Rule Change Frequently Asked Questions; Other Coonhound News
Coonhound Advisor
December 4, 2018
Source: Allen Gingerich
As published in the December issue of Coonhound Bloodlines.
This article covers some of the most frequently asked questions as they relate to the new changes for 2019.
Double Header Nite Hunts Frequently Asked Questions
1) Q: Whenever a club has a Double Header event, may they use two different event officials for the two hunts, or do they both need to be the same?
A: Double Headers are considered two separate events. The total entry information and the results of the early event are recorded on one event report, while the entry numbers and results of the late hunt are recorded on a separate event report. Yes, the club may use two different individuals to serve as the Official for a Double Header. Whenever two different officials are used at a Double Header, those individuals may participate in the event they are not officiating that night.
2) Q: Do both hunt times need to be the same for a Double Header?
A: For now, or until further notice, both hunts need to be scheduled for the same amount of hunt times. Both events may be scheduled for 60-, 90-, or 120-minute hunts. Youll probably see very few clubs, if any, scheduling Double Headers with 120-minute hunts. So far, the majority of clubs are scheduling their Double Headers as 60-minute hunts, while several are going with two 90-minute hunts.
3) Q: May clubs schedule Youth Events as Double Headers?
A: Any Purina Points Events and/or Youth events may not be scheduled as Double Headers. However, any regular or Slam hunts may be scheduled as Double Headers.
4) Q: If a club has their second entry deadline (Double Header) scheduled for 11 p.m., does this mean their return deadline for their first hunt may not be any later than 11 p.m.? If not, when should the casts be drawn out and called out for the second hunt?
A: Its okay for the return deadline of the first hunt to be later than the entry deadline for the second hunt.
Return deadlines should always be determined based on how far the furthest guides have to travel to and from their hunting grounds. Ample time should always be given for the cast to get their hunt time in, along with consideration of dogs getting out of pocket where the rules allow them one hour to handle dogs before they are scratched for delaying the cast.
A club might have their first return deadline set for midnight, but that does not change the entry deadline for the second hunt. Therefore, participants may want to put their entry in for the second hunt before they go out in the first hunt if the return deadline for the first hunt is later than the entry deadline for the second hunt.
Using the entry deadline for the second hunt as 11 p.m. and midnight as the return deadline for the first hunt, the event official should wait to draw the casts for the second hunt until midnight or until all casts have returned from the first hunt. This allows the draw to be done publicly in front of all who entered for the second hunt. At least all those who returned by midnight. Anyone entered in the second hunt who did not return when casts are called for the second hunt should result in their cast being held and given a reasonable amount of time to return before they are scratched from their second cast.
5) Q: Does a Double Header count towards a clubs allotted seven event dates?
A: It does not. Think of it this way. A club is allowed up to seven event dates per year. The events they choose to have on each one of those dates is up to them. In this case, they could have a Double Header (two separate nite hunts) on any one or all of their dates.
6) Q: Is the license fee for a Double Header the same as for a regular event?
A: The license fee for a regular nite hunt is $25. The license for a Double Header Nite Hunt is $35. This fee covers both events. Recording fees remain at $2 for each dog entered in both hunts.
A Plus-Point Cast Win at RQE Qualifiers
Q: Under the current format, only those dogs who placed in the Top 10 of a RQE event were qualified for the World Championship. Under the new cast-win format next year, how many dogs stand to qualify for the World Championship?
A: All dogs that win their cast with a total score of plus points at an RQE or at a Qualifying Slam will be qualified. This includes all plus-points cast winners.
Cast Win Credit at Youth Events and the World Championship
Q: Under the old format for awarding Championship Points, not all dogs received a win if they did not place high enough in Youth Events or if they did not advance from the Zones to the Finals. How will this work under the new cast-win format?
A: Every dog that wins its cast with plus points in the licensed portion of a Youth event will receive credit towards the degree the dog is working towards. This is true even though all dogs draw out together.
If the cast winner is a Registered dog, then the cast win goes towards its Nite Champion degree. If the cast winner is a Nite Champion, then it will be credited with a Champion win. The same is true for a Grand Nite Champion. The same is true for the World Championship Zones, even if a cast-winning dog does not advance to the Finals. At the Finals, cast win credit will be awarded in Rounds 2 (alone round), 3 and in the Final Cast.
Credit will not be awarded for cast winners at any non-licensed event or any part of an event that is not considered licensed. An example would be where the host club has a hunt-off comprised of the highest scoring dogs. The winners of those non-licensed hunt-offs would not receive credit for such a cast win.
Hall of Fame Criteria
Q: UKC will now be offering a title of Hall of Fame for dogs who have accrued a total of 50 cast wins. Will those cast wins earned under the past format (before 2019), where the dog did not place in the event, count towards those 50 cast wins?
A: A total of 50 cast wins may not be exactly true when it comes to those dogs that already had some nite hunt history prior to 2019. It would be nearly impossible to go back and research every single cast win a dog may have earned that did not result in placing in the event. Therefore, UKC will not be doing that.
Instead, the formula by which a Hall of Fame title will be issued is when a dog has earned the degree of GRNITECH5, plus five more cast wins. This would in fact amount to a total of 50 cast wins for any dog that had no nite hunt history prior to 2019.
When you do the math, five cast wins to make Nite Champion, plus eight cast wins to make Grand Nite Champion, plus eight cast wins for each of the GRNITECH2, 3, 4 and 5, plus five more cast wins, adds up to a grand total of 50.