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
