ITCA Annual Awards and Trophies

 

The ITCA sponsors a variety of annual trophies and awards for members achieving excellence in the show ring and trials. Originally trophies were awarded based on performance in the show ring. Later, trophies for Obedience and Agility were added.

 

A committee was appointed by the Irish Terrier Club of America in 1936 to make a study and then to submit recommendations for appropriate prizes or awards to be offered by the Club. This resulted in certain objectives or principles being formulated to govern the proposed competitions. 

 

Briefly they were:

•  Competition to be open only to members of the Irish Terrier Club of America.

• Opportunity for competition to be readily available to all members, wherever located.

• Basis of competition to be equitable, considering the location of the Club member.

• Awards to be based upon official published data. Competitions to be conducted without any effort on the part of the individual member of the Club.

 

Thus a member, wherever located, had only to exhibit at whatever shows were available, to be automatically competing for the Club trophies.

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The American Kennel Club continually adjusts the point ratings in sections of the country, from time to time, on the basis of a statistical determination of the breed competition in those areas. Thus, competition in all areas of the country are equitable.

 In addition it was decided that:

• Certain competitions should be open to Irish Terriers, imported or American-bred, owned by members.

• Certain competitions should be limited to American-bred Irish Terriers owned by members.

• Certain competitions should be rewards for the breeding activities of the members, regardless of the ownership of the specimens at the time of being exhibited.

• Each competition should be complete within each calendar year.

• Each trophy should be awarded outright for each competition.

• Presentation of the trophies for the previous calendar year should be made at the annual meeting of the Irish Terrier Club of America.

• Trophies should be of appropriate and distinctive design.

 

The proposals were approved and accepted at the Annual Meeting of the Club held in February, 1937. That year three trophies were awarded, namely the John R. Thorndike Memorial Trophy, the James Eager Memorial Trophy and the Premier Litter Trophy. Since that time trophies have been created and retired, and the others have had their conditions changed.