Sa Agility Comp - First Time As A Steward - Advice?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Hi all

Our club is hosting an Agility Competition on Sunday (18th April).

I'm hoping any agility competition regulars can advise me on what Stewards are supposed to do and maybe not supposed to do.

Apart from helping set up, I think my main job will be holding the lead for the competitor team, I'm not too good at keeping time.

I plan to leave my dog and treats at home but I will probably still smell a bit like her.

I would love to read any stories about stewarding gone wrong or right, and any advice about what good stewards do for the competitors and judges.

For example do you help catch the dog if it nicks off out the ring or is that just too bad?

Is it ok to have an umbrella - I think it might rain a bit.

[ness]

Just do as the judge advises and try and stay out of the way. I can't remember what SAODC do with leads some clubs will have a spot where the lead is placed (some clubs have a pole with a hand on it) at the end of the course otherwise they are placed somewhere near the exit gate.

You may also be asked to make sure the next dog is ready to go in. A word of warning because people are usually running multiple dogs in multiple rings judges try and stay in consecutive number order but its not always possible or feasible so you might also have to make sure the judge knows which dog is entering the ring.

Edited April 15, 2010 by ness

[poodlefan]

How many stewards are in each ring?

Some have time keepers, scribes, lead stewards and marshalls (who organise the competitors into sequence) in each ring. In others lead steward/marshall may be combined or timekeeper/scribe.

Let competitors catch their own dogs if they piss off. Grabbing a strange dog by the collar (if its wearing one) or the scruff of the neck is inherently risky.

Wear waterproof gear. If you're juggling leads and perhaps a clip board, you won't have a hand for an umbrella.

You should get a briefing. Ask questions if you have them. As a lead steward you would normally be the person who tells the scribe (recording results) the competitors number. You'll probably need to keep an eye out for dropped bars and to help change heights and courses. Ask about how to adjust equipment if you're not sure.

Don't allow yourself to be pushed around by the handful of competitors who may try it - your primary responsibility is to run the ring the way the judge wants, not how the competitors do.

Have fun! No better place to watch agility than in the ring as a steward.

[ness]

hey us SA competitors don't push our stewards around to hard but if your in the jumping ring and I place my dog in a stay and remove the lead and make every effort to avoid having a steward stand over my dog in the process and inadvertently spooking her at her first trial I might be pushy :D . Sorry my open and masters dog might cope with stewards hitting her in the face with a lead but but sure my novice baby dog would.

That would be the biggest gripe I have had with a steward in a trial (and just for the record it actually wasn't agility but an obedience trial and we were doing articles and the bloody steward had the lead dangling from around his neck).

Edited April 15, 2010 by ness

[poodlefan]

hey us SA competitors don't push our stewards around to hard but if your in the jumping ring and I place my dog in a stay and remove the lead and make every effort to avoid having a steward stand over my dog in the process and inadvertently spooking her at her first trial I might be pushy :D . Sorry my open and masters dog might cope with stewards hitting her in the face with a lead but but sure my novice baby dog would.

That would be the biggest gripe I have had with a steward in a trial (and just for the record it actually wasn't agility but an obedience trial and we were doing articles and the bloody steward had the lead dangling from around his neck).

As a lead steward there's no need to be that close to a dog. I stand off and let the competitor hand the lead to me.

[ness]

Some do so hence a warning .

[poodlefan]

Some do so hence a warning .

On the other hand, if a competitors dog doesn't like my hat, coat or the fact that the gazebo side protecting the scribes' table from rain flaps in the wind, I call that tough bikkies. :D

Edited April 15, 2010 by poodlefan

[poodlefan]

Do you guys use electronic timing gates down there Ness?

[pie]

At our first trial the other week I set my dog up in a sit and was waiting for the strange person that was standing so close to us to give us a bit of room so I could take his lead off (he's not real keen on strangers) so I was waiting, waiting, until it dawned on me that it was the lead steward :D

Agree with Ness, if you are the lead steward, please give the dog a bit of room ;)

I have no problems with hats, coats, gazebo sides, or even novelty head wear if you want to wear it :D

I don't know about SA but over here stewards get lollies :p Stewarding is a great way to learn about agility trials.

[ness]

Our stewards usually get lunch and petrol money or a gift of some description - that seems pretty standard across the clubs although been a while since I last stewarded. Yep we do have electronic timing gear but depending on how many sets and how many rings are running not all rings will have electronic timing gear and usually the ring that does would be the jumping ring.

I bit of politeness and respectfulness for the dog in the ring especially with novice dogs never goes astray and to some people it doesn't occur to them. We have a lot of really new novice dogs at the moment (all in their first couple of trials or even there first) and its just nice to have one less thing to worry about. Especially since its hard enough knowing how a novice dog will react to anything - even the most unflappable dog can be unpredictable.

And as I said vested interest the agility trial the person is talking about is my club trial and also my youngsters first.

ETA. I do pity the steward in our ring though because I suspect there might be a few bars needing to be picked up at the end of our run .

Edited April 15, 2010 by ness

[The Spotted Devil]

Don't be offended if you feel completely ignored by competitors - I always try to thank the stewards but, looking back on some videos, I'm so focussed on my dog and the job at hand that I barely even glance at them. Sorry

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Hi All

I'm with Rose with the morning shift. I'd be helping and she'd be leading. Oh wait, you mean "steward holding the leads" not the "Steward in charge". "Holding the lead" is what I've been told so far (Lead Steward - duh). Oops. Well they do give that job to first time helpers.

I think there is another person to do time keeping so I guess that's at least three, unless we double up on tasks. I think I could do "scribe". Pretty sure I don't marshall but I could be wrong. I know how it goes with equestrian events when competitors have more than one ride and the numbers can be out of order, though I've only "jump judged" for those. I might be helping with pole height etc, that would be ok. I've had some practice setting up gear at training.

I know Ness's dogs, they're gorgeous. I know they don't like surprises, I let them approach me if they (and their boss) want, otherwise I try to keep clear. I will try to take my cue from the handler about how close I need to be. I know when I'm practicing I like a gap of several metres at the starting point so my dog doesn't get confused or distracted. I wasn't as worried about scaring a dog as much distracting it. I don't know if I'm where Ness's girls will be competing. My dog likes to greet everybody and every dog so I didn't want to be accidentally encouraging that from other dogs when they're supposed to be paying attention to their boss.

A pole with a hand sounds like a really good idea. That would free up lots of people for helping. I don't think we have it at SAODC otherwise they wouldn't need me. Or is my job putting the lead on the pole?

I don't think we've got automatic timers though they would help me a lot. I think I will bring one of my kitchen timers just in case. It runs on stop watch or count down. I hope I don't have to do timing and it stays in the car park.

And I'm pretty used to players ignoring or trying it on with the ref. I umpire hockey often.

We get food and reserved parking. I'm looking forward to crispy bacon sandwich for brekky and some coffee. Judges usually get a formal sit down lunch under shelter - well that's how the obedience competition went. Helpers got food from the bbq.

I had to move all the bars before I could do each run at training because Ms talk alot had her dog on the top rung and mine was on the next rung down. Eventually Rose came and helped but Ms talk alot didn't. Then again we didn't always help put them up for her either. I'm pretty sure my dog would have jumped the top height, after I persuaded her that "over" was what I wanted and "strolling under" was not.

[ness]

I just got the trial catalogue and I have a suspicion my two could clash so should be interesting . I love being in two places at the same time.

ETA. And yep Ness will be in Rose's open agility and thats the one that will probably clash with Kenz :D .

Edited April 16, 2010 by ness

[Bully]

I'm just helping in the office, so will make time to come and laugh at Kenzie's first attempt

Seriously Ness, good luck, I'm sure you'll both do fine :D

[ness]

Nice one Bully - I still have to recruit a camera person for the morning .

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

well I got booted from Rose's ring Open Agility to Keith's ring Master's Agility - so didn't see tribe Ness except for helping set up the shade thingy. I wish I'd brought mine from home too, we ended up borrowing one from the judges feast table.

I did leads - they wanted me to do back up timer, and very glad I wasn't. We made a couple of mistakes that didn't seem to affect things overall, backup timer was needed a couple of times.

Some big dogs need to practice the tyre/hoop on the first obstacle, framed by the auto timer beam holders cos quite a few went under instead of through.

I can't believe how fast it was though. As one dog went through the finish the next one would be setting up. I hung the leads on the pole next to the exit, I did not have time to hand it to the competitor finishing because the next one would be already in. Check no jumps down and judge ready and scribe ready - started already. I didn't always get to watch the whole round either, cos I'd be sorting who was next. So I guess I was steward of the leads and marshall.

We coped really well with competitors out of order because of ring clashes, most of the time the competitors who were waiting to go would sort it among themselves, and any numbers that didn't show up, I wrote at the end of the list for that height and checked then. The open agility ring was running much slower than than the masters one anyway. Only one who was supposed to show up, didn't. And we found them in another ring competing. They could have queue jumped at ours. Nobody complained about it.

It was hectic, but great fun.

[ness]

Thanks for the assistance MRB - much appreciated . My two didn't have any luck but boy was Kenz fun to have in the ring . I posted a link to her videos in the brags thread.