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On Top - But for how long?
By Jim Castillo
If we were to take a trip
in the "Wayback Machine" back to the turn of the
century (not 1900, but 2000), we would see that the MPKS Goldfish
Show was the largest and most prestigious show in the country
with over 100 fish. Fast-forward to last year's show that
saw us dwindle down to seventy. Two weeks before our show
last year, Mid-Atlantic Koi Club held its inaugural goldfish
show and benched only four less than we did.
This year, MPKS has been blessed with the chance to host the
reemergence of the Goldfish Society of America's National
Show. This is indeed a prodigious honor, as MPKS will
have the opportunity to begin GFSA's revitalization process.
This is a great chance for us to gain national recognition
and exposure if we can all work together to get the GFSA back
on track.
The skeleton for the show is there-sponsors, volunteers, judges,
etc. but the flesh of the show is singularly lacking: exhibitors.
We already have great exhibitors, but that is not to say that
we do not need "new blood." Yes, that means you.
Many people seem to believe different myths that explain why
they can't show their fish in the past, so let's spend some
time debunking these myths.
Myth #1- My fish aren't good enough
to win anything.
Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes. Everyone has
to start somewhere. With over seventy awards, there is an
excellent chance that your fish will win something.
Myth #2- Something will happen
to my fish.
This is highly unlikely since the fish are kept by themselves,
there is a great water quality and water changing crew, and
utmost care is taken to keep them safe through the duration
of the show.
Myth #3- I have no idea what I'm
doing.
It's actually not as hard as it looks. My first year in 1997,
I won one third-place ribbon not knowing anything about showing
goldfish, and as they say, the rest is history.
Myth #4- I can't catch my fish!
It's obviously not a good idea to try to do this the day of
the show. Now is a good time to start practicing. If the fish
like to stay at the bottom, try feeding them everyday so they'll
come up to the top. About two weeks before, you should segregate
your fish and begin fasting them so that they don't overly
pollute the water. If you absolutely cannot catch your fish,
there are probably many people (myself included) who would
be willing to come to your house and dig them out. If that's
not possible, our local vendors have many nice, inexpensive
fish that you can buy on Friday before and stick in.
All the myths are now busted, but it is plausible that there
are still more. If so, we'll try to debunk them a la Mythbusters.
Being in the goldfish show is also a way to gain "the
full experience" of being in the club. Besides, the club
puts forth a lot of money, the local vendors send their money
for sponsorships, and the volunteers work very hard to see
that everything turns out well. There is no better way to
say thank you to them and show appreciation to them than filling
up those tanks.
If that's not incentive enough, word on the street is that
board member Pete Ponzio
is coming out of a twelve-year retirement to show his fish.
It would be a great chance for you to beat the Pete. He might
be a bit rusty, so plan accordingly.
Come on koi folks, that's you guys too. I myself am going
to put one of those shubunkins with barbs in the koi show
so it's only fair that you guys reciprocate.
Hey, did you hear that? It sounds like someone's knocking
at the door. I think that's Portland and MAKC trying to become
the best club in the country. Let's fill these tanks and set
the bar for all the future GFSA Nationals.
To sponsor an award, please contact Jim
Castillo
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