For HOF, JOY and Regional MVP nominations, please visit http://www.nafaflyball.com/database/nomination_report.php?FY=2018

The comment period for Supervising Judge application for Josh Watson of Barrie, ON is now open.

NAFA Board of Directors Board Meeting Highlights - Aug 25, 2018:

The first major announcement is regarding height dog measuring. We received a lot of feedback over the past 10 months, and NAFA has made the decision to begin to explore potentially using a new form of measuring. The device we are looking at using aligns us closely with the FCI. Aligning with the FCI can be beneficial as we look to have similar processes and look to participating in future World Cups. The device we are considering measures the dogs ulna. Our first step is to embark on a data gathering initiative. While we are familiar with the methodology of measuring the ulna, what we deem critical is creating a translation from that measurement to a jump height, and having that translate into comparable jump heights using our existing withers measurements. We are planning on collecting data at CanAm, on a voluntary basis. Expect a communication in the coming weeks that will describe the data collection process.

Along those lines, the board has approved a proposal for us to move forward with an initiative to send clubs to upcoming Flyball Open World Cups. The proposal put forward outlines the process by which NAFA will select which teams will represent Canada and the United States at the next event, which is slated for 2020. The outline for this process will be published shortly.

A number of rule changes were finalized for the 2019 flyball year, and effective October 1st. The first is the finalized wording for removing false starts from all classes of racing. With the removal of the false starts, the rulebook will make a practice start official, and outline the process to follow for having one. Of note, the veteran class will also now be allowed to have a practice start.

New for the 2019 season are two very exciting changes for the regular class of racing. The first is the introduction of an additional regional championship title, which is being called the Regional Overall Club Champion. This new championship employs a formula that takes into account all of a team's placements across all regular classes, and isn't focused on just division 1. This would create a greater incentive to finish well in all regular divisions. To further encourage competitive racing in the regular class, we are also introducing a points bonus – each dog on a regular division winning team will receive a 20% points bonus for that event.

The Board passed changes to the breakout out rule for next year. For events, and classes, that are isolated to a single day of racing, teams will only be allowed a single breakout before they lose their ability to place in the tournament. In classes and events that span two days, there is no change at this time. The board received a request to consider changing the minimum age a dog can compete. After careful consideration and a lot of analysis, as well as comparisons to other dog sports, NAFA decide to proceed with the proposal to set the minimum racing age for a dog at 15 months. This rule will become effective April 1st, 2019. Any dog born on or before March 31st, 2018 is exempt from the 15 month requirement.

Finally, the rules committee received a proposal to consider changing the very punitive rules around time sheet violations. NAFA acknowledged that these violations are extremely harsh, and in the vast majority of cases have been the result of clerical errors, or honest mistakes. There will be a published change on these rules that outlines the penalties for time sheet violations, which have been eased in an attempt to avoid harsh punishments for innocent mistakes.

Please watch for the new rulebook to be released in the coming weeks with full details. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to reach out to the Executive Director, or any of the Board of Directors members, or your local Regional Director with any questions.

The agenda for the August 25th board meeting is posted.

Nominations for NAFA elections opened August 1st. Elections this year will be for Board of Directors (3 positions), Judge of the Year, Clyde Moore Memorial Hall of Fame (up to 2 inductees) and Regional MVPs. Click on each link to check the qualifications for the categories!

All nominations must be received no later than September 30, 2018.

The May board meeting minutes have been posted.

As a reminder, the practice start is available to all teams in the Open class at this time, if the tournament hosts offer it. Prior approval from the Executive Director to offer the practice start is no longer required. To check out the guidelines concerning the practice starts, please see the full announcement.

NAFA is pleased to announce a new feature for the database, the Iron Dog Calculator. This new feature will allow competitors to track their dog's eligibility for this award. You can find the Iron Dog Calculator on each of your racers' "Dogs Point Detail" page in the database.