Judges Needed!

Hello Fellow NDC Members:

Our 33rd annual convention in Branson, MO, is fast approaching! Show day is Saturday, August 25. As the volunteer Chief Judge for the show, I'm responsible for the judging of member's cars on show day. This can only be done with a team of volunteers to judge the cars. We still need many members to step forward and volunteer to be a judge. If you have experience judging cars at any other level, be it local or national, you are qualified. If you have never judged before at a car show, we will provide all the instructions you need to be fully qualified when you step on the show field.

If you think you don't have the qualifications to judge, please reconsider. You've likely seen a car at a show that is a true "show stopper", and you've commented accordingly to your spouse, friends, or to yourself. Know it or not, you judged that car according to your knowledge and experience. Seen a car for sale and said to yourself "they're asking way too much for that car in that condition", you have again judged a car. Put that experience to work supporting the NDC.

If you are having a car judged and think you cannot judge on show day, please reconsider. You will be placed in a class other than where your car is registered so there will be no conflict of interest. You will also gain valuable knowledge about what judges review when judging a car so you can make improvements or corrections to your car.

If you have already signed up to judge, thank you. If you have not yet registered but plan to judge, thank you as well. If you will be attending with a spouse or partner, please consider asking them to join you in judging. I judge at the AACA level and have served with many female judges. Frankly, I see no difference between male or female judges at the AACA level and the female judges are typically very organized and detail-oriented.

Finally, if you think you don't want to judge to avoid any controversial or uncomfortable situations, again please reconsider. Many clubs, true for both the NDC and the AACA, are seeing fewer and fewer cars brought to meets to be judged. The goal of judging is to be fair, but not to nitpick. If we can be fair and still reward a member with a trophy for bringing their car to the meet, we have achieved our goal.

Hopefully, you are now ready to sign up yourself and some family members to be judges in Branson! If so, please contact me via phone or email listed below. If you think you already registered to judge but are not sure, contact me anyway. Remember to state your preference for the year model class you desire to judge, understanding that we cannot guarantee you a spot to judge that class.

What does it pay to be a judge? How about a free breakfast on show day? All judges will meet for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. on show day at the hotel for the Judge's breakfast. We will assign teams, you will meet your team members, we will review the judging forms, and answer any questions you may have about the judging process. Hope to meet many of you on show day!

Mark Kubancik
email: mark.kubancik@gmail.com
Phone: 502-797-8555