Entries from July 2010 ↓

Questions lead to answers lead to plans lead to actions…or, do they?
 
What would you say if I were to ask you, “What are your flyball goals? What makes flyball a fun sport for you to participate in?”
 
“How did you decide to get started in the sport and what keeps you coming back for more?”
 
“Do you have specific preferences for how the sport is played and how it is governed?”
 
I imagine the answers I would get would be similar and at the same time different from each and every person who plays flyball.
 
The similarities, I believe, keep the sport together and have kept it going over the years. As for the differences, I believe they can either split us apart or add flavor and spice. Differences can help mold or change or grow flyball. Or, they can help destroy it. I wonder, “Can differences both destroy and grow flyball at the same time?”
 
As you can see, I have more questions than answers. That is because what I see in the flyball world today makes me curious. I see some stagnation in flyball. In part with the numbers but, mostly in attitudes among people and interactions between people. I see the same things happening over and over. I see unacceptable behavior toward others. I see anger. I see frustration. Yet, at the same time, I see hope. I see people pulling together, standing up for each other, helping each other.
 
Some things I already understand. Some things I still want to know because I want to help the sport grow. I want it to be the best thing since sliced bread for all my fellow dog-friends. This is a commonality that many of us share. It is the one thing that bonds us together and makes us work so hard at having fun. Am I right?
 
What is your opinion? What are your goals? What do you want to happen in flyball? What direction do you want it to take? Regardless of why you play and where or how you got started and whether or not you know the answers to these questions, one thing I’ve found seems to be the same for each and every one of us at one time or another…we wanted to see our dog do it!
 
I don’t know about you, but I still want to see my dog do it! I’ve also over the years morphed into someone who wants to see other people’s dog(s) do it just as much as my own! I want to see other people having so much fun playing with their dog(s) that they go home from training or from a tournament with the absolute-hugest grin all over their face and their family members ask if they’ve been on another planet!

Flyball is flyball is flyball…or is it? This is the key that unlocks all the answers and points everyone in a specific direction. It lays the groundwork for everyone’s goals and a related plan of action, both on a personal level and on an organizational level.
 
How do you know what to do and where to start and how active to become? Only you can decide. Only you can decide what your flyball goals are. Only you can decide what your values are. Only you can decide what type leadership you will follow, or what type leader you will be. Only you can decide whether you want to make a difference, or to speak up, or to question, or to offer suggestions, or to offer a pat on the back for a job well done, or to exercise your right to vote, or to try to get something changed, or decide to just let it all go and not care what happens. Only you.
 
<Linda>

Following the May meeting in Indianapolis, the NAFA Board of Directors announced that it was reviewing and updating its By-Laws and that it was using an outside law firm to conduct this review and update. They also announced that the proposed changes would be published on the NAFA website before the next meeting of the BoD set for August 7th in Las Vegas.

Given the technical nature of this review and the fact that there is a long agenda waiting for the August meeting, it is likely that the entire proposal will pass without much discussion.

So, I am going to present what was added to the NAFA website on July 19th.:

July 19, 2010 – Proposed changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

The proposed changes to the bylaws and articles of incorporation are now posted on the NAFA web page.  These will be considered by the Board at the August 7, 2010 Board meeting.  If you have any comments, you may send them directly to the Board members or Chair or send an email through the contact us form and direct it to the Rules Committee.

• NAFA is a nonprofit Michigan directorship entity. As its corporate documents hadn’t been reviewed for many years, we hired Jane Forbes, who is with Michigan law firm of Dykema and serves as co-chair of the State Bar of Michigan Nonprofit Corporations Committee, to review NAFA’s articles of incorporation and bylaws to make sure they comply with the most current Michigan statutes and to bring them into the 21st century, legally and practically. The attached proposed revisions to the articles of incorporation and bylaws are the product of that work.
  We’ve put up both redline and clean copies, so you can track the proposed revisions easily. Some involve moving language that doesn’t belong in bylaws to the corporate policies or rules; an example is the reference to dog CRN’s in Article III, which will be moved to Chapter 3 of the Rules of Racing since we’re advised this shouldn’t be in the bylaws. Others are more technical, such as the revision to the “deemed consent” provision for board approvals of administrative matters, or are designed to match the bylaws to actual practice, such as the composition and names of the various board committees. Still others are designed to state things more clearly than they are now. Finally, some are intended to modernize our documents so we can use outside services, like internet voting services, that weren’t even thought of when the original documents were created.
  Amendments take a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. The Board plans to consider these at its August 7 meeting. These are a work in progress and NAFA welcomes comments and suggestions from NAFA community. Please send them directly to the Board members, whose contact information is listed on this site, or directly to the Board’s Chair at Leerie Jenkins.

The most important page provided by the NAFA BoD is the side by side comparisons of the old By-Laws and the proposed “revisions”. This is available here.

I urge the public to read this proposal and do not waste any time getting your comments into the Board. As of the publish date of this article, there are only 17 days left to comment. I have submitted my comments already in which I said that there is too little time afforded to the public for useful input. However, any comments posted here will be forwarded to the Board no matter when I receive them.

Chris…

Greetings fans of  i-Flyball, The Flyball Blog and the Flyball Forums!

Recently, Larry announced that he was retiring i-Flyball, The Flyball Blog and the Flyball Forums. I’m very pleased to announce that these fine resources of information for flyball have been saved from being lost forever.

After a very short negotiation, I have been allowed to assume responsibility for all three websites. I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew!

Those who have followed The Flyball Blog know that I have contributed a few articles that are published here. The main reason that I haven’t contributed more is that I have two blogs of my own at Blogger.com, “Flyball Dogtag” and “It’s Just an Opinion”. I didn’t feel right ignoring my blogs to write for someone else. However, the posts that I wrote were published on “The Flyball Blog” because I felt that their topics and content were more suitable here.

You may also be aware that I am responsible for Flyball Today. Flyball Today started out as an idea I had for a website that was supposed to be “everything” for every flyball player. Hosted at Webs.com as a free account, I packed it with plenty of things to do. There was a Forum and a blog. It was intended to be full of news from all over the flyball world and also, filled with the contributions of many authors. Trainers, Team Captains, Tournament Directors and hosting clubs. I envisioned a lively and free exchange of information.

It began with alot of enthusiasm and currently, we have nearly 90 members signed up. Becoming a site member allowed you to post comments both on the blog and the Forum.

<Sigh>…..Flyball Today needed many more people to visit to give it that “vibrant” atmosphere indicative of an active community.

I pondered, what to do?

One day I was watching TV and I asked myself, “Now, why can’t I watch my favorite sport on television? Everybody else gets their football or baseball or soccer. Why can’t I watch flyball?”

Then I remembered last fall’s CanAm and what a hit Livestreaming was for that event. Problem was, CanAm was 10 months away. I wanted to watch flyball now!

The lightbulb went off and I opened a Livestream.com account that night.

I found out it didn’t require rocket science to be successful at streaming live video from a webcam. The response has been absolutely amazing! People everywhere have been tuning in to Flyball Today at Livestream.com.

So, I think that Flyball Today will concentrate on presenting live shows at Flyball Tournaments and also, the best pre-recorded videos depicting flyball that I can find. YOU-my livestream audience-can count on tuning in at any time both day and night and being able to watch flyball!

I will be involved in updating i-Flyball and the Flyball Forums so, be watching for announcements about updates to those sites. Also, I hope to contribute more articles here on The Flyball Blog and I hope to convince a few folks to write about what’s on their minds! If you have any suggestions on how to improve these sites, please contact me at FlyballToday@mail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

So, we’re not losing these great flyball sites. We’re forging a partnership and expanding coverage of what’s happening in Flyball Today!

Good Luck and Good Racing!

Chris