National Convention Reports/Notes

There is something to be said for the South Carolina Low Country hospitality to be sure! The AHA Convention held in Myrtle Beach on The Grand Strand was a welcoming change from the last three years of virtual presentations.  This year’s convention theme was RESOLVE.

We were housed at the Sheraton Hotel that was hooked on to the Convention Center so it was an easy walk and all inside.  The beach was only 3-4 blocks away with abundant shopping and eateries. Wednesday started with the Board of Directors meeting followed by Trivia Night that benefited the AHDF (Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund).

Thursday found us at our first General Session where Deborah Johnson AHA President talked about the state of the association. This was good news as AHA is in the black for the first time in many years.  The Pat case goes to trial in December, this still ways heavy on everyone.  She discussed the cancellation of the Canadian Nationals and the reasons for it but did not mention bringing it back on board for 2023.  Private Canadians raised money and held their own national show in Red Deere, Alberta and that show has been picked up again for 2023 already. The second Ranch Horse Nationals was held and showed positive growth. Distance Nationals was also a success. This event is held in conjunction with other breeds to help offset costs and was held this year near Boise Id. No WI-fi or cell service made it interesting but still a success.  Youth/Midsummer has also grown. 2020 1230 horses, 2021 1422 horses and 2022 1155 horses.  Sport Horse Nationals was again held at the WEC in Ohio and has grown. 2020 383 horses, 2021 609 horses, and 2022 545 horses.  US Nationals also grew a lot this year. 2020 1679 horses, 2021 1854 horses 2022 1774 horses. The venue really works for all. 

AHA has sold their old building (too big and costly) and are moving into a smaller building in Greenwood, CO. Conventions: 2023 will go back to being virtual.  2024 will be held in Reno, NV.

215 of a possible 326 Credentialed Delegates were in attendance and no club revocations for this year.

USEF REPORT:  

442 thousand members; 2122 Licensed shows in 2022; 2141 licensed officials. What we learned through covid: be flexible, accept interruption, diversify revenue streams (shutdowns really affected revenue all around). USEF streaming will now go through a global distributor for all to watch. This will generate revenue through advertising. 

New for 2023 Fantasy Gaming watch for more info on the USEF website. USEF is looking at putting out its own “show Software” that would have live links to the association for reporting.

Social Media’s new pressure to behave and show you are enforcing rules. This was a long and involved discussion, but four examples were given. One, the Thoroughbred association did nothing at the Santa Anita Racetrack after several horses died there and SM got a hold of it and it ended up being taken over by the federal government (drug monitoring and testing). The other was in Alameda County, CA where a concerned citizen proposed a “No spurs or flank straps” ban to the Commissioners of the County. Both USEF and The American Horse Council stepped in to educate both the commissioners and the citizens on use, rules and disciplinary actions.  The ban was voted down. This could have potentially affected ALL HORSEMEN not just the intended. Thirdly, the NRHA passed a new “sedative” rule that has been very unpopular on SM and is having much effect on that association.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics pentathlon incident, which went viral on Social Media, caused the committee to drop the horse-riding part of the event starting in 2024. Basically, it came down to the fact that people, in general, do not associate horse events Racing, Rodeo, Horse shows, and Olympics with a breed but assume all horses fall under and are governed under the same umbrella.

EQUESTRIAN CANADA REPORT:

Biggest issue right now Affordability followed by number of shows, number of officials, revenue. We are working with USEF of getting our judges eligible to judge in the US again after they changed the ruling in 2022. EC is very much a supporter of our breed and all breeds and makes them a priority…. a lot different than USEF.

TREASURER REPORT:

Cash flow is now positive first time in 13 years. During covid the PPP loans really saved AHA.

AHA Future Challenges:

*P. A. T. Lawsuit

*National Economic uncertainty

*Canadian Nationals

*Strengthening Clubs and Regionals

*Employee retention and compensation

*Moving to new building

*Technology improvements

*Migration fro Oracle 8i to Multiview Cloud

*Cyber security

*National Scoring programs and Show Management.

AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL REPORT:

The American Horse Council is our voice in DC.  They lobby for all kinds of equine issues from opening up trails to horse use to helping to get visas and green cards for non-citizen farm workers. A big one is keeping horses designated as “livestock” and not as “pets.”  They also work on tax benefits, humane treatment and laws. Liability laws and protection from animal rights groups.  AHA was a founding member of this council. Here are some fun facts: $122 Billion added to the US Economy by the horse industry. 7.2 million horses in the US. 1.74 million employed in the horse industry making $79 Billion in salaries, wages and benefits. Biggest segment of use is recreation (does not include showing, racing or traditional work). As you can see, this report is one of my favorites!

At the luncheon on Thursday we listened to The Judges Panel and Review Board talk on unnatural and altered tails and how to spot them.

Thursday night we attended a buffet provided by Region 5 and had our Regional caucus.

There were 16 resolutions presented to the convention floor to be voted on. The body of delegates voted for a consent agenda on Resolutions 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Resolutions 2 and 4 were withdrawn. We voted individually on 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8. These were much debated and hotly discussed in all of our committee meetings as well as on the convention floor. All were passed.

VICE PRESIDENTS REPORT

Stan Morey gave a good talk.  AHA employees 31 full time and 1 part time. Youth/Midsummer show will stay on course for the time being. SHN have showed they can grow at the WEC so will stay here. We need USEF for the liability and the safe sport protection.

Friday night we all met for the Presidents Banquet and AHA volunteer awards for both Regional and National levels. Our own Tibbs Arabians was runner up for the Discovery Farm of the year.  Big congratulations to Barbara and Laurie on this most prestigious award!!

MARKETING REPORT:

Katie Feighner did an excellent job explaining SM and how it affects AHA.

CONVENTION REPORT:

2025- they recommended another virtual convention, and the membership voted a resounding no. They will go back to the drawing board and find somewhere to have it.

ARABIAN HORSE FOUNDATION:

Created in 1979 as the 501 (c) (3) arm of AHA. Research and Education branches  gave out $46,000 in Scholarships this year (1.3 million to date). $11,000 in research. Up to now research has been genetic but now they are entering some areas where more than the Arabian breed may be affected.  Feed and feeding (ulcers) and age-related work injuries in soft tissue and bone such as PSSM (tying up), DFLD (degenerative Suspensory) and Anhidrosis (no sweating).

JUDGES AND STEWARDS REPORT:

Many judges and stewards have retired over the last year and the collective age of the ones left are the senior age group.  We are at a critical point where we need younger people to step up and become judges. They also revealed judges hired for 2023 National events. Click here for judging panels for Youth Nationals, Sport Horse Nationals, and US Nationals. 

I attended many committee meetings. I am a member of the Working Western, Sport Horse and Dressage/WD committees and made those my priority but I also attended the USN committee, Distance committee, Hunter/Jumper committee, Equine Stress committee, and Arabian Horse Foundation committee.

There is so much information given out that I did not cover here.  If you have questions about any of this, please ask I would be glad to answer!

Respectively submitted,

Denise Cummings.

 2020 ANNUAL AHA CONVENTION REPORT by Denise Cummings EEAHC Delegate

Wow, what a year.  The Annual AHA in person Convention for 2020 which was to be held in Reno NV was cancelled due to Covid 19 and the worldwide Pandemic.  AHA wasted no time looking into what it would take to go to a virtual convention then put every effort into making that happen.  It took 3 platforms, a byelaws change and a resolution that had to be approved just to be able to hold this virtual edition.  They had to have town halls to teach us how to use these platforms and explain how things would work, all before we could even get started.

Success is an understatement.  If you have ever doubted that AHA has your best interests in mind, please put them to rest.  The myriad of people- mostly volunteers- that run our organization and put together events do so with 100% loyalty to the breed, owners and trainers. The 2020 Convention had the most attendees of any convention put on by AHA with 342 eligible delegates and 252 voting delegates.

All of the 2020 Resolutions were passed.  Most of these were deemed “housekeeping” type resolutions where mostly wording was changed or cleaned up to match up to other classes, ages requirements etc.  There were no heated discussions as in some previous years.

President Nancy Harvey gave an in-depth speech into her term of service and thanked many that had supported her and helped her through it all.  She gave out 3 Presidents Awards.  One was to Jim Lolas (sp) for his over all help and expertise in the area of IT.  Kelsey Bergland for being her go to person that always said “How can I help” and to the AHA Emergency Response Team that put in hours and hours of work during this last 8 ish months working on the Pandemic shutdowns.

Elections were held, and the following elected:  

• President, Deborah Johnson. 

• Vice President, Lisa Blackstone. 

• Treasurer, David B. Corning and 

• Secretary, Jan Decker.

American Horse Council

This group is working to protect all horsemen in our Nations Capital by lobbying on be half of all breeds and disciplines.  They are working on keeping horse campsites in National Parks open for horses.  They have a survey out to new legislators coming into the House and Senate to identify those willing to support horse and ag legislation. They have been and continue to work on a bill for foreign workers visas and guest work cards as this closely affects the horse industry.

Arabian Racing

Arabian Racing continues to grow across the board in ownership, races entered and prize money!

MDP

The meet an Arabian Horse Days in May and September were a huge success even with only being virtual events.  We are already planning for next year.  They still need breeders/stable owners to sign up to be Discovery Farms.  This is the best grassroots way to introduce kids and adults to our magnificent Arabian Horse.

Arabian Horse Foundation

This organization works hard on research (disease and genetic defects), Education and Scholarships .  They rely on donations.  They are set up on Amazon Smile where if you select them, they receive .05% from your purchases.

AHDF

The AHDF had a very busy year in 2020 and its not over yet.  They helped many families during bouts with cancer, wildfires, hurricanes, and all the horse industry employees that Covid 19 and the Pandemic shutdowns affected including trainers, stable owners, farriers, grooms, braiders etc.  They need our ongoing support to continue to do the wonderful work they do.

Judges and Stewards Commission

Stan Morey gave a good report of a terrible year for horse shows. Exhibitors for the most part followed mask and social distancing rules in the shows that were able to go on in the latter part of the year.  The 2020 judge’s seminar and exhibitor’s school was cancelled but they are already planning one for Dec 2021.  All three National Shows are also being planned for 2021.  The main concern they are working on now is getting judges the training they need for the Ranch slate of classes, Performance Horse Halter and the new showmanship score card usage. They plan on some town hall meetings and online training/education to get everyone on the same page and educated.

Executive Vice President

Stan Morey acting EVP filled us all in on the search for a new EVP since Glenn Petty’s retirement last June.  We had a resolution on the name change from EVP to Executive Director to more fit the job that is now needed.  This resolution was approved.  Now AHA will search for a person that most fittingly lines up with the position.

Convention Planning

• 2020 has been a success.

• 2021 in person convention will be in Niagara Falls (Canadian side)

• 2022 in person convention will be in Myrtle Beach, SC.

National Show Commission

For a list of Judges for all three national shows please see attachments. There will be no qualifications for all three National shows.  The AHA BOD’s put forth a new proposal for qualifications starting in 2022 that they would like clubs to discuss and get any feed back to your Regional Director.

Committee Reports:

Working Western (Committee member)

Cow:  The cows at this years Midsummer/Youth show were all sponsored which cut entry fees by quite a bit.  We are trying to get these sponsored again. Reining:  We are trying to get patterns posted Up to a week earlier so people can study and practice more. Our focus is on the futurity.  The new AHA App is great everyone should get it and use it. We are considering switching the cow weekend and the reining weekend to make schedules more accommodating.  Trail:  Purebred trail entries were up this last year.  Trail futurity is already growing.  In hand trail is also growing and they would like to see it at Nationals, so are going to ask the commissions.  Ranch:  discussing a derby for ranch where PB and HA would be combined- still in the talking stage.  Jr classes were way up this year.

Sporthorse Committee (Committee Member)

The National Sporthorse Show is to be held at the WEC in Ohio this year and for the two years after that. So, no East/West rotation during this period.  There are numerous reasons for this change it is not permanent at this point.  The commission is still trying to find a west coast facility that can house this big of a show. Blindness for breeding in hand classes was discussed lots of opinion on this one.  We will no doubt see a resolution on this next year.

Eq/Showmanship Committee (Guest)

Hunt Seat AATR is really growing.  For this reason, we would like to see this become a US Nationals class.  Right now, it is held at Sporthorse and cannot run at both so it will be up to the two show commissions to decide. We discussed Equitation leveling.  There has been a proposal that will include Showmanship and Horsemanship.  One of the obstacles is where it would show in pleasure like it does now, or, in an equitation category that does not count against your pleasure leveling. Look for this to be a resolution in 2021.  A straw vote taken by the committee attendants pointed to it going to a new Eq leveling category. The new Showmanship Score Card goes into effect on Dec. 1, 2020.  Its usage is not mandatory, but they are asking judges to use it and get used to it.  Time outs were also discussed.  A sub committee was set up to investigate this.  A new chair of this committee will take over, that person in Michelle Pease Paulson.

I attended several more committees but didn’t glean anything news worthy from them.

In conclusion

I thought the Convention went seamlessly. AHA did an outstanding job in adverse conditions like always.  I did miss the in-person meeting of people and networking with others.  I didn’t miss the expense, travel time and jet lag.

Thank you for supporting your delegate.  There is a need to stay informed.  I am honored to represent the EEAHC.

Respectfully submitted,

Denise Cummings

Barbara’s 2020 Convention Notes 

Working Western Committee Meeting:  Monday, November 16 

U. S. Nationals – Cattle, Discussion about when cows come in to the show was discussed, Like to have the cows early in the show so that arena can be available later in the show for warm ups for non-cow classes. If cows come in early in the show the day previous to classes can be used for cattle warm-ups.

Reining –  Working on Scoreboards.  Was difficult this year because of Covid and the proximity where people gathered in small area around the board to view causing congestion.  Tried to get a screen set up, but didn’t come to pass.  Will try to have on screens available in the future.   Jim Hit discussed 2 go system scoring where both scores count and everyone gets two goes.  Also, discussion of offering AATR classes in addition to AOTR classes.  Talked about the possibilities of running some concurrently.  Will go back to committee for further examination. 

Trail – Purebred classes were up in numbers this year.  Usually half-Arabs have larger classes.  Karlan Downing will post trail stats on Facebook page.  The question came up as to why the rider, owner and horse’s name isn’t announced during each go as done with reining.  It was reported that this was an arena management issue.  Can easily be taken care of.  Some discussion of the $30-$35 warm-up fee/run wondering if Blocks of time should be used for various warm-ups to balance the number of horses and riders at a time. 

Cows – Velma Peach reported the classes were down in a numbers this year due to Covid.  Youth Nationals showed increases in herd work classes.  There was a desire for AATR classes in working cow.  Some voiced they want a second go in herd work classes. 

Ranch Riding – Request adding Ranch Riding Futurity/Derby to run concurrently with the Junior Horse Classes.  To be a combined purebred/Half-Arabian class until entries merit split because of the size of the purse.  It was also reported that the number of junior horses increased considerably over last year.

Youth Committee Meeting:  Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Minutes from the 2019 convention meeting were approved.  The 2020 agenda was approved.  Four resolutions affecting the youth committee were presented and approved.  Those resolutions included 6-20, 7-20, 8-20, and 17-20. 

Brenna Johnson presented the Youth financial report and noted that less money came in, but there were less expenses with putting on contests like the National Hippology Contest and the National Judging Contest virtually.  Still did very well with the sponsors for those contests. 

The Regional Youth Team Tournament was cancelled for 2020.  A sub-committee to deal with the RYTT was established from volunteers.  They will meet by 12/11/20 to discuss options for 2021. 

The Youth of the Year program was discussed and the committee will remain the same as last year as all members agreed to remain on the committee. 

Announcements

Kathy Callahan-Smith expressed a large thank you for the Judging Contest and the Hippology Contest coordinated by Brenna Johnson. 

An invitation was extended to attendees to attend the Youth Board Meeting to be held on Sunday from 9-12 on Sunday, November 20. 

Youth Nationals Show Commission:  Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (came in on end of meeting)

Youth Nationals Show held with Mid-Summer Nationals.  Some of the points made:

Keep Youth Free Style as a Finals Night Class for youth.  Some of youth classes were pushed aside from the Adults. 

Canadian National Show Commission:  Tuesday, November 17, 2020

The first order of business was to review resolutions tagged to this commission.  The commission approved all resolutions. 

The Canadian Futurities were held at the Mid Summer Nationals in conjunction with the US Youth Nationals. 

The commission has been exploring the possibilities of holding a scaled down version of the Canadian National for Canadians only in 2021 if the border remains closed.  They already do have Sponsor that will remain anonymous for now.  Lots of “ifs”  so far, but plans are being ironed out now just in case. 

Right now there are not any Go/No Go dates established, but will be explored.  Still know nothing of border opening.    

It is suggested that budgets for Canada, Youth and Mid-Summer be set up as ‘’stand alone.’   Canada already has 51 Patrons Supporting for a show in 2021 which shows commitment to the show. 

US National Show Commission: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Started right off with approval of resolutions 5-20, 10-20, & 16-20. 

Sheri Odom requested that the commission add Hunt Seat Equitation Not to Jump Adult to the National show.  She reported that it is offered and well received in 17 Regions at the Regional level and is now waiting to move to the National level.  There were 23 entries in the class at Mid-Summer.  The commissioners will take it under consideration. 

Juli Larson, a US Nationals judge in the Ford arena brought up that she and other judges in that arena felt that 20 horses was too many for a finals and requested that they considered moving the number back down to 8 in the go forward rounds. 

It was a large show that went well. 

There was also still a concern about riders riding the center rather than the rail especially in the amateur Half-Arabian Hunters making it difficult for the larger, bigger strided horses to maneuver around those riding the center.

It was also stated by some that they liked the 10 go forward because you might have all top 10 in one section. 

If you attended the show, be sure that you have completed your post show survey. 

It was expressed that allowing Select riders to also ride in AOTR classes of the same discipline was a good idea giving riders an opportunity to show in more than just one class in the show.

Jim Hitt complimented the commission for doing a good job at working with him on arena conflicts during the show since he was showing in all three arenas. 

It was reported that the APP was a great resource at the show and very helpful. 

It was also mentioned that the audience appreciated having the Top Ten pinned in the arena rather than excusing them and calling them back in. 

2021 Regional Show Schedule

Go Bingo Night Bingo:  Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Congratulations to our Bingo Winners
1st Game: Carrie Olson
2nd Game: Kelly Kenneally
3rd Game: Cricket Gates, Kaye Pheuf, Laurie Tibbs
4th Game: Cheryl Lane Canon, Stacy Dunn

The above received 25.00 Gift Certificates

Blackout Game Winner $100.00 Gift Card to Cheryl Lane Canon

Go Bingo night is sponsored by Wine Country Arabian Horse Association and Red Bluff Arabian Horse Association. 

Notes from Board of Directors Meeting:  Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Just a few highlights from AHA Board of Director's meeting.

A motion from the Emergency Response Team (ERT) was approved to eliminate qualification requirements for 2021 regional shows and national shows. This does not affect regional and national distance rides; a separate motion may come forward for those events.

Another motion from the ERT was to establish eligibility for 2022 and beyond regional and national shows based on participation at AHA recognized shows. The number of shows for each regional or national class is still in development and a final version will be presented to the BOD at our August 2021 meeting. (See attachments regarding participation qualifications)

Equitation Committee Meeting: Thursday, November 19, 2020

Came in late into the Equitation Committee meeting.  Discussion was held about holding adult Hunt Seat Equitation Not to Jump Classes at Nationals and utilizing the working western judges to judge the class.

Showmanship: It was reported that showmanship at US Nationals is growing by leaps and bounds. Committee shared the score sheet to be used and scored like trail.  The last column on the score sheet is labeled F & E, which stands for Form & Effectiveness, and the score sheet also includes penalty points. Implementing the score sheets will require judges to be trained in the use of the scoring sheet as well as require that judges will need scribes.  Discussion of the lack of allowances for time outs was brought up as well as the need for qualified walkers so that judges can keep attention on the exhibitors.

Working Western Committee:  Thursday, November 17, 2020

 Youth Nationals: Cows were sponsored in 2020 and will be again in 2021.  Anonymous donor sponsored the cows, which was much appreciated.  Patterns need to be posted online a week ahead of the show.  Ability to post early is much easier now that AHA has the app.

Trail had 77 entries in 2020 and 70 entries in 2019.  Purebred entries were up this year. 

Ranch Riding is starting to plateau with ½ Arabs growing.

US Nationals: Trail classes showed growth in purebreds this year with Ranch Riding classes plateauing. Suggested that have more organized warm-ups next year to level out the number of horses in the arena at one time for warm-up. Discussion was held about adding in-hand trail at Nationals to possibly run at the end of one of the lighter trail days with a modified pattern from mounted courses.   Also, discussion was held regarding the addition of leveling in the trail division as well as changing primetime to being 50 & over.  Many have also requested a 2nd go round for herd work classes as well as adding AATR to run concurrent w/AAOTR classes.  Addition of Futurity/Derby Classes in Ranch Riding to run concurrently with junior horse classes was also discussed.

Professional Horsemen’s Committee:  Thursday, November 19, 2020

This was an excellent session with a lot of discussion about the AHA relationship with USEF. Ended with recommendation to explore AHA relationship with USEF with a committee.  Investigate what other breed associations do. 

Competition Advisory Committee:  Friday, November 20, 2020

This session was dedicated to questions and answers regarding the new qualification chart.  (See attachments).   Starting in 2022 and beyond AHA, is moving from the point system of qualification to a participation system. In essence, under the new system a rider needs to merely enter, show and complete a given class in order to qualify for Regionals in one local show.  National qualifications would be the same only you would have to compete in two local shows.  The beauty of the new qualification system is that any local show's qualified ride, qualifies you for any regional show throughout the US or Canada. The time frame that the qualifications are valid remains the same as it is currently. 

Laurie's Convention Notes 2020

Sport Horse Session

• The first order of business in the Sport Horse Session was a straw poll asking whether or not to support the decision to move Sport Horse Nationals to Ohio for the next three years.  The move was approved, but not unanimously.

• There was also a discussion about allowing horses that are blind in one eye to be able to show in-hand.  This was suggested because the new performance halter rules allow for this, and they felt it would be good to be consistent across the disciplines.

Dressage and Western Dressage Session

•  Resolution 1 was discussed and was suggested so that shows will not have to bring in more people as Technical Delegates in shows that offer open dressage.

•  There was also a resolution dealing with the age of junior exhibitors.  It was suggested to change the age of a junior rider to end at nineteen so it is also consistent across the disciplines.

•  Resolution 9 states that in western dressage shows open classes must be held before Arabian classes.

•  A new topic people were asked to think about in western dressage was whether braids should be allowed in western rides for horses that cross over in English classes.

 Sport Horse Nationals Session

•  The entire session for SHN was a discussion of locations for the national show.  It is official that the SHN will be held at the WEC in Ohio from 2021 thru 2023.  Nampa, Idaho is not actively being looked at or considered because of “footing issues”, a lack of being able to expand in size, and small number of rings and warm-up rings.  Also, they felt that hotels are limited.

•  The big hope for after 2023 was to be able to use a facility in Parker, Colorado, near Denver, which would be more of a central location.

 Canadian Nationals Session

•  They are hoping very strongly to have the Canadian Nationals next year.  If the border stays closed for next year, they are considering having Canadian Nationals only for Canadians.

Roxzene's Convention Notes 2020

Amateur Committee

• Promoter can/could impact your amateur status. See USEF promoting clients, read the rules before signing amateur status. 

•   Professionals going back to amateur status. Discussions were: review the time required, should the time required be reviewed per individual request. A committee will be made to look into it. 

• Select rider: Sub committee will continue to review the cross entering, age divisions, eligibility and differentiate and language. 

• Discussion on Midsummer nationals: Youth should have as Friday and Saturday evening classes as this was primarily their show. If Canada can reopen and come back next year, then Midsummer should be canceled as we need to support Canada. This was favored by several.

• Discussion on relationship with USEF, Committee requested getting our specific issues together to take to USEF for changes before looking at other governing bodies. 

• Regional qualifications using 1st and 2nd place awards or points for regional and national qualifications will no longer be necessary. (This was in my notes, not sure where or why I jotted it down) 

• Showmanship scores and sheets run similar to trail. 

• In hand trail is popular should be promoted.

• Review and discussion of Value shows; Value shows can have up to 175 horses. Reduced fees and simplified.; larger shows (125 -175) will still require an EMT and farrier. A stewart or compliance judge will not be required for shows with less than 125 horses, but strongly encouraged.   The value show seems to be a favorable option to making the shows more affordable. 

•  Qualifications by Participation, this is something that is being looked at how to move forward.  (I got lost on this one, so my notes are not good. It is something I think is a good idea maybe).

Well, this is what I have, maybe there is something new or different than you all have.  I liked the virtual convention and enjoyed attending this way.  Maybe it will be considered again next year.