Anyone going to the TICA Annual?

Nope

Hope you have fun

I have a show the week after with 400-500 cats, only 1 ring and 10 place awards so obviously not expecting anything at all.

Hope both of you have fun and take home at least one final

I like the idea of handing every exhibitor a rosette when they come in. Then you get the little sticky cards to put on the ribbon when you final. Just one ribbon to take home instead of a bunch. Some of our clubs are starting to do that.

I can't wait to go! I have almost everything ready. Hopefully, Luna and I will go to Petsmart tomorrow for more socialization practice.

I'm not sure that I see the point in getting a rosette just for showing up. . . what did the exhibitor accomplish and prove in that situation? Sure, rosettes are nice, but they have to represent something! Otherwise its just ego-stroking. Cat shows are a competition. Not everyone is a winner in a competition. I feel that sort of mentality cheapens the accomplishments of the cats that do win.

This weekend, I took Espresso out as an open in championship to get her winners ribbons. She's now a champion just for having shown up unopposed. The breed awards meant far more to me than the title because in that circumstance something was actually accomplished. I don't want a prize just for having shown up at the show.

What I'm really coming to love are when shows give out (good quality) cat toys in lieu of a rosette. I mean, the cat is doing all of the work showing so what enjoyment are THEY getting out of a rosette? If the cat does the work, then the cat should enjoy the reward. When clubs give out nice quality teaser toys instead of rosettes, I feel that the cats are getting something out of the show experience that actually rewards the cat!

I see your point Ferris and you are right - you don't accomplish anything being handed a rosette, but on the other hand you have many first time exhibitors and its nice they get something to take home even if their cats didn't make a final.

To me it encourages them to return and maybe the next time their cat will win an actual award.

To me having one rosette to take home with cards attached to the rosette is a space saver on the wall and those that fly appreciate not having to take home a bunch of rosettes in their suitcases.

A person with too many rosettes can always leave their extras behind and donate them back to the club to recycle. They can also donate them to their own clubs to use for future shows.

As for new exhibitors, I think it is somewhat degrading to both them and to the hobby to think we need to give them a rosette to encourage them to return. If shows have to give them a rosette to return, they're probably not in it for the long haul in the first place. What about the people who have been breeding and exhibiting for years and had to earn their rosettes? Don't you think this mentality that every one is a winner degrades their hard work and success? I know how long it took for me to make a final with a cat of my own breeding, and that was a very proud moment for me because I know how long and hard I had to work to get there.

What about the ribbons hung in class--do they not have value? Sometimes getting best of color or breed is reward enough. Those ribbons do mean something, after all. I've shown with new people and getting a best of breed against the top competing cats in the world was a very big deal to them! A cat show offers so many other things--finals and rosettes are just one of the rewards.

Personally, I love the big rosettes. I love being able to hang them in my room. They look so much better than the little ones. Besides, you only get plaques to put on them for finals and those are really nice things to be able to show others. It is so much easier to bring a big rosette than a little one. Besides, the little ones have a cheaper look to me. The big ones look more professional.

As for when I started, the big ribbon was a very, very nice touch. It made me feel special because it was something personalized with my cats name on it. Totally the opposite of degrading.

There's nothing wrong with handing out rosettes to everyone that shows up. Besides, it's not like they don't give actual awards for finals. Also, it's nice to have something tangible (besides the catalog) to show everyone what you've been up to. Considering all the money I spend, I dang sure want something to show for it. Besides, there's nothing wrong with everyone feeling like a winner. That's the whole fun of it. Those that want something 'to show for their accomplishments' get to have the final plaques and the best of the best ribbons, not to mention the ranking points.

Unless they have a mean mum who puts their winning toys in a display case...like my cats

We don't even have rosettes at every show, let alone giving them to anyone who comes through the door. Sounds a bit silly to me.

Why does everyone need to feel like a winner? And how can they if they haven't actually won?
We have several children showing cats here, they fully understand that sometimes they win and sometimes they don't (and that not all shows have rosettes)

I'm not talking about the little flat ribbons that are hung on the cages. Those should not be taken anyway (many clubs have permanant place awards). And those don't have as much meaning as a final award. Most cats can walk in a show hall as an Open and walk out as a Champion with little problems.

Sure its nice when your own breeding wins and you are proud of your work. I'm thinking more on the lines of first time exhibitors and bringing in their household pets - not purebreds.

To me by the time a person is showing purebreds they know the meaning of what awards are better, but the 1st timer HHP doesn't know it and I just feel a pretty rosette will encourage them more. They know not every cat will win but its still nice.

The average person knows about dog shows, but when you mention "I show my cats" they look at you strange half the time and want to know "so what do you really do at a cat show? or "what's the cat have to do? - runn around in the ring?"

So having a pretty rosette for being in a show at least gives them something to show to their friends/family.

I'd be pretty put out if I had a 'Best' and all I had to show for it was a small stick-on plaque attached to the same rosette that everybody else received when they walked in the door. What's the point of making shows a competition if every cat is treated as the same the moment they arrive? Some cats on some days make every final and some days they don't get a thing. The nature of the game will always leave some feeling disappointed. Cat shows are not for everyone. You pay your entry fee, you bring the best you can, and you take your chances. The days you lose make the days you win all the more sweet because you then know what it takes to get there.

I think that resources are better placed in ambassador and mentorship programs instead of pandering to an assumed instant-gratification mentality.

Let's just agree to disagree.

IMO in today's economy ALL clubs need to do a bit more effort to bring in exhibitors, etc. All shows are down in count no matter what the association.

I have to admit that I liked the big rosette with the little stickers for finals. Possibly however, the big ribbon could be presented only if a cat finaled in at least one ring. Giving one to every exhibitor seems a bit much. The big rosette had the show information in a button in the middle and the final stickers make it easy to see how you did at a particular show.

Honestly, I don't really like the idea of an individual rosette for each final placing, as they just really add up and become almost worthless to me. I am not familiar enough with donating them back to understand who to give them to..

I guess that's what I'll have to do as well. All I know is that come the annual, I will be enjoying my big fat rosette and no one is going to take the joy out of it.

This thread was supposed to be for us people going to the annual and being able to look forward to it. All this stupid anti-rosette talk is spoiling the fun. Enough already.

Sorry, mews2much. I just want to be able to enjoy the show and be able to meet yet another TCSer in person.

In my experience, conversations don't always stick to one specific topic, but branch off into other interesting discussions. I don't care if my own threads go off-topic.

Will refrain from veering off topic from now on, in other people's threads.

Have fun at the show.

sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It wasn't the off-topic part that got me mad, it was just 'how' it got off topic. This was just supposed to be a feel good thread. I have been anticipating this trip for about a year and just want to have fun.

For heavens sake it's a public message board filled with various opinions, many threads evolve into another discussion while still relating to the first post.

Regardless of what anyone here thinks this show will be handing out rosettes.

Knowing how much it costs to put on a show, I know that it will not be something that happens within my association.

There are I think 2 people from this thread actually attending the show? I'm sure you'll have a nice time in spite of this thread

Sorry if we got off topic for you guys. The show will be fun regardless. Just that someone brings up another "sorta" related topic and then it just gets off track. Happens all the time.

Many times my "show wins" gets off track and I don't care.

You replied to many of the "OT" posts. . . how is someone taking it over if you're participating in the conversation?

Guess I totally forgot that we're not supposed to actually talk about any real show or breeding issues in the breeders corner!

Come on guys, don't be so quick to take offense. I voiced my opinion and I'm going to keep it. You voiced your own and you may keep it as well. Like GK said, we're going to agree to disagree, no?

Now give your kitty babies a hug and remember that at the end of every show you take home the best prize in the show. I'll take my kitties over any rosette any day!

I know this is a sort of old thread but 1. mews2much I am going to the TICA Annual and I am sure I will see your lovely Sphynx in the alter class since I'm showing a cat in the same class and right after Sphynx (Thai ). I'm not going expecting finals but i wanted to help represent the breed since this is the first year in Championship as the TICA Thai )

and 2. re the rosettes discussion, I myself rather like having the one big rosette per show with the sticky cards for each final. Otherwise they would soon get overwhelming as far as displaying them! Of course when you get all the separate ones you can give some of them back to the club to recycle but this way you do have the one big rosette that shows all your cats finals at a show, and it takes up less room. The only problem for me is some of the clubs get stickers and ribbon that don't stick very well together. Some of those stickers are a lot better than others.

However, I can understand how people who are used to the separate rosettes might feel it's not fair that if they go to a show and get several Bests they don't get more individual and special prizes to represent that achievement, and that what they get is not enough difference from someone who got 10th or those who did not final at the show.

Since people on here were talking about this as something to encourage new exhibitors , I'm a new exhibitor in TICA and I don't feel like I need to be given a rosette just for walking in the door. I felt like I shouldn't get a rosette until my cat finaled. In fact at the first show I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I thought you were only supposed to go up and pick up the rosette once you had a final to stick on it. Later I realised people were just taking them as they came in but my first few shows I waited until after my first final. I have been very fortunate so i dont know how i will feel about getting the rosette without any finals.

Of course GoldenKitty said it was more thinking about new exhibitors of HHP as far as giving pretty rosettes to everyone to encourage entries and it's true maybe they might have a different feeling since they dont have the motivation of doing it for a breed.

Anyway (just to contradict myself) I admit that in the case of the Annual it will be nice to have the souvenir even though i don't expect to final.

and FerrisCat you are so right, the kitties themselves are the best prize of all!