HERSHEY JUDGES NEEDED AND GREAT NEWS!

<span style="font-weight: bold">More judges are need for the Fall Meet! Great parking has been arranged for judges and I am positive you will love the judges "gift" this year! Please get the word out!</span>

How do we get a pass so we can actually park in the judges parking? At the show in Virginia Beach there were several hundred judges but only several dozen parking passes. Parking can be important to those of us who no longer have the legs to walk the 1/2 mile or so from our spaces in the flea market, in the dark, to the judges breakfast, walk around judging, then hotfoot it back to the flea market.

Send a self addressed stamped envelope to the chief judge Rich Spina, 1313 W. Market St. Pottsville, Pa. 17901 requesting the parking pass

You are sooooo easy!

Steve, Thanks for the parking pass information. I just filled out the two envelopes and will mail them tomorrow. I will also pass this information along to Rodger Woodrum. He comes up from Va. and stays in the RV with Bill and I.

Steve

I have not signed up to judge this year (yet) because due to my daughters' schedules, I have not attended any AACA National Shows to attend a judging school. For the past 10 years or so I have rode out to Hershey and hung with some friends, so I have to kind of follow their schedule and may not been able to attend a school at Hershey. So I was afraid if I signed up and unable to attend a school, it would be worse than not signing up. Last year at Jefferersonville we the last one I atttended.

We received our judges parking pass in the mail today. What was funny was it was the only thing in the envelope and someone had opened and re-sealed the envelope with tape. I saw that and figured that they must have had to reopen it to add something. Guess the pass was what they forgot to put in. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Also there is a nice little map on the back of the pass to show where the judges parking is. Right there beside Giant Center on the black top. No slogging through the long wet grass or mud and then having to run across the main road. We are comin' up in the world. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

How does one become a judge for the AACA? I assume you need to become a member first my father has always been a member so i havent had a reason to join yet. Even though i have been to hershey every year (except last year) since i was born (I have pics to prove this) i dont think i would know enough to be a judge yet, you should have an internship program for judges so that guys like us can just tag along and see how things are done.

As an answer to your questions, yes you need to be a member, yes there is a judging school, and yes there's an internship program. Understand something, no one is an expert on everything. Most of us when we sign up to judge, pick to judge the classes where we feel comfortable, and in many cases, we often (not always) get the classes that we signed up for. Once in a while you get thrown a curve and then from there you learn from it. Also understand that you'll never judge a car completely by yourself.

If you have a question, ask a fellow team member, or the team captain. I have never judged a class where there wasn't at least one person who didn't know something about the the vehicles in the class.

Every year you have to go to judging school if you want to be a judge. In doing so, every year you'll also hear those famous words "WHEN IN DOUBT, DON'T DEDUCT." If you choose to judge, and you follow those simple rules, as well as learn the basics outlined in your judging manual, you'll do fine.

If you're going to Hershey, you can join AACA, you can attend judging school, and you can get your apprenticeship training done. If you're going for apprenticeship training, you won't find a better place to do it other than Hershey because of the size of the show, and the large volume of cars.

Something that has worked well for me, is to sign up to judge in classes that my vehicles would be in if they were entered in a meet. Currently my dad and I are in the final stages of finishing a fire engine. To prepare for that restoration, I have been judging both commercial trucks and fire trucks. The information that I have gathered at the library, and have learned through judging will assist us in putting a more authentic truck on the show field. If you're in the process of restoring a vehicle, this is a great resource for you to use on your own car.

If you're fairly young and can spare the money, a life membership is the best bang for the buck. Otherwise I believe it'll still be $30 a year. I think I paid $600 for my life membership and figured that if they never raise the dues, I'll be ahead of the game in 20 years (now it's down to 17).

What a value, you can go to Hershey, join the club, become a sucker er I mean judge, get all your training in, and find Falcon parts <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> all in one trip.

Pat, everyone that pays annually is supporting me. Been life member since 10/1/82. That's 24 years. My parents got the membership for me and I believe it was $300 at that time.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Pat, everyone that pays annually is supporting me. Been life member since 10/1/82. That's 24 years. My parents got the membership for me and I believe it was $300 at that time. </div></div>

Your old thats before i was born. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for the info. I will definatly look into the life membership.

Sparky65: There will be three judging schools offered at Hershey - Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 PM and Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM.(both at the Music Box Theater in HersheyPark)and Friday night at 7:00 PM at the Hershey Region's headquarters next to the AACA Museum. The school lasts 2 hours or less and will enable you to participate in the apprentice team program on Saturday. We will be signing up apprentices at the schools, so you can get on board at one of the three offerings. All apprentices get to attend the Saturday morning judges breakfast (7:00 AM) at the Giant Center and then participate in the apprentice program that begins at 10:00 AM (the start of judging at Hershey). The apprentices receive the same judging credit and chip that field judges receive. Once you have completed the apprentice team program, you are ready for your first field assignment at future AACA National meets - and you leave Hershey with two juding credits (one for school and one for the appentice team). We would love to have you join us!

Rick Lay

Assistant Chairman - Judges Training