The first judged show for Mustangs Northwest is just around the corner.  The Judge Committee is hard at work preparing for the Spring-Into-Summer judged show which will be held at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, Washington on Saturday, May 10.  By far the best thing about this show is the price.  The entry fee for Spring-Into-Summer is only $20 ($10 for Teenagers).  The Judge Committee is unaware of any club, anywhere, for any brand of car, that hosts an annual judged car show for such a small entry fee.  Look for the SIS sign-up form in this issue of the Pony Express.

As part of the preparation for SIS, we are encouraging MNW members to become MCA certified judges.  Over the past couple months, the judge committee has been approached by many members who are interested in becoming MCA certified judges in their Mustang generation of choice.  The following information bears repeating, since we have been asked many times about acquiring these judging tests.  The first recommendation is to visit the MCA website at www.mustang.org to look up the desired judging class.  These downloads are free of charge to MCA club members.  Our current MCA Test Administrator is Joe Odine.  His address is 3595 19^th Street, Wyandotte, MI 48192, or he can be contacted by email at MCA56060@wyan.org.  Here is a list of the MCA judging certifications:

64 1/2 -66                                               05-Curr. (5^th Gen.)

67-68                                                       93-04 SVT Cobra

69-70                                                       Occasional and Daily Driven

69-71 Boss                                             Saleen

71-73                                                       Roush

74-78                                                       65-66 Shelby

79-93 (3^rd Gen.)                                      67-68 Shelby

94-04 (4^th Gen.)                                      69-70 Shelby

Modified

(You must first be certified in another class to request Modified)

Judge Committee suggests that everyone become certified in Occasional and Daily Driven class, regardless of any other class of interest.  The reason for this is that the OD/DD class covers the fundamentals of judging which are useful in all other judged classes.  Joe Odine should send a National Judging Program and Guidelines pamphlet to you, and from this it is possible to answer the simple, common-sense questions on this test.

Remember that the certifications for all of the judging classes listed above are valid for life and will never expire.  It is the Gold Card Certifications that last five years and must be periodically renewed.  The members of the MNW Judge Committee are always available to answer any questions regarding taking the MCA judging tests.  Already some of our members are forming study groups to review and answer test questions.  This is a great idea.  If you would like to get in on this, please contact a Judge Committee member and we will put you in touch with them.

The final thought for this month’s article is the value that judging brings to our Mustang club.  Following the nationally recognized lead of MCA is very important because it is possible to compare cars on opposite side of the country by utilizing a common set of criteria and guidelines.  The Judge Committee has mentioned in the February meeting that all MNW judged shows in 2009 and 2010 will be strict MCA “by the book” in preparation for the MCA Grand National show in 2010.  There will be changes to some of our judge show class structure beginning next year.  The Judge Committee will cover those subjects more in depth when the 2008 judged show season is over.  As usual, if anyone has questions about judging or any other topic, please contact a Judge Committee member from the list on page 2 of every Pony Express.  Thank you for your interest in judging.

MNW Judge Committee