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This letter is being posted
on the ALSA website in a continuing
effort to promote open communication between your
Board of Directors and the membership.
It was felt by the BOD that an explanation concerning
the decisions made regarding this year’s Grand National Show
and Regional Shows would be of interest to
ALSA members.
Your Board of
Directors, in an emergency meeting on July 16, put forth great
effort and spent many hours in two separate marathon sessions to
come up with a solution that would benefit the largest number of
members. The finances of
our association were also in the forefront of our discussions.
The BOD unanimously voted to continue with this
year’s Grand National, in spite of the fact that the potential
loss for ALSA in holding the G N this year could possibly
be in the tens of thousands of dollars if
we do not all pull together for the support of our association.
The current
national economic climate with regard to gas prices, and
contractual guarantees to the Event Center in Lincoln,
contributed to our concern that there may
not be large enough participation to offset this loss.
The BOD felt that canceling the Grand National Show or
any of the Regional Shows this year would be detrimental to the
future of the organization as a whole and was not an option.
Many members had already gone to great effort and expense
to qualify animals under the valid assumption that there would
be a National show, some with reservations already made for that
weekend in Lincoln. By
the time the economic conditions were apparent, it was simply
too late in the show year to cancel. The only way to keep our
losses to a minimum this year was to try to fill as many stalls
as possible at both Regional Shows and the Grand National.
Again, your BOD agonized over these decisions, the result
of which you have seen in the posting of the new (for this year
only) qualifying requirements posted on the website.
It is hoped that
open entry to the Regional shows will enable many to participate
that, because of economics or other obstacles, would have
otherwise not have been able to attend and thereby stimulating
attendance in years to come.
Likewise, hopefully a more relaxed requirement for Grand
National will produce greater participation and a larger
audience to experience
the excitement and celebration of the annual ALSA Grand National
Show of Champions. The
Grand National Show is indeed a grand finale to a year of
showing fantastic animals! We can all work together to make this work!
In the end, this
organization belongs to you, the members.
Without the exhibitors at the shows, large and small,
there will be no ALSA. Your
BOD is asking your involvement and help in making this a strong,
healthy organization. We
encourage all of you to participate as fully as you are able in
your area shows, your Regionals, and the Grand National.
Attend the membership meeting at the Grand National Show. If you have access to a computer, please utilize the
Discussion Board on the ALSA website.
If we all pull together to work toward solutions to our
most pressing problems, we can assure ALSA’s success.
Sincerely,
on behalf of your
Board of Directors,
Mary Beth
McCormick
ALSA President
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