I guess you can call it the American way, competition, or if you can’t change something go off on your own and do it yourself. That is just the way it is and always will be. I really don’t have a problem with it because a little competition can, and often does, make things better. However, sometimes competition has a way of dividing like in this case.
Yes, in this case it was meant to divide from the very beginning. You had a group of unhappy people knowing that they could do it better. And yes, I think in some regards they are doing it better, jump heights, measuring, and the pick up team concept to name a few. No doubt, these things have been good for the sport because jump heights have been changed in the other organization, the pick up team is now being discussed, and the Veteran class has been added. Unfortunately, I don’t think measuring will ever be the same in both organizations even though one is more accurate and less stressful for the dog and all parties involved. I just named a few things that are making the sport better but there is this one nagging problem left over from the first sentence of this paragraph, the divisiveness or forced separation that this has caused.
Tournaments that were once long standing traditions are no longer being offered or have switched to a different organization. The forced separation comes into view when the people that were never involved in the fight in the first place have no other options but to play in the organization hosting in their area, causing more divisiveness. They many not want to participate in that organization but what choices are there? They can pack up the dogs and travel, but that gets to be expensive. They can wait until another club steps up and hosts a tournament with the other organization, but they may have a long wait.
In conclusion, there is room for multiple organizations in this sport. Some of this divisiveness can be overcome by some common courtesy. For clubs that participate in both organizations and host tournaments, don’t switch established tournaments from one organization to another. “Leave established dates as they are, and pick new ones for the new organization, start your own traditions, make them uniquely yours. Stealing isn’t nice.”[1]
- Larry
[1] Barb Skalka, Owner Birmingham Bandits
Related Post:
- No related posts
6 comments ↓
So basically what you are saying is choice is good, unless it affects the tournaments? Why can’t a team, that is hosting a tounament chose what organization they want to hold the tourney under? It is a choice that the team that is doing the hosting has, not the participants. If you don’t want to play, don’t go, plain and simple. If it does not matter to you, and you just want to play flyball, well, your not really going to have an issue, are you? Your posting is contridictory.
Well I guess that maybe all the facts should be looked at as to why tournaments are changing. In the case of St. Judes it is because they were not going to have a flyball tournament this year because it was costing them (St. Judes) to much to hold flyball. It took up prime space that could be used for vendor space which gets paid (which flyball didn’t pay for their space). Also in the past I understand that teams got paid by St. Judes to put on the tournament. So when another organization stepped up and said they would donate a portion of the fees and also do other fund raising activities (such as memory flags) why wouldn’t St. Judes want the tournament to be sanctioned with them. They are also moving the rings into another area so that they can use the prime spot for vendors.
I think we need to look below the surface before we start pointing fingers and saying you shouldn’t. A team on suspension is not allowed to host tournaments. So why wouldn’t they change their tournaments to the other organization?
Competition is good in all aspects. As long as things are sanctioned ahead of time it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone. Changes are good at times.
And in this case, the teams that were complaining about the organization change have already sacntioned a tourney to directly compete with it. NICE! Nothing like taking money potentially earned from sick children cause your got your panties in a bunch over the org. change!
Goes to show, if you are playing just to have fun, support a great cause, you would NOT care at all.
I’m not so sure that everyone knows the complete story but the parties involved. The question I have, was this information ever brought to NAFA’s attention? I just seems a little strange to me that after being hosted as a NAFA event for the last 7 or 8 years that they would not want to offer the same kind of deal. Unless NAFA just likes losing excellent exposure as large dog events.
I can’t talk to the suspension of the team since I don’t know the team in question.
As far as tournaments being sanctioned ahead of time, how do you explain Perry GA last year? This event was sanctioned as a NAFA event and a couple months before the tournament it was switched to U-FLI. Perry is another large event with agility, obedience, and other dog related events.
Why didn’t NAFA volunteer before it was changed? Or does it take this change to get NAFA to change? Or since it was the ED’s team that had been hosting it why didn’t they volunteer something previously?
I don’t know about the Perry tournament. You would have to ask the team that did this why it was changed. Can’t say as I agree if a tournament is already sanctioned that it should be pulled from one organization and sanctioned with another. But if it isn’t sanctioned I don’t see any problems with changing.
Well, I know in the case of Wags in San Diego, it was brought up, and NAFA declined to donate anything back. I can’t speak for St. Judes, but believe that they did approach that issue, since I have spoken to the host team.
Not sure about Perry…but maybe, and I am speaking off the top of my head, they(host team) thought they would get more of a turn out if it wasn’t a regional tourney? There had to have been something appealing to them to change the organization..have you ever point blank asked them? instead of speculating?
Leave a Comment