NCHA News

Good Day NCHA,

Let me start off by saying I never thought this was going to last as long as it has. As I mentioned last week, there is some hope that some of us will be back to showing soon. This situation is without a doubt one of the most difficult times our members have ever had to deal with. I feel for you all. The uncertainty from day to day is the hardest part, but we must persevere. I am very happy to see that some areas have the ability to return to hosting shows. I know others are anxiously waiting for their respective areas to be cleared so they too can resume activities. We will make it back to the show pen soon.

Our staff continues to plan for the shows this summer. I assure you, we have not strayed from moving forward with both the Western Nationals and the Summer Spectacular. As I have spoken to before, how those shows will look remains to be seen.  We can expect some level of biosecurity.  As soon as the staff and myself have a better idea of the requirements and how this will affect the show, we will let you know.

We have some exciting things happening in the coming weeks for the association. Beginning on June 2^nd, Steve Norris will be transitioning into his role as President. Additionally, Steve and Ora Diehl will be joined by the newly elected Vice President, Ted Sokol. I believe Ted will be a great cabinet member to help grow our weekend and grass roots competitors. For those of you who do not know him, Ted comes to the Executive Committee with a long history of working and developing grass roots competitors.  Steve, as well, is coming into his new role with initiatives to help grow our weekend shows and provide expanded opportunities for more people in more areas. Both Steve and Ted have expressed the need to grow this area and I couldn’t agree more. The tallest pyramids have the largest base. Growing our association and developing new opportunities was a big reason that I joined the NCHA. I am excited for what the next year holds for the NCHA. There is no better time than now to start rebuilding our association. In addition, we will continue to develop all aspects of our show offerings and it is our intent to work collectively to build the NCHA bigger and stronger than it has ever been.

Many of the local show producers and affiliates have asked for guidance for show management at this time regarding measures around the COVID-19 situation. While the NCHA cannot mandate what is the policy is in regard to biosecurity in certain areas, we have compiled a list of best practices for our affiliates and members to use during their shows. This list was created with input from numerous parties including health officials, show producers and first responders. Currently, our show department is putting together these recommendations and will be sending the list out shortly.

Again, I hope you all are well, safe and ready to show!

Jay Winborn

NCHA Executive Director