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2007 Awards Banquet
The 2007 Annual Awards banquet for the Washington State Hunters & Jumpers Association was held January 12th at the Westin Hotel in Bellevue. Attended by more than 400 members and their families, the event recognized the achievements of both horses and riders during the past year. Ribbons were handed out for more than 100 divisions with the champions each taking home a beautifully engraved silver belt buckle. Tracy Weiss, this years banquet chairperson, did a wonderful job and the event was enjoyed by all. Steve Sanville, this year’s auction chairperson, reported that the silent auction raised nearly $8,000 for the Association’s educational programs.
The Association’s special awards were presented after the formal, multi-course dinner. Jeff Anthony, the Association’s president, began by presenting the President’s Cup, which was purchased in 2006 to recognize and honor past presidents of the Association. Last year, Steve Sanville, was the custodian of this legacy. This year, as the current president, Jeff wanted to do something slightly different with this historic trophy.
The WSHAJA is a non-profit organization that relies on the service of volunteers…people that are passionate about our sport and want to make a meaningful contribution. These volunteers contribute their time, talents, and resources for the benefit of the entire membership and this year Jeff thought it would be appropriate to use this opportunity to recognize and honor the Association’s “Volunteer of the Year” by making them the official custodian of the President’s Cup until the next Awards Banquet.
2007 was a big year for the Evergreen Classic Horse Show, which is the premier hunter and jumper event in the State of Washington. For several years, the Association has been searching for a high quality outdoor venue that could accommodate a large number of riders and families in a beautiful pastoral setting. A venue that is convenient to Seattle and could showcase our sport and return the Evergreen Classic to is grass roots (literally). But moving from the Monroe fairgrounds, to a completely untested new venue in Carnation, required significant planning and investment in infrastructure, especially footing, and the Association did not have the resources available to make this happen. So Clare Warren and the team at Emerald Horse Productions reached out to the membership, asking for help, and Jeff’s selection for “Volunteer of the Year” was the first to step forward and answer her call.
David Robinson has a long history of supporting the Evergreen Classic. He has attracted charities and sponsors to the event for many years, going back to the days at Marymoor Park. He has driven all over Western Washington as a member of the search committee that was responsible for reviewing potential locations for the show. He has also served on the footing committee, attending many meetings with engineers and footing experts to ensure that the Evergreen Classic was in top condition and ready in time. But most importantly, he was the catalyst that encouraged Emerald Horse Productions to take the chance by saying early on in the decision making process that they could count on his family’s financial support to help with the significant upfront costs of the footing enhancements that were needed more than 6 months before the first entry was received. Jeff thanked David for sharing his vision for making the Evergreen Classic one of the top horse shows in the country, not just in Washington, and for helping to move the event out of fairgrounds in Monroe and back onto the grass.
Steve Sanville then presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Karen Green, who learned her teaching skills from watching greats such as Bob Woodington, Bonnie Coffin, Paul Valier, George Morris, Victor Vidal and Judy Richter. For several decades, Karen has worked with hundreds of riders from 4-H & pony club to champion amateur and professional riders, including coaching the University of Washington’s Equestrian team to their zone and regional championships.
Perhaps Karen’s greatest accomplishment has been teaching and guiding of her daughter Nancy’s development from a little girl riding 4-H ponies to a successful career as a nationally recognized professional rider and trainer. Traveling to horse shows far & wide supporting and coaching Nancy’s every step of the way created a special bond between the two and formed the foundation of a new era for the family when Nancy decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and start her own business at the family farm. Karen has always been there to support Nancy and they truly are a team complimenting each other with their strengths. When there is a problem Nancy can’t solve, or if a rider gets stuck, they go to Brass Ring boot camp where Karen will help to solve the problem, even if it takes 2 hours. Only the truly serious come back for round two!
Karen’s passion for horses and horsemanship covers every aspect of the horse world and she continues to expand her knowledge and learn new things as the times change. In addition to riding and training horses she has also developed a gift for breeding and has foaled many stunning babies. She has and will continue to pick every vet and professionals brain about keeping horses healthy and curing the ones that need help. As a lifetime achievement award winner, Karen’s contribution to the sport and the Association will be recognized with a complementary membership for life.
The 2007 WSHAJA/USHJA Sportsmanship Awards went to Kristen Cox (Junior), Judi Gilmore (Amateur), and Laina Paterson (Professional).
Photography for the event was provided by Andrew Towell of Troutstreaming and pictures of the event can be viewed and ordered online at http://www.troutstreaming.com/Equestrian/443458.
Volunteers and organizers for the 2008 Awards banquet are encouraged to contact Jeff Anthony at (206) 669-3440 or jeff@potcreek.com.
We give a special shout out to Tracy Weiss for volunteering to serve and being last year’s Banquet Chair and creating a wonderful evening.
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