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Candidate for TICA Maine Coon Breed Committee
Michael Hammond - Blueblaze Cattery
In 1987, my then fiance Elektra started showing
HHP cats in various
organizations, met and fell in love with a huge blue Maine Coon stud - IW SGC
Mt Kittery Penobscot. Shortly after we got married, I made the mistake of
buying her our first purebred, a black smoke Maine Coon female. We have been
involved with breeding and exhibiting Maine Coons ever since.
For the first year or two, it was very much Elektra's hobby, with my
participation mostly in a support role. Then I started clerking to pass the
time at shows. That got me seriously involved in cats and shows. At shows,
I mostly took the administrative route - clerking, master clerking and show
managing, while Elektra took more to the exhibiting. We spent a number of
years enjoying active participation while vowing never to be caught dead
campaigning or judging. We have accumulated a significant number of regional
winners from as long ago as 1993. Mostly we show Maine Coons, but have
exhibited example kitties of other breeds (SF, BO, OL, BG, OC, HB, OA, LP,
SX, PS, RD) and Household pet kittens and adults.
The first cat club we joined was the Texas Maine Coonfederacy - containing
experienced MC breeder members like Don Caruthers, Vickie Fisher, Dan and Judy
Chappetta and more. We continue to be active in TMC(exhibiting, helping out,
clerking, master clerking, entry clerking and judging) and have added many
other clubs since. I am currently an officer or member of the following
clubs:
Texas Maine Coonfederacy (SC)
Cats of the Finger Lakes - President (NE)
GeneTICAts - Counselor and Show Organizer (NE)
Gold Coast Cat Fanciers (NE)
Cats of the Endless Hills - President (MA)
Potomac Area Cat Enthusiats (MA)
Susquehannock Cat Club (MA)
Beautiful Cats Forever (SE)
Volunteer Cat Club (SE)
Midwest Norwegian Forest Cat Club (GL)
We have bred over 75 litters of Maine Coons, yet compared to our mentors, we
are relative newcomers. I have only been breeding for about 18 years. Our
mentors had been breeding for over 20 years when we started and some are
still involved in breeding. I do not claim to know everything. I am still
learning, comparing our methods to others and coming up with new approaches.
Our lines have been and remain free of HCM and hip displasia.
Both my wife and I have deliberately sought out folks with substantial
experience breeding, showing and judging Maine Coons to mine their knowledge.
We are comfortable with genetics and understand the implications of dominant
and recessive traits in a breeding program. We are currently working with
Solveig Pflueger in starting a research program into the genetics of polyps
and their possible connections to cancer.
Blueblaze became a MCBFA breeder member cattery in 1993. I was Maine Coon
Breed Committee chairman from 2000 to 2002 and ended up presiding over a major
revision of the standard. I have been a TICA life member for a number of
years and was licensed as a judge in February 2002. By the end of January, I
will have judged in every TICA region except Asia. I have attended BoD
meetings whenever reasonable, often showing up as one of the few spectators
at the first day of the meeting. I have a good background in the Rules and
Bylaws of TICA and have discussed the proposed changes and their implications
with exhibitors, members of Rules, Genetics and the Board. I have also made
a formal presentation to the Board.
I formed and became president of Cats of the Finger Lakes, specifically
organized to put on the 2003 NE Regional, On Safari 2004 and bid for the TICA
Annual in 2005. I was the architect and show manager of the combined effort
between Westchester Feline Club and Cats of the Finger Lakes to put on the
2005 Tica Annual in Syracuse, NY. After the Annual and with our experience
putting on On Safari, we organized CoonClave I, a 2-1/2 day show featuring 3
rings of cat, kitten and alter Maine Coon congresses held in June 2007. We
expect to organize CoonClave II after the dust settles from our move.
In real life, I am a Linux system & network administrator, systems programmer,
consultant and technical instructor. I have taught technical seminars
internationally for 25 years, giving me substantial experience in public
speaking, explanation of difficult concepts and coping with many different
cultures and personalities. I have been the author of several seminars and
been technical editor as well. Technically and professionally, I have
nothing left to prove and no need to build my ego at the expense of others.
I have recently accepted a new full-time position with a small startup
company associated with the University of Delaware and will be moving to
Delaware shortly. My email address and cell phone will remain unchanged.
It is time to revisit the Maine Coon standard, evaluate what is working, what
is not contributing to improving the breed and how we can better convey to
the judges what we want to see. I do not believe in proposing additional
unfunded activities for the breed committee, especially when other
organizations exist for the express intent of those activities. I do not
believe in dictating to anyone what they should breed, especially when
genetics makes it possible for anyone not wanting a trait to easily avoid it.
I think that the revision process should be open and accessible to the entire
Breed Section, not a secretive process resulting in a take it or leave it
ballot for the Breed Section. We need to work together on refining the
standard and conveying accurate breed information to exhibitors, breeders and
judges.
Mike Hammond
To visit the Maine
Coons, Maine Coon Polydactyls, and Munchkin at Blueblaze click
HERE
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