GPC Comments on Color Issues - Rule changes
This is per a letter I received. I scanned it but DID
NOT proof read the scan. Have fun reading
Duncan
T0: Site Co-ordinators of The Great Pumpkin
Commonwealth
FROM: Hugh Wiberg, Spokesperson
DATE: June 11, 2002 Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Commonwealth's Steering Committee, the Misters,
Eaton, Glasier, Holland, Parks and Wiberg, by means of
many individual calls and three conference calls, have
completed their look into the color issue as it
relates to judging pumpkins at the annual weigh-offs.
What caused some of the delay in wrapping this up
sooner relates to the difficulty of finding all five
of us available at the same time.
At the inception of this project there was the sure
and certain knowledge that, whatever we ultimately
decided, it would not please all of the people all of
the time. We looked carefully at a half dozen or so
options, and weighed the positives and negatives of
each. Rest assured that (in our best collective
judgement) what we have decided on is relatively
simple, understandable, and implementable. We ask that
those of you who may not immediately warm up to what
follows will join with us in a positive frame of mind
this October, to give it a fair trial. Having said
that, we concede that very little in life is cast in
stone, and if an additional rule adjustment is
appropriate later on, we'll address that also.
Here is Rule #6, as it has read, up to now:
Color requirements: To be eligible for the heaviest
pumpkin, the entry must be a minimum of 75% white to
cream-yellow to orange in color. All others will be
considered squash.
This rule, when properly and fairly enforced, has
served us reasonably well over the years. We have run
into occasional difficulties because (a) different
people perceive color in different ways, and (b) in
some instances the judges may have been too lenient.
We estimate that 90 to 95% of the pumpkins weighed off
at our G.P.C. sites have not caused color problems. It
is the other 5 to 10% that could go either way which
have created the hassles.
Here, then, is what we have decided:
Rule 6 is being changed to read as follows: Color
requirements - To be eligible for the heaviest
pumpkin, and to qualify for G.P.C. prize money, the
pumpkin must be 75% to 100% pumpkin color or colors.
(See stipulation 6a below) All others will be
considered squash.
Rule 6 has been expanded to include all of the
following:
(6a.) Pumpkin colors will include orange, red, yellow,
tan, cream, white, and/or combinations of these
colors. Squash colors will include green, gray, blue
and/or combinations of these colors.
(6b) Ail of the surface area of the entry, (including
the area between the ribs) visible when the pumpkin is
resting in the position it was grown, must be
considered: The color of the (not visible) area
underneath the pumpkin will not be considered.
(6c) Any pumpkin amving at a weigh--off that is
questionable, color wise, will be set aside for
Special Attention, requiring that five (not two or
three) judges will uti'mateiy rule on such entries.
The five judges will be composed of the original two
judges, plus the site co-ordinator, plus two
experienced growers appointed by the site co-ordinator
prior to the weigh-off. These last two appointed
"deputy" fudges must not have grown an entry in
question, and they must not have entries in the
weigh-off that appear to be in the top five. A vote by
these five will make the final decision on the
questionable entries.
(6d) Before the weigh-off begins, a grower may request
that the five "Special Consideration" judges inspect
his or her entry to rule on its classification;
pumpkin or squash. (This is to correctly position the
entry for judging in the appropriate class at those
sites where pumpkins arid squash are displayed and
weighed at different times.)
In order to asist the five judges who will rule on
questionable entries, the Steering Committee will
supply each site co-ordinator with a selection of
color photos, perhaps a dozen or 15 in number, to help
define the acceptable arid rejectable color
parameters. These photos will be mailed to the site
co-ordinator two or three weeks prior to October 5th.
Enclosed you will find:
1. A copy of the G.P.C. Rules and Regulations
incorporating the above revisions, and,
2. An updated listing of the 22 official sites of the
Commonwealth. If you spot any errors/ omissions,
please bring them to my attention. Thanks.
In conclusion, we acknowledge that to suit their own
needs arid preferences, some sites have their own list
of rules in addition to the G.P.C. weigh-off rules.
Therefore we wish to remind all site co-ordinators and
other officals that in order to be eligible for G.P.C.
prize money, all G.P.C. rules on this updated June
2002 list must be followed.
The G.P.C. Steering Committee
AI Eaton Peter Glasier Joel Holland Tim Parks Hugh
Wiberg
If any of this requires clarification, we invite your
letters or phone calls. You may contact any of the
above steering committee members.
__________________________________________________
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