New NRHyA Youth Affiliate Liaisons Announced
At last year’s May meeting of the National Reining Horse Association Board of Directors, a proposal from the Youth Committee was approved that created a new, optional position for youth who want to pursue a leadership role in the National Reining Horse Youth Association. Called the Youth Affiliate Liaison, this new position was created for affiliates.
Beginning in 2022, an additional delegate position may be filled by each NRHA Affiliate. This allows a delegate for each specific affiliate instead of just two delegates per region.
The decision was made because the committee felt that the delegate voting during the NRHA Futurity and Adequan NAAC is essentially a popular vote for candidates attending the show. There are many youth members at local levels who are deserving of a leadership role who are unable to attend those meetings.
NRHA Director of Marketing and Youth and Affiliate Programs Sara Honegger explained, “We also see that there is sometimes a communication breakdown between delegates and local affiliates if the elected delegates live in different states or end up not showing throughout a season. The Youth Affiliate Liaison position has been created to bridge any potential voids that might occur.”
This role was also suggested for youth members who ran for an NRHyA Officer position the previous year and were not elected. Allowing them this opportunity is a great way to keep them engaged and reward them for their hard work.
Although not mandatory, affiliates that have a youth member who fits the description and would be extremely involved in delegate meetings/conversations are encouraged to have their Youth Coordinator name someone for this position.
Honegger announced the new Youth Affiliate Liaisons in early March. Serving for the 2022 show season will be:
Kayden Kellmer
Washington Reining Horse Association
Aubree Leyva
Arizona Reining Horse Association
Talia Bertrand Meadow
Central Canada Reining Horse Association
Isabella Hildebrandt
South Texas Reining Horse Association
Emma Zgrebnak
Central Ohio Reining Horse Association
Chase McInteer
Kansas Reining Horse Association
Emma Klug
Central Plains Reining Horse Association
Ava Welman
North Central Reining Horse Association
Raeanna Thayn
Southwest Reining Horse Association
Kynley Bell
Oklahoma Reining Horse Association
Becca Schaffhauser
Tennessee Reining Horse Association
Youth Affiliate Liaisons will also be eligible to run for NRHyA Officer positions once they have served for a year. This again will create more leadership opportunities for youth members who want to be involved.
Since 2001, young Reiners in the National Reining Horse Youth Association have benefited from their memberships through college scholarships, learning experiences from some of the top Reining trainers, life-long friendships and a whole lot of fun along the way. NRHyA fosters leadership qualities and provides young members with a roadmap for success to guide them along their future career paths. For information, visit NRHyA.com.