Judging question for the guys who have been there.

[Jack H.]

Re: Judging question for the guys who have been th

First, NCRS is a club and all of us are MEMBERS despite the fact that on a given day some of us serve as judges while other are owners. Judging is a SERVICE, by members, for members done to HELP the owner better understand his/her car.

There is no 'embarrassment' regarding the car's outcome from a judging session... There is no limit as to the number of times a car can be judged with the intent being to HELP the owner improve on his/her restoration.

Each time the car is present, the slate is wiped clean and it's a fresh/new day. There is no MEMORY of how a give car fared the last time it was judged and only the owner receives the judging score sheet package. So, specific comments and point by point findings are private, belonging only to the owner.

The notion that a given Corvette may not be 'good enough' to be judged is nonsense! My advice is just go and have your car judged (a Chapter meet is a great place to start) and see what happens. The idea that you have to get everything 'right' before you have the car judged is petty. The system was designed from the git go to let members iterate their way over time from one condition state to another!

[John D.]

Re: Judging question for the guys who have been th

Tom, I see you got a lot of replies and didn't read them all so this may be a repeat. Here is an easy way for you. Have your local chapter use your car at a judging school. The guys can practice on it and it will be a learning experience for all. Typically the chapters have some qualified judges that can pre-judge your car. Then don't make the mistake I did. Take your car to a chapter meet first. Then a regional meet. Although my 63 did quite well first time out at a regional that is not how you should do it. I always feel bad for the judges at the regional meets when they have to spend a lot of time on a car that has never been judged before. At the Marlborough, MA regional recently I heard judges complain about this. I would guess that someday you will be required to have your car judged at a chapter show before you continue on. But that is pure speculation. John

[Dick W.]

Re: Judging question for the guys who have been th

Hmm. I thought that I posted this last night, but must have forgotten to post after previewing.

Wearing two hats, a car owner that has been throught the system and as a judge, I will offer these comments.

As a judge we use the time to help educate the owner about his car and at the same time learning more about the cars. There are very few meets that we do not learn something. The older I get and the more that I learn, the more I realize how little we know.

As a car owner I viewed the experience as educational. I took the judges comments as positive and used the sheets as a "punch" sheet to make my car better for the next meet.

Having a car judged can be somewhat overwhelming to a car owner. Just take a deep breath, remembering that it is only a car, and enjoy yourself. As several have posted join a local chapter. if possible, and get to know the people. Learn about the system.

[John D.]

Re: Judging question for the guys who have been th

Jimmy, Good thought on wasting ops points. Beginners don't take ops serious. Too worried about bolts and nuts. You will find that most of the beginners don't have the manuals. Just have the JM. Then go to a show and half the stuff doesn't work. Know for a fact. Say the horn doesn't work.That's a major loss of 25 big points. Your post one of the better ones. Homework is the name of the game. If a car owner does his homework there are few surprises. Most though don't read the rules. WE preach this all the time at our chapter but few pay attention. At the last show I saw you at I talked to a lot of car owners who were in the dark as far as standard deducts. Getting a top flight is like getting a degree in college. Do you homework and you pass.. Course takes big $$$ too. Takes a lot of DB posts to find out how the thing goes together too. Like what color is the engine. Good stuff like that. Jr. hee.

[Gary C.]

Know your car better than the Judges by going

through the Judging sheets using the Operations and Judging Manuals step by step. Make a log of the both the correct items and the differences on your car.

As others have previously stated; the best help is from your local NCRS Chapter. Join the chapter and ask them to schedule a Judging Seminar training session using your car for the exercise.

When reviewing the Judging sheets with an owner I always try to start the review with "you should know your car better than we do". As Dickie said the more we learn, the more we recognize the stuff we don't know.

Good luck and remember, best thing you can do is join, support and participate in your local Chapter. Chapters are the backbone and strength of NCRS.

Gary
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[Patrick H.]

Re: Know your car better than the Judges by going

Gary,

Unfortunately, I find that many of the owners don't know the car better than the judges (assuming you don't have a C3 guy judging a C1 at a Chapter meet, or similar occurrence), and I'm not saying that to be cocky or make the judges sound like know-it-alls. The owner has either just bought their Corvette or had it restored, and they can barely figure out how to turn on the lights. They've never seen a Judging sheet nor have they read any of the reference materials.

I'd agree wholeheartedly that the best thing an owner could do is read the Judging Reference Manual, review a copy of the Judging Sheets by asking Roy for them, and review the appropriate NCRS Judging Guide to see where their car might have "issues." It will really help the owner feel far less nervous if they spend a little time in preparation.

Patrick