Remember When: Best In Show at the 1992 ARBA National Convention

Just received the current issue, July-August 2017, of Domestic Rabbits.  Betty goes down the memory lane.

The article "ARBA Best In Show Through the Ages" shows the photos and winners of the ARBA convention Best In Show since 1971.   Photo of me and Chu's Sweet Sixteen is at the corner of page 18.  That was the first time an Angora winning an open Best In Show in the ARBA convention.  It took a lot of effort to break the glass ceiling for a wool breed.   After this 1992 win, English Angora won convention open Best In Show two more times and youth Best In Show four more times.   All of them were related to my stock, some as immediate as the daughter or granddaughter, some were farther down into the descendants.    My English Angora won Group three more times after 1992: 2001 with a white senior doe, 2003 with a colored senior buck and 2013 with a colored senior doe.  

Until today, English Angora is the only breed of Angora that has won Best In Show at the ARBA national convention.  

The Angora breed judge in 1992 was Dr. Terry Reed, the past president of ARBA and a Hall of Famer.

The Best In Show judge in 1992 was Glen Carr, the executive director of ARBA and also a Hall of Famer.

The trophy on the right is for the Best 4-Class and the trophy on the left is for the Best In Show win.
   The convention selected 4-Class and 6-Class winners as the two finalists until 1995;  since 1996 the breeds were separated into 4 Groups to have 4 finalists for the Best In Show selection. 

After the photo session at the Best In Show judging, trophies were taken back by the convention staff until the ARBA banquet.   Cindy Wickizer was the president at the time, she officially awarded me the trophies for the win.   I was wearing an fawn Angora sweater that I made from the wool of Bubbling Champagne, the fawn doe that started all for me.   Cindy Wickizer is also in the ARBA Hall of Fame, she is one of the two breeders that the current Standard of Perfection dedicated to.  

The January-February 1993 Domestic Rabbits has the Best In Show winners of the open rabbit, youth rabbit, open cavy and youth cavy.  

The above photos do not show Sweet Sixteen's entire body, here is a photo taken at the same convention when I carried her to be groomed.   She was barely 8 months old but got the density to die for.

Sweet Sixteen has gone to the bunny heaven long time ago but her photo and the two big trophies still occupy an entire shelf space in our home.   It's not everyday that one breeds such a perfect animal and being recognized, she is gone but will never be forgotten.