Best In Show
So you have through all the information on general appearance, varieties, standards, faults, and disqualifications. Well, now what? Do you feel ready to enter your mouse into a show? Will your mouse win the highest honor of Best in Show (BIS) or will it fall out in the first round? If the mouse is not good enough to win BIS, what is the point in showing it in the first place?
First of all, when your mouse reaches the judge’s table, the health checker, show secretary, and show clerk have already checked it. So if your mouse has made it to the judge’s table, while there’s still a slim chance of elimination, it has at least been deemed healthy and in proper condition for competition.
When your class is called to the table, the judge will examine the mice one at a time. First, the judge will remove your mouse from the show box to determine that there are no bumps or abnormalities that may have been missed by the health checker or show clerk. Then, the judge will start by looking at the mouse’s type. Every judge examines the mice in a different order, and will skip around, examining the butt, body, head, ears, tail, etc. The judge will tell the clerk what she sees. Some judges will give comments, and some will just give ratings (fair, good, fairly good, poor, excellent, etc).
After the judge has examined the mouse’s type, she will look at the coat and color to make sure it meets the standard. After the judge examines all the mice, she will decide who the best representation of that standard is. Type is just as important as color in the judge’s final decision. A note is made on the judging card as to why the judge chose that particular mouse to win its Class, Section, or Group.
The competition continues in the order of all the Section Classes are judged for a particular Section, and then the Section is judged. The mice that win each Section go on to compete for Group or Variety. Then each Variety winner is called back to compete for Best in Show.
So what is the point of all this? MAMA offers points to those mice that win their Section, Variety, or Best in Show. As the mouse wins, it accumulates points. The points are tracked towards a title. It takes 5 points to receive a Championship title on your mouse, and those 5 points do not have to be acquired all in the same show.
If your mouse enters a show and wins 2 points for winning his Section, then enters another show either later that day or at another event, and receives 3 points for winning his Section and Variety, then he has earned a Championship title and a Championship certificate will be issued.
If you win the coveted award of Best in Show, then you should pat yourself on the back for a job well done on breeding and selecting the best specimen at the entire show!