22nd February, 2007

Dear Friends:

I am writing belatedly but no less enthusiastically to thank you all so very much for all your assistance, patience and sense of humour during the Bermuda Dressage Group’s Combined Training show at the end of January. 

We are a new committee, and quite frankly it was a struggle for us.  Never before had we had to produce and sort through all the jumping information.  Being a dressage group (and novices at that) it was mind boggling.  Anne Cherry had kindly done all the secretarial work for the group last year, but this year she felt it was time we grew up and handled it ourselves.  However, like a good momma, she kindly held our hands through the numerous phone calls and silly questions until we got it right.  And thanks also to Dawn Fox, who kindly assisted on entry day and who also answered a slew of phone calls when we got stuck. Then of course was the day of the show and Mike and Roz Collins saved us with the actual scoring.  If you are familiar with how jumping shows go and have worked in the announcer’s box, I am sure you would think, ‘Hey, what’s the big deal?” I can only say, believe me that the first time it IS a big deal.   In our enthusiasm to get it right, we (that should be Elka Gibbs and Shirley Dwyer) produced a multitude of papers (you could see forests falling as we worked!) and as a group we will be meeting next week to sort through them all and no doubt Anne will be getting a few more calls—and no fair checking the caller ID!

I would say here that Elka and Shirley are amazing on the computer and organized like very few women I know—when we figure out how to bottle it, we will be putting it on sale for anyone interested in organizing shows of any description.  Anyhow, I digress.

It seems only proper that all that helped be named and famed.  Some of the assistance was only for 20 minutes and some of it was for many hours.  It all counts.  It’s like the $5 one sometimes thinks to donate but doesn’t because you don’t think it will matter.  It does matter.  It all adds up.

So here we go, a HUGE thank you to you (and a silent prayer that I have remembered everyone and forgiveness if I have not…)

Scribes -  Susie Roque, Harriet Richold, Tracey Williams

Runners  -  Debbie Butterfield, Lauren Bell

Announcers - Becky Carne, Mike Collins

Scoring - Alison Dyer Fagundo

Collecting Ring - Helen Terceira, Lesley Cox, Suzette Sailsman

Timers - Jaime Masters, Jackie Scott, Melissa Pereech

Jump Judges:  Judy Hagen and Pam Mahoney

Course Designer -  Steve Gibbons

Jump Crew - Chris Williams, James McKirdy, Ian Truran, Dennis Dwyer, Malcolm  Butterfield,
Frances  Weddup, Dawn Fox, Andy and Alex Gibbs, Stephanie Wilkinson, Nicole Hassell, Nick DeCosta

Ring - Colin Mello, Cameron Harris, (and Michael Rodrigues who was not here that weekend, but has assisted with this for the past three years)

Plants - Sousa’s Landscaping

Canteen - Heidi DeSilva

Canteen helpers - Lexy Carey, Ashley Gibbs, Patricia Swan, Jean Wolosiuk

Food - Jackie Scott, Christine Franklin, Jean Wolosiuk

And thank you to the participants who were patient and understanding as we fixed our screwups, and who had faith and came in spite of dreadful weather forecasts and hopefully had as good a time as we did on what turned out to be two lovely days.

As for my committee, we assume that they shouldn’t be praised because this is what they undertook when they signed on.  Believe me, if we had only known then….so I wanted to say a special thanks to you.  You all put in an amazing effort for this show while all time preparing for the FEI-WDC scheduled just two weeks later: 

Susan Roblin for kindly stepping at the last minute to be show director because I found out Roz couldn’t do it  because she was scoring. (Something else I learned from Anne, thank you!)

Roz Collins for her amazing work on the computer and producing the most comprehensive and colour coded (no less!) scoring sheet you can imagine. Not to mention actually doing all the scoring--no mean feat for a combined training show.

Elka Gibbs & Shirley Dwyer for all their organizational skills, computer work and particularly their patience with me as we struggled to get forms and schedules designed (and redesigned as we amended the omissions!)  Not to mention assistance with ring set up and jumper crew!

Lauren Adcock for all her help with rounding up volunteers, ring set up and all round assistance whenever it was needed.

Heidi DeSilva for her amazing effort and the very long hours she put in to produce and man an awesome canteen.

Kindest regards,

 Lisa