Re: Re[2]: On gold, silver and bronze

Matt Bittner (meba@cso.com)
Fri, 22 Sep 1995 10:49:06 -0500

On 22 Sep 95 at 8:17, stonto@seaccc.sccd.ctc.edu typed diligently:

> In addition, IPMS Seattle discussed the possibility of
> disallowing sweeps of categories (the same person winning
> 1st,2nd,3rd) and we voted to allow them. We will judge
> models, not the modellers. We did vote, however, to use
> numbered forms that would provide more anonymity than what
> we have had in the past (you know --you can tell by a
> person's hand writing whether they built each model in the
> category or not). We are trying to avoid inclusion of
> personalities in the judging of models.

This has been one of my beefs. I don't like having my name being
shown along with the model. As is known, you're judging the model,
and not the modeler. This was a big problem at the '94 Nats.
Eveybody's name was attached to each registration sheet. Sure they
tried to "hide" it by folding that portion of the sheet under the
rest of the sheet, but everybody I knew just lifted the sheet up to
see the name.

I did use the number system when I was in charge of registration at a
Des Moines contest. It worked well. Basically I assigned a number
per person, than a "-" and a second number per model. For example,
if I got my money in first, then my registration number would be
"0001". Then any model I entered would be another number following
my registration number: "0001-0001" for my first model entered.
Nobody else had access to my database, so no one else would know who
the modeler was.

However, we still had the problem with handwriting. If your
"buddies" knew your handwriting, then they knew which models you
entered. That's why I type all of my entry forms from now on. There
are other ways, as well, that one can tell a modeler. One of these
is presentation. One modeler I know of (hmmm, just who could you
be?:-)) uses the same type of material for "bases": not an actual
"base" as you would think diorama, but some material underneath
his/her model that would set it off from the others. And then you
get into knowing who that person speaks/writes, so you could also
tell that way.

The numbering system isn't infallible - as the above has pointed out
- but it's better than having judge "a" saying "This model is by
so-and-so, and I can't stand so-and-so, so I'll give it a low score."

Sure, most people aren't this petty, but you get the idea.

Our IPMS club does go one further, and hand out an award to the
"best modeler". Basically, this is a "score" of how many contests
that person has one, but it also helps in showing who is more
prolific, as well as awards a person for "bringing models in".

Matt

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Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, new dad,
meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska

"It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob." - Brain
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