This Site Chosen By Microsoft As THE Afghan Web Link for Encarta Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange (USA VISIT 1996 - A PERSONAL REFLECTION (Page 3) Author Steve Tillotson)

An aside - I learnt that Jim Hickie (Gengala Afghans - Australia) was visiting the UK whilst I was scheduled to be in the US and that I therefore would miss meeting him. As luck would have it, Jim was also due to attend the National at Racine - so I altered my schedule (originally limited to California/Texas) in order to meet up with Jim at Racine. I guess I am a bit crazy flying 6000 miles west, then flying back east 2000 miles the next day, then flying 2000 miles west again two days later. At least I got to see (from the sky) Kansas City, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Phoenix (took a budget route..) as well as day 3 (bitches), day 4 (intersex/best of breed) at the National, and (of course) meeting Jim.

Racine, Wisconsin, National Afghan Speciality (Scene Setting) - Situated alongside Lake Michigan in a large exhibition hall with a cathedral shaped ceiling festooned with lights and with AHCA pennants hanging down - colourful and atmospheric. Entering the hall, the large carpeted ring (perhaps 60ft square), was directly ahead. Exhibitors and their equipment were set up along the top wall and along parts of two other walls, forming a "U" shape around the ring. Two/three lines of seating were arranged round the ring for the spectators, with more opposite the Announcer's platform. At the back wall end of the ring were the Judges' table and a raised centrepiece and feature which exhibited the prizes to be won. It also served as a "stage" or platform from which commentaries and announcements were made. Around the remaining "U" (top end of ring) shape and behind the Judges table there were a number of trade stands and the Show Superintendent's table. In the two top corners of the ring, two professional video/cameras (with professional operators) were set up to record the event. To the side there was an ante-room, or perhaps best called a hospitality area, where the AHCA laid on food/drink throughout the day. Adjacent to the hospitality area there was a small presentation room where various meetings/presentations were held during the four days of the show. Upon arrival (around 9.30am with junior handler judging scheduled for 10am and bitch judging scheduled for 10.15am) all the exhibitors' crates were already in place and many could be seen preparing their hounds.

Observation and comment - In the UK, most Championship shows provide benching for the Afghans which is arranged in exhibitor/alphabetic name order. Basically, it is wooden trestles with wooden partitions, providing individual cubicles of about a metre (or worse, less!) square for each exhibit. There is usually a small separate area ringed off as a grooming area, although, subject to the show and space between aisles of benching, UK exhibitors may also set grooming tables up close to their bench. A feature of UK benching is that you are arranged alphabetically and cannot choose where you want to set up. hounds are kept in crates laid into the benches, or wire gates fitted to the front of the benches, or hounds are just restrained by a benching chain. By contrast, at US shows exhibitors set up wherever they wished within the designated areas and could situate themselves adjacent to friends, etc. The designated space was not over-generous and the exhibitors were all very close up. My first observation is that despite this closeness of exhibitors' hounds being in the grooming area, there were no incidents of growling or threatening behaviour between hounds which were often nose to nose. I was impressed by this which implies very good temperaments in US exhibited Afghans. Second observation, power cables were laid on the floor for the exhibitors to use for their dryers. This facility is rarely available at UK shows and its unusual to see a UK exhibitor with a dryer at a show. Third observation, compared to the isolationist/coldness of the UK's formal benching, the closeness of exhibitors was almost intimate - and there was a very pleasant atmosphere apparent amongst them. We do get shows in the UK where benching is not provided and we have to set up similar to the US . However I still feel there was a spirit of "a community" apparent in the Racine set-up with perhaps more contact and dialogue between exhibitors than is apparent in the UK. The layout of the hall, the decoration (pennants, lights, raised feature of prizes/commentary platform), the food/drink facilities (also provided at the California show), the "community" arrangement (also at the California show) of grooming areas all contributed to making the event feel like a show/something special even before judging started. As I said earlier, it was atmospheric and this added to the enjoyment. When you add to this the spectacle of the hounds (and handlers) themselves, the enthusiastic (perhaps somewhat exuberant at times) applause/participation of the audience, music (more on this later) it really did feel like a show - again, something special. We're not a gloomy lot in the UK, and some shows succeed in achieving a good atmosphere - but I guess the US Afghan world excel at making the show a real event. I'll return to this aspect again later in this report.

Veterans Parade - Day 4 saw the "parade of veterans". The veterans were sent round the ring to some very upbeat music. (I think the music was put together by Sharon Pearce, show co-chairman). The audience clapped and applauded non-stop to the beat of the music as each hound was exhibited. This enthusiasm was simply infectious, a very memorable occasion. (As an aside, I discussed this "enthusiasm" with a friend who attended San Diego. They laughed and explained that the "Brits and Europeans" initially sat somewhat passively, seemingly determined to maintain their traditional "reserve". However, just like in Racine, the enthusiasm was so infectious the Europeans ended up applauding with equal gusto to the home spectators).

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