Clean Run - June 2020 - 35

COURSE DESIGN
& JUDGING:
Skill Setting
By Lee Gibson

Have you ever been surprised that a particular behavior or
fault occurred on a course you were running? Or, if you're
a judge, have you ever totally underestimated the course
you have designed? Neither is uncommon.
That old cliché, "I didn't see that as a trap," can be wheeled
out and dusted down for the entirety of this section. It
is probably used too much as an excuse for handlers and
judges alike. I can recall hearing this excuse many a time,
in many a location, and I am sure I will hear it again before
too long.
Last time I caught up with you all, I was heading to New
Zealand. This time I sat in the Munich airport waiting for
my connecting ﬂight to Pisa, Italy, where I will judge for
three days. I have a mixture of Jumping and Agility classes
to judge, and I am very much looking forward to it.
I have designed my courses (four for each day) and attempted to offer a range of tests and skills over the classes. I will be judging classes 0, 1, 2, and 3 under FCI rules.
For anyone not familiar with FCI class structure, 1 is the
lowest level, 2 is intermediate, and 3 is the highest level.
The 0 class is for beginners, without weaves and/or seesaw. The 0 class is not standard in all FCI countries, but you
will find various forms of it in different locations, each with
their own interpretation of what equipment should or
shouldn't be included.
When I am judging a multiple-day event where I am the
only judge (i.e., a one-ring event), it is very important that

I try to test a diverse range of skills throughout the trial
and competition days. It is even more important that I am
aware of what I am testing in each course, so I can contrast it in the next day's equivalent class. If I have no idea
what I have set up or no concept of the skills I am testing,
then how can I create a balance or contrast in a second
and third course?
Skill setting is one of the pivotal early modules of the
Global Judging Program (GJP). We want our judges to
know what they are setting up, consider what "skills" are
suitable at each level, and be able to justify the "skill tests"
in their courses. Skill setting is one of my favourite modules in GJP because I always feel we see a light bulb ﬂick
on. It is also a very interactive session and gets the group
up on their feet building courses on our fantastic 3D printed model equipment.
We use a selection of "skill labels" to get judges to start
defining the skills in their course. The labels also help to
get everyone thinking about the progressive nature of the
skills. Black labeled skills are more fundamental, such as
"start-line wait" or "multiple jump sequence" or "general
contact test." We then have blue labels that represent intermediate skills, things like "handler decision making" or
"route choice," to name but a few. The higher-level skills
are represented by red labels. "Independent contact exit"
or "go around/backside" or "unsighted tunnel entrance"
are examples of some of the higher skill labels.

Skill setting is one of the pivotal early modules of the Global Judging Program (GJP).
We want our judges to know what they are setting up, consider what skills are suitable
at each level, and be able to justify the skill tests in their courses.

June 20 | Clean Run

Clean Run - June 2020

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