In this Issue!
1.
Welcome
to More NAHRA News
2.
Communications
within NAHRA
3.
News
from the Directors
Welcome to More NAHRA News
Welcome
to the first issue of More NAHRA News. If you recall in the First Quarter Issue
(2002) of the NAHRA NEWS the Board of Directors identified five priority areas,
one of which is improved communication within the organization. This electronic communiqué will be emailed
(as well as posted on the NAHRA web site http://www.nahra.org/)
to all NAHRA members on or about the beginning of each month. The primary purpose of More NAHRA News is to provide more frequent updates to the
membership about happenings within the NAHRA world.
Let me just take a moment to introduce myself and then I promise to quietly fade into the background. My name is Ralph Leuedtke and like most of you my passion is training and hunting my dogs. Recently I approached the Board of Directors and suggested that perhaps the NAHRA Board could do a better job of communicating with it’s members. I also agreed to write and edit this monthly news bulletin in the hope that NAHRA could become proactive in it’s communications with it’s members. I suggested that we could capitalize on email to communicate more often and hopefully more effectively and thus this bulletin.
Within
each issue we would like to update you as to the Directors activities but we
would also like to address any issues or concerns that you might have. To this
end we need your help. If you do have a question, concern or perhaps just
something you’d like to share please email feedback@nahra.org. Remember we are trying to address the needs
of NAHRA and it’s members in a constructive fashion, so be honest but be
kind. In turn, in future issues we will
include a section that responds to your questions.
Oh,
one more thing! More NAHRA News is an electronic communication so we need you to
get us your email addresses. If you know
of NAHRA members who didn’t receive this and they have email addresses please
have be sure to have them inform Rosemary so we can get you on the mail
list. Rosemary can be contacted at nahra@juno.com.
Communications! If there is one thing that NAHRA has probably been more criticized for than any other issue it is… lack of communication. From the directors perspective it often seems that when they ask for feedback they don’t receive it (NAHRA Judges guidelines), yet when they make a decision (use of Deadfowl trainers) they are criticized for failing to communicate with the members. Below is Jim VanderGiessen’s take on this issue. For those that don’t know Jim is the Vice President of NAHRA. Here’s one perspective on communications.
Communication… the hardest
thing we do.
I’d like to take a moment to
review how communications in NAHRA are supposed to work. NAHRA is a standards organization with
associate clubs who are organized into geographical regions. The purpose of
these regions is to manage test schedules within the geographic region and
communicate club concerns back to NAHRA.
A regional Liaison is selected by the region to fill this communications
role. The Regional Liaison is tasked with holding an annual meeting and
forwarding the minutes of that meeting to NAHRA. In addition clubs are to
provide the Liaison with their club meeting minutes for submission to NAHRA.
The goal of this process is
to allow NAHRA to have a manageable means of communicating with a large number
of people. The success of this approach has varied over the years. It is my
feeling with today’s near instant communications we can do better. The
challenge is with the number of members we have how do we communicate without
spending all our time answering a multitude of individual emails.
Clubs are the first echelon
element in NAHRA. They are the ones who organize events. NAHRA is not a social
organization, but rather a standards organization. The clubs hold events and
provide the social opportunities. This being the case there are members who due
to various reasons are not members of clubs. These voices need to be heard as
well. The question of balance is also an issue, does a club who is very well organized
and has 75 members and communicates effectively, have a more valued position
than say an unaffiliated individual?
Id like to know your
thoughts on this matter. Ralph who has authored this newsletter, is doing us a
great service in moving the dialogue forward. He has offered to act as the
focal point for framing this discussion. Lets get started.
In my travels this year I
have had the opportunity to meet a lot of NAHRA members. The one thing I take
away from every meeting is that we don’t seem to communicate very well or very
broadly. Each region seems to have a core group of 4-5 people who are in the
know. These folks are typically people who have been involved with the program
for a long time. As I get round to the various stakes and talk to people I find
that the knowledge base does not flow down to new people very well. I’m not
sure if this is because the new folks have not gotten involved with the club,
or if the club has not been able to transfer their knowledge successfully. As I talk to club leaders, they often
comment that new people seem to come and go pretty quickly. I think we have all
experienced that, after all the training of a retriever is a serious task that
takes a lot of time. I don’t think we can ever expect for all the new members
to become involved, successful members of the club, but I do think that we
could do more to maximize the number who might.
Shortly after the New Year
NAHRA sent out copies of the guide to be used in judging clinics to all NAHRA
clubs. I am disappointed in the limited feedback we have received. While a good
start, this document will certainly evolve I encourage everyone to get with
your club to review the document and get your comments back to NAHRA.
So
now you’ve heard the perspective of one director.
With
the change in the leadership of NAHRA, members are likely wondering what, if
any changes they can expect in the near future. Here are a couple of tidbits to give you a heads up.
Financial Summary Statement – in the next issue of the
NAHRA News expect to see this. This
statement will outline both the projected revenue and expenses for the current
operational year.
Rulebook Changes – the NAHRA rulebook is actually composed of
two parts, the General Procedures as well as the Regulations and Field
Procedures. Look for some minor changes
within the General Procedures. Mostly
the changes will attempt to clarify some of the language and assist with interpretations. For example, “Is it possible for a Started
dog to switch?”. According to some
judges it is possible while others would argue since there is only one mark
down the dog can’t possibly switch.
Use of Deadfowl Trainers – At the January 16, 2002
Board of Directors meeting a recommendation for allowing the use of simulated
fowl devices (e.g. DeadFowl Trainer) was introduced. After subsequent discussion the Board of Directors approved the
decision and suggested a June 1 implementation date to coincide with the
projected reprint of the Rule Book.
Ultimately this
decision was made with the future of NAHRA in mind. In making this decision the board considered the following:
1)
The impact of the
Pitman Robertson Act and the loss of federal land for training and testing of
retrievers.
2)
The Avian virus in the
Shennandoah Valley (Virginia).
3)
Poor bird quality in
tests (young immature pen raised birds, water soaked ducks).
4)
Irresponsible
euthanization of birds for use at trials.
5)
Possible public
perception.
Is the board seeking member input or has the decision already been made?
The decision to
allow for the use of Deadfowl trainers has been finalized. The board is not seeking input on this
decision.
What the board is
seeking, is input from the membership as to how best to incorporate Deadfowl
Trainers (DFT) for those clubs needing to do so. Additionally the use of DFT will be tested at two licensed field
tests, one of which will occur June 14, 15, and 16 in Culpeper, VA
(Mid-Atlantic Regional).
After the two pilot
tests a report will be submitted to the NAHRA Board and the findings will be
presented to the members.
How should members submit their feedback?
Members will have
until July 31, 2002 to table any suggestions via email. Suggestions should be mailed to feedback@nahra.org
Some of the types
of questions and issues being discussed include:
1)
How do you assess
hardmouth with a DFT?
2)
What about the upland
quarter and sit to flush?
3)
How well do DFTs lend
themselves to trailing?
4)
Can clubs use a
mixture of DFTs and real birds.
While this list is
not exhaustive it illustrates that there are many issues yet to be ironed out
with regards to the implementation of DFTs into NAHRA field tests.
Does this mean that the Board of Directors wants clubs to use DFT’s?
It is the position
of the Board for clubs and regions to make their decisions based on their needs
and the desires of their members.
Well that should probably give you enough to chew on for one issue.
Please do take the time to send in your comments and questions as it’s
important that we hear from as many NAHRA members as possible. Even though we may not always agree, we know
that NAHRA members are passionate about their organization. Until next time… Happy Trials!