CDS Dressage Letters Jan 2021

January 2021 ~ Dressage Letters ~ Page 4 No more than 8 minutes!), with a Question and Answer session at the end of the allotted time. The format worked well except for the Activities Council when the video failed and the Committee Chairs had to redo their presentations live. Personally I preferred this unplanned live session to the canned versions offered by the other Councils. Having participated in the videoing process, I do understand that the powers that be had concerns about the Chairs going rogue - and they indeed did act on those concerns - but I did not hear anything from the one live session that was earth shattering or even remotely controversial. What did we learn from these Councils? Everyone, without exception, did their very best to fulfill the Goals and Objectives that had been agreed on at the beginning of the year. COVID did impact the progress but the Committees persevered, despite the various impediments thrown up by the pandemic. REGION 7 MEETING The Region 7 meeting DEFINITELY suffered from the face-to-face interaction. After all, it isn’t as much fun to interrupt someone on Zoom, especially if the speaker has not activated video. Then, typically at Convention there are two meetings – one at the beginning of the Convention and the second after all the meetings have been attended and delegates caucus to discuss issues that might go before the BOG. We did not have that second meeting and, indeed, there were no issues to go before the BOG. Just getting through 2020 and getting our courage up for 2021 is about all anyone can manage at this point. Carol Tice, Region 7 Director lead this meeting, as capably as she does when we are all in the same room. Good job making something out of not-very-much, Carol. This meeting also received a Paws up because it ended in a timely fashion, meaning there was plenty of time for a walk before the next scheduled meeting. Penny (aka Miss PP) awards USDF STAFF One thing for certain, the USDF Staff really stepped up to make this happen. A virtual Convention was a new endeavor for them with all sorts of twists and turns. They were unflappable and, although exhausted by the time it was going “live”, they maintained professionalism and actually seemed cheerful at times. When you consider that they were working from home at times – the office was partially staffed due to COVID restrictions and it is my understanding that they rotated in and out – that was just one more complication. They did not always have access to all the “stuff’ (technical term) available to them that they would have in the office . I know that would drive me bonkers and I doubt I would have maintained such optimism and positivity. COMPETITION OPEN FORUM My creds – I have attended USDF Conventions since the early 1990’s and did manage to go to a couple in the 1980’s. I served as a GM or PM delegate at many of those Conventions. I have chaired several Committees and have served as a member of others. I have honestly tried to see the broader picture rather than one that would be self serving – not so easy to do at times, but it is important to understand the perspectives of people who operate under different staffing, geographical, financial, seasonal and other factors that can impact the success of an event of any type. That seems obvious.  I was therefore dismayed to observe the tone-deaf presentation of the Open Competition Forum. Disclaimer – it was not a product of nor was the USDF Competition Management Committee consulted on this Forum. Two of the members of the panel – the TD and the Judge - were without prejudice and the TD actually lived outside the geographical area of the others. Without going into details, imagine if a Competition Manager who lives in Oregon served as moderator for a panel of three participants (Manager/Secretary, Judge, Amateur Competitor) from California and a Trainer from Nevada. We’ll keep the TD from the mid-West. I am sure that on my hypothetical West Coast panel, the California Judge would have also been circumspect. However, I guarantee that this panel of Moderator who hires and/or works for the Manager/Secretary along with the trainer and competitor who were definitely in the data base of said Moderator and Manager / Secretary – well, a panel of this composition would not have been allowed to happen. And it should not have been allowed.   Tune in if you must but please keep in mind that this is a very narrow knowledge base. And, please do not take opinions on software or anything else as anything other than opinions.   My suspicion is that some of the panelists were not aware of how this was going to look and my apologies to them if they are uncomfortable with this analysis – unless they were complicit, that is. MOVING AWARD PRESENTATION Awards are always a big part of each year’s convention, and with this year being the most challenging in memory, there was all the more reason to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments!  During our virtual convention, the awards were split into two days; the Salute Gala and Hall of Fame, Volunteer of the Year, and Rider Awards on Friday night, and the Adequan®/USDF Year- End and Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards on Saturday night. At Verdades’ Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame Induction on Friday, his owner and rider Laura Graves became emotional, often having to dab away tears as she recalled the many triumphs she experienced with “Diddy.”   Dr. Hilary Clayton, whose groundbreaking dressage-focused research has influenced the sport from the ground up, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.  She has become a staple of our annual conventions, often leading education sessions at them, including this year, where she spoke at the well-received When The Hoof Meets The Ground session for L Graduate/Certified Instructor Education. Renowned FEI 5* Judge and USEF ‘S’ Judge Gary Rockwell was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, and members had a chance to interact with him at some of the open forums that our virtual convention hosted, giving them a great opportunity to chat with one of the leading judges in our sport.