Team Captains wear several hats on Saturday at our national meets. It is almost impossible to prioritize their responsibilities since each have a vital role in the success of our Judging program, AACA and the hobby we all love. With that in mind lets review their responsibilities.

The foremost responsibility is to supervise his teams judging of all the vehicles assigned in a fair and honest manner. In order to accomplish this he or she needs to make themselves aware of the condition (not pre-judge) of each vehicle the team will judge. Being a good supervisor means sharing your knowledge and experience with team members, making them feel at easy in performing their duty as a field judge. Remember they too have a lot of responsibility in our judging process. When the team has completed their judging the scores are recorded on the vehicle judging form for that vehicle, by the team captain. This is where knowing the condition of the vehicles to be judged is crucial for team captains. If a team member is being overly jealous in deductions, questions might be in order to substantiate the deduction or vise-versus.

Team Captains are AACA ambassadors while on the show field, the most important AACA representative to the show participant. Introducing yourself to the vehicle owner helps put them at ease and releases some of the tension they are feeling. Remember the first time you were showing your pride and joy. It’s no different. Make them feel a part of the process; ask them if there are any particulars or factory documentation they want to share with you about their vehicle. When the team is finished judging the vehicle always THANK the owner for sharing their vehicle with us.

During Judges breakfast introduce yourself and team members to each other. Remember you are working as a team. If you have a member with few judging credits offer guidance and help with any questions they might have, again remember your first few experiences on a judging team. It’s also helpful to choose one of your more experienced judges as an assistant to double check the entries and the arithmetic on the judging form prior to turning them in to Judges Administration. The old saying two heads are better than one is never truer than in this situation. Taking the extra couple minutes to insure the accuracy of your work eliminates several minutes of additional work once your paperwork is turned into Judges Administration. Share with the team the results of their efforts and THANK them for their support. Consider leaving the team and finding a private location for you and your assistant to proof your work to insure its accuracy.

Team Captains my HATS off to you when you successfully complete your duties accurately, in a timely manner and shown respect to your team and show participants. Everyone’s a WINNER.

Hi Folks! Its me Enzo,  remember, your favorite feline.

Guess what?

Its warm weather time, finally. Almost every morning now it’s bright and sunshine outside. I hurry to the door and yell for someone to let me out. Still though once I get outside, for as nice as it looks, it’s still wet out sometimes. I take a couple of steps and know that its time to come back in. I jump up on the kitchen window sill - that is the way I tell mom and dad I want in.

As soon as they see me and finish saying “*!#&*##@ Enzo you just went out!”, they let me in. Then I rub up against them and try to look all cute. Lets face it folks …. they may pay all the bills but Enzo runs the show! But back to what i was saying, its finally time that you are able to bring your cars out again. Yep another season of tours, car shows, flea markets and weekend drives is underway. I wish I could drive. I've watched mom and dad; it doesn’t look all that difficult.

Say let me tell you a story about flea markets for a few minutes. Down the road about a mile lives a big ferocious cat. His name is Thomas Cat. Everyone just calls him Tom. Truthfully Tom and I didn’t get along so good in the beginning. You might say we got off on the wrong paw. It’s not that Tom was bad, he was just different than me. Tom is one of those cats with a loud aggressive personality. Heck, I remember sitting around at Cat Scout meetings and Tom would be hungry. We'd say hang in there Tom, refreshments will be here in about half an hour. Tom would respond, “Nahhh I'm gonna go get me a mouse”. Well excuse me folks, I know I'm a cat but I got class. When it comes to "mouse tar-tar" I want it served to me on a platter at Sardini's restaurant in New York. At any rate as you may have gathered I sort of keptmy distance from Tom.

One day last year when the weather started to change and it was almost time to do car stuff, Tom came over to my house and clawed at the door. "Hey Enzo, you home? I want to talk to you." Goodness folks I didn’t know whether to scamper to the litter box or under the couch. Wouldn’t you know it, mom heard the noise and opened the door. Tom marches right inside like he owned the place, eats some of my Friskies, takes a drink of my water and meows loudly "Where’s Enzo?" I figured there is no point in hiding now, "In here" I spoke. Tom strolled into the living room where I was on the floor, jumped up on the couch and got comfy. "Hey Enzo, your mom and dad still do all that goofy car stuff?" Yes, I replied. Good, Tom said, I need to learn about Flea Markets. Curious, I asked why. Tom looked at me with a blank stare. "Cause I got fleas you dumb cat! I want to get rid of them and that would be where others want them."

You know folks when I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be a long day. I began to explain to Tom that these events had nothing to do with fleas. Flea markets were for car stuff. At first he didn’t understand but as I went on he began to put it together. I told Tom that while I had never actually been to one I keep working on mom and dad to take me. I even told Tom that when that time came he could come with us. He was really excited. Ever since then, Tom and I have become pretty good friends. I'm still not going to go out and eat with him, but we are friends. Tom got up to leave, rubbed his face against mine (that’s like shaking paws to you humans), and grabbed another bite of my Friskies on the way out, scratched his neck a few times and left.

So folks if there is a member in your region whose personality may not be the same as yours, don’t prejudge them. Take some time, get to know them, share your interests and listen to theirs. You might just make a new friend.
 
Well that’s it for this time folks. Enjoy the beautiful weather ahead and get those cars out on the road. By the way, anybody know if fleas are catchy!

Your pal,
Enzo the Cat

Due to a hyphenation inserted by the MS Publisher software, the email address listed in the Spring 2006 Rummage Box for Earl Beauchamp was incorrect. The correct address for Earl is Forever39z@aol.com. The editor apologizes for missing the unintended change and for any inconvenience caused to Earl or readers of the Rummage Box because of it.

How is your summer going? Hopefully it has been a good one so far and everyone has been able to enjoy their antique vehicles on the local and/or National level. For many Region and Chapter newsletter editors and webmasters, the summer becomes more demanding of time with their publications. This is due to the extra number of events that typically occur during this time of year that need to be promoted beforehand and then reported on afterwards. It is always good for the editor and webmaster to be active participants in the Region or Chapter even though someone else may be preparing the write-ups for an event. By being a part of the event, you have a better understanding for what is being reported on in regards to detail and accuracy. Plus you get to enjoy the fun of the hobby and camaraderie of fellow members, which is a deserving treat for all of your hard work!

I received a number of requests for printed versions of the Rummage Box over the past few months. As reported in the last issue, the AACA Directors decided to go to an all electronic version for the Rummage Box, except for those Regions and Chapters that request to continue receiving a printed version. I received some rather strong comments concerning the decision. In my defense, this decision was made before I was asked to take over the editor’s job. The deadline date for not missing an issue was June 30. However, if the situation changes at any time where a printed version is no longer needed, or an electronic version just won’t do, please be sure to let me know and I will make the change.

Have you checked out the AACA Editors (Web & Print) Forum under the AACA Discussions Forums? This is a great place to post questions, provide answers, share your experiences, discover new ideas, and make new friends. It is a valuable resource for information pertaining to the Region and Chapter editors and webmasters. You might also find out solutions to a nagging problem from other editors that had the same problem. The AACA Editor discussion forum, as with all of the AACA discussion forums, is frequented by a great group of people who enjoy meeting new people and discussing a wide range of topics. The AACA Editors (Web & Print) forum can be found on the main AACA Discussion Forums page at http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php. Check it out and correspond with other Region and Chapter Editors.

And as always…..
Happy Antique Motoring!
Bruce