Articles of a broader interest to Flyball enthusiasts are published in The Finish Line.
Copyright © 1996 by NAFA. Contents may be reproduced for use by members of teams associated with NAFA. Others may reproduce providing credit is given to NAFA.
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The full Board and its committees met several times prior to the Annual Meeting which was held on the Saturday evening.
Much of the Board's time was spent grappling with the thorny issue of what criteria to use to establish Annual Champions, both at the Regional and North American levels. Criteria for the North American and Regional Champions were established and a Regular Class Champion were named. The selection of Multi-breed champions was put over until the next meeting. The criteria will be published once the Board is satisfied that it has criteria that will work equitably under all circumstances in the different Regions within NAFA.
The results of the election for three new Board Members were announced. The board congratulates Steve McAvoy on his re-election, Steve has made valuable contributions to NAFA as chair of the Regulatory Committee. Two new members were elected along with Steve. Val. Culpin from British Columbia and Alan Weiner from Texas were welcomed to the Board. Congratulations to both! The fact that the Board now has members from each major area of activity is a good sign for the future strength of the Flyball Organization. No one should feel isolated from what "they" are deciding at Board Meetings.
Another important topic of discussion was nominations to the Hall of Fame. Five dogs were nominated, from these the Board considered that three were eligible to put forward to a delegate vote. The dogs named as candidates are:
The application of the Aggression Rule (6.17) to dogs that repeatedly chased other dogs or crossed into other lanes was discussed. It was suggested that Judges should communicate among themselves about such behaviour patterns.
Some discussion on the idea of holding a National Tournament took place. The Board is open to proposals on how this might be done.
The next meeting of the Board will be on February 3, in Toronto, ON.
In spite of our best efforts, there may come a time when a team must pull
itself from tournament competition. Usually it is too late for the tournament
director to change the schedule. When this happens all of their races are
declared forfeit and the tournament is kept on schedule.
In accordance with the Rules for Competition, section 6.14 (b), Teams that
win by forfeit must complete the minimum required heats scheduled to qualify
for points awarded in round-robin or to advance in double elimination
competition. If, another team is not available to compete, the team shall
race without an opponent.
The head judge will conduct this race in the same fashion as any other race in
the tournament. The competing team must complete each required heat in order
to be declared the winner of that race. If the team is unable to complete a
heat, the head judge should stop the heat and indicate a loss on the time
sheet. The head judge should ask the team captain to replace the offending dog
then start the next heat. The team may only run as many heats as allowed for
in the tournament format (2 out of 3, 3 out of 5, etc.).
Using a 3 out of 5 format for an example. In double elimination competition, if
the team is unable to complete the necessary heats(3) in the allotted
attempts(5), then the team would drop down into the losers bracket. If the
team is able to complete 3 out of 5, then they will advance to the next round.
The forfeiting team will then drop into the losers bracket, and the same rule
will apply.
In round-robin competition, where the winner of the race is awarded one
tournament point per race, the team must complete 3 of the 5 heats to earn
that point. When the winner of each heat is awarded two points, best of 5.
Then the competing team will only earn two points for each heat completed.
As I finish my first year in office, I would like to thank everyone who
helped to make this a great year for Flyball competition. In the course of the
year I have had the honor to meet many new Flyballers and put faces with some
of the voices I have worked with over the years. I am pleased to say that
after trips to Texas, California, and Minnesota, Flyball competition in these
areas, along with the growth in Regions 7 (BC,WA), 8 (AB,SK,MB), and the newest
one 9 (MD,VI,NC,etc.) holds great promise for the future. I was pleased to see
the level of competition in these areas and the enthusiasm of the new
competitors!
So far this year I have received tournament applications from 2 new tournament
hosts and would like to encourage other Flyball clubs to get their feet wet
and host their first tournament. It is not as hard as it looks, and many of the
older clubs would be willing to help out with your questions. If there is
anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to contact me.
There is a Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Feb. 3, 1996 so if you
have something on your mind that needs to be discussed, this is the time to let
either Bob Murray or myself know.
You have complied with NAFA Rule # 5.1(e) when your tournament is listed in
either the NAFA NEWS or the FINISH LINE prior to your closing date. NAFA policy
does not consider it is necessary for you to send flyers to all 200 teams to be
in compliance with the rules. This should save those of you who are still
following the original policy a considerable sum of money.
I trust that everyone had an enjoyable Holiday Season. I would like to
congratulate our two newly elected Board members,
Val. Culpin and
Alan Weiner, and a re-elected member
Steve McAvoy. Our Board now has
representation from Ontario, British Columbia, Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, and
Nevada. Michigan is represented through our Executive Director. As you can
see we have the North American continent covered pretty well.
The Directors met in Brooklyn Park MN on November 10 at the airport, where we
were met and transported to our hotel by
Noel Kujawski and
Toni Osojnicki (from now on we just
use first names) Thank you both very much. Noel also transported us around MN
and back to the airport on Sunday. Following supper on Friday, the Board
worked until 1:30 am. On Saturday morning we attended the tournament hosted by
the Flying Red Rangers Flyball Teams. The individual committees gathered again
at 3 PM until 5 PM. The Board reconvened its meeting at 6:45 an continued
until 8:00 PM. At 8:15 the Annual Meeting was called to order and continued
until 10:30. Following the Annual Meeting the Board members found time to
enjoy the hospitality of the Minnesota Flyball people. I can still hear Kevin
saying his final "CHUBBY BUNNIES", and I can't forget "Jack the Impostor".
Many thanks to everyone who attended.
Some Flyball enthusiasts, including several of the Board Members, subscribe to
a Flyball mail list on the Internet.
To subscribe, visit
http:://flyballdogs.com/email-list.html.
There is also a World Wide Web Page devoted to Flyball. It contains
information from NAFA, & BFA, as well as team profiles, tournament listings and
a host of other useful information.
The URL for the Web Page is:
http://www.flyballdogs.com
E-mail addresses for NAFA officials are shown in the
NAFA Directory as somebody@somewhere.
This Web Page and the Mail List are carefully maintained for us by
Kathryn Hogg.
From the Starting Line
by Dennis Wieske
Executive Director's Corner
by Clyde Moore
Note to All Tournament Directors
Clyde Moore, NAFA Executive Director
Words From the Chairman
by Bob Murray
Editor's Note:
"CHUBBY BUNNIES" is a game that was imported from the UK through our
association with the BFA over the Internet. Please ask someone who subscribes
the Flyball E-Mail List to explain how it is played. I dont want to go into
the details here! "Kevin", I believe, was Kevin Hughes.
Flyball News on the Internet
The contents of the mail list and Web site are the views of the individual
contributors. These do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position
of NAFA, Inc.