Judges
| Wire Coated Breeds: Friday AM | |
|---|---|
| Open | Sue Zecco and Jay Scruggs |
| Intermediate | Teri DiMarino |
| Entry | Nick Sklar |
| Group | Sue Zecco, Jay Scruggs, Teri DiMarino, and Nick Sklar |
| Rescue Clip-In: Friday PM | |
|---|---|
| Judi Cantu-Thacker | |
| Sporting: Friday PM | |
|---|---|
| Open | Judy Hudson and Colin Taylor |
| Intermediate | Joey Villani |
| Entry | Blake Hernandez |
| Group | Misty Gieczys, Colin Taylor, Judy Hudson, and Blake Hernandez |
| Salon Freestyle: Friday PM | |
|---|---|
| Open | Olga Zabelinskaya and Adriane Pope |
| Intermediate | Lisa Hart |
| Entry | Madeline Rothwell |
| Group | Olga Zabelinskaya, Adriane Pope, Lisa Hart, and Madeline Rothwell |
| All Other Purebreds: Saturday AM | |
|---|---|
| Open | Teri DiMarino and Olga Zabelinskaya |
| Intermediate | Judy Hudson |
| Entry | Jonathan David |
| Group | Teri DiMarino, Olga Zabelinskaya, Judy Hudson, and Jonathan David |
| Rescue Clip-In: SATURDAY PM | |
|---|---|
| Blake Hernandez | |
| Poodles: Saturday PM | |
|---|---|
| Open | Sue Zecco and Colin Taylor |
| Intermediate | Jay Scruggs |
| Entry | Madeline Rothwell |
| Group | Sue Zecco, Colin Taylor, Jay Scruggs, and Madeline Rothwell |
| Abstract Runway: Saturday PM | |
|---|---|
| Leslie Burgreen Waldrep and Adriane Pope | |
| Best In Show: Saturday PM |
|---|
| Jay Scruggs and Colin Taylor |
| Rescue Round-Up Invitational: Sunday AM |
|---|
| Joey Villani |
| Creative Styling: Sunday PM |
|---|
| Leslie Burgreen Waldrep and Adriane Pope |
| Contest Coordinator |
|---|
| Jill Pipino |
Judi Cantu-Thacker
Judi Cantu-Thacker, A successful, retired contest groomer and former GroomTeam USA Coordinator for 2005/2006. These days you can find Judi working in the Wahl Clipper or Frank Rowe and Son booth, sharing her 27 years of grooming knowledge and experience. She owns a successful mobile grooming business in the city of Sugar Land and caters to the “Who’s Who” in the Houston area. Through mobile grooming, she has found the perfect balance between work and family. This resulted in more time for her to spend with her husband and the ability to support her children in their academics and extracurricular activities.
Jonathan David
Jonathan David has been the recipient of multiple scissoring awards, multiple Best All Around Groomer awards and Best in Show earning him a position on GroomTeam USA in 2008 and 2009. Jonathan was also a contestant on Animal Planet's "Groomer Has It" and has been featured as a grooming expert on multiple television shows. Currently, Jonathan owns and operates his salon, Lap of Luxury Dog Spa in Delray Beach, Florida and is a board member of multiple dog clubs.
Teri DiMarino
An industry veteran, Teri has owned and operated successful salons and mobiles in Florida and California. A winning grooming contest competitor, Teri was a member of three GroomTeam USA Gold Medal teams. A multiple Barkleigh Honors and Cardinal Crystal Award winner, Teri was a regular columnist for Groomer to Groomer Magazine as well as a popular speaker and judge at seminars and trade shows across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Lisa Hart
Lisa Hart Is an award-winning groomer with over 20 years’ experience in grooming and working with dogs in kennels and rescue. She specializes in Asian fusion styles and was named Asian Fusion Groomer of the Year in 2019 and Best Asian Style Groomer in Europe in 2024. She was also named Social Media Influencer of the Year 2023. In addition, Lisa was nominated as Foreign Speaker of the Year at Barkleigh honors in 2023 and 2024. She is passionate about teaching and has had the honor to speak in multiple European countries as well as in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Lisa also judges Salon Freestyle, Workshop, and Asian classes.
Blake Hernandez
Blake Hernandez is a NCMG and three-time Barkleigh Honors recipient. He is best known for his online persona and caterwauling lyrics that speak to our industry. Blake has brought innovation and current outside trends to the grooming industry from Personality Marketing to the FoxEye, a phone holding device for the everyday groomer or aspiring influencer. Blake runs Foxy Roxy's Pet Salon in San Diego, CA, in addition to competing in grooming contests and dog shows all over the country. He is the co-creator and founder of GroomSource, an app made for groomers' continued education, as well as creator and producer of many products with Foxy Roxy's Supply Co. Blake was also a feature groomer in Netflix's "DOGS" documentary and a contestant on ABC's Pooch Perfect Season 1.
Judy Hudson
International Grooming Industry Speaker and Judge, Judy Hudson, holds an Associate Degree in Veterinary Technology and is a National Certified Master Groomer and certifier for the National Dog Groomers Association of America. Judy owns and operates Groomingtails Mobile Pet Grooming in Nashville, Tennessee. Judy has multiple Best in Shows and Best All Around Groomer awards to her credit and stayed in GroomTeam's top 10 groomers for four years. Having retired from the contest ring, Judy enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences with new groomers. She is also a level V Rodan and Fields skin care consultant.
Jill Pipino
Jill Pipino started grooming in 2000. She bought a turnkey operation, turning it into a successful business offering her clients everything from daycare to spa services and personality trims to show styles. She began regularly attending seminars and trade shows at the beginning of her career, and started competing in 2007. She has been a regular in the competition circuit ever since. In an effort to further her understanding of pet styling, she has trained privately with top stylists and breeders. She also works with breeders and handlers at dog shows and is looking forward to showing her field spaniel, Brucie.
Adriane Pope
Adriane Pope is an award-winning Pet stylist in Breed Profile and Creative Grooming. Her specialty is extreme creative styling and creative abstract design. Adriane is owner/groomer of Adriane's Groom and Go Mobile Grooming in Conway, SC., and also the owner of Rivertown Bed and Biscuit Luxury Kennel since 2004. She has 24 years of grooming experience, and has been mobile for 22 years. She started competing in breed profile in 1997 and started the creative world in 2004.
Madeline Rothwell
Madeline is a passionate groomer who's been pampering pets since she was 16 years old. She loves competing in grooming competitions and dog shows, and at 21, she opened her own thriving salon. Dedicated to education and continuous growth, Madeline is eager to share her expertise. She believes in lifelong learning within the ever-evolving world of dog grooming.
Jay Scruggs
Jay and his wife, Michelle, own Here Comes the Groom, a highly successful mobile grooming salon in Germantown, Tennessee. Jay has won multiple Best in Show and Best All-Around Groomer awards and helped GroomTeam USA win the Gold medal in Calgary, Canada, in 2001. Jay was named American Groomer of the Year in 2001, Groomer of the Year Award at Westminster Dog Show in 2002, and Grooming Judge of the Year in 2004. In 2003 Jay won an International Gold and Bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain, helping GroomTeam USA win the silver team medal. Along with Sue Zecco, he teaches seminars and offers a video series under the "Super Styling Sessions" title.
Nick Sklar
Nick Sklar is an accomplished expert in scissor sharpening, with over 20 years of experience in the grooming industry. Having grown up around dog shows and alongside top handlers, Nick has developed an in-depth knowledge of both the art of grooming and the tools that make it possible. He's worked closely with major grooming brands on product development and has helped countless grooming shops improve their efficiency and operations. As the founder of Groom Factory, Nick is dedicated to providing high-quality tools, education, and practical advice to grooming professionals. His focus is on helping groomers build their skill set and succeed with the right equipment and systems in place.
Colin Taylor
Colin Taylor, author of ‘What Would Colin Do? 101 Situations and Solutions for Every Dog Groomer’ and founder of the Colin Taylor Academy is an international multi-award-winning groomer, who has been in the industry for 30 years. After more than 20 years of grooming in the US, Colin has returned to the UK to continue his career. His aim is to bring the same level of excitement and energy to the dog grooming industry worldwide. Colin is also an international judge and speaker and runs and manages Master Groom Dog Grooming Contest.
Joey Villani
In 1998, Joey purchased the Nash Academy in New Jersey which he owned and operated until 2008. Now a well-known pet industry speaker and judge, Joey has been nominated 14 times for the Cardinal Crystal and Barkleigh Honors awards. He has been enthusiastically involved with Intergroom International for 33 years and has been instrumental in expanding the organization's reach into Belgium, Italy, and France. Joey is one of the original members of the International Judges Association and has made many television appearances. Today, Joey continues to innovate and explore new dimensions in the pet care and grooming industry. In early 2009, Joey became part of the Animal Radio on-air staff where he is known as "The Dogfather".
Leslie Burgreen Waldrep
Leslie Burgreen Waldrep is an international award-winning abstract design and extreme creative groomer. She has been professionally grooming for 19 years and is the owner of LesMare Pet Spa in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Leslie has accumulated multiple wins, placements and awards in both Abstract design and Creative Grooming, including the coveted Jerry Schinberg Award in 2023 for her Creative Grooming career, and nominations for Creative Groomer of the year by Barkleigh Honors every year since starting competing in 2016. Leslie and her dog Secret were in VOGUE with their 2021 Cinderella Creative design win and her work has also been published in Fashion Pet by Opawz. Leslie is truly passionate about the art of creative grooming and abstract design.
Olga Zabelinskaya
Olga is a Certified Master Groomer and owns two grooming salons, Elite Pet Spa & Boutique in Madison, NJ and Grooming Gallery in Morris Plains, NJ. She has multiple BIS and Best All-Around Groomer wins as well as two prestigious Winners Circle Champion titles. Olga is 2009 and 2010 American Groomer of the Year by Cardinal Pet, and was awarded the Lynne Carver Memorial Award as Best All Around Stylist 2009. Olga was born in Russia where she had a Master Degree in Engineering and finished law school. Olga was a GroomTeam USA member 2008-2012 and won the Silver medal in Belgium, 2011 as a part of the traveling team. Olga co-hosts many pet fundraising events.
Sue Zecco
Sue is a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award winner. She is a Certified Master Groomer with both the National Dog Groomers Association (NDGAA) and the International Professional Groomers (IPG). She has been grooming for over 30 years. She has won multiple grooming awards, including her biggest show accomplishments: 1998 International Groomer of the Year and 1999 Oster Invitational Tournaments Grand Champion. Sue has been a member of GroomTeam USA since 1997 and broke all records in 1999, earning 113 points. She is also a Wahl Clipper Corporation spokesperson. With Jay Scruggs, she conducts a series of full-day seminars called Super Styling Sessions. Sue breeds Standard Poodles under the "Dreamcatcher" prefix.