Getting to Know Your Candidates – Paula Johnson

Paula Johnson

I have been playing flyball for the last 12 years and a judge for the last 5. This year I had the honour of being asked to be a head judge for CanAm. The experience was beyond my expectations and being able to connect with so many of you and your amazing canine partners was so fulfilling.

I have served on the Board for just a few months now after being asked to fulfill the rest of Emma Mak’s term when a family situation required her to step back from her role. It has opened my eyes to all that goes on behind the scenes to keep this huge organization running. It is no small feat and requires people who are able to balance the needs of all with the long term health of NAFA. Most of all it demands an exorbitant amount of time from those who serve. 

Being recently retired, I feel I have the time to put into helping NAFA grow and prosper. I also bring a background in public relations and marketing as well as management and organizational skills from my previous professional role. I also bring the social skills needed to navigate challenging issues, listen to differing opinions and work with others. 

Paula Johnson

I feel I have only started to get my feet wet on the BOD and would love the opportunity to stay on for a full term. My goals are to continue the work that has been done to rebuild the sport and the organization and to ensure that we are always mindful of making our sport as safe as it can be for our dogs.

I look forward to the Q&A and Live chat to share more of my ideas and answer your questions.

Paula Johnson

Region 2

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.

Q&A with Candidates 2021 – 1 of 2

Question 1: Why do you want to be a member of the NAFA Board of Directors?

Alex Le: The primary reason to serve on a Board of Director is to meaningfully contribute to serving an organization.  That’s a pretty typical answer.

I am a leader.  I’ve managed large scale silicon valley projects, large budgets, led diverse teams and spent countless hours in meetings and conference calls to deal with emergencies and put out situational fires.  It’s in my DNA, and its been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life.

BUT I also believe NAFA may be in need of a strong go getter within the Board.  We want to continue to ensure that we challenge the current flyball players but also effectively reach the new ones that are joining the sport.  Getting these folks to engage and participate requires us to build trust through our transparency while being able to allow NAFA to adapt and move into a more diverse and connected flyball community.

Cultural organizational changes are challenging and scary…. And I want to help NAFA embrace new perspectives and views.  I come with solutions and can bring action oriented common sense to help move NAFA through my skills in technology, communication transparency, partnerships, and building engagement with our flyball players.

Jayne McQuillen: I have always believed you should give back to the organizations that you enjoy participating in if you want them to continue to be there for you to enjoy.  Having worked with various volunteer run organizations, I am well aware that there is a need for hard working, thoughtful people to keep moving the organization forward. 

Emma Mak: I am running for my second term as a board member because I enjoy giving back to NAFA flyball; the sport has brought me so many positive things in my life: great friends, great dogs, and a sense of community. I like working on a team with the other board members and ED, all of whom also have a great passion for flyball and for helping people. I feel my strengths which include working out the details of how something can be implemented, being determined to get things done in a timely manner, and having leadership skills add value to the board.

Lynda Mantler: As a current member of the board, I want to continue to support and contribute to the sport I am so passionate about. I have received so much from the awesome experiences I have had during my time in flyball and have made lifelong friends. I want to be involved and give back to the sport.  I Iike to know what is going on and I find work on the NAFA board very interesting and challenging. The board needs many points of view and I am not afraid to speak up at meetings and state my opinions.  It’s important to have views from all the various regions.  I enjoy being part of a team that I can contribute to. 

Question 2: What is the one thing you would like to see changed, added or removed and why?

Lynda Mantler: An overhaul of the entire measuring process has been top of mind. This is being actioned now by a special measuring committee and will be resolved in the coming months, so I will choose another topic. 

An idea for when racing resumes…introduce sanctioned pairs and singles racing on a trial basis.   Tournaments will likely be smaller when we can begin racing again.  This would enable the host club to offer another class of racing to help with entry fees and add revenue for NAFA as well. 

Some advantages of trying this out: 

  • Fewer people in the ring at a time
  • Set aside a specific time frame for when these races are run, ie. lunch time and after the teams racing has finished.  That would allow some competitors to come into the venue only when they are racing.
  • After the long period when we haven’t been racing, there will be dogs that can complete the course but are not ready to race on a team.  It would give them exposure in a tournament environment.
  • It would give competitors the opportunity to have their dog’s time recorded on the EJS
  • Suited for competitors whose club can’t field a team but have members that still want to come out and race
  • This could work for clubs that can field a team but don’t have enough for multiple teams.  The dogs not on a team could race in singles and pairs. 
  • Dogs would run fewer heats than dogs on a team, so it would work for dogs that need to work up to full time racing again

Monitor the success of the new offering and invite feedback.

Emma Mak:  I want to see improvements to the measuring system implemented. I’m currently co-chair of the Special Measuring Committee and we’re presenting a plan for a fully realized mandatory measuring system to the board by the end of this year. The plan will realize three goals:

  1. Making measuring easier for competitors, Judges and RDs.
  2. Making sure measuring is consistent across regions.
  3. Ensuring for checks and balances in the overall process.

Measuring has long been a point of frustration for NAFA’s competitors, and implementing a plan that meets these three goals needs to happen so NAFA can move forward and put this divisive issue behind us.

Jayne McQuillen: I would like to see improvements in NAFA’s technology.  At the bare minimum, a modernized website that is more user friendly.  I think it especially needs more appeal to people who are trying to find out about the sport.  Along with that, I would like to see a move to more electronic record keeping for tournaments.  I know Alex Le has some great ideas on that front that are already being implemented at tournaments in his area.  

Alex Le: Ohhh, tought one.  I do see, from the past few years, that there is a changing population participating in flyball.  With this comes advances in the way we play the sport and as the sport grows,  we get these incredible faster times and each year, a new crop of participants join the fun.

For us to move NAFA into the next stage, we need to be able to embrace collaborative problem solving.  The organization needs to be able to adjust to the changing environment and let go of the zero sum game, where someone has to lose in order for you to win.  Where collaborative problem solving occurs, innovation follows.

If we work together to solve problems and take on insights and perspectives from our members, we grow together to represent everyone involved.  As an example, I recently proposed that we review our website and as COVID events unfolded, offered a plan to help NAFA move into a more responsive communication standard and transparency, in addition to improving our web site and infrastructure.  I don’t come with complaints; I always come prepared with solutions and partnership with large organizaitons who are willing to help us solve problems and improve the way NAFA responds to members and provide needed transparency.

Question 3: How would you deal with a situation in which you have a strong opinion on a topic/issue brought up for a Board of Directors vote and the majority of the Board disagrees with you?

Alex Le: I believe this question should be stated as how would the current Board of Directors feel if the majority of the people from NAFA disagrees with the Board.  

Disagreements and differing perspectives are the hallmark of democracy and our growth as an organization.  I am not asking to be a Board member to further my own interests; I am running to be a NAFA board member, as I’ve alluded to in my answers, to represent the folks on the ground who play flyball with NAFA and who spend countless hours trainning and travelling and participating in dog sports to spend time with their dogs and their friends.  

Being in a leadership position means you have to be able to practice critical listening skills and be able to translate that into a prespective that will allow the organization to grow as changes are inevitable and change can be good.  In my professional life and personal life, I am keen on hearing all perspectives and am very good at understanding all sides of an issue.  If there is a disagreement, I plan on being connected enough to the NAFA players and participants to give them a voice at the table.  

If the there is a strong disagreement from the Board on an issue at hand, I plan on being able to articulate the different perspective and represent the diversity that exists from the NAFA participants.  I want to make sure that even if the issue vote is not the decision for the majority of the Board, the different views and diversity of the minority perspective and the members’ views are not under valued or that the voices are not being heard.  To me, the NAFA Board needs to represent all of NAFA participants; we need to be more effective at ensuring that we elevate different voices, integarte these contrasting insights and that we always welcome conversations, even if they are difficult ones to have. 

Jayne McQuillen: I fully recognize that my thoughts are not the only thoughts on any topic, being a board member means you have to be willing to compromise, adjust thinking and work to move forward any decision.  Board members can all have their own opinions, but that doesn’t mean your way is the only way.  You can set aside your opinion to work toward group goals.

Emma Mak: The Board of Directors is made up of nine people from various clubs, regions, and backgrounds, who want to do what is best for NAFA. I’m not someone to hold back my opinion for what I think is best for the organization, but if the majority of the board disagrees and wants to go a different way – I will support the final decision. When discussing a topic/issue, it’s good to have respectful disagreement among board members, as considering different view points, and looking at an issue from all sides are key to coming to the best decision for the organization. Once the decision is made, it’s important to move past any disagreement and work as a cohesive team to communicate and implement the results of that decision.

Lynda Mantler: This is bound to happen when there are differing opinions as there needs to be on any board. I have experienced this and what I did was express my opinion and the reasons for it to ensure that what I believed was understood.    When the vote went in a direction I did not agree with, I respected that my view was not that of the majority.   It did not stand in the way of me earnestly working towards the outcome for the project that had been decided on.  I contributed within the guidelines provided and focused on the positive aspects of the project. In the end, I felt a sense of accomplishment for doing this.

Getting to Know the Candidates: Alex Le

Alex is a proven leader and has held leadership positions in Business Strategy, Information Technology Management, and Program/Portfolio Management.  He is a lawyer by training and currently serves on multiple boards including co-chair of the HRC fund raising committee and an active member of the Fair Oaks City Council in his community.  For NAFA, Alex is currently on the Communications Committee. 

He comes from a strong management consulting background, having worked for the top 5 professional services and consulting organizations and currently works with a Silicon Valley startup in CA to help drive program management processes and implement best practices.  This background to driving engagement and transparency to constituents is an asset that he can bring to NAFA. 

Alex is running for NAFA Board as a new member to bring a much-needed injection of insight and execution to help the Board fulfil its vision and further the flyball sport within the dog sports community.  Alex brings awareness and understanding of new members that have joined the flyball community, seeking a fun and energetic activity for their dogs.  With this comes the socialization aspect of flyball events and an opportunity to meet others who share these interests.  A Board that understands and reflects these values and interests of ALL their members is key to a successful growth of flyball and NAFA.  To this end, Alex will be running on 3 key components that he will bring to NAFA: Transparency, Fairness, and Modernization. 

As we grow as an organization, change is inevitable, and Alex will bring the sharpness of his ability to solve problems and targeted execution to help NAFA move forward into its next phase.  We must, as an organization, re engage flyballers and do so in a systematic approach that will drive those key engagement interests from ALL our members.  A NAFA future with a strong structure to provide members with transparency and use of technology to modernize how we play the game will be the key to our success as an organization.  This way of thinking and commitment to our members will keep all of us competing with our dogs in NAFA and make our time with NAFA a top notch flyball experience.

Getting to Know the Candidates: Jayne McQuillen

My name is Jayne McQuillen and I am running for the NAFA Board of Directors.  

I was introduced to flyball in the fall of 1998, when a flyball competitor adopted one of my foster dogs.  She invited us to a practice and a few short months later, our dog was in the ring!  A year later, we needed a second dog for my husband to play with.  We eat, breathe, sleep flyball now!  I never would have imagined that 20 years later we would still be enamored with the sport.  As a bonus, we are sharing that love with our eight year old daughter.  The big attraction for us is just having fun with our dogs, however, we found a second family with our club and supportive community of fellow dog lovers.  

I am currently the club owner of Skidmarkz Flyball Club, Regional Director for Region 21, a volunteer with the NAFA Communications Committee and the new Special Measuring Committee (SMC).  I volunteered to draft the first version of the new Regional Director’s manual.  Which is a great help for new & existing Regional Directors, as often the responsibilities of the position were passed by word of mouth.  It also helps provide uniformity across regions and well as transparency to competitors about the role of Regional Director.  I am very excited to be involved with the (SMC), the new measuring device looks very promising.  We are working to make sure the measuring process is easy for competitors and clearly communicated.  As the Regional Director of an active and growing region, I have tried very hard to help new people find clubs to play on and helped new clubs develop from scratch.  Having the opportunity to fill these volunteer roles with NAFA has given a great insight into the complexity of issues facing the NAFA BOD.

In my real life, I work part time as an Administrative Assistant, which allows me time to delve into lots of other interests.  I spent 18 years involved in Australian Shepherd Breed Rescue organizations.  Helping first with a large national group, ARPH, as a foster home, Regional Representative for Iowa and a BOD member.  I was the founder of a smaller Midwest based rescue group, Protégé Canine Rescue where I also served for ten years as President.  Working in non-profit animal welfare organizations required a great deal of people skills, compromise and flexibility.  I currently run a business teaching dog training focused on performance skills.  COVID-19 has added new challenges to that.  Thankfully out of the box thinking has enabled me to find new ways to teach in these difficult times.

 My primary reason for running for the NAFA BOD is to utilize my diverse experience to grow the sport of flyball by creating a competitive environment that is accessible to everyone.  I have trained a broad array of dogs, some slow, some fast, some steady and some unreliable, and have dogs who fit in every category.  My club once could barely field 2 lineups, and barely ran under 24 seconds.  We have grown to a much larger team, with a wider variety of dogs.  Currently, I have one of the fastest dogs on the team, as well as one of the slowest which provides a great contrast in training and competing.  I believe whether it is a dog, team, or club that everyone deserves equal treatment and to have their interests represented in a fair way.  So many times those pet owners do go on to become the fiercest of competitors.  Many times they just find what I did, a fun outlet for their dogs and a fun group of dog lovers.  I really want NAFA to focus on making sure the bread & butter competitors are not taken for granted. 

Getting to Know the Candidates: Emma Mak

READY?!! It’s one of the best sounds on Earth, as the teams watch the lights for racing to begin…I’ve been playing flyball for eighteen years, and STILL find the sights and sounds thrilling.

In 2001, I told my friend that we were getting a miniature poodle puppy, and she said–Oh, you should do flyball with him!–we need height dogs. We went out to a practice and I’d never seen anything like it. It was fascinating to see dogs put the sequence of moves together. I couldn’t wait to see if Jonah could learn it. After about a year, we were in the lanes and Jonah was absolutely loving it…he would actually glance over at the dog in the other lane and try to beat it back.

Since then my family of people and dogs has grown significantly: Gord and I now have four kids and five dogs, most of whom participate in various ways in flyball. We are members of SpringLoaded, which is based in Niagara region, Ontario. Our club hosts multiple tournaments a year, where we have themes and encourage people to unleash their weirdness and dress-up–and maybe even dance a bit to our awesome tunes. I’ve been a Tournament Director and/or Secretary for most of our events. Hosting can be exhausting for a club, but it’s also SO much fun, especially when your teammates like to be creative and put their own special spin on the events.

We all know flyball is the best dog sport: it’s the only team sport and this means you get a whole new group of people to care about—your team, and beyond that, your ‘flyball family’ from all over North America. Over the years I’ve done work maintaining the NAFA database and it gave me some insight into the NAFA board work and committees. I’ve volunteered time on Election, Rules and Technology Committees to give back to the flyball community that’s brought me so much. I finally got up the nerve to run for the board in 2018.

I’m now the NAFA Vice Chairman, and chair of the Rules Committee and NAFAblog Committee. In my first term, one of my favourite accomplishments has been working with volunteers, Dede Crough and
Jayne McQuillen, to get the NAFAblog started as a way to engage the flyball community, and feature clubs looking for new members. My current main focus is as co-chair of the Special Measuring Committee (SMC), with Cindy Henderson. We are a nine-member team tasked with providing the board with a fully realized plan, by December 31st, 2020, for implementing a new measuring system that accomplishes three goals:

  1. Making measuring easier for competitors, Judges and RDs.
  2. Making sure measuring is consistent across regions.
  3. Ensuring for checks and balances in the overall process.

As the SMC works on the rest of the full plan, we’re keeping the feedback we’ve received from competitors, RDs, and judges front and centre. We know that competitors want to move on from the measuring issues of the past, and we’re determined to get it done.

Thanks for taking the time to read this to get to know me better. I hope you’ll consider supporting me in a second term as a board member. Wishing you all the best and look forward to seeing you in the lanes once flyball resumes. Stay safe!

Getting to Know the Candidates: Lynda Mantler

Hello fellow flyball fanatics, 

I am running for a second term on the NAFA board because I am passionate about flyball.  When I started out, I never expected it would come to this!  I was just looking to get my dog into agility so we could have an activity to do over the winter months when it was cold and wet outside when I got home from work every day. 

The agility class was full so I enrolled my Weimaraner in flyball lessons.  It seemed like a fine sport to me but my dog was crazy about it so I continued on and joined the flyball and agility club.  Then we started competing and I saw that competitors spent their entire weekend running flyball.  That seemed extreme to me but before long, I was spending my weekends at tournaments,  helping with club lessons, working on the board of the club and planning all my vacations around tournaments. 

That was 20 years ago!  As with most hobbies you get into, there is so much more than at first meets the eye.

I have run on fast teams and slower teams; open and regular.  I’ve enjoyed travelling to other provinces and states, and while each region definitely has its own flavour, one thing that is constant is that teams crate together, delight in camaraderie, share food, love their dogs and have a great time in the lanes. 

I am a member of Run Free Flyball Club in Aldergrove, BC in Region 7; British Columbia, Oregon, Washington.  We host a tournament every year and I have been tournament secretary since joining the club.  We always add a little extra fun to the tournament by making up games, contests and awards. 

I realize that people have different reasons they love flyball and I understand the rewards available for dogs and competitors in all divisions.  Flyball matters for all people and all dogs. 

As my involvement in the sport grew, I became very interested in anything to do with organizing and working at tournaments which evolved into my interest in serving on the NAFA board. 

My experience in my worklife has been largely managerial.  I have served on numerous industry and community boards. 

My duties on the board have included the Disciplinary Committee, Judges Committee, Executive Committee in my capacity as secretary and Chair of the Marketing Committee.  I’ve attended CanAm every year that I have been on the board, working and supporting the tournament. 

Being on the board has brought an understanding of the magnitude of work and sacrifices that board members undertake to make flyball fair for all regions.  I feel very privileged to be working on behalf of NAFA competitors. 

I am currently on the Special Measuring Committee to review the entire measuring process from the device through to the actual measuring of dogs at tournaments and recommend to the NAFA BoD a new comprehensive program and process for measuring.  It will be great to finally get this resolved and roll out the plan.  NAFA needs to keep moving ahead to stay relevant in the dog sport world. 

I miss flyball so much and am anxiously waiting to get back in the lanes.  We have a great flyball community.  I’m really looking forward to seeing all the people and dogs again! 

Thanks for reading.  I hope you will consider voting for me in this election. 

Lynda Mantler