Mid-Atlantic Hound Association

Conducting a Lure Coursing Trial:
Guidelines for New Volunteers

Have you ever wondered what the designations for trial tasks listed in our club's lure coursing trial premium lists were all about and whether you could get involved with your club by volunteering to officiate in one of these positions at these events? With the exception of judging, operating the lure, and overseeing the trial paperwork, most individual tasks are relatively simple to learn and are guaranteed to enrich your experience with the sport of lure coursing.

FIELD COMMITTEE

Newcomers to the sport typically volunteer to help at formal lure coursing trials by taking positions on the Field Committee. This committee has the authority to decide upon any matter arising during the running of the event, except those matters coming within the jurisdiction of the Judge(s). The Field Committee is appointed and overseen by the Field Chairman, and must consist of no less than five individuals (while holding more than one position on the committee is acceptable, it is not recommended) composed of the Inspection Committee (minimum of three volunteers), the Lure Operator(s), the Huntmaster(s), the Paddockmaster(s), and the Field Clerk(s). The Field Trial Secretary also serves on the Field Committee, but is usually more concerned with pre-trial planning (including preparation of the trial premium list, securing the trial site, and hiring the Judge(s)). The Field Chairman and Field Committee are thus responsible for handling day-of-trial operations, although at our club's trials the Field Trial Secretary also oversees the paperwork at the trial.

Assignments for positions on the Field Committee should be completed at least 60 days prior to the date of the trial, so that the Field Trial Secretary can list these assignments in the premium list. (Any unforeseen changes in assignments which occur after the publication of the premium list must be posted at the trial site on the day of the trial. Any changes in Judges and Lure Operators also must be announced at Roll Call in addition to being posted at the trial site.) Because the Field Chairman will be counting on the Field Committee at the trials, volunteers should consider their commitment to serve in appointed positions carefully, and notify the Field Chairman as soon as possible prior to the date of the trial if a conflict arises which will prevent fulfilling an assignment at the trial.

Conducting A Lure Coursing Trial Subsections
-click on the underlined title to go to the section designated. At a trial the topics covered by these subsections precede those included in the continuation of the article on this page.

Inspection Committee
Trial Competition
Huntmaster
Paddockmaster & Field Clerk
Conducting the Draw
Judge's Form
Record Sheet Example

RECORD SHEETS

As the verified Judge's Forms come off the field, the scoring information is transferred to the Record Sheet corresponding to that particular stake. A Field Clerk should compare the course number and blanket color previously entered on the Record Sheet with the course number and blanket color entered by the Judge(s) on the Judge's Forms. Blanket color errors on Judge's Forms are not uncommon and should be brought to the Judge's attention for correction as soon as they are noted.

When the preliminary run scores have been entered on the Record Sheet for all the hounds competing in a given stake or breed, a copy of the Record Sheet containing this information should be posted for the exhibitors as soon as possible. The Record Sheet must be signed by both the responsible Field Clerk and the Field Trial Secretary prior to posting. No final runs may be conducted in a breed prior to the posting of the scores for the preliminary runs in that breed. Once again, waiting for paperwork should not delay the progress of the trial.

POSTING AND DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION

Because our club uses three-part carbonless forms, we save a great deal of time in preparing the necessary copies of trial paperwork. As soon as Record Sheets and Draw Order Forms are completed in preparation for running the first stake, a Field Clerk posts one copy of the Draw Order Forms for use by the exhibitors so that they will know in what course and in what color racing blanket their hounds will be running. Another copy of the appropriate set of Draw Order Forms for the first stake is given to the Huntmaster and the third copy is given to the Paddockmaster (if the club is using this volunteer), so that these two members of the Field Committee may use this information to begin assembling the hounds to compete in the preliminary courses in the first stake. Meanwhile, the Field Clerk(s) and Field Chairman continue to conduct random draws for the remainder of preliminary runs in all the stakes for all the breeds in competition, and in the running order previously established. A Field Clerk continues to post and distribute the copies of this information as before.

FINAL COURSES

When all the random draws for determining the preliminary runs in all the breeds have been completed, and while judging of the preliminary runs is in progress, the random draws for the final runs may begin. The only requirement necessary to determine when the final draw may be conducted is that the preliminary course should be run and those scores posted before the draw for the final course in that particular stake or breed is conducted. In other words, the preliminary runs do not have to be completed for all the breeds, just for the one breed in which the final draw is being done.

To begin the final draw, instead of consulting the Roll Call Sheet in order to remove all ineligible hounds as was done for the preliminary draw, the appropriate Record Sheet with the scoring information for the preliminary runs must be consulted. A Field Clerk must remove from the final draw any entry forms of hounds that were excused, dismissed, disqualified, or pulled by their owners. (An owner has the option of withdrawing his or her hound from competition at any time during the trial for any reason.) Thus, all hounds in a given stake or breed receiving any score (or combined score if two judges are used) of more than zero in the preliminary run are eligible to compete in the final run.

These procedures complete the responsibilities of the Field Clerk(s) and other members of the Field Committee for conducting the preliminary courses for each stake in each of the breeds competing. The same procedures are followed for conducting the final courses, run-offs, Best of Breed runs, and Best in Field runs.

PLACEMENT RUN-OFFS

After preliminary and final courses have been run in a given stake or breed, a Field Clerk should add the scores for both courses and enter the combined total in the designated column on the appropriate Record Sheet for that stake or breed. For placements where there are no ties, these placements should be marked on the Record Sheet. Any ties for any of the five placements in each stake must be broken by means of run-off courses.

Because owners have the option of either running off the placement or forfeiting it, it is important that the Record Sheets reflecting any ties be posted as soon as possible, so that owners can determine their strategy accordingly. Prior to the run-off draws, a Field Clerk must ask all owners of hounds involved in any placement ties whether their hound will run off the tie or forfeit it. A forfeit gives that hound the lowest placement in the tie.

If as a result of any placement tie forfeits a run-off is still necessary, a Draw Order Form is then prepared, posted, and distributed, and data for blanket colors and tie placements affected by the run-off is placed in the column designated for "Run-off" on the appropriate Record Sheet. (See example of completed Record Sheet.) Because a hound may be pulled from competition at any point by its owner, a Field Clerk should check to see if any hound has been pulled after the draw has been posted. Draw Order Forms and Record Sheets may need to be rearranged to insure that all hounds continue to compete in trios and braces whenever possible, even in this situation!

BEST OF BREED RUN-OFFS

For Best of Breed run-offs, hounds are grouped in courses of three as before. This can and should be done in cases where it is necessary to resolve a first-second tie in one stake and there are no more than three hounds involved in the Best of Breed competition. Running one run-off course settles both the tie and establishes the Best of Breed winner. For example, if there is a tie for first and second place in the Open Stake for Borzois, and there is a first place in the Field Champion Stake for Borzois already chosen, a random draw for one course with all three hounds is completed. This is the only time when competition between two different stakes may be combined. The highest scoring hound is awarded Best of Breed, and the highest scoring hound involved in the tie is awarded first place in its stake.

When there are more than three hounds involved in Best of Breed competition, all tie(s) within the individual stake(s) must be settled first. Best of Breed run-off draws and competition may then follow. If a hound in any Best of Breed run is excused, dismissed, or disqualified, or pulled from the line by its owner, that hound will not lose any awards or placements won in prior competition that day, but it will be barred from any further competition for Best of Breed and Best in Field that day.

BEST IN FIELD

Best in Field competition is optional and is offered at the discretion of the host club. If this competition is to be offered, it must be so indicated in the premium list announcement for the trial. In a two-day trial weekend, Best in field may be offered both days, or one day and not the other.

Competition follows the same procedures as with Best of Breed run-offs. The order of running is determined by random draw, and there is only one run, except in the case of ties. Note, however, that an owner's entries in all courses which involve competition for Best in Field, will not be separated, because the entries obviously involve different breeds, and the rules only allow for separation of entries in the same breed. The highest scoring hound is declared Best in Field. As with Best of Breed competition, an excusal, dismissal, or disqualification of a hound during its Best in Field competition will not affect its prior awards earned on that day, but will end that hound's competition for the remainder of the trial that day. (Disqualification of a hound at any point during a trial will prevent it competing in any subsequent trial until and unless it is formally reinstated upon petition to either A.S.F.A. or A.K.C.)

Once Best In Field has been chosen (if offered), or at the conclusion of all Best of Breed run-offs, the entire Field Committee of the host club should assemble with the exhibitors for the awards ceremony.

A Field Clerk is responsible for announcing final scores and placements at the end of the trial. At our club's events, this responsibility has been assumed in the past by the Field Trial Secretary with assistance from the Field Clerks and Field Chairman. Ribbons and trophies are handed out at this time and it is customary and appropriate as part of the awards ceremony for announcements to be made thanking club volunteers for doing a good job!

SUMMARY

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the Field Committee positions, a good place to start is by placing a call to one or more of your fellow coursing enthusiasts who have held the position in which you are interested at a past trial. They probably will be eager to share anecdotes of their experiences as well as to clarify fine points and rule exceptions not possible to be covered in the scope of this article. These experienced volunteers may also be willing to coach you at the actual trial or at a special "practice trial" our club occasionally offers, an event especially devoted to training new volunteers for positions at our trials. Finally, you should obtain the latest edition of both the A.S.F.A. and A.K.C. rulebooks.

Your efforts will enrich your understanding and enjoyment of the sport of lure coursing!