Youth Field Trial Alliance at the 2019 Kevin’s and Holland & Holland Southern Game Fair
Launched on Facebook this summer, Youth Field Trial Alliance is an organization whose purpose is to promote pointing dog field trials, junior stakes held at regular field trials and training days specifically for kids all around the US and Canada.
The last several years has given rise to organizations around the country whose primary aim is to get kids outside and off their cellular devices — texting, playing games and/or glued to social media. The concerns — physical, mental, and social for kids lacking opportunities to spend time outdoors are based on well-founded evidence. Kids fare better in more rural parts of the country and we would do well to encourage them by offering as many opportunities as possible including the participation in our field sports.
Our wonderful sport of pointing dog field trials offers these and many more benefits:
• Promotes physical and mental health and wellbeing by having kids active and outdoors — and off their digital devices!
• Teaches responsibility through caring for and working with animals.
• Instills confidence and healthy competition while fostering real life social skills — friendship, cooperation and sharing.
• Promotes a lifelong love of the outdoors, dogs, horses and wildlife.
• Engages young people in local community activities and builds their understanding and appreciation of longtime traditions.
• Nurtures interest, support and involvement in wildlife conservation.
This year four junior field trial handlers who competed in last spring’s Georgia/Florida Field Trial Association’s Youth Field Trial held on Hale’s Place Plantation, Tallahassee, FL will be handling dogs, demonstrating their skills in the Pointing Dog Demo at the Game Fair at the Greenwood Plantation Campus on November 8. We hope everyone comes to watch and encourage our young handlers. After the demo, we’ll be presenting each of them with a gift bag!
On Facebook, find us at Youth Field Trial Alliance. Please Like and Follow us to find out where Youth Field Trials are held and to keep track of how our movement grows.
