dean, this is very troubling thread. brian does not speak for imac, we all know he has an iac, not an imac background. And a lot of us feel that the hazy relationship with IAC often produces strange results. Regradless of anyone's credentials, no one has specific rules authority, nor can anyone change or modify published rules. All anyone can do is offer an opinion of interpretation, but anyone is free to challenge that opinion. Another "qualified judge" could easily teach a class that takes the position that because the IMAC rules are silent on a downgrade, no downgrade should be given. Downgrades should be based on defined criteria, and with little or no opportunity for personal bias - yet that is exactly what is being said - that individual judges should create their own criteria in determining placement downgrade. That defeats the whole purpose of having rules. The source of the judging card is the rules...it is clear and unambiguous: the cornerstone of judging.

I appreciate the effort that is going into these judging schools, but unless the schools are taught with a consistent and uniform criteria, and unless the persons teaching the school have a firm grasp on the IMAC rules, they are of questionable benefit. IMAC is committee happy, maybe sometime can spent addressing issues such as this one, or at least the RDs recognize the inconsistency and take some steps to address it. Personally, if I were to CD a contest - and bring your jackets, because hell would be frozen over - this issue would be disussed in the pilot's letter, as well as at the pilot's meeting. and it goes without saying that aresttedin2004 would be chief judge.

P