MARC ELECTION
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Bob Swift
Macy and I began our love affair with retrievers over 35 years ago with a rescue Golden. I was impressed that she could retrieve tennis balls and the morning paper, even collecting Sunday papers from around the neighborhood. After that I thought about training. A friend introduced us to the newly formed Treasure Coast Retriever Club and a whole new world was opened. Over the years I served in every possible capacity for Treasure Coast. We also helped start two more retriever clubs in Florida.
The dogs introduced us to the sport of wing shooting and have taken us to 28 states and the province of Ontario to hunt, compete or judge. I’ve judged well over 100 events in both AKC and HRC Hunt Tests as well as minor Field Trial stakes. I have served as event Chair of the Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty Hunt Test and Field Trial. While I’ve been seen mostly driving Goldens, we’ve had our share of Labs, including over a dozen dogs raised for Southeastern Guide Dogs. Our current pack includes two MH, QAA goldens and a SH, QAA lab that Macy is having a blast with. And, there is a puppy in our future.
My professional career was focused on the planning and development of complex real estate projects; especially community developments projects with high political or environmental sensitivity – heck, if it was easy, someone else would do it. That required working with and managing a team of diverse players, from architects and engineers to bankers and regulatory agencies. The challenge was finding a way to keep all those divergent interests moving in the same direction. I was also honored to help found a non-profit affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and an advisory team affiliated with Audubon International. Imagine walking into a room full of environmentalists and saying “Hi, I’m a real estate developer and I’m here to help you.” It wasn’t easy, but it was fun.
The first four years of the Master Amateur Retriever Club have been a pleasure and an honor. The club has proven its ability to host quality annual Invitational events. Our finances are strong and the membership is growing. We continue to improve on our communications to members and the retriever community. We have an excellent rapport with our partners in AKC, Retriever News and the other national clubs. The AKC is fully supportive of our mission to promote and encourage amateur participation in our sport. We have challenges and the club is well poised to address those. We need to expand our membership and reach out and encourage more amateurs. (I reflect on those folks at TCRC who were so patient and welcoming to a newbie with an unruly golden.) We need to look to the future and recruit new, young participants. We need to continue to look for solutions to those issues impeding participation, especially the entry challenges that many amateurs face. With the support of our partners and the membership I’m fully confident in the ability of the Club to address those issues and for the future of the Club.
~ Bob Swift
Macy and I began our love affair with retrievers over 35 years ago with a rescue Golden. I was impressed that she could retrieve tennis balls and the morning paper, even collecting Sunday papers from around the neighborhood. After that I thought about training. A friend introduced us to the newly formed Treasure Coast Retriever Club and a whole new world was opened. Over the years I served in every possible capacity for Treasure Coast. We also helped start two more retriever clubs in Florida.
The dogs introduced us to the sport of wing shooting and have taken us to 28 states and the province of Ontario to hunt, compete or judge. I’ve judged well over 100 events in both AKC and HRC Hunt Tests as well as minor Field Trial stakes. I have served as event Chair of the Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty Hunt Test and Field Trial. While I’ve been seen mostly driving Goldens, we’ve had our share of Labs, including over a dozen dogs raised for Southeastern Guide Dogs. Our current pack includes two MH, QAA goldens and a SH, QAA lab that Macy is having a blast with. And, there is a puppy in our future.
My professional career was focused on the planning and development of complex real estate projects; especially community developments projects with high political or environmental sensitivity – heck, if it was easy, someone else would do it. That required working with and managing a team of diverse players, from architects and engineers to bankers and regulatory agencies. The challenge was finding a way to keep all those divergent interests moving in the same direction. I was also honored to help found a non-profit affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and an advisory team affiliated with Audubon International. Imagine walking into a room full of environmentalists and saying “Hi, I’m a real estate developer and I’m here to help you.” It wasn’t easy, but it was fun.
The first four years of the Master Amateur Retriever Club have been a pleasure and an honor. The club has proven its ability to host quality annual Invitational events. Our finances are strong and the membership is growing. We continue to improve on our communications to members and the retriever community. We have an excellent rapport with our partners in AKC, Retriever News and the other national clubs. The AKC is fully supportive of our mission to promote and encourage amateur participation in our sport. We have challenges and the club is well poised to address those. We need to expand our membership and reach out and encourage more amateurs. (I reflect on those folks at TCRC who were so patient and welcoming to a newbie with an unruly golden.) We need to look to the future and recruit new, young participants. We need to continue to look for solutions to those issues impeding participation, especially the entry challenges that many amateurs face. With the support of our partners and the membership I’m fully confident in the ability of the Club to address those issues and for the future of the Club.
~ Bob Swift