(This is a Draft until they are approved at the 2003 NESSFTA's Delegates Meeting)

Determination of MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING IN REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA
NOVEMBER 10, 2002Quorum.

Delegates were identified and there was a roll call of the delegates.  Forty-two delegates were present which constituted a quorum for the meeting.

Acceptance of the Minutes of the 2001 Annual Meeting.

The minutes of the Annual Meeting held in Big Rapids Michigan, on November 9, 2001 were approved as presented.

President’s Message

President Roger Dolliff stated that he received no message regarding the year’s activities other than the recommendation of the nominating committee for the slate of officers for 2004.

Election of Officers

Roger Dolliff reported that the nominating committee had put forth a slate of officers for the upcoming year.   That slate included Frank Mackinson- President, Jim DeVoll- First Vice President, Rob Barlow- Second Vice President, Mhari Peschel- Secretary/Treasurer.

It was moved and seconded that the slate of officers be approved as presented.  The motion carried.

Acceptance of Treasurer’s Report for 2001

The Treasurer’s report for 2001 was presented.  Jim Lightfoot made a motion that the report be accepted.  The motion was seconded.

There was a discussion of the financial results of the 2001 trial and the reason for the loss.  The variances, specifically the bird costs, the committee expenses and the catalog costs were discussed.  The importance of the fiscal responsibility of the trial committee was emphasized.

A vote was taken and the motion to approve the treasurer’s report was carried.

Ed Faraci then made a motion that in the future the lodging expenses of the General Chairman and the Field Trial Chairman are paid for by those individuals rather than the NESSFTA.

The motion was seconded and approved.

Announcement of Judges for the 2003 National Open

Roger Dolliff announced the results of the voting for the selection of Judges for the 2003 National.    The judges will be Bob Bullard and Bob Child.

Member Club Dues for 2003

It was moved and seconded that the member club dues remain at $75.00 for 2003.

The motion carried.

Location and dates of the 2003 National Open

Frank Mackinson stated that the grounds that had been selected for the 2003 National Open were near Altoona, Pennsylvania and that the trial would be November 8, 2003 until conclusion.  He then asked Ed Faraci, the Field Trial Chairman to give a more in depth presentation.

Ed Faraci that the grounds would include over 1500 acres of brome fields, the headquarters hotel would be the Ramada Inn, and the birds would be provided by Tom Crawford who will supply and deliver the birds on an as needed basis.  The area is near State College Pennsylvania so there will be many activities available to those that do not spend all of their hours out in the field.

It was moved and seconded that the grounds for the 2003 National Open be approved as presented by Frank Mackinson and Ed Faraci.   The motion carried

Jim Lightfoot then made a motion that the dates of November 8, 2003 until conclusion be approved.  The motion was seconded and approved.

Entry Fees for the 2003 National Open

Dan Langhans made a motion that the entry fees for the 2003 National Open be increased to $200.00.  The motion was seconded and the floor was opened for discussion.

Jim DeVoll suggested that $200.00 is not enough and that the entry fee should be raised to $250.00.  He said that the job of the general chair should be to put on a good trial and should not have to include fund raising as well.

Roger Dolliff agreed that the fundraising aspect of the job of general chair is not something that he wanted to do as the general chair.

Jeff Miller felt that historically the trial has been able to break even.  He feels that the committee should be fiscally responsible in making sure that happens; however, he would support the increase in the entry fee if it meant he was not going to be asked to purchase advertising or make other financial contributions to the trial.

Brian Sonier said that his review of the math regarding the cost per dog for previous trials indicated that the cost per dog has ranged from between  $208.00 and $277.00.

Mark Haglin asked how much money was in the treasury.  Mhari Peschel responded that at December 31, 2001 there was $24,917.66 in the bank.  There was currently $41,352.97 before paying for the expense of the trial.

Joe Barnett asked how we had money in the bank if we had always been losing money.  It was clarified that we haven’t always lost money and that Purina has been contributing funds and well as fundraising in prior years.

Bill Boeckman asked how much money there should be in the treasury.

Ed Faraci suggested that perhaps if the cost of the entry were raised then the size of the entry would be reduced.

John Wright asked the delegates to remember that this issue is revisited annually and that an increase in the entry fee could be rescinded in future years.

A vote was taken and the motion to increase the entry fee for 2003 to $200.00 was approved by a vote of 22 yes and 18 no.  The motion carried.

Other Business

Change in the point qualification for the National Open

John Wright gave a presentation on behalf of the committee that was appointed in 2001 to investigate the effect of changing the point qualification on the size of the National Open.  The presentation was a summary of the report that had been circulated to club representatives as well being posted on the Internet.  ( The Report is Listed Here ) The report urged individual clubs to discuss the limitation of the size of the National Open and possible methods of accomplishing a decrease in the number of dogs qualified to enter the National Open.

The three options for increasing the qualification standard discussed in the committee’s report were:
1. Increase the number of points required to qualify for National Open
2. Increase the number of points required to qualify for the National Open but retain an exemption for dogs, which have achieved an FC title.  As an example, require a qualifying standard of 4 points, but allow dogs with the FC title to qualify with 1 point.
3. Create a weighted points formula, whereby the points which dogs receive for field trial placements would be weighted relative -to the entry size in the event which the placement was received.

Mark Haglin made a motion that the qualification standard for eligibility to participate in the National Open should remain at one point.  The motion was seconded my Jim Lightfoot.

Roger Dolliff asked for discussion.

Dan Langhans stated that he was in favor of the one point qualification but also felt that the length of the trial needed to be extended to properly test the dogs and to allow for a more reasonable length of time in the field each day as opposed to running from sunup to sundown.  This would make it less tiring for the judges and the trial workers.

Ed Faraci stated that if the length of time to hold a National was the issue why not eliminate the requirement that a water series be held at the National and just require the participants to have passed a water test at some other time.

Dan Langhans said he felt the water should be a part of the National and that it should be an event that tests the dogs in both land and water series.  Jim DeVoll agreed.

Tim DeGroff stated that the length of the trial comes under the management of the field trial committee and that the use of challenging cover which will separate the dogs more immediately might also serve to limit the time necessary to complete the trial.

Jeff Miller respectfully disagreed and said he would like to reduce the entry in the National Open and still test the dogs adequately.

John Wright pointed out that increasing the length of the event is fine for the professional handlers but what about the others, who are taking time off from work to participate, work or attend the trial.  Those people would be better served by a trial of shorter duration.

Tim DeGroff stated that he felt that was what the National Amateur Stake was for.

John asked “ Shouldn’t the National Open be open to the best Amateur trainers in the U.S.?”

A vote was taken and the motion to leave the standard for eligibility to participate in the National Open at one point was passed by a vote of 29-12.

Other Business

John Wright showed a list of the running order with all of the amateur handlers highlighted.  He noted that more amateur handlers were near the end of the running order and would like to see the amateurs spread more equitably throughout the running order in the future.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Mhari Peschel Secretary

Respectfully submitted,
Mhari Peschel Secretary

Respectfully submitted,
Mhari Peschel Secretary

Welcome to our 2003 National Open Championship, which will be held on November 8, 2003  at the Hillendale Hunt Club, near Altoona, Pa. The area is a short 2 hour drive from the Pittsburgh airport. Geographically, if one checks a map, you can find Altoona halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa.
 I am honored to be selected as President for this year’s National Open. And, I am very excited to be “partnered” with an experienced National Field Trial Chairman, such as Ed Faraci. Both Ed and I take great pride in bringing to our sport a fair, challenging, top class event in which to showcase our dogs.
 Ed has spent a good deal of time and energy in finding a great location in the heart of the Amish Country. These grounds have been utilized with great success in the past by the Mid-Penn ESS Club. Hillendale Hunt Club will be supplying us with gamey “blue backs”, both cocks and hens. The logistics afforded us by Hillendale enable us to use a variety of long courses with mixed terrain, all in the same central area, with a nice pavilion on the grounds for lunches and gatherings.
 We have also selected a fine headquarters, The Ramada Inn, in Altoona, Pa. It has spacious guestrooms, large meeting and banquet rooms, a fine restaurant, an atrium courtyard, along with a pool, jacuzzi, and other amenities. There are also fine restaurants and shopping areas nearby.
 So, get your dogs qualified early, make your reservations, and get ready to enjoy a great time in the Fall in the picturesque Amish country of Pennsylvania.

2003 Pres: Frank Mackanson <FMACKINSON@aol.com>

Hi participants I am sure everyone is qualified by now.

So I Thought I would give all of you an update on the nationals. Frank and I went to the Mid-Penn trial this fall and arrived a few days early to check out the cover and hotel and all the other good things. The cover is just perfect. Jim Boone did a terrific job on the cover.

We should have for the first and second series about 75 flags in one direction and the same back. We know that this will be a long way to get in and out so we will have shuttles available to help out and also there is a paved road on one side.

The third & fourth series is only about two miles away from the first which will have a little heavier cover with about the same amount of flags but may consist of  three courses.
Breakfast will be available each morning at the golf course which is located about a mile from the grounds. Lunch will be available on the grounds.

We will have maps at the hotel for training on Friday and to the grounds.

Please stay off the grounds until the start of the trial. Remember these are private grounds. Let’s show the owner that we appreciate him letting us use them.

Jason Green, Dennis Hinkleman, Dave Granatir and Mike Shaw will be taking  care of the training sessions. Phesants will be available for $10.00 each. If at all possible please let us know if you are planning to train and how many phesants you would like so we may have a count. You can e-mail Jason at osage495@aol.com.

Tom Crawford from the Hillindale Hunt club has been working overtime on keeping all the birds in good condition. His birds should make for a very exciting competition.

The hotel dos not have a very big area to air out your dogs so you may want to do it before you leave the grounds. Also, the hotel has a very fine restarant and bar and has a wonderful seafood buffet on Fridays don’t miss it.

We still need some more items for our silent auction so if you have any items to add please call Karen Koopman.

Also, don’t forget about the Sigarms New Englander over and under shot gun raffle. Only 300 hundred tickets will be sold so if you need tickets call Tim Edwards, Raffle Coodinator at 860-292-1813, don’t get shut out, call today!!

I guess that’s it for now except that everything is going along as planned.
See you in Altoona!!!!!

F.T. Chairman:  Edward Faraci