Section X. Timing Rally Next question: How many of you do the timing you, versus having a Steward time the runs? What if the Steward makes a mistake gets distracted or the Stop Watch breaks? Aline Brisendine, who Judges Rally in our area, does her own timing (as do I), but Aline also has a Steward time with another Stop Watch. Her theory is that if one breaks or the battery dies, she still has a time for the run. So, I guess this is a multi part question: 1. Do you time the run yourself, or have a steward time, or both? 2. What happens if you're using one stop watch and it breaks during a run? Do you have the team run the course again? 3. If so, would the first score stand, and the team would JUST be running for time? If that's the case, they have a big advantage in that they don't have to worry about being "neat," just fast! If the whole course were run for score AND time, the team STILL has an advantage, in that they can correct earlier mistakes and they've already had a practice run, although I doubt many exhibitors would recognize that point. Questions like these will help us have some consistency in Judging until all the details can be "ironed out" and added to the rules, if needed. Can't wait to see the answers on this one! I time my own - I have a new stopwatch - hope that helps the "break" problem! Yikes...I never thought about it quitting in the middle of a run. I once had a judge have to get a new stop watch for the long sits/downs in Novice. My regular watch has a second hand....might have to think about this. I don't have a problem keeping my own time, though. I like having two timers. That way if one fails, you got a backup. In agility, you get to run again if a stopwatch fails and I am not sure of the wording of the specific ruling but I see no reason why it can't be repeated. At the APDT trial last fall the judges did their own timing. Exhibitors were given 4 minutes to complete the course. If over time, the team could complete the course but it was non-qualifying. I liked that. As a judge it was my responsibility to make sure the watch was working. Didn't have any problems, thank goodness, but if there was a glitch I would think that the team would have to compete again. Not just for time as the speed of execution can change when trying to be precise. In agility there is a timer and having sat in that position it is quite a responsibility. Good question! I have a steward time. I want to be able to clap for the team at the end of their run and I'm not coordinated enough to stop the watch (or start it) score, and clap and I feel that applause is important no matter what the outcome of the performance is. I always have 2 stopwatches available. My experience in timing agility is that by using 2 watches, you always have one cleared and ready to go for the next run and a little time to check and make sure the watch is ready to go. Most of the problems with the stopwatch occur when the timer forgets to start it or fumbles and pushes the wrong button and it happens right away. In agility, a whistle is blown to stop the run and usually only a couple of obstacles have been taken. Does the team have an advantage? Maybe yes, Maybe no. Their concentration is broken so it could blow the whole run for them OR their handling was wrong in the beginning and they get to fix it. Those are the breaks!!! In Rally, the chances are pretty good that only one or at most 2 exercises would have been performed before the whistle blows. Same advantages and disadvantages as agility apply. Remember, I come from the agility world, too, in addition to obedience. 1: I'd have a steward do the timing. I want to be able to concentrate on the team's performance. 2: I've shown at many, many agility trials, and have worked at most of them (usually as scribe, occasionally as timer). In those thousands of runs, I can only recall 2 or 3 where there were stopwatch problems. If the club has good watches, this shouldn't be a problem much. 2&3: In AKC agility, if the stopwatch quits before the third obstacle, the team stops, and the watch is replaced, and the team starts over. If the watch quits after the third obstacle, the team continues, and later re-runs for time only. Their score stands. However, during the re-run, the dog must "do" every obstacle; it's just that they're not faulted. I would probably vote for something similar - if the watch doesn't start, or stops within the first 2 or 3 exercises, the team stops and restarts when the watch is fixed/replaced. If it happens after that, the score counts, but they re-run for time. In this run, every exercise must be done correctly, but minor faults are not scored. Yes, that would allow them to go faster and not be as neat, but they'd still have to do everything to qualify. I like having two timers. That way if one fails, you got a backup. In agility, you get to run again if a stopwatch fails and I am not sure of the wording of the specific ruling but I see no reason why it can't be repeated. I have a nice, small stop watch that I Velcro to the top of my clipboard. Very convenient, and the hand holding the clipboard can just have a finger reach up to press the buttons. Rally is incredibly easier than Classic Obedience to Judge, with a lot less to remember. Imagine Judging Rally like Classic Obedience and having to look for Handler errors as well as dog errors, extra commands, call the pattern and score at the same time . I LOVE Rally and I am constantly amazed at the ease that good Obedience Judges run their ring. A Judge may not ADD any requirements to the regulations. The regulations state that there will only be a run off if the two scores AND TIMES are identical. I don't think that would be fair to either exhibitor, but that's just my opinion. I do like the suggestion of re-running the course if it happens in the first few signs, or re-running just for time, as long as they correctly perform all the exercises if it happened later in the course. That just makes sense to me, and I would be satisfied if it were my run in question. For more information e-mail us Home ~~ History ~~ AKC ~~ UKC ~~ WWKC ~~ APDT ~~ Guidebook ~~ Links Copyright 2003 by Carawind Web Work. No part of this site may be copied or reproduced in any way without the express written consent of Carawind Web Work.