After a very challenging few years I think it is safe to say flyball is definitley back! What a great 10 days of flyball at 3 Counties and Driffield showgrounds we have just had. Thanks to everyone who supported our 2 flagship events this year, the Indoor and Outdoor Championships, the attendance far exceeded our expectations and is a positive reflection of the healthy state of BFA flyball right now. We have a really strong base to build from for next year and we hope to continue to grow, as the more members we have and the more flyball you do, the more we can reinvest in this great association and the more we can do with our championship events.
First up congratulations must go to Lightning Strikes, Indoor Speed Trial winners and Indoor Champions and Focus, Outdoor Speed Trial winners and Outdoor Champions; great racing with multiple sub-15 times from both teams and both worthy winners, consistently quick and clean, and that final at the Outdoors - bravo! For the first time in a long time, there were more sub-15 times outdoors than there were indoors, and to top off this year's outdoor speed blitz, Focus broke the long-standing BFA record with an amazing 14.71 - well done to all involved, an impressive achievement. And well done to all those that attended across both weekends, the standard of flyball was impressive and very competitive in all the divisions including the foundation racing, the BFA is making huge progress in training standards across the board, well done. We tried Speed Trials for all and a new format this year to enable us to run a stand-alone final for each division, and challenges with the ground at Driffield due to the dry summer, meant that we actually ran them all, both indoor and outdoor, on Finals Sunday; the atmosphere was amazing and it was great to provide that unique opportunity for teams that wouldn't normally get the chance to compete in front of a packed audience all cheering them on. We also included Foundation racing at the championships and the uptake was incredible so we think we know your thoughts on including this again in future years! It was great that we were able to provide an opportunity for every single dog in the association to attend and compete at the champs events, whether in foundation, singles or pairs, or open team racing. There was a lot that we tried differently, and finances were tight given the pressure on the association over the preceeding covid years, but we think broadly speaking we might be on to something for future years, but these are your champs and it is important that you have a voice, which is why the champs feedback form is out for you to let us know what you liked and didn't like and what differences you might like to see next year; the committee will review your comments and we will discuss potential changes at the upcoming AGM.
2023 will see us return to Driffiled again for the Outdoor Champs, 17-20 August, the final year of our deal with the showground which enabled us to continue with these events during the covid years. This is a perfect venue for what we do, reasonably priced, geographically central for the BFA membership, and the staff just can't do enough for us, so we will defintiley be back and we have provisionally booked for 2025. For 2024 we will be looking for a venue further toward the Midlands to make it easier for teams that find Driffield that little bit too far, Stafford Showground is top of that list, but we have a lot of work to do before we could commit. If we can find the right venue in the midlands we would look to rotate bi-annually between the Midlands and Yorkshire to provide all BFA members the same opportunity for reduced travel to the Outdoor Champs. Following a lot of feedback on the date and location for the Indoor Champs 2024 after the April AGM, we opened up the discussion for those whose focus is indoor staggered racing only, who don't therefore have the option of attending the Outdoor Champs, and as a result of that discussion we have agreed to move the date and location of the Indoor Champs 2023 to 13-15 October at Newark Showground. The orginal weekend of 15-16 April at 3 Counties will still be run, but as a BFA Regional Champs. Now is a great time to get these 3 dates in your diary!!
The next key date is the next AGM, 22 October, online via zoom webinar. This is a change to the historical date of the AGM and will now be run annually in Oct, as it is a better time to review the season just gone, discuss and determine any changes that need to be made, providing more time to implement rule changes prior to the busy summer season. Committee nominations and elections will stayin April. Following feedback from the previous AGM we have been researching voting options and we think we have found a cost-effective means of enabling on-line voting for all adult BFA members, details to follow seperately.
As you fill in the feedback forms, and think about your AGM rule proposals, please bear in mind that the BFA is a not-for-profit unincorporated association, which means it is not a business, does not generate profit, and it is owned and run by the membership for the membership. Any increased costs have to be borne by all members equally, whether that is increased membership fees or racing fees, and any increased administration has to be done by a member of the association volunteering their time. So on that note, if you want to volunteer some great ideas about how things could be done better, please think about volunteering your time and effort as well; this association is carried by a small number of selfless members who committ a great deal of their own energy and time so that we all can have fun doing flyball. So from me, and all on the committee, to all those who volunteer for official roles, tournament organisers, and those who just get on with the stuff that needs doing behind the scenes, early in the morning, late at night, during their weekends and annual leave - just, Thank You, you are all awesome.