YOU T
SAID I
Learning From
Orchid Exhibitors
BY WILLIAM ROE
A
From the moment we walked in, we were in awe. There
lthough I’ve owned and loved dogs my entire life, I nevwas table after table of orchids we had no idea even existed.
er got into the “world” of dog shows until 2012 when
We were quite overwhelmed but stuck it out because we were
a dear friend wanted to breed a litter of puppies and
eager to learn. No sooner had we arrived than two members of
asked if I wanted to be involved as a co-breeder. His experithe orchid society greeted us. They asked us about ourselves,
ence spans 40 years, and I jumped at the opportunity to learn
our interest and our comfort level with orchids. Overall, they
everything I could from him. Co-breeding this litter meant that
made us feel welcomed and attended to. During the auction,
I would quickly need to learn to show them, and thus my time
they sat with us to answer questions. Afterward, they gave
in dog shows began.
us care instructions about each species we purchased, their
From day one I was learning from some of the best. I had
contact information should we have any more questions and
instant connections with a lot of wonderful people in the cominformation about joining their club. Bottom line, they were
munity. My friend introduced me to his world, and although
a wealth of knowledge available to us, no questions asked.
the world may have been foreign to me, it was immediately
We got home empowered to keep
accepting. I quickly felt well-supported
coming back, and that day joined the
and appreciated. This welcoming spirit
Orchid Society. We’ve since attended
is one of many things that has kept me
How can we become
our first meeting where we were greetcoming back for several years now.
better at attracting
ed by these same two people. Again
My experience is unique in that
serving as ambassadors of the society,
not everyone has a mentor so active
new enthusiasts to
they guided us through the process
in bringing them into the sport. I was
our sport and make
of the meeting and got us involved
introduced to hundreds of people and
them feel welcome?
throughout the evening. We again felt
shown how to best handle a dog by prowelcome, valued and like they genuinefessionals that otherwise may not have
ly appreciated our being there.
ever known I existed. However, my exThere are many similarities in my experience at the orchid
perience is also typical because a lot of beginners were found
auction and at dog shows. First there’s the feeling of being
by, or sought out, a mentor with more experience. This is the
overwhelmed. We all started somewhere and can remember
best and quickest way to become successful in the sport —
how we felt at our first show. The number of orchid varieties
and really the best way to get your foot in the door.
at the auction easily mirrored the number of breeds at an
So how can we as a community become better at attracting
all-breed show, each with its own subtle nuances and needs.
new enthusiasts to our sport, and making them feel welcome
Both have gatherings of people from all walks of life, at all
and encouraged? I’ve had a recent experience that I think
different levels of proficiency, coming together for the shared
illustrates one working approach really well.
appreciation of something unique and wonderful.
My husband and I recently developed a fascination for
So, what can we borrow from their approach and use to
orchids. After buying a few from local florists and grocery
our own advantage? I’m going to make it a goal to be more instores, we realized we had different colors and varieties of
clusive when I’m participating in a show. I’m going to make it
the same species. In order to find more interesting orchids,
a point to talk to more people I don’t recognize and hopefully
we had to get more involved in the community. A short time
pay forward some of the generosity of spirit I’ve received. I
later, while visiting the Missouri Botanical Gardens, I came
hope to also bring this same effort into the Group clubs I’m
across an ad for an orchid auction being put on by the Orchid
a member of. When we organize our shows in the future, we
Society of Greater Saint Louis. This was it! Finally our chance
can be a bit more mindful of those who are new to the sport.
to see a diverse collection of orchids in one place, in person,
Thank you to everyone for being a part of this wonderful
and decide for ourselves which we liked most. So we decided
community — and best of luck at the shows! DIR
to attend the auction.
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