Monthly Greetings from NODA President,

Dee Liebenthal

Monthly Greetings are published in the "NODA NEWS"  

        Archived 2010 President Greetings                      Archived 2011 President Greetings


 


FEBRUARY 2012

Dear NODA Members,

The first month of 2012 is already gone.  Winter has set in, and with hand warmers in our pockets and smiles on our faces, we still set out to enjoy our four-legged 1000 pound friends.  It never ceases to amaze me how excited we get when the temperature rises above 30 degrees and the sun comes out, even if for only a couple of hours.  The days are getting longer but it is hard to appreciate it, especially for those of us working day jobs inside.  It is dark when we leave for the office and dark when we get home.  That will change, and it can’t come too soon for me.  People living in Ohio have to remain optimistic or we will go crazy (maybe we already have!).

Lots of things are going on within NODA.  Niki Sackman, our newly elected Vice President, is working with all our Committee Chairs, Show Secretaries, and Managers to create new online forms that will be available soon.  The online forms will be more convenient for everyone, as members will be able to fill out the forms online, print, and mail them, and Show Secretaries and Committee Chairs will easily be able to read the information on the forms.  This change is way overdue and we are grateful that Niki has taken on the project. 

The Schooling Show Committee has been busy with the 2012 schedule, hiring judges, confirming venues, and putting the prize list together.  You should have your prize list sometime in March.  Please read it carefully if you plan to show, as there are significant changes.   

There are also some changes to Yearend Awards.  We will have a new award this year that honors the Schoolmaster, sponsored by Regina Sacha-Ujczo and Heather Soones-Booher.  If you are an AA or Jr/Yr who is showing a schoolmaster that was previously shown to at least 3rd level, you and your schoolmaster may be eligible for this new award. 

Under Recognized Yearend Awards we have inserted a statement that reads, “The owner of a horse shown by a Professional must also be a member of NODA at the time scores are earned."  Another change is that we will no longer combine PSG/Intermediaire I scores for Yearend Awards, but will still combine Intermediaire II/Grand Prix scores.

The most exciting change for Yearend Awards is that we have increased the scholarship amounts.  Unrecognized competition scholarships have been increased to $75, and those for recognized are now $100.  We are very happy about this and hope to look at this issue more often in the future.  Lessons and clinic costs have gone up and we want to try to stay in tune with these increases. We have also clarified how we deal with ties for Yearend Awards, both trophies and scholarships. 

If you are interested in getting more involved with NODA and maybe take home a little cash, check out the AD for Schooling Show help wanted, in this issue.  

We are also looking for someone to help Rose Mary Rufo, our Corresponding Secretary, with our NODA Handbook.  This person would work directly with Rosemary using the computer putting the handbook together.  Please email Rosemary at correspondence@nodarider.org, or me at president@nodarider.org   if you are interested.  This would be a good way to get your feet wet with NODA and it is also something that can be done from home and doesn't require coming to monthly meetings.

We have set November 17th as the date for the 2012 banquet.  Save that date now in your calendar. 

I want to remind everyone of a few very important things:

*   You must be a NODA member prior to earning any score that you expect to submit for Yearend Awards.

*   For Recognized Scholarships, the owner of a horse ridden by a Professional must also be a member of NODA
     at the time scores are earned.

*  
To qualify for Yearend Awards, each member must volunteer four hours to NODA in each competition year
     for each horse/rider combination.  In other words, NODA bucks submitted with Yearend Awards
     MUST be earned in the current competition year. Volunteer coordinators will date and initial your NODA bucks. 

*   Any NODA bucks over and above what you need for Yearend Awards, even those earned last year or even
     in 2003, can be used for anything else that you would pay NODA for, such as entry fees, membership, or even the banquet.

A note to Professionals:  We know that you don't have a lot of extra time to volunteer for NODA.  There are some creative and not so creative ways for you to earn NODA Bucks.  NODA is interested in getting the labor from volunteers.  If you don't have the time, maybe you have a student or family member that does and can earn your NODA bucks for you. 

Remember that NODA and Lake Erie College will be hosting the Region 2 Adult Clinic with Lilo Fore June 30th and July lst.  USDF is taking applications for riders from April 1st through April 27th.  See the notice in this issue about the Adult Clinic and applying to ride.  We know that you will support this event.  We want to show all of Region 2 and the USDF that our members support their club.  We will also be looking for volunteers to work at the clinic.  You can receive a reduce audit fee for helping out. 

I hope you are all still working on your 2012 riding goals.  I feel I might really be making some progress on my goals, and I am very excited.  I think I have actually learned something really big in the last four weeks.  Thank you, Janeen Langowski Grava, for not giving up on me and for continuing to keep trying something else, when I didn't get it the first 100 times you tried to get something through my ancient skull.  

Happy February!

Dee


JANUARY 2012                                  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear NODA Members,

It is hard to believe but 2011 is over and we are about to begin 2012. How fast the year seems to have passed. A lot happened in the world, and in our little organization, too, over the past year. In this month's NODA News we are looking at the fabulous time we had at our year end awards banquet, with pictures of all the award winners. I hope that all in attendance had a wonderful time -- I know I did. It was great to see all of you without riding boots and helmets. We had a little contest called the "NODA Freestyle" where each table created a centerpiece from a bag of "stuff" and it really brought out the inner artist in everyone. We had nice door prizes and fabulous raffle items. Many thanks for the generous donations of all our sponsors.

By the time you read this letter, the stress of the Holidays will be pretty much over. Left will be the taking down of decorations, shedding those few add-ed pounds, and paying those Holiday bills. The best part of the Holidays will always be time with family and friends. We spend so much time running around getting all stressed out during the year but more so during the Holiday season. We don't know how everything will get done, but it always seems to come together somehow. I am not always sure how it happens but it does. I hope you were able to take time to relax and en-joy the Holiday Season.

We are saddened at the sudden loss of NODA member Laura Wolfe. Please see the "Memorial" on Laura and G. Lowell Boomer, a founder of the USDF, who also passed away in November, on page 26 of this publication.

Our condolences go out to Chris Goodall, Schooling Show Committee Co-Chair, on the loss of her young horse, Lukas. Our hearts all go out to her. You can find the story of Lukas in this issue on page 16. Have a tissue handy.

Congratulations are in order to our cover girl, Lisa Gorretta, on being elected to the USDF Board of Delegates as the Activities At-Large Director. Lisa has been a dedicated contributor to NODA, Region 2, and the USDF for a long time. We are proud and grateful for all she does. Thank you, Lisa. You can find the entire announcement in this issue.

USDF has announced the most recent "L" graduates. There were four from Region 2. NODA is happy to say that two, Noel Williams and Sara Justice, are Ohio residents and NODA members. Congratulations to both of you. We look forward to seeing great things from you.

I hope you opened your latest issue of the USDF Connection and found the wonderful article about NODA's own Betsy Juliano. It is the last in a four-part series that has been running in Connection about Betsy and her experience creating her first freestyle. It’s a lovely series about a great person and exceptional rider. Betsy has been a long time NODA member and supporter. We are proud of everything that she has accomplished and we thank her for her for all she does for NODA.

Mosie Welch has again done us proud with two amazing articles about NODA members and their horses. Read about Barb Tuskas and San Andreas on page 6, and Patti Cifranic and Wila on page 14. These stories by Mosie are bringing our NODA members and their horses into the spotlight, letting us learn more about our wonderful and diverse membership.

2012 will be an ambitious year for NODA. We have the Region 2 Adult Clinic with Lilo Fore at Lake Erie College June 30th and July 1st. We also plan to begin work to bring the Instructor Certification Workshops to Northeast Ohio. These two rather large educational un
dertakings, plus our Schooling Show Series and Recognized Shows, should keep us all hopping.

If you are interested in helping out with anything NODA, please contact us. Call or e-mail Kathy Kirchner (Member Liaison) or any board member and let us know what you’d like to do. We are eager to have your help. There are things that you can do that may not require you to travel to meetings. A good example of this is Elizabeth Bross, Associate Newsletter Editor. Elizabeth lives in Erie, PA and attending regular NODA Board Meetings is impossible for her. She uses her computer skills and works with Associate Editor Mosie Welch to put together our "NODA News" long distance.

Don't forget to set up your riding goals for 2012. Make them achievable and track your progress. I have set my goals, but at this point it is just between my trainer and me.

May the New Year bring you love and contentment, and may you have quality time with family, friends, and your riding partner!
Dee

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