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Election Procedure
OVERVIEW

See Election Criteria and Guidelines below for details. The BFTHF election procedure is modeled after the one used by the American Field. There are 3 steps in the process: Nomination, Election and Induction.

Nomination Process

Nominations begin March 1 and close July 1. The nominee biography, photo and support letters will be posted on the BFTHF website Nominations page.
  • Nominator should prepare a biography with facts that outline a candidate dog or person’s worthiness to be a member of the BFTHF (see Basic Criteria below) The nomination and bio should be complete and factual as these are sent to the Election Committee members for voting.
  • Send the nomination, bio and a photo of the candidate by email to Mary Crawford, Secretary at jmbritts@gmail.com, or by mail to 11902 Mile Dr., Houston, TX 77065
  • Endorsements for nominees should be sent to mail@BrittanyFieldTrialHallOfFame.com or Mary Crawford.
  • Go to HOF - Dogs & HOF - People to see a list of past Hall of Fame inductees.

Election Process

The Election Committee will be appointed by the BFTHF Chairman. After the closing deadline for nominations, bios for each nominee will be sent to the committee members; thereafter they must vote by a deadline. To be elected, a Dog or Person must receive “yes” votes by 60% of the total Election Committee. The Secretary will receive and count the votes keeping all votes secret. The Chairman will notify the new inductees of their election into the Hall of Fame.

Induction Process

Induction Ceremonies at the Sporting Dog Center (Bird Dog Museum) in Grand Junction, TN are held on the weekend prior to the second Monday in February just before the start of the Pointer/Setter National Championship. Induction is very formal.

Election Criteria and Guidelines for Dogs and People
effective 1-1-2018
The Brittany Field Trial Hall of Fame (BFTHF) is one of seven breed organizations that are part of the Bird Dog Foundation of Grand Junction, TN. The breed organizations are the Pointer/Setters, German Shorthaired Pointers, Brittanys, Irish/Red Setters, Retrievers, Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels.
    “The Bird Dog Foundation is dedicated to preserving the past and protecting the future for bird dogs including pointers, spaniels and retrievers most of which are involved in competitive field trial sports across the continent. The foundation houses and operates the National bird Dog Museum, Field Trial Hall of Fame and Wildlife Heritage center all under one roof at Grand Junction, TN.”
The Bird Dog Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, is independent of all other organizations and is a tax-exempt entity. It is composed of the National Bird Dog Museum, the Field Trial Hall of Fame and the Wildlife Heritage Center. The Field Trial Hall of Fame is the umbrella for all breed Field Trial Halls of Fame and the BFTHF is one of these.

Induction of an Outstanding Brittany and a Distinguished Brittany Person into the BFTHF is a three-step process. First, a dog or person must be nominated. Second, the dogs and people with the top nominations must be elected by the Election Committee. Third, the elected dogs and people will be formally inducted into the Field Trial Hall of Fame in Grand Junction, TN.

The BFTHF election process is modeled after the one used by the American Field and differs from the one used by the American Brittany Club.

Nomination Committee

The purpose of the Nomination Committee is to nominate Outstanding Brittanys and Distinguished Brittany people, those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of field trialing. Membership is voluntary and all Brittany people are members. This committee is an ad hoc committee that exists each year and we ask everyone to participate. Your efforts will help a dog or person get elected to the BFTHF.

A nominator should prepare a bio or fact sheet that outlines a candidate dog or person’s basic criteria of worthiness to be a member of the BFTHF. Factors to be considered are listed below under Basic Criteria. The biography and a photo of the candidate should be sent to Mary Crawford, Secretary at jmbritts@gmail.com, or by mail to 11902 Mile Dr., Houston, TX 77065. Nominations will thereafter be posted on the BFTHF website at www.brittanyfieldtrialhalloffame.com as well as endorsements for candidates. The objective is to obtain input from a wide variety of field trial people. If you believe in a particular candidate, you need to get as many people as possible to endorse the same dog/person.

Basic Criteria

Dogs and people nominated should be known to have made significant contributions to the sport of field trialing. The Hall of Fame honors dogs that are special and a tribute to their breed. These dogs should be ones that breeders look to when planning breedings. They should have multiple hour wins in important championships and produced pups that are also multiple hour winners.

Normally, no more than two worthy dogs and people will be elected in any calendar year. The nomination process begins on March 1 and closes on July 1 of each year.

For Dogs
Factors to be considered are:
    1. performance, a dog’s field trial record (one hour heats or longer). A dog’s entire competitive career should be considered; a particular win or performance should not over shadow an entire career. History has shown that winning a championship or even a National Championship does not necessarily make a dog an eligible nominee.
    2. production, a dog’s progeny and their quality. Production records, especially quality of pups produced, is a big consideration. The future of the breed depends on excellent progeny.
    3. recognition that the dog has received from the field trial community.

Dogs must be deceased for at least a year prior to the beginning of nominations to be considered.

For People
People who are deserving of nomination and election into the BFTHF should have rendered exemplary service to the sport of field trialing both locally and nationally for a long period of time.

Notable service has been defined to be any combination of the following activities:
    1. Club official, Judge, Reporter. Having served multiple times as an official of a major or national club or association such as AFTCA; having been a judge, reporter, field trial marshal, stakes manager, trial chairman of major stakes; having been a writer and/or journalist associated with field trials and bird dogs.
    2. Owner, Breeder, Handler. Having bred, owned, trained, handled and campaigned field trial dogs that became winners; having been a leading competitor and winner of major stakes; having been a hunter, hunting dog trainer, thereby gaining some insight into understanding the nature of game birds, their habits and the ability of dogs to locate and handle those game birds under varying conditions.
    3. Patron. Having supported and promoted amateur competition and professional dog handlers, in other words a real patron of the field trial sport; having been an important contributor financially to major field trial activities, i.e. regional or associated field trial grounds, Bird Dog Foundation, AFTCA, or upland game habitat improvement programs; having been a generous supporter of other environmental or conservation activities that significantly enhance field trials and venues; having served as a member of a top dog award or handler award program.
    4. Sportsmanship. Above all, nominees should have exercised superior sportsmanship in all aspects of the field trial sport. They should be nominated based on the contributions they have made, what they have given to the game, not what they have received. Nominees should be givers to the sport, not takers or self promoters.

Election Committee

The Election Committee’s duty is to elect Outstanding Brittanys and Distinguished Brittany people to the BFTHF. The committee members must believe that the nominees are worthy, those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of field trialing and whose stature is comparable to the previously elected dogs and people. Shortly after nominations close on July 1 of each year, Election Committee members will receive a letter from the BFTHF Chairman with bios on the dogs and people nominated. The election should be concluded by September 1 after which time the BFTHF Chairman will announce the inductees for ceremonies to be held in February of the next year.

The Election Committee performs a significant task and the most knowledgeable field trial championship people are asked to participate. Committee members will be drawn from the following sources: 1. BFTHF Board of Directors 2. BFTHF Members and Dog Owners 3. People instrumental in conducting, reporting, judging and participating in Brittany Championships.
Each Election Committee member will have a maximum of two (2) yes votes for nominated dogs and two (2) yes votes for nominated people (only 1 yes vote is allowed for each nominee) OR a committee member may elect not to use any yes votes at all.

To be elected, a Brittany and/or a Brittany person must receive “yes” votes by 60% of the total Election Committee membership. For example, if there are 100 members, it will take 60 “yes” votes to elect a nominee even if only 90 members vote.

It is critical that all Election Committee members vote! All ballots submitted by the election committee to the Secretary are secret and it is her responsibility to insure that they remain secret. Voting will be accomplished by email where possible and by regular mail.

After the closing and counting of votes the BFTHF Chairman will notify the new inductees of their election into the Hall of Fame.

The Secretary will:
  • provide the Executive Director of the National Bird Dog Foundation with the names and addresses of the new inductees,
  • contact the inductees and provide information on the ceremony and preparation of a picture/painting for hanging in the Hall of Fame, and
  • prepare bios for the induction booklet and website.

    The Executive Director will contact the new inductees regarding a list of inductee’s friends to whom announcements will be sent.

    BFTHF Induction Process

    Each year, the Pointer/Setters, German Shorthaired Pointers, Brittanys, Irish/Red Setters, Retrievers, Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels hold their Induction Ceremonies at the Sporting Dog Center (Bird Dog Museum) in Grand Junction, TN. This event is held on the weekend prior to the second Monday in February just before the start of the Pointer/Setter National Championship with big festivities for all attending. A booklet with pictures and information on all inductees is given to attendees of the ceremonies.

    Induction is very formal. The inductee is introduced along with the inductee’s presenter. The presenter then makes his/her remarks followed by the inductee’s remarks. The inductee is given his scroll indicating election into the BFTHF as well as a commemorative BFTHF lapel pin. The inductee’s picture/painting is given to the Hall of Fame at these ceremonies if possible (otherwise, it will be hung by the museum at a later date). After appropriate applause, the inductee is now a member of the BFTHF !

    Following the ceremonies, announcements will appear in the American Field and the American Brittany Magazine..

    Rick Smith
    Chairman, Board of Directors
    Brittany Field Trial Hall of Fame