Nothing Routine About the Celebration
Submitted by Tamara Reinhardt
Defying national government and
horse industry trends, Barrel Futurities of America Board members met and
reviewed positive results and indicators from 2009. In a routine meeting held January 10 & 11
in Oklahoma City, the Board took action preparing for an exciting and rewarding
2010 futurity year.
The year-end bonus program will
return to the previous format of rewarding the top 5 futurity horses based on
points earned at BFA-approved futurities.
Due to the difficulty of securing BFA member fees from futurity
producers, the bonus program implemented in 2009 will be abandoned. The 2010 bonus program will be paid as
follows: 1st-$5000, 2nd-$4000, 3rd-$3000, 4th-$2000, and 5th-$1000.
In response to members’ input,
the SUCCEED Derby payoff will be modified.
Twenty percent of the purse will be designated to each of the two
go-rounds in a 2D format, and the remaining 60% of the purse will be distributed
among the top twenty SUCCEED Derby finalists.
Upon accepting Board member Jud Little’s resignation, the BFA Board appointed Becky Canaday
to serve the remaining one year of the term.
Becky and Visworks presented an ambitious webcast program that will
garner additional viewers as well as sponsor visibility for the World
Championship event.
The continued growth of the
Elite Juvenile Futurity, the Future Fortunes Bonus program, and the amateur
contestants’ entry list in response to the Jud Little Ranch Amateur Finals are
encouraging indicators. The success of
the $100,000 $uper$takes and the BFA Barrel Horse Sale
further
the evidence that the BFA World Championships is delivering a prestigious and
desirable barrel racing event.
Acknowledging the significance
of the BFA World Championships 25th Anniversary, the BFA Board is
preparing to celebrate this industry milestone with commemorative apparel,
souvenirs, and a Celebration of Champions at the 2010 event. Scheduled December 6-11 at Oklahoma City,
this year’s World Championships will be ALL Silver! For information about the BFA or to contact a BFA Board member go to www.barrelfuturitiesofamerica.