Classes
A normal class, also sometimes referred to as a ‘straight class’ or ‘breed class’, is the first stage of judging for every mouse. First, second and third place are awarded (though in the past when entry levels were much higher as many as seven places were awarded).
Judges look at all entries in the class and compare them to each other to determine the winner. Maxeys will often be rearranged in order of placing, the better the mouse the further to the left the maxey. This shuffling helps judges to keep track of the best mice, especially in large classes.
Judges look at all entries in the class and compare them to each other to determine the winner. Maxeys will often be rearranged in order of placing, the better the mouse the further to the left the maxey. This shuffling helps judges to keep track of the best mice, especially in large classes.
Section challenges
Once each class in a section (e.g. self) has a winner, it is time to judge the section challenges. This is where the first place adults and the first place u/8s are judged against the other mice their age to decide the best adult and the best u/8 in the section overall, then the best adult and best baby are judged against each other for Best in Section and Best Opposite Age in Section.
For example, let’s say you have the following winning adult selfs: PEW, cream, black, champagne, silver and fawn. The judge must examine them all and decide which is the best example of its variety, as there are no direct comparisons for colour in the challenge stage. In this case the judge decides that the cream is the best mouse in the line-up. They then look at the second place cream from the ‘straight’ cream class. Why? Because the second place cream could still be better than the winners of the ‘straight’ classes in other colours. For this example, let’s assume that’s not the case here and that the champagne gets second place. The judge now has to consider the second place cream and second place champagne in addition to the first places in the other straight classes to arrive at third place.
Once this process has been completed to decide the best adult and the best u/8 the judge will decide which of these two mice wins Best in Section. The other mouse will be awarded BOA in Section. With regards to the UK Top Twenty system this gives two points and one point respectively.
For example, let’s say you have the following winning adult selfs: PEW, cream, black, champagne, silver and fawn. The judge must examine them all and decide which is the best example of its variety, as there are no direct comparisons for colour in the challenge stage. In this case the judge decides that the cream is the best mouse in the line-up. They then look at the second place cream from the ‘straight’ cream class. Why? Because the second place cream could still be better than the winners of the ‘straight’ classes in other colours. For this example, let’s assume that’s not the case here and that the champagne gets second place. The judge now has to consider the second place cream and second place champagne in addition to the first places in the other straight classes to arrive at third place.
Once this process has been completed to decide the best adult and the best u/8 the judge will decide which of these two mice wins Best in Section. The other mouse will be awarded BOA in Section. With regards to the UK Top Twenty system this gives two points and one point respectively.
Grand challenge
The Grand Challenge is where the five Best in Section mice (self, tan, marked, satin and AOV) compete for Best in Show. This is normally judged by the same judges that have judged the individual sections, as a group, although at large shows there is sometimes a separate judge appointed purely to judge BIS. Occasionally the judges may disagree, and either the majority (if there are three judges) decides it, or another judge not in the running to win BIS steps in to make a final decision.
As with the section challenges, a second and third place are chosen from the appropriate age group. So if, for example, BIS is awarded to a u/8 mouse, the best u/8 mice from the other four sections are brought out. These may be Best in Section or BOA in Section. Second places to the winners in the challenge classes are looked at in the same way that seconds in the straight classes are looked at when necessary. When the first age group has been judged, the opposite age group is then judged for BOA in Show.
BIS gains four points in the Top Twenty system and BOA three points. These are added to the points the mice have previously won in their sections. Best in Show will therefore always accumulate six points, while BOA may gain either five or four points (as it can be a Best in Section or a BOA in Section).
As with the section challenges, a second and third place are chosen from the appropriate age group. So if, for example, BIS is awarded to a u/8 mouse, the best u/8 mice from the other four sections are brought out. These may be Best in Section or BOA in Section. Second places to the winners in the challenge classes are looked at in the same way that seconds in the straight classes are looked at when necessary. When the first age group has been judged, the opposite age group is then judged for BOA in Show.
BIS gains four points in the Top Twenty system and BOA three points. These are added to the points the mice have previously won in their sections. Best in Show will therefore always accumulate six points, while BOA may gain either five or four points (as it can be a Best in Section or a BOA in Section).