Re:Cult:Show Report & Critique (LONG)


     The North Mississippi Lakes Iris Society held its 1998 Spring Show
yesterday, and the following are the results.

    Queen of Show - PRESENCE (Gatty '87)     Exhibited by Linda Melear

    1st Runner-up - NINA'S DELIGHT (Ghio '64) Exhibited by Walter Moores

    Youth Queen   - SUPERSTITION              Exhibited by Cheri McDaniel

    Silver Medal  - Walter Moores

    Bronze Medal  - Billie Lynn Jones

    It was interesting that an historic, NINA'S DELIGHT, was the second
best in the show.  ND is Joe Ghio's first introduction and maintains its
appeal and ability to compete with the newest and best thirty-four years
after introduction.

     "The judges decisions are final," so says the show schedule, but
there were some "big buts" about the judging of this show.  And, if the
people's choice awards were followed, the head table would have been
completely rearranged with a different set of irises.  Other
non-participating judges might have rearranged that head table also.

    The queen, PRESENCE, had one bloom open with one side branch.

    There was a knock-out of a stalk of FEMININE FIRE (Ernst '91) with
three absolutely flawless blooms in balanced proportion (terminal and
blooms on the left and right of the stalk), a perfect candelebra.  An
instant queen...NO!  It was one of the first sent back from the blue
ribbon table. (The right side branch extended too for for a judge).

     Then there was LET'S BOOGIE, a Schreiner '97).  Talk about impact,
this iris has it!  There were two blooms open on it, and again, they were
fresh and without a tear.  It was given a third place because one judge
reported seeing an aphid!  That aphid could have jumped from a near-by
plant.  Let's get real now...if it had been  a swarm of killer bees, that
would have been different, but an aphid or two, really?????  Have they
never seen an aphid on a queen's table?  I have seen aphids on the queen
herself, but they aren't the same as head lice or body crabs!

     To make it absolutely clear in the critique of the above, I am a
judge too, but when judges come to a show with the clear intent of finding
fault with every iris, I get livid.  And, another point I want to make
clear is that NONE of these beautiful, perfect specimens that were so
miserably judged were MINE.

     My own theory about judging is to start out with asking 'what is good
about the iris I am judging,' and not to look at the iris with the
intent of finding something bad.  Let's judge irises the way we judge
people...let's look for the good in everybody and every iris and not for
the bad.  

      I  thought I had seen some poor judging in my lifetime, but
yesterday's experience was the absolute rock bottom.


      Walter Moores
      Enid Lake, MS 7/8
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