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Young RBBA member notches up ‘Firsts’ in the GCCF YES! Scheme

In the summer of 2010 the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) launched the Young Exhibitors Scheme! (YES!), a programme open to any young person from the age of 8 - 16+ in the UK who shows, or whose parents show with the GCCF. The scheme is arranged to introduce young people to the Cat Fancy; it encourages them to learn about a whole range of cat breeds as well as what is involved in running a cat show, and how to care for and enjoy their cats.
There are three levels for young people to work through, the Novice level, the Intermediate level and the final part is the Advanced level. At each level candidates learn about different cat breeds by completing worksheets and accompanying Judges whilst they judge at Shows, as well as helping with table work and what seemed to us the most daunting of all giving presentations to Judges at Cat Shows.
In July 2010 I enrolled my youngest daughter, Marina on the scheme at the Novice Level. At this time she was aged just 10 years and being one of the first to join the programme neither of us were quite sure what to expect. Marina was delighted to receive a welcome pack from Georgina Anderson-Keeble, one of the YES! Administrators, as well as her own name badges to identify her as one of the YES! participants. She was also given her own password so that she can log onto the YES! area of the GCCF website and Georgina corresponded via email with Marina giving her lots of encouragement.
Marina put together her YES! folder and quickly set to work completing various worksheets. She was a little worried about the thought of presentations but for the first few months these were not in place at Shows so she just enjoyed learning about various breeds. At the 2010 RBBA Show she carefully watched and listened Val Anderson-Drew present a Russian Blue and announced the following evening that she felt she was ready to give it a go.

With some trepidation we entered a Russian Blue kitten at the Maidstone and Medway Show in December 2010 where the first ever YES! Class for presentations was scheduled. We also organised for Marina to have her first ever second stewarding engagement with Maria Chapman-Beer at the same Show. Although she was very nervous about spending the day with a Judge she prepared all her paperwork and learned the Russian Blue standard of points off by heart. She also practiced presenting a Russian Blue using a cat on our dining room table. Despite the extremely snowy weather at the end of 2010, Marina, her sister Isobelle and I managed to make the Maidstone and Medway Show and we had a wonderful day.

Maria and Marina spent the morning together talking about cats in the Foreign and Burmese section, and with Maria’s
kindness and enthusiasm Marina, who had just turned 11 years old felt her confidence grow. We were very proud
when Marina gave the first ever YES! Novice presentation with a Russian Blue kitten, Curtilla Czara. Marina had a lovely write up from the YES! Judge, Jane Allen, and the kitten as you would expect from a Russian Blue did not mind being shown off to an audience at all.
Marina was hooked. She couldn’t wait to give her next presentations. For the Novice level she gave 3 more and did really well.

For John Hansson at the East Sussex in April 2011 she used a Russian Blue adult, Gr Ch Denillanne Alecxa and achieved an ‘Exceptional’ rating,

(photo: Georgina Anderson-Keeble)

At the London Cat Club Show in June 2010 she borrowed a Russian Black, Elenita Melayzia Gipsyrose (thank you Mr & Mrs Bowdrey) to give another ‘exceptionally’ rated presentation to Lindsey Grant.

(Photo: Cat Planet)

And in September 2010 at the BOB Cats Show Marina gave her fourth
and qualifying presentation to Helen Marriott-Power (another presentation
rated as exceptional) using her own Devon Rex kitten, Rogus Rhastakhan.
The whole of Marina’s work at Novice level was checked by Anne Gregory
at the Show and she became the first ever YES! Candidate to progress to
the Intermediate Level.

(photo: Georgina Anderson-Keeble)

Throughout the whole of the Novice level Marina’s knowledge about cats, and the Cat Fancy, has grown exponentially. This has been largely due to the judges who have kindly let her second steward for them at Shows, taking the time to explain what they are looking for in a whole range of breeds: Maria Chapman-Beer (Foreign and Burmese section); Jean Clare (Persian and Semi Longhair Section); Pam Davey (Household Pet Section); and Val Anderson-Drew (Semi Longhair and Foreign Section).

At the Russian Blue Breeders Association Show in October 2011, Marina had another ‘First’. She gave the first ever YES! Intermediate Level presentation to Maria Chapman-Beer using our Russian Blue kitten Curtilla Blue Luna Eclipse. The questions asked at Intermediate presentations are definitely more advanced than at the Novice level and it is already evident that she will learn lots more in this stage.

(photo: Dave Johnson)

 

The YES! Programme has been a big hit with Marina and has provided exactly the right arena for her to develop her interest in cats and the Cat Fancy. Her greatest concern now is that once she has completed every stage (a long way off I hasten to add) she will no longer have the opportunity to do the presentations. One year on from worrying about them, she doesn’t want the opportunity to present cats to stop!!

Laurie Curtis