I have followed this thread with a great deal of interest, even though I have no vested interest in where Championships are held, since my NADAC agility is now restricted to portions of VT designs that I can set up in our yard for our dogs. However, during my active time in agility, in one way or another, I have participated in Championship, National and Regional events in multiple venues in capacities ranging from being a member of the ring crew, to a judge to helping organize, produce and direct the event. Organizing, producing and directing the event is BY FAR the MOST STRESSFUL and MOST THANKLESS job(s) of all, so please....................for the sake of the NADAC "Brass", keep that foremost in your mind and your posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NADAC is the ONLY venue that I know of that does NOT have corporate sponsors for their events. I've NEVER seen banners or advertisements hanging around the rings, or in show catalogs.......................or anywhere..............................the entire event is OF NADAC, BY NADAC and FOR NADAC's human and canine extended family. ALL of the equipment is brought in by NADAC from NADAC headquarters..................there are NO equipment manufacturers supplying the equipment that they then sell to the highest bidder after the event. NONE of the equipment is wired with cameras for views of dogs in tunnels or wherever for post-event video productions, so the burden of paying the bills rests with NADAC.....................
NO ONE is more particular as it involves as near perfect running surface for dogs and handlers as is NADAC and Sharon Nelson..............................and that includes differently-abled handlers that use mobility carts, etc..................................and I would conservatively estimate that 95% of arena surfaces would NOT meet NADAC's criteria without some modifications and "soil" enhancements, so the site management also needs to be willing to work with NADAC to bring the running surface up to NADAC specifications.
As Ed pointed up.............................anywhere near the east coast, west coast or the Gulf Of Mexico is in "the rent is too damn high" district......................and that also includes food, lodging, fuel...................just about everything and anything.
Given the time of year that NADAC holds it's championships, EVERY section of the country has it's fair share of positives and negatives. We live in northeast Ohio, so I can speak relatively comfortably when it comes to the upper Midwest............................and we travel extensively in New England.....................
Also, IMHO, NO other agility venue provides as many exhibitor perks in the way of ribbons, rosettes, awards and other tangible forms of recognition of achievements as does NADAC at their Championships.............................and, again IMHO, NO other venue offers as many options to be able to come and participate!
In the upper Midwest, put Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks at the top of the liabilities list...................and the NASTY critters are EVERYWHERE..............................ditto the northeast on that one. Upper Midwest weather can range from "early November rain" to a pleasant Autumn day to as HOT, HUMID and MUGGY as the southeast.
Suitable sized arenas are FEW and FAR between........................in general, we are not as "horse-centric" as other areas of the country, so the demand for those types of arenas is not particularly high, save for the state and assorted county fairs, and many of those are on a downhill slide and facilities are really showing their "rust belt" age. If you happen to be in search of convention centers, concert venues and sports arenas.........................we have many hundreds to choose from in all shapes and sizes.
However, even in inland states, where costs tend to be less than in coastal regions, get too close to the Finger Lakes in New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, etc.......................and the costs jump...............................and the downside there is that those cities are in overall states of decay, save a few pockets where there is a small revival.
Also, the upper Midwest is NOT exactly a "hot bed" of NADAC activity...........................for 2016, there are 0 (ZERO) scheduled trials in Ohio, 3 scheduled trials (1 club) in east-central Michigan 6 scheduled trials (2 clubs) in northwestern New York, 0 scheduled trials in Pennsylvania, 6 scheduled trials (1 club) in Kentucky, 2 scheduled trials (2 clubs) in Indiana and 11 scheduled trials in Illinois (2 clubs)......................NOT a substantial exhibitor base to support a Championships in the upper Midwest UNLESS A LOT of folks from both east and west of Ol' Man River commit to come!
It has been my experience that NADAC "bends over backwards" to be as fair to as many exhibitors as they can be; but when the final decision is made regarding location, there MUST be an expectation of breaking even financially..........................and perhaps even realizing a little profit, which always finds it's way back into the betterment of NADAC.
Does it suck to live a great distance from where you'd like to go? Yes. Does it suck to live in a NADAC desert? Yes. Is the most important thing the fact that we have an agility venue that is committed to and cares about our and our dogs' safety above all else, provides those of us that live in NADAC deserts to still find a way via the VT program to earn titles and awards, provides us with accessible course designs that we can use to teach our dogs needed skills??? IMHO, YES...................................and those POSITIVES FAR OUTWEIGH ANY negatives regarding where...........................or where not...........................Championships are held.
Respectfully,
Al & Barb Ceranko, Pelli, Katie & Lily in Ohio
