Re: Before We Move On...

[krandall@world.std.com]

At 01:24 AM 7/15/99 -0500, you wrote:
>One minor point, which I may have missed in all of the talking, is whether
>it might be desirable, or even possible, to limit participation to AMATEUR
>aquarists or if we should leave this alone, allowing for professionals to
>enter as well. (i.e. by professionals I mean folks who earn their living
>through aquascapting/maintenance of other people's aquariums)?

How many people really fit that category?  Tom Barr, who else?  One way we
could get around that is to ask people to state on the entry form whether
they are professionals or not.  Say that if the number of professional
participants warrants, we will split them off into a separate division.
This is what we do at horses shows.  We ask people to stat whether they are
amateurs, pros or juniors, but only divide them if entries are sufficient
in number.  (we usually require 6 entries of a particular group to be
willing to split them off)

If one of the main purposes of this project is education on aquascaping
methods, I think we'd be missing a great opportunity to learn from some of
the pros.  Do we _really_ want to tell Amano that he can't play?<g>
(assuming we can't get him to be a judge!<g>)

>Do we limit folks to submitting only aquariums which they themselves own?
>For example, if I design and plant an aquarium for either a friend, or a
>local institution or business - and it turns out exceptionally well, who
>would be eligable to submit photos of the aquascape for consideration - me,
>as the designer, or my friend or the institution or business which owned the
>tank?

I could argue for either case.  But a decision should be made one way or
the other.  For our BAS home show, it was decided that the entrant must OWN
and MAINTAIN the tank.  But it need not be in their home.  We've had some
entries that were kept in offices.  I also wouldn't want to shut someone
out who has purchased and maintains a tank set up in a hospital or school.

Another option would be, in the case of a tank owned by one person and
maintained by another, have them enter the tank jointly.

>Can any of this be limited, due to our inability to actually confirm
>someone's claims?

I think that gets back to the fact that in a situation like this, we have
to take people's word for it.  If they cheat, they cheat only themselves.

Karen 
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