Sue R Posted July 9 Report Share Posted July 9 In less than 90 days, North America’s best handler/dog teams will converge on Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, Virginia, for the 2024 National Sheepdog Finals. Qualified dogs from all over the United States and Canada will be running in Open and Nursery classes over seven days of competition, pitting their training, instincts, intelligence, and stamina against wily and athletic sheep, that will truly test each dog and each handler. Each dog will have qualified to enter by competing in USBCHA-sanctioned Open and Nursery trials during the year. Then they will have to prove themselves in runs during the week to advance to the Semi-Finals on Saturday, and then to the Finals, which will be a Double-lift, International Shed format on Sunday. An event of this magnitude takes a small army to put on (volunteers are always graciously accepted, and many jobs require little experience) as well as a lot of money. This is a first-class, beautiful venue in the fabled northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The sheep will number in the hundreds, providing fresh and/or lightly dogged packets for each team. There’s a large amount of infrastructure involved, and it all costs money. How can you help? A great way is to choose to sponsor a dog/handler team! For $125, you can sponsor a team, whether you are an individual or friends, each chipping in enough to add up to $125. Pay by check and each is $125. Use the convenience of PayPal or Venmo, and there is a surcharge to cover the fees. You might want to sponsor a dog you admire or who is related to your dog. Maybe you’d like to recognize a handler who has been a mentor, an inspiration, or a friend. Maybe you’d like to recognize a team that you love to watch on the field. Or maybe you’d like to not specify a team, but let us assign your sponsorship to a team of our choosing. Your sponsorship can be in memory of a favorite dog, handler, or trainer. It’s a great way to support this showcase of the working sheepdog while recognizing a special dog/handler team and/or memorializing a dog or person that is special to you. Each Open and Nursery team may have multiple sponsors and we strive for at least one sponsor per team. If the team you choose is not able to run, your sponsorship will be assigned to another team of your choice or to a team of our choosing, at your discretion. Handlers are now making their entries. You can find the links to the accepted Open and the Nursery entries at the 2024 National Sheepdog Finals website, under the Handlers tab, and the link to the sponsorship form under the Sponsorships tab, at the website https://sheepdogfinals.usbcha.com/ For added convenience, there is a link next to each accepted team’s information that will take your directly to the sponsorship form. You can sponsor a team that has not yet entered by filling in the dog/handler information on the sponsorship form. What do you get in return for your sponsorship? Each sponsor or group of sponsors will receive a 2024 National Sheepdog Finals sponsor gift. Your name(s) will be listed in the Finals program along with your chosen team. Your name(s) will also be announced as your team is competing on the field. Your team and your sponsorship will be acknowledged on the Finals Facebook page and Sheepdog-L. But, most of all, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your support helped the 2024 National Sheepdog Finals Committee and myriads of volunteers put on the 2024 showcase of the best of North American sheepdogs and handlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted July 9 Report Share Posted July 9 After the way a certain handler was treated last year when she went and represented the US at the World trial, can it be confirmed that none of the sponsor funds will be given to the USBCHA? That all funds donated will go to the organization putting on the finals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 23 Author Report Share Posted July 23 I don't have a clue with regard to what you are talking about. All I can say is that the funds are used to finance the Finals, being sent directly to be used by the Host Committee. A minor part of them is used for event pass bracelets and sponsor "thank you" gifts. Any funds over and above what is spent to put the Finals on is, I believe, passed on to the next Finals Host Committee. I have an email out to ask about that for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 20 Author Report Share Posted August 20 While we have had a great response from sponsors, we still have over 130 entered teams that do not yet have a sponsor. You can find the list of teams and their sponsors on the Accepted Entries page of the 2024 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals website. There are also still opportunities to volunteer! Feel free to share this with friends and associates! For Open entries - https://sheepdogfinals.usbcha.com/2024-accepted-entries-open/ For Nursery entries - https://sheepdogfinals.usbcha.com/2024-accepted-entries-nursery/ For Volunteers - https://sheepdogfinals.usbcha.com/volunteer/ Thanks for your support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 On 7/23/2024 at 2:30 PM, Sue R said: I don't have a clue with regard to what you are talking about. All I can say is that the funds are used to finance the Finals, being sent directly to be used by the Host Committee. A minor part of them is used for event pass bracelets and sponsor "thank you" gifts. Any funds over and above what is spent to put the Finals on is, I believe, passed on to the next Finals Host Committee. I have an email out to ask about that for you. Thanks Sue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 16 Author Report Share Posted September 16 Currently, all Open teams on the Run Order have at least one sponsor. There are fewer than 20 unsponsored Nursery teams. We'd like to see every dog in both classes be sponsored. If you are considering sponsoring a team, the sponsors for each team are listed on the website (choose the Handlers tab, then Run Order, and view the Open or Nursery Run Orders) and that is updated frequently, although a few sponsors may not be listed yet. You can contact me through Facebook Messenger or email me at susan dot rayburn at gmail.com to find out if a team still needs a sponsor. I had hoped to list all team sponsors here on this Group but the logistics made it implausible. Write-ups of every handler and their entries, with their sponsors, can be found on the 2024 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals Facebook page. The outpouring of generosity from the working sheepdog community, their friends and family, and their associates has been gratifying and has helped to provide much-needed funds to put on these Finals. Our thanks go out to all who have shown their support for their friends, mentors, trainers, family, and favorite working dogs! Please help us to see that every dog is sponsored! Sue Rayburn Dog Sponsor Coordinator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 23 Author Report Share Posted September 23 With the 2024 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals starting one week from today, all Open teams have at least one sponsor and all but five Nursery teams also have at least one sponsor. Our thanks to each and every person/group/company that stepped up to sponsor one or more teams, to help provide funds to finance this annual showcase of the working Border Collie. If you would like to sponsor one of the unsponsored Nursery teams (or any other team), you can do so at the website by selecting the Sponsorship tab and then Sponsor a Team. You can fill in a handler/dog team or can just indicate "any unsponsored team" and we'll do the rest. And, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 24 Author Report Share Posted September 24 Just two more Nursery teams need sponsors for the 2024 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals that start on Monday, September 30th, at lovely Belle Grove Plantation near Middletown, Virginia! Our thanks to all who have generously supported the Finals, the handlers, and the dogs in this showcase of the working sheepdog. And remember that, as a sponsor, you get a free admission band for the entire week of the competition, as well as a sponsor gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 24 Author Report Share Posted September 24 All dogs have now been sponsored! I am thankful to so many people who have been stepping up to sponsor for the last three months, and a few special friends who went the extra mile in these last few days. No dog should go unsponsored and I am thrilled that all of them now are! You can still sponsor a favorite dog, handler, mentor, friend, partner-in-crime, or whomever you choose - any team can have multiple sponsors, and it's not too late! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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