It's no secret that I'm, uh, not fond of NJ. No offense to anyone from there, and I suppose any state that gave us Bon Jovi can't be all bad, but really, you know what it's like. Let's leave it at that.
Apparently, the only way to get me to NJ is with a free ticket! I've only been to Intergroom one other time, and I had a pass then too (again from NEPGP). Oh, don't get me wrong, the show is great, and definitely worth the trip! But I could certainly do without everything outside of the convention center. Friday, Apr. 11 was rather bad from the start. First, we left later than expected, and I had just found out that I was supposed to be there earlier than previously planned. Of course, we ended up forgetting the camera, so had to turn around for that... luckily only 12 minutes from home. But still, we were late enough as it was! Once we hit the cities down south, of course, traffic was a b****. Oh yes, just what I wanted to do - sit motionless in NJ traffic for an hour. The sun was going down, and we still weren't in Somerset. I was supposed to take my NDGAA written tests between 3 and 6pm, which appeared to be the only available slot I could take. That time was long gone. Finally we arrived around 7, no supper in our bellies, just in time for certification orientation, but too late to register for the show. Needless to say, by then I was totally stressed out. Would they even let us in without our badges? What about my missed tests; was I just out of luck? Oh, and did I mention my contest/certification dog had chewed holes in his coat so his legs looked like they had a run in with a weedwacker? *sigh* My weekend was obviously doomed. See what happens when I go to NJ?
Apparently, the only way to get me to NJ is with a free ticket! I've only been to Intergroom one other time, and I had a pass then too (again from NEPGP). Oh, don't get me wrong, the show is great, and definitely worth the trip! But I could certainly do without everything outside of the convention center. Friday, Apr. 11 was rather bad from the start. First, we left later than expected, and I had just found out that I was supposed to be there earlier than previously planned. Of course, we ended up forgetting the camera, so had to turn around for that... luckily only 12 minutes from home. But still, we were late enough as it was! Once we hit the cities down south, of course, traffic was a b****. Oh yes, just what I wanted to do - sit motionless in NJ traffic for an hour. The sun was going down, and we still weren't in Somerset. I was supposed to take my NDGAA written tests between 3 and 6pm, which appeared to be the only available slot I could take. That time was long gone. Finally we arrived around 7, no supper in our bellies, just in time for certification orientation, but too late to register for the show. Needless to say, by then I was totally stressed out. Would they even let us in without our badges? What about my missed tests; was I just out of luck? Oh, and did I mention my contest/certification dog had chewed holes in his coat so his legs looked like they had a run in with a weedwacker? *sigh* My weekend was obviously doomed. See what happens when I go to NJ?
Okay, so security did let us in for orientation. Peggy Harris (my certifier) reassured me that they'd make certain I got my writtens done, and she could overlook the missing hair on my dog if the rest of the groom was up to par. I was able to breathe and relax a bit after that, and once I had food in my stomach (dinner at 9? talk about eating with the elite!) I felt quite better. Stressed, tired, and low blood sugar does not make for a pleasant Tara. LOL There was the opening night party later, but no way was I up for that after my day - all I wanted to do was curl up with the Poodle and sleep.
Saturday was a fresh start and things started going much more smoothly. I got the dog bathed & prepped for the afternoon competition. Managed to fit in a little shopping and socializing. And took my written tests, which were a bit harder than I expected. Always a pleasant surprise though, as it shows their high standards. As Peggy said, "they aren't gonna give it away!" LOL Here's a tip: if you're planning to certify, actually study the required reading! Yeah, you say duh (and so did I after the fact) but I thought I had the breed standards down enough that I didn't need to read the grooming book too. That's where I made my mistakes - got home, looked in the book, and the missed answered were right there in plain sight. Oh well, chalk it up to education! Next time I'll read both! haha I still managed to pass with an 83; respectable enough I suppose. Though a 90+ would've been nicer. ;-)
Afternoon brought the Poodle competition. I was so excited and happy to be back in the ring I seriously was barely nervous at all. Splash, the Mini who I borrowed from a friend, behaved excellently. Great thing is this is a young dog, so I can use him for several years to come (as long as he doesn't rip out any more hair! ;-) His conformation is terrible, but he (usually) has a great coat to camouflage all that with. Can you say points for difficulty? hehehe Well, I need to work on my timing, as I wasn't entirely finished when they called "scissors down." Still looked very rough in my eyes. Of course I am a perfectionist, like most groomers. One of the best tips when you're competing is to rough in the entire dog, then go over it all in stages to refine it. That way you never finish with a half done dog, just possibly one with correct lines that could've been smoother. Splash actually didn't look too bad overall, even the patchy front leg was decently hidden. But there were sticky-outies, and the front angulation needed to be taken in tighter. Still, as I am so slow on Poodle grooms, I'm just glad I got as far as I did! Needless to say I didn't place in competition. But I'll be practicing over the summer, so look out in the fall! :-)
When the contest was over, I got a critique from one of the judges. (Always do this when you compete - that's how you learn!) She confirmed the faults I was already aware of, so I felt pretty good about that - at least I know I'm on the right track, and given enough time I could've done him up very nicely. Then I popped over to the NDGAA booth for Peggy to review my groom for the practical certification test. While I lost some points for the "loaded shoulders" and unfinished scissor work, I did achieve breed profile. As in the contest ring, correct profile is the most important thing - you can do perfectly smooth scissoring, but if the profile is off, it's all but worthless. I finished certification with a score of 88. I guess I can live with that.
Afternoon brought the Poodle competition. I was so excited and happy to be back in the ring I seriously was barely nervous at all. Splash, the Mini who I borrowed from a friend, behaved excellently. Great thing is this is a young dog, so I can use him for several years to come (as long as he doesn't rip out any more hair! ;-) His conformation is terrible, but he (usually) has a great coat to camouflage all that with. Can you say points for difficulty? hehehe Well, I need to work on my timing, as I wasn't entirely finished when they called "scissors down." Still looked very rough in my eyes. Of course I am a perfectionist, like most groomers. One of the best tips when you're competing is to rough in the entire dog, then go over it all in stages to refine it. That way you never finish with a half done dog, just possibly one with correct lines that could've been smoother. Splash actually didn't look too bad overall, even the patchy front leg was decently hidden. But there were sticky-outies, and the front angulation needed to be taken in tighter. Still, as I am so slow on Poodle grooms, I'm just glad I got as far as I did! Needless to say I didn't place in competition. But I'll be practicing over the summer, so look out in the fall! :-)
When the contest was over, I got a critique from one of the judges. (Always do this when you compete - that's how you learn!) She confirmed the faults I was already aware of, so I felt pretty good about that - at least I know I'm on the right track, and given enough time I could've done him up very nicely. Then I popped over to the NDGAA booth for Peggy to review my groom for the practical certification test. While I lost some points for the "loaded shoulders" and unfinished scissor work, I did achieve breed profile. As in the contest ring, correct profile is the most important thing - you can do perfectly smooth scissoring, but if the profile is off, it's all but worthless. I finished certification with a score of 88. I guess I can live with that.
Sunday was a little more laid back. A leisurely breakfast at the local diner, additional shopping at the trade show, catching what I could of the contests, and hitting some seminars. The day's competitions included Extreme Makeover and Creative. I didn't get to see much of the first, but know it's an awesome contest - several months of hairgrowth on the dogs, all to be sculpted into the perfect breed specimen, or another breed altogether! I'd love to do this some day, maybe with a poodlington trim. Just another ring to get in on! LOL The afternoon Creative ring had some neat entries. Pregroomed, as it was at APF. The winner was an incredible Elvis theme, with a guitar on one side, and The King's likeness and name on the other. Amazing. I also particularly liked the Giraffe. Great job!
I was only able to do a couple seminars over the weekend... the one downside to competing - it interferes with class schedules. But what I attended was great. First there was a lecture on providing Spa services. Very good, I took lots of helpful notes. Then Sue Zecco offered a "Subtle Changes" workshop on tweaking your grooms for more effective competition. Oh! After Saturday's contest, she came up and asked me if she could use Splash as a demo dog in her class. Well, she didn't have to ask twice - I jumped right on that opportunity! I suppose maybe some people would be hesitant of having their work picked apart and talked about in front of an audience, but again, this is how you learn. Of course, Sue has a good sense of humor, so she did make a wisecrack about the missing hair. hehehe How could she resist? ;-) She went over my groom, pointing out what was right and what needed tweaking, made some subtle changes, and showed us all that this is a dog that one could place with. Good to know! I took several notes, and learned more about Poodle grooming, along with some great general tips for competitors.
I was only able to do a couple seminars over the weekend... the one downside to competing - it interferes with class schedules. But what I attended was great. First there was a lecture on providing Spa services. Very good, I took lots of helpful notes. Then Sue Zecco offered a "Subtle Changes" workshop on tweaking your grooms for more effective competition. Oh! After Saturday's contest, she came up and asked me if she could use Splash as a demo dog in her class. Well, she didn't have to ask twice - I jumped right on that opportunity! I suppose maybe some people would be hesitant of having their work picked apart and talked about in front of an audience, but again, this is how you learn. Of course, Sue has a good sense of humor, so she did make a wisecrack about the missing hair. hehehe How could she resist? ;-) She went over my groom, pointing out what was right and what needed tweaking, made some subtle changes, and showed us all that this is a dog that one could place with. Good to know! I took several notes, and learned more about Poodle grooming, along with some great general tips for competitors.
A wonderful end to the weekend. With the van packed up, we headed back to NH late that afternoon. Always nice to sleep in one's own bed. Even nicer with a Poodle next to you. ;-)
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