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Fellow USHWA Members,
Hope all is going well with you and your families. I have been kept busy with my new position as president of StableTracker.com, which is an innovative financial online accounting management system, totally paperless, for owners, trainers, drivers and vendors in our industry. With our tentative launch date of mid June on the horizon, I hope many of you will check out the site once it becomes live and perhaps some of you will sign on and use it! (Sorry…had to throw in some cheap free pr…gotta get it where I can…right, John Manzi!)
Harness racing is now in full bloom with winter behind us and summer approaching. Soon the two-year-olds will be racing, the roaring Grand Circuit is getting underway, and tracks have or are opening their meets -- we hope everyone has a great season of racing. There have been some troubling issues, including the cutbacks to the Pennsylvania program that now appears to be reduced quite a bit, but the situation up north in Ontario – well, we can only hope will be dealt with on a positive note for horse racing.
Attached with this letter are the committee appointments for the 2012-2013 calendar years. Please note we have dropped some categories and added some new ones. Most important is that I have split the Journal Committee into two departments: Editorial, which will be chaired by Kim Rinker, and Sales, which will be chaired by Chris Tully. And with a Congress this winter the need to raise additional funding is very important, so I have appointed Moira Fanning as the chair of the new Sponsorship Committee. Callie Davies-Gooch will be the chair of the new Congress Logistics Committee.
After conferring with Chris Tully, it has been decided that we need everyone to assist with selling ads in the journal this year. Thus there will be commissions paid to those that sell ads. A 5% commission will be paid on any repeat or renewed ad from last year, and a 15% commission will be paid on any ad that did not appear in last year’s journal. Please contact Chris Tully for more information on selling ads.
It is part of the “USHWA Culture” that everyone who is a member should help in selling ads for the journal, and I encourage you all to please get involved this year. We are a volunteer organization and have no one that is hired full or even part time to assist us. Thus, if you wish to sell ads and donate your commission back to USHWA, that is great. But if you wish to sell ads and donate your commission to another organization, or if you need the money yourself, that is fine too. We need your help and assistance this year more than ever, so please drop Chris an email or call him to help out!
And speaking of the National Harness Racing Congress…it is now moving into high gear with the recent announcement of a beautiful hotel, the Westin Resort and Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, as the Congress hotel from February 28 to March 4, 2013. We will be joined by HHI, HTA and USTA plus other groups in helping host this wonderful event. USHWA will be playing a big role in working with the lead groups in helping format the forums and special panel discussions that will take place. With that said, we would love to hear from you on any ideas for forums and discussions that you feel should take place and would be of interest to you and to our sport. More details on the Congress will be forthcoming, including dates of USHWA meetings, dates of Congress sessions, other events, cost of dinner tickets, how many nights of hotel USHWA will be paying for whom, and more.
Also a reminder to all USHWA Chapters…your nominations (2 max) to the Living Hall of Fame, with biographies are due to Secretary Connors on or before June 1! Time is running out, so please do not be late. I have heard from some of the Chapters, but not all of them, so I hope every Chapter will be nominating people!
And speaking of the Hall of Fame, I hope to see many of you in Goshen, NY the weekend of July 1 for the induction of two very special and most deserving members into the Writers’ Corner. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with both Jean Emerson and Moira Fanning for more than 25 years, and our association could not have selected two more worthy people for this very special honor. It will be an honor to introduce both of them at the Hall of Fame dinner July 1. There is still time for those wishing to attend to make hotel reservations. The special rates on the Hall of Fame website run until the end of May. Tickets to the dinner are $125 per person and according to Gail Cunard at the Harness Racing Museum, they are selling very fast. (By the way, Gail has just announced she is retiring after this Goshen weekend – many thanks to her for her great work over the years. She will be succeeded by Janet Terhune.)
Please make sure to include me on any of your chapter’s meeting dates or special events in case I can attend. I plan on traveling a lot this summer to introduce StableTracker.com to the racing community and would love nothing more than to be able to attend any special functions or meetings you may have.
Take care and hope to see you at the races!
Sincerely,
Steven Wolf
President
USHWA
Steve Wolf stevejw@bellsouth.net c 954 654 3757
Chris Tully tullytrot@yahoo.com c 845-807-7538
Tim Bojarski a159star@att.net c 716-572-1801
Jerry Connors ushwa@paonline.com (all 717) c 379 5125 h 651 5889 o 787 5539
Jason Settlemoir jasonlbj01@aol.com Tioga 607 699 3900 c 607 280 4125
Judy Davis-Wilson zoe8874@aol.com o 302 698 4610 c 302 233 3047
Alan Prince alanprince1@comcast.net h 954 481 3595
Bill Brown wbrown43@rochester.rr.com h 585 343 5900
Four major, national and international Standardbred racing organizations – Harness Horsemen International (HHI), Harness Tracks of America (HTA), United States Harness Writers’ Association (USHWA) and United States Trotting Association (USTA) – have announced that they will participate in the 2013 Harness Racing Congress to be held from Feb. 28 through March 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa.
The event will mark the first time that the four organizations have met jointly for an industry summit since the 2009 Racing Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada, which also included the Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Each organization will conduct its annual meeting during the event with joint, general sessions slated for Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, 2013. In addition, the USHWA Dan Patch Awards Banquet, where the 2012 Horse of the Year will be announced, is scheduled for Sunday evening, March 3.
“The Harness Racing Congress in 2013 will be a great chance for members of the industry to get together to exchange ideas and to honor horses and horseman at the USHWA Dan Patch Awards,” said USTA President Phil Langley. “We also expect to invite experts in other fields to share their ideas on racing and how some of their business successes might help us strengthen our industry.”
HHI President Gene Oldford is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to interact with other important members of the harness racing community again.
“When I went to my first Congress in Orlando, I came away so enthused and excited to be able to sit and talk with owners of racetracks and directors of the USTA,” said Oldford. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to share and build on information as a team rather than individuals, especially for newcomers, who get to know what the harness industry is all about.”
For the writer’s association, the joint Congress provides a grander stage to showcase the industry’s annual Dan Patch Awards honoring the year’s most outstanding performances by horses and horsemen.
“USHWA is excited about being part of the Congress,” said USHWA President Steven Wolf. “It’s a great thing to get all of the powers that be together to work toward the common goals of educating and promoting our sport.”
Understanding the value of industry-wide discussions, the HTA, led by the late Stan Bergstein, has always been a driving force behind these summits.
“Harness racing is facing many challenges, and while stakeholders have varied interests, it’s important for us to put aside our parochial differences and work in a unified manner to explore ways to strengthen the industry,” said Bergstein’s successor and HTA Executive V.P. and General Counsel Paul Estok. “The Harness Racing Congress has always been about exploring and debating issues in the hope of creating a better future.”
Further details on the agenda, topics of discussion and guest speakers will be released at a later date.
Harness Horsemen International, formed in 1964, was created for the primary purpose of promoting harness racing in the U.S. and Canada. The organization provides and encourages ideas and suggestions aimed at improving the sport. HHI functions as a clearinghouse of information for its member groups by disseminating federal- and state-level news. HHI provides several group insurance policies such as a national fire disaster policy, a third-party public liability policy and a term life policy.
Harness Tracks of America, or HTA, is the trade association of 26 major pari-mutuel harness racing organizations in both the United States and Canada. Organized in 1954, it is dedicated to the advancement and progress of the sport. Association activities include economic and management studies and surveys; position papers; promotions; sponsorship of scholarships; sponsorship of research; production of promotional and advertising materials for its member tracks; preparation of materials for legislative research; periodic meetings and seminars; issuance of two widely-circulated newsletters, Track Topics and Promotions at HTA Tracks; an annual directory of the pari-mutuel industry; and the HTA Daily Executive Newsletter.
Founded in 1947, the United States Harness Writer’s Association is the organization of newspaper, magazine, radio, and television reporters of harness racing news as well as many involved in publicizing and promoting the sport. USHWA also works with the USTA Communications Department in selecting the “Dan Patch Harness Horse of the Year,” and is the organization that conducts the Hervey, Broadcasters’, and Smallsreed Awards programs. Members also nominate and elect candidates to the sport’s Living Hall of Fame.
The United States Trotting Association, founded in 1938 and now in its 74th year of operation, was created to unify what had been a fragmented Standardbred industry. Although its first offices were located in Goshen, N.Y., the USTA has been based in Columbus, Ohio since 1948 and serves the entire United States. Its basic objectives are: licensing owners, trainers, drivers and officials; formulating rules of racing; maintaining and disseminating racing information and records; endeavoring to ensure the integrity of harness racing; insisting on the humane treatment of Standardbreds; and promoting the sport of harness racing and the Standardbred breed. In addition, the USTA makes substantial contributions to other segments of the Standardbred industry, such as donating funds for research on a variety of equine health questions and sponsoring training seminars for racing officials.
THE HISTORY OF USHWA IS BOOK STILL AVAILABLE- USHWA's Executive Secretary Bill Brown has authored a new book that covers the 65 year history of the organization. Sales of "The Story of USHWA" have been below expectations. Bill reports that there are sixty (of 150) copies left and 35-40 are needed to be sold to break even. Please consider purchasing a copy of this comprehensive history of USHWA. It is available for $6 per copy including postage. You can mail your check to Bill Brown 16 Bank St., Batavia, NY 14020 or contact him via e-mail at (wbrown43@rochester.rr.com) to inidcate your interest in buying a copy.
An overflow crowd was on hand to see all the awards presentations made to all the human and equine honorees at the 2012 Dan Patch Awards Banquet held at the Hilton Double Tree at Seaworld in Orlando, FL. The event was held on 2-12-2012.
Click Here to watch the entire Dan Patch Awards presentation and banquet via archived video provided and hosted courtesy of Roberts Communications.
WOLF, TULLY, BOJARSKI, SETTLEMOIR ELECTED TO NEW POSTS- Long-timehorse racing publicist Steven Wolf has been elected president of the UnitedStates Harness Writers Association (USHWA). Wolf,a resident of Coral Springs FL, has been writing and covering harness racingfor more than 30 years. He is currently the president of StableTracker.com, a horse racing financial accounting software system based in Ft. Lauderdale, and he is the former Senior Director of Racing Operations at the Isle Casino PompanoPark.
Elected as 1st Vice-President was Christopher Tully of Goshen NY. He is the current president of the Monticello-Goshen Chapter of USHWA and was the former General Manger of the Historic Goshen Racetrack.
Tim Bojarski was elected as 2nd Vice-President after a special second runoff election. Bojarski is president of the Upstate New York Chapter of USHWA, has been a freelance writer for Hoof Beats magazine for 12 years and has worked at Goodyear for 34 years in several positions.
Outgoing USHWA President Jason Settlemoir was elected as Chairman of the Board. Settlemoir is the Vice President of Racing & Simulcasting at Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, both in NY. He was presented with a gold lifetime membership pin by senior Past President Bill Brown.
Re-elected to their long-time positions on the executive board were Bill Brown, Executive Secretary, and Alan Prince, Executive Treasurer. Also re-elected were Judy Davis-Wilson as Treasurer and Jerry Connors as Secretary.
USHWA recently concluded its annual meetings in Orlando FL, the weekend highlighted by the Dan Patch Awards banquet, which honored the late great Stan Bergstein, and which drew a group of 325 attendees that loudly cheered their awardees and favorites, including 2011 North American Harness Horse of the Year, San Pail.
The major item under the focus of the Harness Writers, especially their Directors,was a document that was two years in the making, suggesting comprehensive changes in the Association’s By-Laws, removing redundancies and anachronisms, and specifying procedures that would enable USHWA to move ahead in the coming years. After much discussion, a few deletions, and more than a few rewordings, the document was passed as the basis of the governance of USHWA. (LeonZimmerman, head of the By-Law Revision Committee, was named USHWA’s Member of theYear for his dedicated efforts.)
There was also a detailed presentation by USHWAn Barry Lefkowitz about how USHWA could upgrade its banking procedures to modern standards so that it could be inline for maximum insurance coverage and a lower price. Lefkowitz’s Insurance Committee report was one of over a dozen given by the sub-groupings within the organization. One of the more pleasant presentations came from Jessica Schroeder’s New Membership Committee, which showed that USHWA’s membership actually gained in 2011-12, the first plus in many years, primarily because of a membership recruitment brochure put together by her group.
The Association selected two longtime Meadowlands Racetrack standouts,statistician/writer Bob “Hollywood” Heyden and announcer/TV production chief Sam McKee, as the ballot candidates for this summer’s consideration for theCommunicators Corner of the Hall of Fame.
TEAM VALOR INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR $25,000 COMPETITION
Frank Deford, Bill Nack, Bill Christine and Richard Eng will serve as judges for Team Valor International’s inaugural Stanley Bergstein Writing Award.
Barry Irwin, founder and chief executive officer of Team Valor International, instituted the award last fall to foster the type of writing Bergstein embodied as an influential scribe on important issues in horse racing. A columnist for Daily Racing Form and many harness racing publications, Bergstein died in November at age 87.
The inaugural award will go to the writer of a racing-related story published in North America between November 1, 2011 and November 1, 2012. The prize from Team Valor is $25,000.
Deford, a member of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, has written with great distinction for Sports Illustrated since 1962. In covering Thoroughbred racing for the magazine, he garnered Eclipse Awards in 1975 and 1984. Deford is a weekly commentator for NPR, a senior correspondent for HBO Real Sports, and is the author of 16 books. He and Red Smith are the only writers with multiple features in The Best American Sports Writing of the Century.
Nack also has a feature in that collection from his unique perspective as the author of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion. Nack wrote the seminal horse racing book during his time as the Turf writer for Newsday. He later wrote about the sport in 23 years at Sports Illustrated and has been a regular contributor for ESPN.com and GQ. He is a 9-time Eclipse Award winner.
Christine collected 2 Eclipse Awards as the long-time Turf writer for the Los Angeles Times and also was part of the Times team that earned a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of an earthquake. He now writes features for Daily Racing Form.
Eng is the racing columnist and handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and has written gaming columns for Daily Racing Form. He previously served as public relations director at Santa Anita Park, Turfway Park and Arlington Park and was a researcher and writer for ABC Sports’ coverage of the Triple Crown.
A full description of the Stanley Bergstein Award is available here. Writing entries can be submitted to Jeff Lowe at jeff@teamvalor.com
STRONG TURNOUT FOR FLORIDA CHAPTER BANQUET- With the largest attendance in more than 15 years, the Florida USHWA Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association, held its 21st annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet Sunday at the at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North Hotel.
More than 250 people attended the affair which featured three prominent horsemen and one trotting stallion inducted in the chapter’s Hall of Fame, which recognizes special individuals who have been outstanding leaders within the industry for more than ten years and who have contributed to the betterment of the Standardbred Industry.
The inductees were Jim McDonald of Ft. Lauderdale, Doug Miller of Lake Worth, Walter Ross, Sr. of Margate and the trotting stallion, Famously, who stands at Jim Gluhm’s Farm in Trenton.
Other awards presented were the Delvin G. Miller Award, which recognizes someone whose life in harness racing has maintained the dedication and integrity furthering the growth of the sport. That award went to Jean Bryar of Pompano Beach. Receiving induction to the Communicators Corner for his outstanding journalistic career covering and handicapping harness racing was Erwin Grossman of Boca Raton.
The Frances Dodge Van Lennep Award, which recognizes an outstanding female who has made great contributions to the sport, goes to Donna Richardson, of Deerfield Beach. Winner of the R.D. Ricketts Award, which goes to an owner or owners whose contributions to Florida racing has been outstanding, is the Polo Stable (Mark Friedman, Rosemary & the late Eugene Friedman) of Boca Raton. Winner of the Dana Irving Award for breeding outstanding juvenile performers in 2011 was Russell Peavyhouse of Plant City.
The William Popfinger Award for developing an outstanding juvenile pacer wents to Phil Peavyhouse, of Plant City. The Stanley Dancer Award, which recognizes achievements of a trainer who has been continuously outstanding in the development of trotters, went to Mel Turcotte. The annual Caretaker of the Year Award is presented to an outstanding individual who over his or her career has dedicated untiring time and effort towards caring for the horses in the stable(s) they worked for. This year’s honoree was Maggie Audley of Bell.
The Peter Haughton Award for the best newcomer to Pompano Park went to Jason Dillander of Anderson, IN. The Dan Gawlas Good Guy Award, presented annually to an outstanding individual who has always contributed to the sport was presented to Greg Perry of Pompano Beach. The Florida USHWA Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Gordon Norris of Pompano Beach.
In addition to the Florida USHWA Chapter’s awards, presentations will also be made by the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association to the owners of the top two and three-year-olds state-bred trotters and pacers in 2011 and the Breeder of the Year, Amante Standardbred, Inc. of Delray Beach. The Florida Amateur Driving Club presented their annual “Driver of the Year” award to Jamie Marra and the “Rising Star” award went to Thomas Santeramo.
The Hall of Fame dinner featured music, a silent and live auction and a 50/50 raffle with proceeds going to the Allen J. Finkleson Scholarship Fund.
USHWA NEW MEMBER BROCHURE IS HERE-The hard work of the New Member Committee led by Chairwoman Jessica Schroeder has brought to frution a new tool to help broaden and build the membership of USHWA. It is a colorful and informational brochure that will explain exactly what USHWA is, what USHWA does, and why those who work in the sporting media would want to join.
You can download a printable version of it here.
We also had hard copies printed and are looking for all of our members to take this opportunity to help distribute the pamphlets (either electronically of paper copy) to anyone you may think would be intersted in becoming a part of our organization or convince someone who is not. It is inthe best interest of USHWA to get as many people on board with us to help promote our great sport.
Hard copy requests can be made to jessica.schroeder@ustrotting.com .
The United States Harness Writers Association is a group of more than 250 members committed to the chronicling of harness racing through the print and electronic media. It was founded in 1947 by New York City area sportswriters who were covering harness racing at Roosevelt Raceway. It remains the only media organization in harness racing with a membership of newspaper, magazine, radio and TV, ad agency, publicists and others involved in racing communications. With more than 250 members, most of them allied to one of 12 regional chapters, the association strives to bring about a closer relationship among the media, racetracks and horsemen to promote a centuries-old American-bred sport.
USHWA members, in annual voting, choose harness racing's most prestigious awards like the Living Hall of Fame and the Horse-of-the-Year. Its Proximity Achievement Award is one of the sports most cherished honors. It also recognizes top divisional winners and leading drivers and trainers at its annual awards dinner, which began in 1948.
The association is governed by a member board of directors, which represents the chapters and at large members (those living or working in regions where there is no chapter). Also serving are seven national officers and all past presidents.
USHWA works with the united States Trotting Association in the Horse of the Year balloting. USHWA also presents the John Hervey Awards for excellence in writing and broadcasting. Its members choose Hall of Famers, so the association also works closely with The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame at Goshen, New York.
Many chapters hold annual awards or recognition dinners to salute the leading horses and drivers in their areas. Some chapters also raise money for local charities.
Contact USHWA at ushwa@paonline.com
Direct questions or comments to webmaster@ushwa.org
