Local koi keeper Leigh Mode received high praise last month as the Montreal Botanical Gardens once again hosted the Mountain View Koi Club (MVKC) Koi Activity on July 22. In the past two years, members of the Club have taken their koi fish for public showings in The Japanese Garden at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Judging from the public’s response and the positive words from the Botanical Gardens, it was decided that it was time to step up to an actual Koi Competition.
Eight keepers committed to showing their koi, six of whom were members of the MVKC. 49 koi were registered for the show. Mike Frady, a certified Koi Judge from the American Koi Judges of America Group, was judging the varieties of Gosanke, Shiro Utsuri, Non Gosanke, Long Fin and Jumbo Koi varieties – for the People’s Choice Awards, the public would vote on their favourite koi. The results were announced at the awards banquet later in the evening; Leigh Mode’s koi won in the three main categories: Grand Champion Koi – Showa Over 20 Inches; Senior Champion Koi – Showa Under 20 Inches; and Junior Champion Koi – Kohaku Under 15 Inches.
