Notice of a Regular Meeting of the Members/Board of Governors on November 29th, 2022
Special Meeting of the Board of Governors
Notice of a Special Meeting
of the
Board of Governors
English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association
July 26, 2022, at 7 PM CST
Discussion and Approval
of the Revisions for the Requirements of the
AKC English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Apprentice Judge Program
ESSFTA Final Gun Memo
FROM MIKE NOLAN
MEMO FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: Gunning for Spaniel Field Trials
The Purpose of this Memo is to reduce confusion and to establish without hesitation a baseline of understanding that has seemed to become an area of confusion throughout the Spaniel Field Trial community.
- The gunning of live birds is an integral part of the Field Trial game. The individuals who participate in the shooting of trials are volunteers who give their time and money to assist in the successful completion of Field Trial events.
- It is critical to realize that the individuals who volunteer to shoot trials are doing so with excellent intentions and want to provide the dogs and handlers with a superior event. No one wakes up in the morning and decides that they plan on missing shots or do an unsafe act.
These two principles are important to keep in mind at every event.
There has been considerable discussion and input on the shooting of trials over this past year. This Memo is an attempt to explain the recent Board of Governors of the ESSFTA review of the “Gunning of Field Trials.” A considerable number of skilled gunners, Pros and handlers were solicited for their opinions. Opinions varied and were discussed in detail at the Board meeting in April. They varied considerably from “We need More Training/Seminars” to “We have TOO Many seminars”. The following seems to be true throughout the game:
- Effective Field Trial Committees have Good Guns/Good Grounds/Good Birds.
- Ineffective Committees have mediocre guns/poor grounds and weak birds.
There is also some erroneous understanding of duties and responsibilities with regard to gunning/Safety and the handling of complaints with regard to shooting.
Some of this confusion is caused by designating the Interclub Gunning managers “Safety” Officers. Let us be perfectly clear on the following responsibilities:
- The Field Trial Committee is Responsible for the Gun Team andThe Gun Captain and has the liability if there is any incident with regard to safety issues. That is why the insurance policies for the event are issued to the Field Trial Committee.
- If an individual sees and “Unsafe” act they are to report it to the Gun Captain who will take action and notify the Field Trial Chairman. IF necessary the Field trial Committee as a whole will meet to discuss the incident and take corrective action.
- The Parent Club and the AKC have no role in this action.
- The Interclub Gun Chairman and the National Safety Gun Chairman have no direct line responsibility with the guns. They act in a Consultative role assisting the Field Trial Committees in teaching safe shots and recommending guns to the Committee and to discuss development of these individuals.
Speaking to long time, experienced guns there is a common element involved in their success. They shoot a great deal. Nothing takes the place of experience. Most shoot a significant number of training sessions. Most have spent lifetime hunting and understand the basics. Today’s guns don’t necessarily have the opportunities to shoot as much. We encourage the shooting of Skeet, Trap or Sporting Clays whenever possible. Training sessions are important to shoot as much as possible to give each gun the feel of the dogs. Encourage your guns to shoot.
Seminars and attending them is also encouraged. The basics need to be understood. Shooting for a field trial is different than just hunting. Seminars will raise the bar for your gun teams. We hope to encourage regional seminars to carry the message forth.
We had a tremendous amount of input concerning gunning. There are some small changes we hope to make to move the game forward in a positive manner. We have a time table for their introduction and ask you for your support.
It is all about the dogs.
ESSFTA Board Of Governors
ESSFTA Membership and Board of Governor meeting Agenda, Information and Reports
ESSFTA Members,
The information attached is for the Membership and Board of Governor meeting. The April 30th meeting starts at 9 AM eastern time. The information, submitted by ESSFTA members, is included in this post. Please contact your area, Governor, if you have additional information you would like considered. The Bench and Field BOG will be discussing some of the attached reports and their recommendations will move forward to this meeting.
Respectively Submitted, Cristy Joy, Corresponding Secretary
ESSFTA Board of Governors Annual Meeting Agenda - April 30 2022
Board of Governors Name and Email 2022 - Based on Nominating Committee Report
2021 Nominating Committee Report - Final
2021 Nominating Committee - New BOG Bios
ESSFTA Bylaws Revision Committee Report 2022
By-laws grid with detail information to support the Committees recommendation
Membership Secretary Report April 2022
Request to the ESSFTA BOG_Retriever Hunt Test eligibility
Request to the ESSFTA BOG_Frequently Asked Questions
ESSFTA Bench Board of Governor April 29, 2022 Meeting Agenda and Submitted Information
ESSFTA Members,
The information attached is for the Bench Board of Governor meeting. The April 29th meeting starts at 1 PM eastern time. The information, submitted by ESSFTA members, is included in this post. Please contact your area, Governor, if you have additional information you would like considered. The BBOG recommendations will move forward to the Membership & Board of Governor meeting on April 30th, 2022.
Respectively Submitted, Cristy Joy, Corresponding Secretary
ESSFTA Bench Board of Governors Meeting Agenda 4-29-2022
ESSFTA Bench Vice President Report April 17
Proposal natural (undocked) or docked tail change to our breed standard
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