Had a great time at the meet!!

[Lowachi]

Hey Mark

I think there was certainly some room for improvement (as there always is), but I think you did a fantasic job putting on the meet. Thank you for all your efforts. I do have some feedback to send you privately.

Geoff

I have to agree. Thanks! It's a huge amount of work just doing a portion of a meet, let alone the whole thing. Thanks for all your efforts.

[goshawkr]

I joined NAFA in 1982,went to 3 meets back then,started going back in 2000 and been every year. This meet OUR 50TH YEAR was the WORST I have been to. Not the people not the game but the structure of the meet itself. This was something special 50 years that is why I came. I could not believe the shirt that I got how bland nothing there.Why didn't it have had the NAFA logo on the back with celebrating 50 years 1961-2011. Then the raffle got to write my name on my tickets I missed the first night because they started at 6PM people are still getting back from hunting.No body did there home work! And the grand finally our banquet in a lounge WTF table for 2!! How pathetic is that. I drove 1500 miles for this and I'm so disappointed there was nothing special to show we made it 50 years...how sad. Sorry for the I'm done.

Chris

Chris,

I think this post of yours is shameful.

Sure, there were problems with the way the volonteer set up the meet. There is always room for improvement. But griping in public in this manner is not constructive, and does not help make the situation better. Tell you what - since you can do such a great job, why dont YOU take the hot seat and plan the next NAFA meet. Or for that matter, maybe you should be the meet chairman from now on. We will just let you run them all and see how much fun it is.

Did you notice, BTW, that after the first night the raffles were later in the evening? THAT is what happens when your consrtuctive. I pulled the meet chairman and the raffle chair asside and pointed out that the start time for the raffle didnt allow people to get back in from hunting if they were flying until dark, and they changed it. No bitchin, no griping, just casually and constructively pointing out how things could be improved.

I liked the way the shirts, hats, and mugs all tied together in a nice simple design.

Funny, you say this was the worst meet you ever attended when many have said it was the best. Isnt there a saying about that somewhere....

[BestBeagler]

Chris,

I think this post of yours is shameful.

Sure, there were problems with the way the volonteer set up the meet. There is always room for improvement. But griping in public in this manner is not constructive, and does not help make the situation better. Tell you what - since you can do such a great job, why dont YOU take the hot seat and plan the next NAFA meet. Or for that matter, maybe you should be the meet chairman from now on. We will just let you run them all and see how much fun it is.

Did you notice, BTW, that after the first night the raffles were later in the evening? THAT is what happens when your consrtuctive. I pulled the meet chairman and the raffle chair asside and pointed out that the start time for the raffle didnt allow people to get back in from hunting if they were flying until dark, and they changed it. No bitchin, no griping, just casually and constructively pointing out how things could be improved.

I liked the way the shirts, hats, and mugs all tied together in a nice simple design.

Funny, you say this was the worst meet you ever attended when many have said it was the best. Isnt there a saying about that somewhere....

I think he should be entitled to his oppinion without being told he's "shameful" don't you? He thought it sucked so what? I thought the last NAFA meet in KS sucked and that was my first one I ever went to. I had fun and met some cool people but I was NOT impressed with the meet in the least... Now you can give the reasons why it sucked and I can understand them but it still won't change my mind of how I felt on the matter.

[COMEAUX]

Chris,

I think this post of yours is shameful.

Sure, there were problems with the way the volonteer set up the meet. There is always room for improvement. But griping in public in this manner is not constructive, and does not help make the situation better. Tell you what - since you can do such a great job, why dont YOU take the hot seat and plan the next NAFA meet. Or for that matter, maybe you should be the meet chairman from now on. We will just let you run them all and see how much fun it is.

Did you notice, BTW, that after the first night the raffles were later in the evening? THAT is what happens when your consrtuctive. I pulled the meet chairman and the raffle chair asside and pointed out that the start time for the raffle didnt allow people to get back in from hunting if they were flying until dark, and they changed it. No bitchin, no griping, just casually and constructively pointing out how things could be improved.

I liked the way the shirts, hats, and mugs all tied together in a nice simple design.

Funny, you say this was the worst meet you ever attended when many have said it was the best. Isnt there a saying about that somewhere....

Geoff,

I really don't CARE what you think...PERIOD!


Chris

[austringer84078]

Sure, there were problems...pointing out how things could be improved.

Not a problem Geoff. I'm extremely glad the majority of people had a good time and I don't post this as a comlaint myself but to simply explain a little.

I'm glad to hear the problems people had. We can't fix it if we don't know what's broke. All criticism is valid and I knew there were people that weren't happy. At one point, people were leaving the hotel and thanked me. I said, see ya next time. One guy in the group said, I hope not. That's fine. Only an idiot would think he could please everyone at an event like this especially when that person had never done this before. Before it started, Larry Dickerson told me to relax, that people were coming to hawk and see old friends not necessarily for me to entertain them. He was right.

There were a lot of things I would do differently as well. I did have a few mandates I had to meet which caused a number of things to be less than what I had hoped. I was told the Meets lose money for NAFA and that had to stop. Our Meet was in the black.

For example, T-Shirts, as mentioned above. Personally, I didn't even want to have them because sizing is a hassle and the budget I had to work with, $10 same as last year, meant a thinner material and single color printing. If we could sell them for $35 and get a thick material with multi color printing it would have been better but, who pays that for a t-shirt?

We were writing names on tickets so people didn't have to be present to win. Next time a better method might be to have a number associated with the person's name tag and have them write that number which is only a lesser hassle. The alternative is twin tickets, call a number and if you aren't there, can't hear or don't pay attention, we draw someone else's ticket.

We only had one classroom available so it limited the number of lectures we could have which wasn't a problem initially because I had trouble getting people to speak at all. Then, there was the lounge / Banquet. Some people pulled tables together. Frankly, because of our lack of facilities, I don't know why NAFA keeps coming back to Vernal. We don't have a hotel with convention facilities so it means, Meet hotel here, classes there, (and in the past vendors somewhere else). There isn't a good solution to that other than choosing a bigger city, then everyone gets to spend all their time getting permission to hunt private land.

Lastly, my biggest dissappointment was the Sky Trials/Demonstration flights. If people wanted to make a difference that would have been a good spot. The only person that volunteered to fly was Fred Seaman. Thanks Fred, whereever you are. There were a lot of dissappointed people who came from England, Belgium and other places that didn't get the chance to see any flights and were really looking forward to the event.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear any suggestions for improvement. I'll pass them on to the next Utah Meet Chair.

[goshawkr]

I think he should be entitled to his oppinion without being told he's "shameful" don't you? He thought it sucked so what? I thought the last NAFA meet in KS sucked and that was my first one I ever went to. I had fun and met some cool people but I was NOT impressed with the meet in the least... Now you can give the reasons why it sucked and I can understand them but it still won't change my mind of how I felt on the matter.

Its one thing to be constructively critical - but I dont think he was doing that. Sure, he is welcome to think the meet sucked.

[goshawkr]

Geoff,

I really don't CARE what you think...PERIOD!


Chris

Didnt think you would - but it was worth a try anyway.....

[Heatherg]

I think I said it on my thread...but plain and simple....This meet was probably the best that I have been too....not for the hunting....not for the presentations or banquet or any of the other stuff...but simply for the people and commraderie!!!! I cant imagine trying to please NAFA with budget restraints, and please a bunch of falconers too.....that is truely a no win situation. EVERYONE finds something to b*#ch about....There are always thing that could be done better, but I think what people forget is that laughs and good times that they did have.....if it was truely that bad...they could have left, and some people did....big deal!.....I am soooo thankful for an opportunity to see people that I had not seen in a while (some a very long time) and meet great new friends!!!
For the people that have ideas or suggestions....im sure that the people involved with next years meet would love to hear from you, and more than that would love the extra hands.....so here is you opportunity to step up and makes things better for the next time around....its very easy to sit back and watch everyone do the work and b*#ch about how its done wrong.....its much harder to step up and make the situation better....

Thank you MARK!!!!! and all those that helped at the meet....it gave me the opportunity to hunt, catch game and be with great people in a beautiful place!!....not much else I can ask for!!!

[JRedig]

They say life is what you make of it.

Thank you Mark and the rest of the meet people who put everything together. You'll just be that much better at it in 4 years!

[gohawking]

I can't tell you what a relief it is to log in here and see that everyone had a good time at the Meet. We've never had game populations this low at a Meet here. We've never had such crappy weather the week of Thanksgiving any year. Sheesh! I spent most of my time tracking down registration swag or scrounging backup speaker systems or dozens of other little things. Maybe I can get out and hawk a little more next time.

Thanks,
Mark

When you are the meet chair you don't get much time to go hawking.

[Ally]

They say life is what you make of it.

Thank you Mark and the rest of the meet people who put everything together. You'll just be that much better at it in 4 years!

Amen to that.

Heather, you said it too.

I couldn't imagine trying to organize all the work that goes into a Meet. I had the best time I could imagine having, and like Heather, it wasn't for the hunting or the banquet/raffles, it was for the awesome people. Thanks everyone

[ukroper]

EXACTLY!!!! Well said and I TOTALLY agree

The cottontail slips were much more conducive to goshawks than any other species. The slips were often close to holes/rocks and up hill. I hawked four days and got maybe a dozen slips and put three in the bag, a number for which I'm eternally grateful. The game numbers may have been low, but the country made up for it, it was a spiritual experience for me. Hawking remote juniper and sage covered ridges with friends, old and new, who have traveled across the country and the world with the common goal made this meet very special. I think the fact that rabbits were not just popping up all over the place, and that you really had to work for a slip, and your bird really had to work for a catch made everyone appreciate the game that was taken much more. There was none of the blood lust that can sometimes over shadow what is truly important in this lifestyle. As you can tell, I had a freaking great time!

I think I said it on my thread...but plain and simple....This meet was probably the best that I have been too....not for the hunting....not for the presentations or banquet or any of the other stuff...but simply for the people and commraderie!!!! I cant imagine trying to please NAFA with budget restraints, and please a bunch of falconers too.....that is truely a no win situation. EVERYONE finds something to b*#ch about....There are always thing that could be done better, but I think what people forget is that laughs and good times that they did have.....if it was truely that bad...they could have left, and some people did....big deal!.....I am soooo thankful for an opportunity to see people that I had not seen in a while (some a very long time) and meet great new friends!!!
For the people that have ideas or suggestions....im sure that the people involved with next years meet would love to hear from you, and more than that would love the extra hands.....so here is you opportunity to step up and makes things better for the next time around....its very easy to sit back and watch everyone do the work and b*#ch about how its done wrong.....its much harder to step up and make the situation better....

Thank you MARK!!!!! and all those that helped at the meet....it gave me the opportunity to hunt, catch game and be with great people in a beautiful place!!....not much else I can ask for!!!

Amen to that.

Heather, you said it too.

I couldn't imagine trying to organize all the work that goes into a Meet. I had the best time I could imagine having, and like Heather, it wasn't for the hunting or the banquet/raffles, it was for the awesome people. Thanks everyone

Ditto...
And Ally we almost met ,3 times!!!..but nobody thought to introduce us!!!!!....

[Dirthawking]

Ditto...
And Ally we almost met ,3 times!!!..but nobody thought to introduce us!!!!!....

No! We all knew better!

[ukroper]

Hey,...that did actually did cross my mind..even Guy noticed!!...usually get introed to everyone....oh well,the gals loss....

[FredFogg]

Folks, if you have a complaint about the NAFA meet, I would suggest you contact Ralph Rogers and give him suggestions as he is next years Meet Chairman and I am sure Ralph wants to put on the best meet possible in Kearney, Nebraska.

Personally, I go to the NAFA meets every other year as that is the only way I can afford it. Each meet has been different and none of them were without problems. But what do you expect? The entire meet is done by volunteers, no one is getting paid. If you think a meet needs this or that, then volunteer and make it happen. Period!

[ukroper]

Jeeze Foggy,..i only wanted an intro to her..not marriage..but i will be sure to contact Mr.Rodgers about it if she intends to attend next year...jeeze..chill out Foggy baby....xxx

[Lowachi]

Jeeze Foggy,..i only wanted an intro to her..not marriage..but i will be sure to contact Mr.Rodgers about it if she intends to attend next year...jeeze..chill out Foggy baby....xxx

Maybe your friendly Gate Warden could be of assistance? For a small fee...

[Ally]

Well, next year! If I can make it, anyway...I have an apprentice friend who's banging her head against the wall for not going this year...its a 16.5 hour drive. We can do that in a day! (So hopefully we'll see you there)

Oh and Geoff...nice avatar...looks kinda familiar :P

[Heatherg]

yes you can do it in one day....I expect to see you there!!!! No excuses!

[Lowachi]

yes you can do it in one day....I expect to see you there!!!! No excuses!

depends on your driving partner, doesn't it Heather.....

[goshawkr]

Oh and Geoff...nice avatar...looks kinda familiar :P

Thanks! If you like it, I might be able to talk the photographer who took that into getting some photos to you.

[ukroper]

..Hey,i do 4000 miles!!!..be there..or be square..
Rich,the usual fee

[americansharpy]

The Presentations were top-notch! Does anyone have Manny Carrasco's email address... I met him again at the meet and owe him some videos... Thanks

[frootdog]

The Presentations were top-notch! Does anyone have Manny Carrasco's email address... I met him again at the meet and owe him some videos... Thanks

PM sent

[calebstroh]

It was truly my pleasure to meet such a varied and jovial bunch of falconers. Thanks everyone!
I saw some fantastic flights with some outstanding birds, and had a great time rubbing elbows, listening to instructional talks, and just being in the presence of so many beautiful raptors.
Again, thanks to NAFA and the Utah folks for helping put on this top-notch event.

Caleb

[michaelberan]

Again, thanks to NAFA and the Utah folks for helping put on this top-notch event.
Caleb

Thank you Caleb, for stepping up and volunteering your time, energy and effort, in Kent's famous words, "You are NAFA" and that statement rings true for every person that reads them!

Even though you bought into the "evil" empire, are my strongest competition and mess up a few of my accounts every year, I still really appreciate you taking an active role in NAFA and serving on the meet committee.

[Shehawker]

Anyone else still feel like they are recovering from NAFA week? Loved putting faces to names, names to faces, and meeting so many new people. Had a great time but next meet all I want to have to worry about is flying birds.

Did anyone record Steve Layman and Lyn Oliphant talks? I had to miss those

-missy

[Lowachi]

Anyone else still feel like they are recovering from NAFA week? Loved putting faces to names, names to faces, and meeting so many new people. Had a great time but next meet all I want to have to worry about is flying birds.

Did anyone record Steve Layman and Lyn Oliphant talks? I had to miss those

-missy

Ya did good. Recovering from Bronchitis myself. If you've never been to Kearney, you'll like it!

[mainefalconer]

Missy,

The night that Steve and Lynn spoke, there was a dude in the front row who diligently filmed the entire thing. President Dickerson made mention in an email this morning of possibly getting that footage linked to the NAFA website at some point, which would suggest that someone is "on the job" of sorting that out. I hope it happens. Both talks were very good, and well worth hearing again. Although the MOST interesting talk that was given last week was the one that Steve Layman presented earlier in the week, on the incredible research that he has been doing on aspergillosis. REALLY amazing stuff. I hope that the results get published soon, so that folks can start actually saving their birds from asper.

[Shehawker]

Hope they can get those up I was able to get to steve first talk, awsome stuff! Here is a news cast done by one of the local stations, featuring Rouge's jackrabbit catch. http://youtu.be/QYkWi8FfwKo

[Heatherg]

Wow!!! way to go Barbara and Sue!!! and the rest of the folks on there good job!
I was wondering who caught the other jack??? Now I know

[Lowachi]

Glad I got ta see this. Thanks Missy, and Nice flight!!!

[mainefalconer]

Way to go Missy.... Looks like you had the only "real" flight on there.

[STait]

Nice video and Great flight Missy.

[Ally]

Excellent video, thanks for posting that. Good to see lots of familiar faces presenting a positive spin on falconry for the public.
Oh and, congrats Missy and Rogue! That's so awesome that it was caught on film!