I.  Organization

• Allow junior exhibitors to participate and compete throughout the summer and receive awards for their hard work and dedication to the sheep project
• Provide a learning experience for both junior members and their families by showing sheep, providing leadership, showing cooperation, and presenting good sportsmanship
• Provide support for state and national sheep breeders
• Contribute assistance to the Indiana 4-H sheep program
• Offer support to the sheep industry

The IJCLC is organized and managed by a group of volunteers along with assistance from the Indiana Junior Sheep Association (IJSA). To participate and receive awards in the Indiana Junior Club Lamb Circuit, you must submit a membership form and a $15 fee made payable to the IJCLC. This membership fee will automatically enroll you as a member of the Indiana Junior Sheep Association and allow you to participate in the Indiana Junior Club Lamb Circuit. No points will be accumulated until the membership fee is paid and the membership form is turned in to the IJCLC. Forms will be available at each show and membership will be accepted at any time throughout the year.

II.  IJCLC Representatives

1. The IJCLC Executive Director is Christina Nixon and Assistant Director is Stacie Crowder. Two additional regional representatives comprise the IJCLC Board of Directors.
2. One representative from the IJCLC will be present at each sanctioned show to serve as the official scorekeeper.
3.  Decisions made by IJCLC representatives are final.
4. Grievances must presented in writing to an IJCLC representative within 24 hours of incident and must be accompanied by a $100 fee, that will only be refunded if the grievance is upheld.

III.  Membership

1. Membership in the IJCLC requires a $15 fee, which automatically results in the youth becoming a member of the Indiana Junior Sheep Association and allows them to participate in the Indiana Junior Club Lamb Circuit.
2. Points will not begin to accumulate until you become a member of the IJCLC. Therefore, you must sign-up and pay dues before a show starts in order to accumulate points for that show.
3. IJCLC membership is only available to permanent Indiana residents. {Permanent residence consists of residing in Indiana nine or more months in a calendar year or attends a primary or secondary Indiana school (excludes non-permanent Indiana residents only residing in Indiana for the purpose of post-secondary schooling)}
4. Youth are eligible to join the IJCLC starting the year the member is in Kindergarten as of January 1.
5. IJCLC membership will end the year a member turns 21 years-of-age. (Members will not have reached their 22nd birthday during the current calendar year.)
    

IV.  Shows

1. Points will only be accumulated at IJCLC sanctioned shows
2. Shows must be registered with the IJCLC by March 1st of the current show season in order to become sanctioned. Sanctioned shows must abide by the following guidelines:
   

   • Lambs must be exhibited by breed. A minimum of 5 lambs are required for a breed to have its own class. (If less than 5 lambs of a particular breed are registered at a show, these lambs will be placed in an AOB class, but exhibitors must still assign each lamb a specific breed on their entry card). Class sizes should try to be as equal in quantity as possible to increase fairness of class point accumulation.

   • Commercial ewe division (ewe lamb and yearling) is mandatory. Ewe lambs and yearlings will show separately and by weight and with an overall champion selected between them. There is no minimum requirement on number of head in this division to make a breed for this division. Commercial ewes will not show against market lambs. It is optional for each show to offer an “All Breeds” ewe show. The commercial ewe may show within this show if offered.

   • Showmanship classes must be available to exhibitors in four arranged categories with champion and reserve winners selected in each category, all other participating exhibitors must also be provided in results (random order)

   • Sanctioned shows will pay $1 per head to the IJCLC for each lamb entered in their show, payment must be made immediately after the completion of the show.

   • Sanctioned shows must provide full results to an IJCLC representative immediately following the show by returning one of the following:

     •  duplicate placing cards provided by the IJCLC
     • a typed copy of results in full (with provided electronic form)

3. The IJCLC does not want to dictate how each show is ran, but sanctioned shows must follow the IJCLC guidelines to increase fairness of the IJCLC points system. Failure to comply with the IJCLC guidelines may result in not being sanctioned in future years. Show committees are not responsible for IJCLC point calculations. Show chairpersons will receive further information and placing cards 30 days prior to the show.

V.  Breeds

1. All breeds will be recognized by the IJCLC and awarded at the Indiana State Fair awards banquet with the following stipulation:
   
   

   **There must be at least 5 different exhibitors who have entered in a specific breed and at a minimum of 5 sanctioned shows throughout the current show season in order for a separate award to be given for that breed. If less than 5 exhibitors have entered a specific breed at less than 5 sanctioned shows, those breeds will be combined for an AOB division for year-end awards. This excludes the commercial ewe division where an award will automatically be given with no minimum requirement.
    

2. Exhibitors must assign each lamb (except for blackface crossbred lambs) to a particular breed at the show, even if it is put into an AOB class. (For example: If you have a Dorset wether and there are not enough Dorsets to make a class at a particular show, you must still sign-up your lamb as a Dorset on the entry card for IJCLC breed points, but he may show as an AOB for that show.) This excludes the commercial ewe division; they will not show in AOB if a separate division is not provided.

VI.  Point Accumulation

1. A. Points will only be accumulated by members who are signed-up and have paid their dues. Members must designate one name per animal to receive points. (Members may not sign lambs up in a family’s name and expect to receive points for one of the members)
2. Members can accumulate points from all sanctioned shows, however only
   the 8 shows (subject to change until April 1st) where a member accumulates the most points will count towards the member’s overall total for the year. For the Overall Points Winner Awards, the highest scoring 8 (subject to change until April 1st) shows will count towards that total. For the individual Breed Points, Commercial Ewe, and Showmanship Winners, the top 8 (subject to change until April 1st) shows for that particular division will count towards that total (However, to receive points towards particular breed or commercial ewe points, the lamb must be one of exhibitor's top three lambs of the show).
3. Points will be awarded at each show using the following guidelines:

Class Placing
         1st Place = number of lambs in class x 6
         2nd Place = number of lambs in class x 5
         3rd Place = number of lambs in class x 4
         4th Place = number of lambs in class x 3
         5th Place = number of lambs in class x 2
         6th place to last place = number of lambs in class x 1

Breed Champion    = 15 points
Reserve Breed Ch. = 10 points

**Regardless of the class size where the Breed Champions and Reserves initially showed, they will receive "class points" from the largest class of their particular breed.

Grand Champion Market     = 30 points
Reserve Grand Ch. Market  = 20 points

**Regardless of the class size where the Grand and Reserve Grand Market Champions initially showed, they will receive "class points" from the largest class of the entire show. No points will be granted for Grand and Reserve Grand Ewe Overall, only commercial breed champion points will accumulate for the ewe division. Commercial Ewe points will however count towards the exhibitors overall points if the ewe(s) is/are one of the top three lambs of the exhibitors.

Showmanship (one showmanship class per exhibitor)
Champion                  = 15 points
Reserve                     = 10 points
All other Participants   =  5 points

(If a show would separate breeding and market showmanship into two separate divisions, only market showmanship will count towards IJCLC points.)

4. Only the points from an exhibitor’s top three sheep at each show (market commercial ewes), along with showmanship points, will count toward an individual's point total for that show. Exhibitors are not limited to showing only three sheep per show, but points will only be accumulated from the three highest point-accumulating sheep. Sheep may only be shown once and by only one IJCLC exhibitor per sanctioned show.
5. All exhibitor points for each sheep will accumulate throughout the show. For example: the exhibitor of the Grand Champion Market lamb will accumulate class points + Breed Champion points + Grand Champion points, the exhibitor of the Champion Commercial Ewe will accumulate class points + Breed Champion points
6. When specific breeds are shown in an AOB class (regardless of the particular breed), a lamb’s final placing points in the AOB class will go towards the breed in which the lamb was entered at the beginning of the show.
7. For the commercial ewe division, points will accumulate the same as the market lamb division with the exception of grand and reserve points being omitted, regardless if the commercial ewe is grand or reserve grand champion overall in the ewe division. Points may accumulate from both ewe lambs and yearling ewes with only one champion and reserve commercial female chosen from the division. These points will be included in the exhibitors’ total points for that show if the ewe is one of the exhibitor’s top three point accumulating sheep.
8. Members are expected to show their own lamb in order to earn points. Substitute showmen must be IJCLC members in order for a lamb’s owner to receive points for the lamb being shown by a substitute showman. All substitute showmen, regardless if they are siblings, must file a substitute showman form with the IJCLC prior to the beginning of a show. An IJCLC member may only receive points for the first three shows in which a substitute showman is used. Any additional shows in which a substitute showman is used will not be counted for the IJCLC owner/exhibitor. Substitute showman forms do not need to be filled out if a member has more than one animal in a champion drive or class (and he/she is in attendance showing), however, the substitute showman must be an IJCLC member for the owner/exhibitor to receive points. Substitute showmen will not receive points from another exhibitor's lamb entered in the show. Showmanship participants must have lambs entered in the show in odrder to show in showmanship.
    

VII.  Awards (TBA--dependent on funds/sponsorship)

1. Awards will be given at an awards banquet at the Indiana State Fair in the Blue
   Ribbon Pavilion on Monday evening. (Time TBA)
2. Members will receive awards for points in the following categories:

   -Champion Overall Points Exhibitor
   -Reserve Overall Points Exhibitor
   -3rd Overall Points Exhibitor
   -4th Overall Points Exhibitor
   -5th Overall Points Exhibitor
   -6th - 10th Overall Points Exhibitors
   -Champion Overall Junior Exhibitor
   -Reserve Overall Junior Exhibitor
   -Champion Overall Intermediate Exhibitor
   -Reserve Overall Intermediate Exhibitor
   -Champion Overall Senior Exhibitor
   -Reserve Overall Senior Exhibitor
   -Each qualified breed, commercial ewe, and showmanship divisions will also have a Champion and Reserve Points Winner
   {in case of a tie in showmanship divisions, ties will be broken on most number of champions (then reserves) in the top 8 shows}

3. Each IJCLC member will also be qualified for a chance at a raffle drawing.  You earn raffle tickets for every lamb exhibited at an IJCLC sanctioned show. (no limit per show)
4. Age Divisions - as of January 1 of the current year:

Novice - members who are in grades K-2
Junior - members who are in grades 3-5
Intermediate - members who are in grades 6-8
Senior - members who are in grades 9-12 plus those graduates 21 and under