[MR] A&S competitions

[Becky McEllistrem]

> Better no feedback at all rather than feedback that
> slamdunks a new artisan
> so hard they never try again!

Honestly I have a hard time with one comment logic.  I
understand that one negative comment can be
discouraging but I remind people not to let bullies
control their fun.  Often people are behaving like
hateful jerks when judging because they're jealous. 
Realizing this and moving on is a very "freeing"
thought.  I also feel sorry for those that so
willingly made a public jerk out of themselves.  They
just announced to the world that they shouldn't be
used as judges again.  I find that very pathetic.

I won't let bullies hold me back or control me by
letting their comments create fear for me.  I will
however listen to people that have constructive
comments for me.

I've actually had at least one guy in my old canton
come right up to my face a couple times to say "that's
UGLY"!  When I went up to a couple scribing laurels
and asked "What's wrong with it?" they reminded me it
was far from ugly but gave me some suggestions about
how to be better next time.

The most constructive judging format I ever saw was
when someone said:

1.  You did this right.
2.  You did this right.
3. Next step:   I would work on X if that is your
interest....

It gave me a clear idea of what I was doing well and
what I needed to do next to move forward.  I try to
use this format whenever I'm judging now.

When I judge I also give my email address.  That way
if someone has complaints about my comments they can
contact me directly.

My hardest part now is as editor trying to give
constructive feedback while not going too far with the
information overload.  But if I take a wrong step as
editor somewhere we could be sued.  This is why my
feedback is often a lot.  In email I can say "here is
the issue" and then "here's a couple ideas I would do
to resolve the issue..."


Rebecca