Short Board-member biographies
From BayTeam
Here are brief biographies and statements from Bay Team Board of Directors members current and past.
Contents |
Current Board
Barbara Snarr
Believe it or not, until 4 1/2 years ago (summer 2002) I haven't even had a dog, ever! When I moved to California from Switzerland in 2002 and got married to my husband Steve, I also met Dakota, his 10-year old Malamute; and fell in love with dogs. Six months later, we adopted an adorable 8-week old puff ball from a local rescue group, Sheila, a Border Collie girl. At that point, I had no idea about Border Collies OR Agility.
After some basic obedience classes, Sheila and I decided that we needed some additional challenges and heard about this thing called "Agility". We found Tania Chadwick's Fortis Agility on the Internet and started Puppy Agility in late 2003. Regular classes started in summer of 2004 after Tania's baby break when Carter was born. And we have been hooked since: our very first trial was the Bay Team trial in Sunnyvale (Twin Creeks Sports Complex) in May of 2005!
Since then, we got another puppy, 2-year old [[Jersey (Snarr)|Jersey, a BC-Something-Mix, who has also (more or less) successfully started trialing last summer.
I decided to join the Bay Team shortly after we started competing. Organizations like this only survive through their members and the Board who puts in countless hours to make these events happen. In early 2007, I have accepted my new role of Vice President and Membership Czar and I am looking forward to continue supporting the Bay Team, USDAA, and CPE.
- Barbara Snarr with
- Sheila; AD, AJ, AS, CL1
- Jersey; SR, SJ
Holly Newman
I joined the Bay Team in 2000, even before I began competing with Jasmine and when the club ran only four trials per year. During my nearly 9 years of membership, I've contributed in various roles at (and between) trials, including trailer hauler/loader/storer, ring crew, D.J., and more recently, crew chief and stand-in trial chair. I helped develop Bay Team's technology, beginning with the first online membership renewal and the set-up of PayPal accounts. I continue to oversee Bay Team's PayPal payments and work with Mike Bavister to hone the online CPE entry forms.
The club has grown substantially and hosts twice as many trials, including the highly-regarded USDAA Southwest Regional event. This dramatic growth introduces new and interesting challenges, and I'm hoping to take a more active role in the management of the club by running for the Board as Member-at-Large. One of my highest priorities will be to examine how our corporation functions and propose steps to streamline operations as might be appropriate for a corporation with $125K in annual revenue.
I live in Petaluma with my husband Rich and our three dogs: 11-year-old Jasmine, 8-year-old Zack, and new addition, 1-year-old Billy. To pay for my entry fees and vet bills, I am a Sr. Systems Engineer in the I.T. Department at Kendall-Jackson Wines in Santa Rosa.
Karey Krauter
(Secretary '10-'11, various in past years)
[2008 MAL candidate stmt] Started agility with my two belgian shepherds in 1995, train with Power Paws, presently competing with two border collies. I primarily do USDAA; however, on a non-USDAA weekend I'll do any AKC within 100 miles and any CPE/NADAC/ASCA/DOCNA/TBD within 50 miles of home. I live in Palo Alto. Joined the club in 1996, secretaried my first trial in 1998, got drawn into club politics that same year, been doing both ever since.
I always vote for more trials and more classes at trials: I always vote for more agility. I'll always vote for anything that makes trials more fun, easier to run, and anything that contributes to people feeling warm and fuzzy about the trial and the club: it's our hobby and recreation so the whole point is to feel good about it. I like to see the sport grow in our area and I like to do whatever I can to make it easy to grow - if a club is thinking of not having a trial because of lack of trial committee, I love to step in because then that means one more trial I can go to.
[2010 secretary candidate stmt] My name is Karey Krauter and I’ve been a club member since 1996 and a club officer in some capacity or another (as well as club event secretary or chair) since 1998. After all these years, I gave serious thought to whether I still had anything new and useful to contribute to the board this next term. My conclusion: if you’ll have me yet again, I think this old dog can still hunt.
I see the Bay Team as a role model for the sport, both in our event organization and innovation and in our membership’s exemplary sportsmanship, volunteerism, positive attitude, and joy in our dogs. I love seeing us become well-known everywhere for these things, with other clubs and competitors striving to “be like Bay Team”.
How do I see us continue being a role model? I see us continuing to push the envelope of obsessive-compulsive organization, staying on the cutting edge of equipment and scheduling innovation, and striving to be the go-to resource for dog agility in this country if not the world. We have the size and the means and the bodies to do more, and we have the momentum and the influence. We are also very fortunate to have sister clubs in the region that have similar goals for growing and improving the sport; the cooperation and constructive support of the “Greater Northern California Agility Cooperative” (that’s what my husband calls us) is truly our region’s biggest strength.
What is on my personal agenda for this upcoming board term? Not necessarily in order of importance:
- Explore new options for an in-the-south-bay location for events. Shouldn’t the BAY team have at least one of its (currently) eight events IN/ON the BAY? Given our widespread membership, it’s not a bad thing to have events in Prunedale and Santa Rosa but we need to support our center of gravity too!
- Continue to see our finances increase in transparency, accuracy, and predictability. This is how we can continue to have some of the lowest entry fees in the country and still have the best equipment and judges and bennies.
- Continue to improve our equipment transportation and logistics, with a goal of improving accessibility and convenience, while reducing the need for special skills and vehicles and recurring costs. This is one of our main issues when planning special events such as fun matches and seminars and demos and workshops. (“But we don’t do any of those things?” Perhaps you see my point.)
- Reach for the cutting edge of equipment innovations, leading the rest of the region into the future. Rubberized contacts, breakaway tires, electronic timing advances, electronic contact detection automation and table counting. Lobbying our sanctioning organizations to adapt equipment specs to the future – shorter chute fabrics, safe and easily judged long jumps. I see us being the perfect vehicle for beta-testing new equipment ideas that meet our own standards of safety and ease of use and accuracy of judging.
- More seminars, workshops, non-competition training and education opportunities. These are not only in demand by our market but these are also opportunities for a newbie to gain experience/exposure to event organization. Special smaller events such as these are also a medium to establishing relationships with new facilities and new-to-us seminarists and resources.
- Regarding my specific role in the office of secretary, I see this office as an opportunity to update and educate our membership not only on club decisions and policies but also on background and lessons-learned and WHY. Our meetings and our meeting publications are the only interaction most of our membership has with club business and I’d like to maximize this interaction perhaps as a means towards drawing more members into active participation/volunteerism/role modeling!
Thank you for having me all these years. I look forward to being a part of the Bay Team of the Future.
Sincerely and with eager anticipation, Karey
Kathy Wheelock
I am interested in serving on the Bay Team Board as president because I believe the Bay Team is a great club that plays a vital and positive role in supporting the agility aspirations of our community. As my agility fever has become more and more entrenched, so too has my stake in this wonderful tribe of people that is the Bay Team. Our club depends upon and thrives on the energy and engagement of its members. My interest in serving on the Board is driven by a desire to use my skills and experience to contribute to the continued health and vitality of the club.
More than 25 years in the banking business have given me ample opportunity to observe what works and doesn't work in running a business. As a member of the bank’s management team I have attended the bank’s Board meetings for the past eight years. This experience has prepared me for board processes and responsibilities (Robert’s Rules, legal responsibilities, meeting preparation, etc). My experience has also given me practical knowledge in the areas of group/team decision-making, efficient business practices, and the need for adequate internal controls.
I believe the Bay Team's greatest strength lies in our members. The membership is active, positive, and engaged. There is a great diversity of skills, interests, and perspectives. All of this translates into a vibrant club that delivers extremely well run agility trials. We are strong in running trials because we have good volunteerism, and because we have excellent, repeatable, well-documented processes. We also have very strong leaders and a very deep bench with many people willing and able to step up and run various aspects of a trial. Supporting and maintaining this engagement, focus and drive on the part of our members as we continue to grow will be one of our challenges in the future. I would work to maintain open, two-way communication channels with members and continue efforts to serve diverse needs (from newbies to the ultra competitive types). Finding a way to be inclusive of all members without becoming too far flung or burning out our most enthusiastic worker bees will be important!
Another challenge that we face as we grow in membership, number of trials, and revenue generation, will be to continue effective management of the business of the club. As a business manager, this is the area I feel most qualified to contribute. It would be my goal to focus on good internal controls and expense management. Our members want to continue see good value delivered for their trial dollars and effort. I believe we should strive to keep the cost of trials down, while insuring that we produce a positive return on each trial.
I am extremely proud of this club and its tradition of excellence and leadership in the agility world. It would be my honor to serve on the Board and to work to continue this tradition.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kathy Wheelock
Katrina Parkinson
My name is Katrina Parkinson. I have been competing in agility for almost 4 years. While I'm newer to agility, I've become very involved in the Bay Team from the start. I am heavily involved in equipment issues including, hauling, maintaining and replacing equipment as needed, I have chaired both CPE and USDAA trials, and I have worked just about every key worker position there is at Bay Team trials. I'm seeking office as a member at large.
I believe that the Bay Team's purpose is to put on agility trials and as such, I think we should strive to do this as well as possible. I would like to see us be proactive in making this sport as safe as possible for our dogs. As one of the largest agility clubs in the country, I think we should be leading the change to safer equipment to prolong the lives of our canine athletes. We are in a unique position to influence other clubs by making changes that people will start to expect and request. We can use this to benefit our dogs by creating a safer environment for them to compete.
I think the Bay Team has it's strength in numbers and some very dedicated followers. Because we are so large, we can influence neighboring clubs to follow our lead and create ripples of change throughout the Northern California agility community. We are very lucky to have a key group of very dedicated people who make almost all things Bay Team possible. I would also like to get some new blood involved to take the pressure off some of these key people and I would also like to encourage the structuring of Bay Team events to minimize burn out. I realize that if we lose these people, the whole club will suffer for it. To this end, I would like to see trials judged not on how much money they make (although that is surely a consideration), but on how the trial was seen by workers and competitors. I would also like to start some sort of peer review/ mentoring process to help with trial feedback. While I am aware that running trials is not the board's job, the club was set up for the purpose of putting on trials and I think the board needs to do their best to ensure we are only putting on quality trials.
As someone who does both CPE (not tons, but I do chair and attend trials) and USDAA, I think we need someone on the board who can consider both venues when talking about changes. Especially some of the equipment changes we are currently discussing. I think that all too often CPE gets overlooked as most of our board members do not attend our CPE trials. I hope that I can bring a balanced viewpoint to the board and enhance the competition experience for both our two and four legged members.
Thank you, Katrina Parkinson
Nancy Gyes
I am one of the founding members of the Bay Team. The first Bay Team meeting was held at my home in August of 1992. In the early years I served on the board, held Club training sessions at my home, provided and hauled all the equipment to the trials and was involved in most every aspect of Bay Team Club life.
As my agility business has evolved I have mostly taken a back seat in the politics of running our club. In the last few years I have enjoyed getting re-involved in club organization by helping the club progress from a financially challenged organization to one that is run by honest individuals using modern accounting processes and making the most of the talented people we have in our club. I would like to continue that process from the board position.
I trial chair the Bay Team Labor Day USDAA Regional event. It is the largest Bay Team trial, and also is the largest USDAA trial in the country aside from the USDAA Nationals. I have also gained experience while serving in the past on the nominating committee, and I am currently a member of the Bay Team Budget Committee.
As I see the future challenges of the Bay team:
- Continuing to hold 8 trials a year without burning out volunteers and still encourage volunteerism as opposed to paying more and more every trial for helpers to work.
- Not having trials in the central bay area is a big issue which I would like to see resolved by finding new locations to hold trials.
With my husband Jim Basic we run Power Paws Agility in San Jose. I teach seminars throughout the USA, and occasionally in other countries. I also coach the AKC Agility World Team. Thank you for considering me for the position of Bay Team Board Member at Large.
Pat Kaufman
Since becoming Treasurer, I have developed a new appreciation for all the hard work our members put into the Bay Team. It is amazing the amount of time and effort that goes into putting on our trials and supporting the club. As treasurer, I will work very hard to support that effort.
I Started competing in 1997 and joined Bay Team around 1998-1999. Through Bay Team I have met wonderful people and made close friends. Being a part of Bay Team has inspired me as a handler and partner to my dogs. Though USDAA is my venue of choice, I also greatly enjoy CPE. I go to as many trials as I possibly can and run every run possible. For me, there is no such thing as to much agility. I love to train and compete.
I got into agility because I wanted a hobby I would not become obsessed with. At the time I was absorbed in Dressage. I decided to do agility after seeing a few seconds of it on TV. Butch the Boston Terrorist then entered my life. With a Boston a sense of humor is a must. My life has never been the same. Now my dressage saddle lies abandoned in my closet.
By profession I run the company I founded 20 years ago. By obsession I spend as much time as possible playing with, training and competing with my dogs: Haley, Fleet, Zoey, and Carlee Sue, baby dog in training. By luck I have a husband who supports it all.
Past Board members
Lorrayne Bailey
Biography for Lorrayne by Chili Bailey
Lorrayne came to get me when I was six months old. I got kicked out of the show ring because my topline made my back legs too long for my front legs. Actually, it was Lorrayne's husband, Art, who picked me out because I looked like an old brown and white papillon-type he had known a long time ago. I let it be known that "retirement" was not in the future for me, so Art took me to class to learn about dog manners. Lorrayne observed that I had a good head for details and soon took over when we got to the agility part. That was in 2000, when I was just a spoiled pup and she had just retired from Lockheed. We became a 3-way team: Art, Lorrayne and me, and we started competing in agility as soon as Lorrayne and I could remember the courses. We all joined the Bay Team and went to all their trials. I got to run with Lorrayne on the obstacle course and Art did all the hard work, like straightening tunnels, carrying leashes, and keeping score.
Then, much to my disgust, Art decided he had to have his own agility dog and along came Me Too. They ran right up on my heels and almost caught me, when Me Too went to heaven. Now, there is Molly, a very fast papillon who doesn't like the start line, and Sooner who is an annoying young pap that is "in training." So now we are a family of five altogether. We go to USDAA trials and AKC trials and I give Lorrayne time off to be secretary of the Bay Team. I think it helps her understand the rules and stay mentally "limber" since she's such a long way from the "NEXT GENERATION." She's actually in the "Aforementioned Generation." We like agility and we want there to be lots of it available so we try to help out wherever we can. She doesn't really have a political agenda for the club. We just like to have fun, spend time in the sun, soak up that Vitamin D, and run along side of me to keep her bones and head from getting brittle. I think we understand each other and I give her a lot of slack. --Chili
Kathy Bennett
It is with pleasure that I accept a nomination for Secretary of Bay Team. I, along with my husband, David, jumped into agility about five years ago under Sandy Rogers' tutelage at Ace Dog Sports. As our skills and canine family grew, agility has enriched us with the close companionship of wonderful dogs, and the outdoor life that this entails. It seems fitting that, after five years of enjoying this very special sport, and several of those years as a Bay Team member, I have an opportunity to assist in the Bay Team's mission.
Although experience specific to Bay Team primarily involves trying to get entries in on time, and dogs on the line, I am interested in the promotion of dog agility to the public as a fun and accessible sport. Organizational experience that may be relevant includes a four-year term as Director at Large for the Professional Services Management Association, an industry organization for managers of architectural and engineering firms. As a financial partner of an architectural firm for a number of years, and for the last five years a co-owner of a software dealership, my background focuses on the financial management area.
Thank you for your consideration, and, should I be chosen, look forward to joining the Bay Team team.
Mike Scannell
I started competing in dog agility in 1998 along with my wife Cheri and our Jack Russell terriers Angel and Bob. The second trial we entered was a Bay Team trial in Hayward. We had a great time and were amazed at how well the event was run. From that trial on we became regulars at all the Bay Team events.
From the beginning, I really enjoyed helping out at trials. I eventually moved on to crew chiefing and then to co-chairing several trials. As much as I love running my dogs, what I really cherish is the people I have become friends with along the way.
I am very proud of our club's reputation for consistently putting on great trials, and promoting agility in the Bay Area. I look forward to what we, as a club, can all accomplish in the future.
Tania Chadwick
I joined the Bay Team in 2002, but have been doing agility since 1995. I started with Golden Retrievers (Murphy and Marley) and currently run a Border Collie, named Kidd. I also have a son, named Carter, in preschool and a baby on the way that's due in early April. I also operate Fortis Agility in San Jose. I have competed in all three major agility organizations to the top levels in each one, but now compete only in USDAA.
I look forward to 2008 as we continue to hone our skills at running the most efficient trials in the country, exposing more people to dog agility and having lots of fun doing it. I welcome anyone who wants to learn about running a trial and/or wants to try on a trial committee postion or be an apprentice.
Wendy Bruce
When Eric and I first moved to the Bay area in (I think) 1997, we arrived somewhat suddenly as Eric had received a job offer that just couldn't be refused. Moving up from Southern California (Santa Barbara, San Diego) Eric was despondent about missing a trial we'd entered in Arizona and could no longer attend. One week before the trial we searched online, found that a Bay Team show was about to occur at Hayward and Karey (bless Karey) said "well, can you express mail me your entries and check? If so you can run next weekend". That was a three-ring show on the upper lawn at Hayward and we were soooo impressed! It was the biggest show we'd been to and everything ran like clockwork!
After a couple of years competing at Hayward, helping with shows and training with Sharon Freilich, we became members, and the following year I was invited to run for President of the Bay Team. I had more experience with managing nonprofits than I did with agility, so provided a nice balance for the rest of the board who all overwhelmed me with their agility experience!
After 4 years as President I stepped in to a Member At Large role to allow for new "blood", and continue to do whatever I can to keep the Bay Team going, growing, and having fun. Much has changed over the last few years, the location and size of our trials, replacing NADAC with CPE -- and always I am proud to be a part of a club that focuses on quality, improvement, fairness and fun.
This is not a club of politics, nor inequitable workloads. We believe in having a great time with your dog, your fellow competitors and contributing to the local sport of dog agility. Embracing all ages, abilities, breeds and cultures -- what I love about our shows is the true camaraderie of fur.
See also
- Bay Team Board of Directors for contact information
- Past Bay Team board members and contacts for a complete history of all past Board members
