President's Day Letter
Ted Wentink
Good afternoon SCOA Members!
In honor of Presidents Day, here’s a message from your president, with items hot off my desk.
Board Elections: As we have received no further nominations, there is no election required this year. Therefore, the slate of candidates put forth by the SCOA Nominations Committee will stand and take their respective offices on May 1st. Your new SCOA President will be Ann Bagnell, Treasurer Jeannie Barchalk, and Director Jay Joens. Exiting the Board after 6 years will be Treasurer Becky Tevis and Director Tammara Morgan – be sure to thank them for their hard work. I will be an ex officio, non-voting board member for the next year as Past President.
Many thanks must also go to the Nominations Committee. Theirs was a big job. Because we were blessed with several qualified candidates, it was not an easy task for them, paring down to their final slate. Many thanks go to Bobbi Benson, Deb Davenport, Tricia McNamara-Vannoni, Kay McLeland, and Becky Tevis.
National Specialty, 2023: Come back to Weirton, West Virginia, May 20-26th, 2023! New members may wonder – what is a National Specialty and why should I be there? This event is an annual gathering of Spinoni from across the country. Whether we have hard-running bird dogs or lazy couch potatoes, they are all loved family members, a love we all share for this special breed. Together we gather to celebrate them, meet new friends, and reconnect.
As a hunting breed, the week opens with AKC and NAVHDA hunt tests May 20/21, at the beautiful Mingo Sportsman Club grounds, about 20 minutes from the hotel, followed on May 22nd by a "Positive Gundog” training seminar. The big shows of the week are the National and Parent Club Specialties, held Wednesday (5/24) and Friday (5/26) respectively.
Other highlights of the week: Obedience & Rally Trial, Canine Good Citizen testing, Top 20, Annual Meeting, Veterans Parade, Gundog and Peewee Sweepstakes, as well as Health Testing, Seminars, Auction, and the ever-popular Spinoni Olympics and Costume Contest. Friday evening concludes the week with the Awards Banquet. Come and introduce yourself - good friendships always start with that first introduction - and I hope to meet you there!
Awards Nominations: The Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the prestigious Club Awards until April 1st. Those are the Kemo, Rufus, and Ty Awards, the Cos Cup, Award of Recognition, and Volunteer of the Year. Here are links to the Nomination Form and Awards Criteria, giving descriptions of all Club Awards. (Both nominators and nominees must be members in good standing.) WHO WILL YOU NOMINATE THIS YEAR?! Electronic nominations are preferred. The Awards Committee anxiously awaits!
Renewals: Dues for Membership Renewals were due by January 31st. Dues not received on or before March 1st will be considered lapsed. Lapsed members may, however, apply for new membership without sponsors, provided the application is received by May 1st.
See you in West Virginia!
Ted
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