TheLighter Side.. Fitness Test Continued FROM page 58
Strength Tests 1) One repetition---The standard strength test for all AKC Judges---Lifting and transporting a standardsized grooming table four feet. 2) Sit-up Test---A good indication of core strength--Drop your napkin during your lunch break, bend over, and pick it up three times. 3) Press up Test---Used to test strength and endurance---Have your photo taken with sixty-five different dogs of at least thirty different breeds, all amateur-handled. Speed and Power Tests 1) A simple test to measure power---Liver Toss--Throw large hunks of liver at least twenty-feet, ten times in a row. 2) Standing vertical jump---Standing in the middle of the Best in Show Ring, hold the ribbon high in the air, jump up and down and yell, “First one to grab the ribbon wins!” Those judges who survive the first “jump” will repeat the exercise two times. Endurance Tests 1) A fitness test to measure aerobic power---A quick scavenger hunt to find your payment for judging---The club treasurer will be sequestered somewhere on the show premises. 2) Multistage shuttle run---Entering and exiting a twelve-passenger shuttle van--- Seat location and time requirements vary depending on age and number of knee / hip replacements---Must complete two repetitions without entwining oneself in the seatbelts. 3) Rockport test---Simply a round trip walking test between hospitality and your assigned ring for less active judges. 4) Sprint fatigue---Successfully evaluate a class of fifteen dogs of any breed in sixty seconds or less per dog---Ring procedure and timing will be evaluated by the approved AKC Representative/tester---Breed placements will be evaluated by two highly regarded members of the breeds’ Parent Club Judge’s education committee. Flexibility Tests 1) Sit and reach test---Sit in a chair and without raising your feet, bend over, untie your shoe and lace it back up within two minutes. If wearing loafers, take them off---using your hands---and place them back on your feet---using your hands---in one minute. 2) Trunk rotation test---Standing in the middle of the ring, place your hands on your hips. Without moving your lower body, check in an entire class of forty dogs--
62 Dog News
-calling out their armband numbers to the tester. Importance is placed on full rotation of the upper body at least 90O, while the lower body remains steady and still. The judge will be blindfolded until all dogs have entered the ring and all handlers will have their numbers clearly facing ring-center. 3) Breed-Specific Elastic Locomotion--Specifics to be determined by the Parent Clubs---An example would be the Basset Hound Waddle. The judge must be able to locomote at least 35 feet, bending at the knees and simulating the speed and gait of the Basset. This ability carries much cachet at National Specialties. (frequently driving spectators and exhibitors alike into frenzied cheering) and adds extra points on the overall fitness test. At no time may the derriere be carried higher than the plane of the head. 4) Groin flexibility---“One of my worst injuries as an AKC judge was pulled muscles in the groin area! Trust me; it takes a long time to heal!” Judges must keep their groin area flexible, to prevent painful, nagging injuries while evaluating breeding stock. Sit on the floor with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and with legs together. Let your knees drop sideways as far as possible, keeping your feet together. Place the soles of your feet together. Grab your feet and pull your ankles as close to your body as possible. The AKC representative will measure the distance from your heels to your groin and record the results. The desired measurement will be determined by sex, age and inseam. The closer your feet are to your groin the better! “You have completed your workout training--THANK YOU!” Elliptical digitally informs me with glowing red letters. I slow down and utilize three additional minutes for cooling down. Now that I have completed my own daily wellness program and developed a battery of physical fitness tests for AKC Judges, I am all too eager to rush my plan to AKC Headquarters for the start of early-season competitions. I imagine they will want to use precisely the same set of tests to measure judges after six months and note their progress in their respective files. Also, I think it would be a lofty idea, if judges test themselves just prior to the start of the new year and then test again a couple of times during the competitive season, in order to make sure their choices in and out of the ring are made from sound body and sound mind.