the same category for that chin. They are separated by color, shades of color, age and sex. Not an easy job, but one done quickly by the two seasoned professionals.
Normally, a judge has a trainee to help train how to judge. Today is a special treat ... twelve of us, from the audience, were given a chance to play 'judge trainee'. We each were able to view the chinchillas as the judge did and were told what to look for, how to look for it, and the good and bad of each chinchilla being judged. This was a time for us to learn ... hands on experience. Once the winner of each division is chosen, the judge explains to all the spectators the faults and attributes of each chinchilla shown. This is where you learn what you need to do to improve what you have ... a priceless tool for making the best of what you have and what you need to do to improve it.
Who will win these coveted trophies and the ribbons we all want? It's down to the final judging ... Grand Show Champion, Reserve Grand Show, Champion Male & Female of Show, Reserve Champion Male & Female of Show, these receive trophies. Champion Male/Female Color Section, Reserve Champion Male/Female Color Section, Champion Male/Female Color Phase, and Reserve Champion Male/Female Color Phase, these receive large blue ribbons. Then there are the chinchillas that are good enough to deserve first and second place small ribbons because of their appearance. These are not quite good enough to be winners on the day of the show, but are good prospects for future shows and should be good breeding stock.
By 5:00 PM, we were all tired and many in a hurry to get to other things (breaking down equipment, packing and loading it, and caring for our wonderful little fur balls), so I did not get pictures of all the winners, but, do have pictures of the two I chose to add to my herd for improvement before the judging started. The first one is shown at the top of the article ... Moose, shown by Ralph Shoots, a black velvet who won best color in his division and best male of the show. And below, Indigo, shown by Jim Ritterspach, an ebony female who won best color in her division. Sorry, but I had to boast ... such beauties to add to my herd!
Grand Show Champion was a standard, entered by Ralph Shoots
Reserve Grand Show was a standard, entered by Jim Ritterspach
At the end of the day, we gathered for a Chinchilla Social & Question-Answer Session, with the masters (Dave Woods, Jim Ritterspach & Ralph Shoots) of chinchilla breeding. Questions from "What is the best feed?" to the best care and housing of chinchillas were discussed while we munched on pizza and deserts.
Of course, any time chinchilla folk gather, funny/strange chinchilla stories are in abundance to be shared by all. One that was quite amusing was about a breeding run where the male chin would service only the female chinchillas in the right two cages, but not the ones in the left two cages, no matter which females he placed in each set of cages ... only to eventually discover, he had left the divider in the run between the two sets of cages, keeping the male from reaching the left two cages. Or stories of new owners who ask where the best place to look for their chinchilla outside after it had escaped from its cage and leaped out of an open window. Duh ... what is wrong with this situation?
All-in-all we had a wonderful and informing, but very long day ... for most beginning about 5 a.m. and ending about 11 PM ... but well worth it! Make sure you attend a chinchilla show ... there is a world of information available and there for the asking ... go and enjoy yourself!
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