The Chief Ring Steward needs good organizational skills.  They also must have excellent people skills and enjoy working with people.  They must be patient and willing to educate the inexperienced.  They must be willing to make a lot of phone calls and do a lot of begging.

The Chief Ring Steward is responsible for ensuring that there is adequate staffing for the trial.  For each class, they need the following:

• If you don't have adequate staffing, be assertive in asking for help.  Most people will help if you just ask.

   

• Prepare worker assignment sheets and email a copy to each worker.  Also have a worker assignment sheet posted at ringside.

   

• Before each class check to ensure that you do have a full crew ready to work.

   

• During each class, hand out bowser bucks to the ring crew.

   

• The ring crew should be instructed to run out onto the course between jump heights and make the jump height changes.  It is usually best to have teams that will attend to the obstacles most difficult to change first, like the table, broad jump, spread jumps, and tire.  After those are changed, the crew can fan out and take care of the rest of the jumps.

   

• Ask the gate steward to inform everyone on the field when the last dog in a jump height is preparing to start running.  Then after the dog completes the course, announce loudly the change in jump height.  They should also announce the last dog in the class.

   

• Make sure your crew knows how to set the obstacles.

   

• The ring crew must be given assignments for resetting jump bars and straightening the collapsed tunnel/chute.  Make sure they understand that these tasks must be done quickly.  If one of the crew is taking too long to do a task, to the extent that is holding up a dog from running you need to re-educate that person or get someone else to to that job.

   

• Have a clean-up kit at ringside.

   

• Always recruit extra people as "back ups" in case workers don't show up.