2/24/2018

Welcome everyone to Alexandria, I wanted to hold a quick meeting.

First thank you to Magnolia for stepping up to hold this show this weekend. As you know this is Wildcatter’s traditional weekend, but due to Hurricane Harvey damage they were unable to hold their show this year. They will be back in 2019 and Magnolia will find another weekend. So that will add a new show to our calendar.

Speaking of new shows, Cow Hill is going to be a show producing club! For their first adventure, they are joining us on the Fundraiser weekend, October 27, 2018. The show will be held at the Mesquite – Hampton Inn Convention center. Saturday will be the fundraiser and Sunday will be Cow Hill Cat Club. It is a 6×6 format. We want everyone to attend this show not only to help the Region but also to support a new club. Cow Hill’s traditional date will be last weekend in July starting in 2019. Their first show is July 27, 2019 in Norman, OK. Welcome Cow Hill!!! So that is two new show dates for next season and going forward.

I also want to continue to encourage the youth in the Region to join the YFEP. There are awards both on the Regional and National level. We have two currently earning points. Isabelle Pitts and Viviane Phillips doing wonderful things, and we appreciate their time and commitment to CFA and to learning about cats!

Here are some dates for what is upcoming:

March 17-18 Cleburne, TX show with Ozark Cat Fanciers and Happy Alternative Cat Club as a sponsor. 10 ring back to back

March 31 Gonzales, LA Greater Baton Rouge 6 ring one day show. This is a 5th weekend show so very little competition for entries from other regions.

April 7, Oklahoma City Cat club in a new location in Norman, OK. Right off I35 and very convenient for driving and not too far from the OKC airport either. 6 ring one day show. There is an event with OU that weekend so hotel rooms in Norman will be filled quickly. There are many other options, look to Moore or other surrounding cities outside of Norman. They are all very close.

April 14-15 is Loveland, CO Foot of the Rockies show. Please support our only show producing club in Colorado. This is a 10 ring back to back.

April 21-22 is our Regional last show of the season. North Texas and Fort Worth cat clubs are hosting a 6×6 in Mesquite, TX.

June 9-10 is our Regional banquet and cat show in Houston, TX. Same location as last year. I am looking for volunteers to help with rosettes, set up, MC the banquet, decorations, a host of committees. Jan wrote me that she will not be doing our awards this year. I have a small committee working to find another vendor. I have made a list of the committees needed and I will leave this with Paula at the Master Clerk table. Please consider volunteering to make out show and banquet special. We are also honoring the past Regional Directors and hope that many of them will be attending. (Thank you to all who signed up to help!! I am still looking for more volunteers, there will be further emails about this soon)

June 27-July 1 is the National Awards banquet and delegate meeting in Atlanta Georgia, the information is on the CFA website. Consider going and make your hotel reservations. See you there! We will have 4-5 National Winners from our Region, plan to attend and support them!!

Now for more news, the Board at the February meeting voted and passed the following about the international show. As you might remember we changed the date to October 13-14, 2018 at the I-X center in Cleveland, OH. The Marriot nearby has a $89/night rate.

The show will again be two shows, and scored as it has been the past few years. All Judges will be selected by the clubs with one ballot. There will not be a two-step process like the past few years. Ballots will list the Allbreed judges that have not opted out, and the clubs will pick their 20 judges. Each show will have 8 judges and two alternates. The format will be 2 AB, 3 SP and 3 Super SP. Because of the Super Specialty rings all judges to be voted for must be AB judges. The limit is 500 cats per show. Awards are top 15 across the board (Kit, CH, PR, HHP) and top 5 for Veterans. Top 4 champions and top 3 Premiers in each final. Plan to attend this show!!

I strongly advise you to take advantage of the $1000 CFA is giving to every club. $500 to be spent on advertising, the other $500 to pay other expenses.

I was given and extra $1000 to help a new club put on a show, or could split for two clubs. Due to the rules it didn’t work out for Happy Alternative so the $1000 check was given to Magnolia Cat Club to help with their expenses.

That is all the time I will take today, everyone have a great weekend and show!

Kathy Black

Regional Director Gulf Shore Region

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I have held a meeting and there is a lot of news to report. I appreciate you coming to our Fundraiser and supporting the Region. I also want to thank all who helped with the setup of the show, the raffle, and hope you all stay for tear down this afternoon.

I am so grateful and thankful that the recent hurricanes did not affect very many of our breeders and exhibitors. We have received donations from all across the US for our Disaster Relief fund. We thank those donors for their generosity. For those not familiar our Disaster Relief fund is dedicated funds for that purpose and cannot be used for any other Regional expenses.

CFA has donated $4000 for breeder assistance and $2000 to each the Gulf Shore Region and the Southern Region. Sheryl already has the check. Thank you, CFA,! I especially want to thank those who helped those in need. Caroline Fralia and Jan Rogers really took on the lion share of the work to find and help those in need. Thank you, ladies! If you know of a fancier with expenses and needs be sure to contact me.

Show notes: Our next Regional show is in Sequin, TX November 11. This is a one day show on Veterans Day weekend. The club is having Veteran cat judging. That is a special judging for those pedigreed cats over 7 years of age. They do not have to be altered. Consider bringing one of your older cats to this show.  Going to be a lot of fun so get your entries in for this.

The Royal Canin/CFA International will be in Portland, OR the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 18-19, 2017. This year it is one show, not two as it has been for the past several years. Our Region voted Pam Bassett as the Region 3 judge. Pam is judging kittens and HHP. The other judges and the formats are on the CFA website. Entries close October 31. Last check there were 450 entries. Don’t miss out. Consider going. I am!

December brings Show & Tell’s December show back here in Cleburne. A lot of fun with pot luck lunch, gift exchange and Christmas spirit.

For the June Regional and banquet, we will be at the same facility as last year. We are already working on the details for the show and banquet. I looked to hold the show and banquet somewhere between Dallas and Tulsa and could not find a suitable or affordable venue. So the decision was made to return to Houston. The hotel was wonderful to work with and the costs were very reasonable compared to other locations. Due the time constraints this was the best choice. The contracts need to be signed 2-3 years out. I am currently looking for the location for 2019. I am considering having it here in Cleburne, but if you know of a locaton that is affordable and suitable for our needs, let me know.

One special item is “The Cat Writer’s Association” has decided to hold their annual conference at the same location. They will be in attendance at the show and we are donating a vendor booth for book signings. It will be very special having them attend our weekend of events. Also, we are planning to recognize all the previous Regional Directors at the Banquet. There are 9 that we are hoping will be there for this special night.

Speaking of books, Stephanie Thompson is donating $0.75 from the sale of each of her two books to the Region. We appreciate Steph’s generosity and I encourage you to pick up a couple for gifts or yourself.

I would like to make some comments regarding the lawsuit brought by FRCC against the Region and the officers at the time.  In case you are not aware of the history, let me give a brief summation of past events.

At this show in 2015 the Regional Fundraiser was also to benefit FRCC. The club is a Colorado club and they were wanting to move the club to Texas. There were independent fund raising during the show with lunch, bake sale and raffles. It was agreed that the Region would front all the expenses before the show, and that the judge’s fees and other show expenses, entries, vendors and gate would be divided for each.  After the show was over and the income and expenses determined, a check was sent to FRCC President. That check was never cashed and so at a future show, Steve who was then the RD and two of the officers from FRCC presented the check to FRCC President. Accompanying the check was the documentation as to how that sum was determined. FRCC filed suit against the Region and the officers over the amount of the check and the documentation.

The Region tried to settle out of court, but FRCC refused.

The suit went to trial September 18th here in Cleburne at small claims court. All who gave testimony were compelling in their witness. After the judge heard all of the testimony he gave a ruling about a week later. He ruled in favor of FRCC and increased the amount of the original payment by $1200.

I am not going to get into much more detail than this other than to say I trust our Regional Treasurer and her accounting methods. That show year was audited with no irregularities. This situation has caused many ill feelings between both sides.

Here is what I want to say. We are one Region, we all have the same passions and interest with our cats. The Region’s job is to support all clubs and its members, the shows, and the exhibitors. Being the RD, my position is to work for and support ALL members, not just a few. I have been accused of being on one side. That is not true. I was at the trial as the Region was being sued, and I am the current representative for the Region.  I gave no testimony as I have no first hand knowledge.

My position is to stop the hate and the bickering. To stop the “your side” and “my side” talk. We are one region. We need to pull together as one. There are too many out there who want to destroy us and take away our hobby. Are we going to implode ourselves? What and who does that benefit? No one!

I have been hearing a lot of divisiveness from people. Not just those involved with the lawsuit but others too. Let me read you synonyms of divisiveness:

Animosity, antagonism, argument, bickering, clash, conflict, controversy, debate, difference, discord, dissent, disunity, division, fight, friction, hostility, squabble, tension, misunderstanding, contention, disunion, ill feeling, clash, vendetta.

I don’t know about you but for me just saying and hearing those words makes me feel sadness, anxiety and fear.

Sadly that describes our Region today. Is that how we want our Region to be known? Is that how we want to treat each other? I understand that cat shows are a competition but if you are attacking those you are competing with, they will leave. You will be all alone and what joy is in that? I am hearing that well known exhibitors and even those considered as leaders are causing the most damage. It has got to stop.

I am asking you to think about your words. You know the old adage about sticks and stones? Well words do hurt, and this constant divisiveness has to end. And I mean today!

We are a family. Some families fight and others get along very well. We are going to have our differences. But family comes first. Forgiveness takes more effort and pain than hate. I am asking, no I am begging each and every one of you to watch your words, think before you speak. Let’s start to build unity and bring the Region back together. I don’t want people using the words I said before to describe our Region. I want them to speak about us in a positive light. We have new exhibitors joining our shows. Do we want them to see a bunch of hateful and bickering exhibitors? What message does that send? We are here to have fun, not to fight.

Look around the showhall? What is the average age of us here? What will this show look like 20 years from now? We love to show off our beautiful cats. CFA is hurting in the US. Shows, the counts, and the number of cats bred are on a steep downhill trend. I tell you if I was a new exhibitor and I walked into the tension and hatred felt in this room I would not be back. Do you want CFA to die? Do you want our Region to die? I know I don’t.

Let’s work together, let’s support each other, put aside our differences and find commonality. It’s there. Let’s find it, embrace it, find the joy that comes from that and be a unified group again.

Thank you for taking the time to attend today. I hope that you take my words seriously. I hope you think twice before saying something bad about another. I hope you find your joy and then work to help others find theirs. My wish is that I see positive change very soon.

Financial information before the entries for this show have our Checking at $4,735, Savings with $23,793 and Disaster Relief $7,505.

Thank you!  Questions?

Theresa: Why did you not communicate with Gary Shubert once elected as RD to resolve the issue with the lawsuit?

Kathy: I wanted to talk to Gary, and in fact I agreed to a phone call, but once the lawyer found out, he instructed me not to communicate with Gary as he was one of the parties suing the Region. The litigants named were the officers and the Region. As the RD, I represented the Region. Therefore, I was unable to speak to him to try and resolve this before court. We did offer to settle before going to court, and Front Range refused.

Sharleen: How can we have more shows?

Kathy: There will be a new club holding a show the last weekend of February. Wildcatters in Beaumont will not be able to hold their show due to the hurricane damage. Magnolia is hosting a show in Alexandria on that weekend. It will be a 5×5. Wildcatters will resume their normal show date for 2019 and Magnolia will find another weekend. So that will be an additional show date for the Region. I have also spoken to some of the clubs who are no longer hosting shows to find them a show date.

Everyone have a great show and thank you for attending.

Kathy Black

Regional Director

Kathy Black, Regional Director held a meeting during the Stars & Stripes show in Conroe, TX, July 9, 2016.

George Snell was recognized for his long time support as our regional webmaster. A check was presented to him as a thank you gift for his contributions over the years.

Sheryl Zink was recognized for receiving a Bronze Star during the 2016 Annual awards banquet. Bronze, Silver, and Gold stars are awarded to those individuals who have gone above and beyond in support of CFA. We all know that Sheryl is a star in our region as entry clerk and Regional Treasurer, it was nice to see the entire organization recognize what a jewel we have.

I mentioned a few talking points from the delegate meeting. The official notes from the meeting will be on CFA’s website as soon as the secretary completes them. But these were hotly debated topics. (All proposals are not put in place until the Board meeting in October, and most are not effective until May 1, 2017)

1. Ring by ring scoring was defeated by the delegation
2. Intermediate titles for Champions and Premiers passed with favorable recommendation to the Board.
3. Super Specialty rings are available for shows this current season, so if your club wishes to have this format, it is available. The Super Specialty rings do not replace the rule regarding the number of required specialty rings. This format is still experimental. If you wish to add this to one of your upcoming shows contact me for additional requirements.
4. The ability of a club to have a cage free show passed. Has to be pre-noticed on the flier, and the club have wire or pop up cages available for rent.
5. Recognized awards for National 2nd and 3rd best of breed. The current rule only allows the top cat in each breed (breed winner) to state such on pedigrees, website, etc. This rule allows those whose cats achieved 2nd and 3rd the ability to state so.
6. Reducing male Distinguished Merit Award down from the current grands of 15 to 10. It was suggested that I create a poll for the Region as to how they feel about this change.

Again, these were defeated or passed by the delegation, the Board will visit each of these resolutions at the October Board meeting. If you have strong feelings about any of these topics, please call or write me.

Alamo Cat Club and the Region are holding a joint show July 30-31, 2016 in Seguin, TX.  I strongly ask you to support both shows with your entries. This is a 12 ring show. Seguin is a very historic area of Texas, a wonderful showhall, and friendly people. Ya’ll come!

The International Show will be held in Novi, MI, November 19-20, 2016.  Seven judging rings, 4AB, 3SP for each show. Information regarding judges, hotels, entry procedures, etc. will be coming out soon. Pamela Basset was chosen in the first round of ballots to represent our region. Kathy Black was chosen in the second round of balloting. 

All kitten rings will be top 20 (both AB and SP).  All premiership rings will be top 15 (both AB and SP).  Championship is top 20 AB and top 15 specialty.  If more than 45 HHPs are entered, they get top 15.  Household Pets will be judged in the Red Show.

Also for this show only, Champions will be increased to 4, and Premiers to 3, so plan to bring those cats you are wanting to Grand.

Our Regional Awards show/banquet next year will be at the Hyatt Regency, Houston, TX the second weekend in June. 

There was a brief discussion about the lack of shows in August, September and October. Mardi Gras Cats/Cenla Cats is hosting a hotel show August 27, 2016 in Alexandria, LA. Information for this show will be on our Regional website soon.

I asked if there were clubs which were not currently hosting shows to talk to their members about a show for the first weekend in October. A couple of clubs are considering this.

I am forming a committee to audit our treasurer records.  Our regional treasurer welcomes this idea and will cooperate fully with our audit committee.  This not only protects her, but also our regional funds.

In closing I want to say that communication is a two-way street.  I will do my best to communicate to the region timely news and ask for your communication back to me regarding shows, your thoughts on the resolutions before the Board, etc.

Kathy Black

Region 3 Director

Kathy.Black@yahoo.com