Q&A with Candidates 2021 – 2 of 2

Question 1 – Which Committee(s) do you think would be a good fit for you and why?

Lynda Mantler: I am eager to work diligently where needed should I be a successful board candidate. Areas I feel I would be able to contribute best are: 

Marketing Committee – Continue with the Junior Participant pin and CanAm shirt competitions.  Incent Junior Participants by bringing in extra recognition for them; bring a wider array of NAFA branded products available to competitors and judges.  Smaller items could be offered for purchase as tournament prizes. 

Judges Committee – Regular dialogue with judges as they are often first to see issues that need to be addressed.  Ensure we properly equip our judges with meaningful training and trust them to do the job.  Provide a prompt response when NAFA is made aware of issues brought forward by judges, competitors and RDs. 

Technology committee – There are some people out there in the flyball community who have great ideas and are working on ways to improve technology such as the way stats are recorded at tournaments.  Let’s get them talking with the technology committee.  

Election Committee – Continue to explore ways to engage our constituents in the process.  Encourage interested competitors to run for election.  Ideally, NAFA would have representation from many geographic areas. 

Executive Committee – I am currently serving as secretary and would love to continue in that capacity.  Having the minutes available to be read as soon as possible is an important part of communication with the flyball community. 

Emma Mak:  First, I would like to continue on the Rules Committee, as I’ve been a member since 2017 and chair of that committee since 2018, so I bring experience, as well as my in-depth knowledge of the NAFA database and things like regional, NAFA and ROCC calculations to the table. There will be rule changes coming based on the new measuring system rollout, and as a co-chair of the Special Measuring Committee (tasked with coming up with recommendations for the rollout for the board), I’m well positioned to steer the Rules Committee as we make the necessary adjustments to the rules.

Last year I chaired the newly formed NAFAblog Committee, and would like to continue working on that as the articles produced are a means of engaging the flyball community, as well as a way of attracting new flyballers by featuring clubs that are looking for new members and/or offering lessons.

I would also like to continue as a member of the Technology Committee, as I’m NAFA’s statistician and have the most in-depth knowledge of the database. The committee will continue to focus on further development of new EJS components, as well as longterm plans for moving the sport forward with tournaments becoming paperless. In the shortterm, I’ve been using a great online scoring program developed by a competitor at my club’s tournaments, and hope to see if NAFA can make this available. I would also like to see the website be updated to use WordPress so as to become more easily updateable and compatible with mobile devices.

Jayne McQuillen:  I think I would be a good fit for the Rules, Marketing, Disciplinary, Technology Committees.  I am already on the Communications & NAFA Blog Committees.  I am a good fit for the Rules Committee because as a Regional Director, I have to be very familiar with the Rulebook.  Competitors routinely asked about rules, rule changes, and interpretations of the rules.  I have discussed many rule related issues with judges, the Executive Director, and sent items to the BOD for further clarification.  I also drafted the RD Handbook which required sifting through the Rulebook to narrow down which rules specifically apply to the RD.  I think I would be a good fit with the Disciplinary Committee because I do know the rules and have dealt with issues further forward!  While I am thrilled with the new EJS system in development, I think there is more technology that NAFA can continue to make improvements.  Technology also involves websites, databases and any emerging avenue we can utilize to make competing or hosting a tournament easier.  Tying technology into Marketing & Communications efforts is a good way to make sure NAFA doesn’t miss out on new ways to keep the sport modern and relevant.on the ground as an RD.  I have a strong interest in marketing the sport of flyball.  To me, marketing is not just making people aware of flyball and aware of NAFA.  We need a more concentrated effort to not just make people aware of the sport, but to help clubs turn them into competitors.  We also need more support to help with club development in areas where there are no existing clubs.   Last, I love technology and I would love to help push the sport

Alex Le: I can add value to any committee but would love to be a part of the Technology Committee.  Given my background with the firms here in silicon valley, I can help drive some strong relationships to help with building a better website or even partnering with vendors to help streamline costs for streaming during our CanAm tournament.  I know alot of work goes into building our new lights and would love to help out where I can.

Question 2: What things have you done to help Flyball in general and NAFA specifically in the past?

Alex Le: I have loved flyball ever since I discovered it with my first labrador retriever.  He was never the fastest but he enjoyed his time playing and I enjoyed meeting so many incredible people all over the US, Canada and now throughout the larger flyball community accross the world.  I’ve been a huge advocate for the sport and driving new members by teaching beginner flyball classes and encouraging new participants to try the sport whenever they see us practicing or working foundational skills.  I am currently a member of the Communications committee and would love to be more involved to help provide additional transparency or in whatever capacity is needed to help NAFA grow.

Jayne McQuillen: As a 20+ year competitor and team owner, a lot of what I have done is on the ground level.  First and foremost, I have offered the opportunity to learn the sport to people in my local area. Being willing to teach classes, to train new dogs off the street and get people excited about the sport is really important!  As the team owner I’ve overseen Skidmarkz growth from 8 people in 2002 to 20 people today, most of whom were brand new to the sport of flyball.  My husband and I have built own flyball training building, which we rent out to other local clubs and individuals.  That enables more people to practice without investing in lots of equipment.  We also have hosted fun matches as an opportunity for local clubs to get tournament like experience.  As a Regional Director, I’ve also helped put on an Open House, in the largest Metro area of Iowa.  This helped the first Des Moines Area flyball club get great exposure to interested people and there are now 2 clubs in that area!  I try to provide connections for mentorship, training and equipment resources to help those teams starting out.  On a regular basis I am contacted about clubs in our region and send interested people to the nearest clubs.  I try to maintain an accurate contact list and know which clubs are teaching classes and/or accepting new members.  I work to maintain an active, informative and fun regional Facebook page that keeps competitors up to date. Recently I started a Facebook group for flyball just in the St Louis, MO area.  There has been a continual stream of interest in flyball in that area, but no active clubs.  My hope is to organize a similar Open House style event in that area, when it’s safe to do so.  Hopefully, this will jumpstart club development in what was a hotbed of flyball years ago.  I have tried to increase NAFA’s profile by participating in the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge and I followed up by contacting local news outlets to promote the airing of that show, as well as the sport of flyball in my area.  I’ve also a volunteer with the Communications Committee and the Special Measuring Committee.  

Emma Mak:  I feel very strongly about NAFA flyball. Before my last three years on the board, I was a non-board committee member on the Rules Committee, Technology Committee and Election Committee for several years. I’m also a Co-Regional Director for Region 2, working mainly on the non-event duties, such as approving sanctioning and schedules. I think one of the best ways to contribute to NAFA is to host tournaments! I’ve been a Tournament Director and/or Tournament Secretary for my club for a few years hosting popular, themed events in our region.

Lynda Mantler:  I have helped organize and participated in many public flyball demonstrations such as fairs, Canada Day celebrations, Giants lacrosse games and even for a church group! I also was one of the organizers and trainers for introductory flyball lessons for many different sessions over the years. We handed out flyers that were produced by our club and also the NAFA brochures. And of course, I talk about flyball to anyone I meet who does not know about it!

I have a strong work ethic.  Over the years I have done a lot of volunteering to help clubs at tournaments.  I love to work as line judge, on the timing table or wherever I am needed.   I have served as tournament director and tournament secretary and had a few opportunities to sub in for our Regional Director.  All great learning experiences!

For NAFA, I have served on the Board of Directors for the past four years and have had excellent attendance at meetings.  I have worked on:

  • Disciplinary Committee and have been working on an ad hoc committee regarding procedures for Unsportsmanlike Charges.
  • Judges Committee – working on the committee to oversee education requirements, development of new judges and advancement of judges.
  • Executive Committee – In my role as secretary, I have worked at getting the board of directors meeting minutes out in a timely fashion. Having the minutes available for participants to read is part of the efforts to help communication. 
  •  Special Measuring Committee – the committee goals are: 
  • Make Measuring Easier for Competitors, Judges and RDs
  • Make Measuring Consistent
  • Ensure fair checks and balances in the overall process
  • Chair of the Marketing Committee.  Working on the ongoing yearly projects and looking to expand on that as noted above. 
  • I have brought forward ideas from competitors and some of them have been approved by the board and implemented. 

Working at CanAm to support the event.  My job the past few years was organizing volunteers to ensure we had people to work on the timing tables, line and box judge positions for up to 7 rings.  On race days, it means getting everyone to their position on time and organizing breaks and lunches for everyone so racing can run smoothly.  I spent a lot of time doing all of these jobs as required.  It meant long days of being on the go (38,000 steps one day), but it was a challenge and a great feeling to accomplish this. 

Question 3: Open – Anything you would like to add as a closing statement for your Board of Directors candidacy?

Lynda Mantler: Why vote for me:  Passion for the cause:  FLYBALL!

I will support the flyball community and express my opinion at meetings

I will diligently prepare ahead for each meeting.  I will make the time to do this.

Eager to serve on committees.

I will bring your ideas and concerns forward to the board

I enjoy serving organizations that I am involved with.  I have prior board experience having served on nonprofit flyball and community club boards and various industry boards.  I have served as secretary and treasurer and director at large. 

Some people excel at flyball skills training.  That is not my forte, however, I feel I have much to contribute to the board of directors. 

I realize that the status quo is not good enough in organizations.  If we stay the way we are, we are actually falling behind other organizations that are making advancements and taking some of our members.  We need to continue to evolve and improve.  There is competition out there which definitely makes us better.  We need people who are open minded and willing to make changes that will make our sport better.  i.e., new awards, new tournament formats, new technology, exploring ideas from competitors. 

We all need a fresh start every year. It’s important that we go into the New Year with an open mind and a new way of thinking. I am really looking forward to racing again.  It has been a long time since most of us have been able to see our flyball friends and feel the excitement of competition.  I am an optimist and believe we will make flyball work in 2021.  It may not be the way we want it to be at first, but we will get back into the lanes in some fashion and appreciate every bit of it.   

The final date to vote is January 13.  Please be sure to cast your vote and vote for Lynda 😊  I would be honored to serve on your behalf.  

Thank you!

Emma Mak:  I’d just like to say thank you to those that are taking an interest in our responses to these questions and those posed in the live chat. I hope to continue serving on the board during this difficult yet exciting time, as we move towards re-opening and rolling out a new, robust measuring system. Looking forward to seeing you all in the lanes when we can be together again!

Jayne McQuillen:  I thank everyone for taking the time to get to know all of the NAFA Candidates.  I see volunteering on the NAFA BOD as way that I can give back to the sport that has given so much to my family & I.  I have already stepped up and volunteered as an RD, and on several Committees.  Overall, I hope everyone has gotten a sense of how much I value promoting this sport to anyone.  Current flyballers obviously know the sport and love it.  However, I think there is a missing link between people knowing that Flyball exists and people having the opportunity to train & compete in it.  I know many flyballers have had the chance to try out new sports in the last year due to COVID.  The opportunity was there to try those sports out, when it’s safe, Flyball needs to be just as easy to try out.  We all can make sure we grow our own sport by not turning away interested people.  We can increase participation, grow teams, grow clubs and in the end grow tournaments by helping make sure the sport is accessible.  I also invite anyone who has questions for me to email mcjayne@yahoo.com.         

Alex Le:  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and consider all the candiates.  There are some amazing people here that will be able to provide great support for the board and help NAFA grow into a great organization.  I am so excited, as I am sure everyone else is, about getting back into the ring for racing and seeing all my friends again in 2021.  I understand that change is difficult and hard and we’ve all been through alot in 2020.  I hope that everyone takes a look at my strong background in management and my comitment to providing transparency and support to all players.  As a board member, you have my promise to bring you transparency, to ensure that you will be listened to and that your concerns and issues are addressed.  This is the way to help all of us create a great NAFA organization.