President Dave Kress called the meeting to order at 3:00 pm in Sedalia, MO at the headquarters hotel on October 4, 2026. The Pledge of Allegiance was said. It was noted that in 1954 "In God" was added.
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| Dave Kress at the podium |
There was a moment of silence for Bob Hayden.
Next it was mentioned that the 2026 NRDC is dedicated to its Charter Members. John Russell was the "founding father" of this event and the 1st President to serve on the Board.
John Russell came up and gave a little speech that went something like this ...
"...I took a committee and the National Amateur Charter and worked from there. I talked to people who were knowledgeable and respected. Mike Lardy stands out as a tremendous asset. John Stracka who was wonderful on details - Larry Morgan, etc. Dennis Bath introduced me to Bob Hayden who had a central location. Doug Lungren at the AKC was also tremendously helpful. The Derby is the 1st event to give a title the 1st year. What we aimed for is exactly where we are now, with the exception of Covid, we have grown every year. Derbies were in decline and that was part of why this Club was formed. We needed a trophy - very unlike others. We wanted something New and Different. A wildlife specialist did the silver work on it and it came out beautiful! ..."
Next the Committee was introduced and Thanks were given to all who worked so hard on this event
The 2026 NRDC Officers:
President – Dave Kress
1st VP – Randy Spangler
2nd VP – Derek Smith
Chairman – Jeff Sanders
Secretary/Treasurer – Stacy Ritchie
PRTA Director – Marcy Wright
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| L to R: Randy Spangler, Jeff Sanders and Derek Smith |
Gwen Jones then came up and thanked all of our sponsors and introduced Pat Burns, who will be representing our sponsors. He will be the contact for all.
Stacy Ritchie came up and gave the report on all clubs and a quorum was reached.
Randy Spangler will be the President next year, and Jeff Sanders will be rotating onto the board as Dave Kress rotates out.
Sara Shull came up and spoke about Retrievers Forever and will be the chair of this event next year. Retrievers Forever helps the sport by helping clubs with purchases, sports medicine is also included. They give money and it is tax deductible. The application website is available and there to help. It is set up for both short and long term help, including mentors for clubs to get stronger.
Canine Health Foundation (CHF) Vice Chairman, Wayne Jensen, (soon to be Chairman) was up next. He talked about all they do for our dogs health, and encouraged everyone to donate with each entry on Entry Express.
Judges were introduced next.
Jeff Schuett – North
Judy Rasmuson – South
Larry Morgan – West
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| Judges L to R: Jeff Schuett, Judy Rasmuson and Larry Morgan |
It was announced that Kathy Vanderling will be catering the event.
Representatives were announced:
Jerry Man - AKC Representative
Gwen Jones - Retriever News Blog
Sara Sommerfeld - Retriever News Managing Editor/Blogger
Melinda Gustavson - Retriever News Representative
All Chairs and Co-Chairs were introduced
Test Dogs were introduced:
Female Test Dog - Coming Around Again, "Carly," Owned and handled by Stacy Ritchie
Male Test Dog - Tall Pines Raging Rebel, "Rebel," Owned by Nannette Hegerty and handled by Wayne Curtis
It was then announced that at the conclusion of Tuesdays event - the Workers Party will be held at the Haydens home and everyone (not just workers) are invited to join!
The starting # was drawn – Dog #3 will start the event!
Rotation: 3, 17, 31, 45
Wayne and Tracey Jensen were presented with a painting of last year's winner Pairadoc's Who's The Wizard. The painting was donated by the Haydens - it was beautiful!
Next up, Chief Marshal Rip Shively gave thanks to the Haydens for a beautiful place for our dogs. It was noted that there is a cemetery on site and we are welcome to visit it. Thanks were then given to the army of volunteers making this event possible, and special thanks to the Judges for a great week!
Jeff Stetzenbach retired in April and is a volunteer worker to groom the grounds and is also Co-Chief Marshal. Time management is critical - slow down and don't sacrifice your dogs time.Instructions for tomorrow...
- No specific airing locations - but there will be more info given during the week.
- 7:10 am National Anthem is scheduled, followed by a talk from Retrieving Freedom.
- 7:30 am 2 Test Dogs will run the 1st Series
- 15 mins from taking the last bird from the last test dog, the trial will begin.
- 3 dogs need to be in the blinds - do not move up until the working dog leaves the blind
- 2 Series per day is the goal to complete this week.
- 1st Series - Rooster Flyer and Dead Rooster
- Noted that the 1st Series will not be very gallery friendly
- No bird - go back 6 - 7th dog to run
- 2nd no bird will be the same
- If a test is scrapped and the next series the SAME day, the start dog will be the next in line.
- If a test is scrapped and the next series starts the NEXT day - the original starting # will start
- Both feet on the mat on ALL SENDS
- Controlled Breaks are allowed
- Flyers shot over water will be sleuced
The 2027 Judges will be:
North: Ray Vreeland
South: Mike Crow
West: Mark Neeley
