Scribe
| Job Requirements |
|
This can be an awfully tough job for people whose attention tends to wander. The scribe's job is to keep their attention on the judge during all runs and mark down whatever the judge signals. If the judge signals it, it gets marked. If the judge doesn't signal it, it don't get marked even if the scribe or a bystander sees it.
Before the first dog runs
Make a point of getting signals straight with the judge. Each judge may or may not have their own wrinkle to the signals that are pretty much standard in AKC agility. There are similar signals in NADAC but with slightly different meanings. For the purpose of this website (for now) I will cover AKC and NADAC only. In the future I may amend this to include other venues.
How to scribe
The teamwork that happens between the Scribe and the Scribe Assistant is crucial to the smooth running of a trial. That partnership along with the partnership between the Scribe Assistant and the Gate Steward if it is good then the part of the trial where the team is working will work very well.
Before the runs begin for a given class, the Scribe and Assistant Scribe need to work out between them who is writing times on the scribe sheets. Normally it is better for the Assistant Scribe to do this. On occasion I have seen one person fill all three positions (Scribe, Assistant Scribe and Timer) but this is definitely not ideal!
As a dog and handler team comes up to the line, the Assistant Scribe and the Scribe need to make sure that the Scribe has the correct scribe sheet. The Timer, after checking in with the Scribe and Assistant Scribe will give the team the "go ahead" and the run begins.
If the judge makes any hand signals, the Scribe marks the scribe sheet as appropriate.
There are two methods of marking a scribe sheet.
- On the scribe sheet on the left side middle of the sheet there are "F","R","E" and "T" for AKC and "5","10" and "20" for NADAC. Some folks put "hash marks" next to the appropriate score for each penalty the Judge assesses.
- Or... you can mark the appropriate penalty on the sheet.
For AKC method #2 seems to work the best, and for NADAC method #1 definitely works the best.
CPE works differently. Work with your judge to get your "signals straight" for the class you are scribing for.
I have no experience with USDAA so I can't comment there. (I'd appreciate input from someone who does...)
Once the run is over, the scribe sheet gets marked with the time and the scribe sheet is then given to the Score Runner to take to the score table.
Signals -- AKC Version
 |
This is marked as an "F" on a scribe sheet as a "failure to perform." |
|
This gets marked on a scribe sheet as an "R" which is a "refusal", "runby", or "runout" depending on which obstacle you are referring to. |
|
This is marked on a scribe sheet as a "W" which indicates the handler got lost on course or Phydeux decided he liked the yellow jump better. |
|
Depending on the judge, neither one of these is something an exhibitor wants to happen in the ring. This gets marked on a scribe sheet as an "E" and means the run is over, no time gets marked on the sheet and the team is excused from the ring. |
|
This is commonly referred to as a "table fault" and gets marked on a scribe sheet as a "T" |