Behind the Scenes

The Yankee Chapter is very lucky to have many talented, committed members that help our tests and clinics run smoothly. To all of you who work so hard at each event, we say, and want to say again, an enormous THANK YOU!

Behind the scenes – or perhaps it’s better put “between the events” – there’s a core of Yankee members (officers, directors, training committee, gunners, and others!) covering a ton of tasks that need to be done before and after each clinic and test. We’d like to list each person and what they do individually so credit can be given where due, but we’re afraid we’d miss someone, which would be a regrettable oversight.

Here are some of the other tasks our Yankee team handles between events:

Loading delivered birds into the trailer, unloading birds after the clinic, feeding birds
Cleaning & maintaining the bird trailer
Disposing of trash and dead birds
Returning recyclables
Cleaning & organizing the equipment trailer
Planning and working at special events like the WAHP weekend and the vet seminars
Purchasing food and paper goods for the lunchtime barbecues
Cleaning cooking supplies (grill, utensils, coffee pots, etc.)
Planning the event calendar and coordinating the portable toilet, ATVs, water for tanks, etc.
Keeping needed inventory of ammo, cleaning chapter guns
Making travel arrangements for judges, housing away judges
Planning the annual meeting, taking and preparing meeting notes
Organizing clinic trainers, training stations, and clinic day schedule
Keeping inventory of Yankee merchandise and NAVHDA merchandise
Financial accounting, taxes, reimbursements, auditing
Selecting judges, applying for national approval on judges and tests
Preparing goody bags and gifts for testing handlers, judges, gunners, and field marshals
Clearing downed trees, spreading hay over muddy areas, checking grounds
Working with the state on scheduling and use of WMAs
Mowing and sometimes more mowing
Repairing and replacing training equipment as needed
Communicating with the chapter via the newsletter, Facebook page, and emails
Overseeing and updating the website
Processing new members and updating the member list
Receiving testing applications, processing them, setting running orders, and preparing scorecards
Making the test weekend programs
Planning youth events and coordinating with other organizations on youth events
Submitting an array of yearly forms to the NAVHDA national office

In reality, this list is much longer, as there are always errands, emails, replies, and requests that address all the little things that come up in any organization, particularly one whose enterprise is outdoors and… of course… with dogs!

For all the behind-the-scenes Yankee volunteer heroes, we say one more heartfelt THANK YOU.

Behind the Scenes