RANT: USEA convention

Let me preface this by saying that I am not bitter because I'm not there this weekend. My decision to skip out and not participate wasn't due to limited finances (for once, if you can believe that); it was a conscious decision made after thoughtful consideration.

A month or so ago, I fully intended on attending the USEA annual convention in my own home state of good ole Tennessee. How exciting, right? Nashville is a great city, it's only 3 hours from me, and tons of my eventing friends -- not to mention my sister -- live there, and it would have been such a fabulous trip. But, as I realized that the meetings started on Wednesday, and I teach Monday-Friday, I began to wonder how much I could realistically attend. I teach for a college that does not allow sick days/time off for adjuncts without reducing their salary accordingly for each day they miss class. Say what? Yep, you heard me correctly. If I were to cancel class (for any reason at all, including death or hospitalization), my contract salary is docked for every day I do not meet with my students. With the convention falling during the last 2 days of the semester, this made finding a substitute to meet with my classes very difficult and all but pointless. My only option was to consider attending over the weekend (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon). So, I planned to do just that.

As the weeks progressed and I got excited about the trip to Nashville, I pulled up the schedule of events for the convention and I was deeply disappointed to realize that other than a few random sessions on Saturday and relatively none on Sunday, it would be ridiculous for me to make a 3-hour trip for very little involvement or participation. In addition to that, the cost of attending was in excess of $100 per day. Of course, there is a bundled fee of about $200+ for the entire convention (not including the banquet or the many $10-$12 cocktails I would need at the end of each day), but when the majority of the activities fell on Friday-Saturday, that's not much of a discount over the daily fee. But, I'll get to that shortly.

So, let's say that I had cancelled my classes for Thursday and Friday, took the subsequent pay cut, hired a farm sitter, made the trip to Nashville, and paid the registration fees. Let's see what I would have gotten for my efforts:

Thursday, Dec. 8
	Continental Breakfast Sponsored by Rebecca Farm  Irrelevant USEA Trade Fair  Irrelevant USEF Eventing Technical Committee Not attending USEF Eventing Technical Committee Committee Members Only  Membership Committee Committee Members Only Course Advisors Committee Committee Members Only Area Affairs/Chairs Committee Committee Members Only Professional Horseman’s Council Would attend USEF Active Athletes Open Forum Not a USEF active athlete Classic Committee Committee Members Only Eventing Course Designers/Builders Committee Members Only Rider Strength and Conditioning Workshop  Would attend USEA Xentry: What's Next? Irrelevant USEF Event Owner’s Task Force Irrelevant Eventing Licensed Officials Committee Committee Members Only Is your Horse Fit to Finish? Irrelevant Board of Governors’ Reception Irrelevant USEA Executive Committee and A&F Joint Meeting Committee Members Only

Friday,  Dec. 9

Continental Breakfast Sponsored by Rebecca Farm Irrelevant USEA Trade Fair Irrelevant Smart Business Practices for Eventers Irrelevant USEA Board of Governors Meeting Not attending EMSA Board Meeting Committee Members Only Course Designers/Builders Open Forum Would attend The Development Of SJ Courses At The Modern Olympic Games Not attending Horse Parks, Hay Fields and Hack Lanes: How to Protect our Interest Would attend Equestrian Sports Psychology Seminar Would attend Dress Your Event For Success Irrelevant Rule Change Open Forum Time conflicts with psych seminar PRO Annual Meeting Irrelevant Developing Your Eye: Judging YEH and FEH Conformation Irrelevant The Latest in Eventing Safety Sponsored by Point-Two Air Jackets Would attend Eventing Licensed Officials Committee Members Only Area Treasurers/Chairs Working Session Committee Members Only FEH Open Forum/Panel Discussion Irrelevant Organizers Open Forum Irrelevant Get The Most Out Of Your Pre-Purchase Exam Irrelevant Young Event Horse Committee Members Only Training Solutions from Top Event Riders Would attend Competition Calendar and Rules Committee Committee Members Only Raising the Bar on Barn Safety Time conflicts with riders forum USEF Eventing High Performance Committee Members Only USEA Endowment Trust Committee Members Only Eventing Affiliates Irrelevant PRO Year End Awards Pointless Young Riders Coordinators Session/Comm. Meeting Committee Members Only YR Dinner Sponsored By: Gallops Saddlery, Fleeceworks, Kerrits, and VTO Saddlery Irrelevant

Saturday, Dec. 10

Continental Breakfast Sponsored by Rebecca Farm Irrelevant USEF Eventing High Performance/Tech.Comm Joint Meeting Committee Members Only USEA Trade Fair Irrelevant Adult Riders Open Forum Would attend The Road to The NAJYRC… Making Sense of It All Irrelevant EMSA Open Forum Time conflicts with AR forum Navigating Through the World of Joint Treatments Sponsored by Adequan Irrelevant Eventing Calendar Planning for 2013 and Beyond Irrelevant Colic: The Deadly Killer sadly know more about this already than ever wanted to Young Riders Open Forum Irrelevant Success Factor: The Influence of Tack on Biomechanics Sponsored by WEB Maybe Where Does Your Entry Fee Go? Would attend USEA Annual Meeting with Keynote Speaker Clayton Fredericks Yes, definitely Pan Am Games Review Yawn American Horse Trials Foundation Probably not Cocktails and Live Auction Would need drinks by now, if had any money left Year-End Awards Dinner NO WAY... too expensive on top of daily registration fee...you must be joking.

Sunday's "offerings" don't even merit listing here.

Does this bother anyone else besides me? As you can see, after I had done an in-depth analysis, it was almost ludicrous for me to give up my students on their last 2 days of class, lose that income, spend money driving to Nashville, spend money registering for the convention, and actually muster up the enthusiasm to mill around the Sheraton for 3 whole days attempting to mingle and participate in something that, on paper, appears to be designed with very little thought given to me at all. And, who am I? I am one of the lower-level amateurs who competes BN-T (hopefully), is an active member of the USEA, loves my sport, volunteers often, adores my fellow eventers, has a devotion to everything eventing, worships my horse, respects our professionals, supports local events, works hard to accomplish whatever I manage to accomplish, and never causes trouble nor complains about much at all. Why am I so unimportant? At first, I was surprised that none of my eventer friends (many of whom LIVE IN NASHVILLE) were even remotely interested in attending the convention. After much thought, I can now see why. I have only attended the USEA convention one time (when it was in Charlotte several years ago, mainly because I turned it into a 5-day visit with my best friend who lives there). I was initially so excited it was coming to Nashville this year, but I'm really frustrated now. I'm frustrated that much of what was offered was not relevant or open to my inclusion. I'm frustrated that it would have cost more to attend a few choice sessions over the span of 1 or 2 days than it would cost me to actually enter and compete in a USEA-sanctioned horse trial. I'm frustrated that I wanted so badly to attend, learn, experience, and participate, but it just wasn't worth it. And, I'm frustrated that out of dozens of USEA members, competitors, ammie/professional riders, and eventing trainers I know in the Nashville area that only ONE person is actually attending. What is wrong with this picture? Just think, if they had created more opportunities on Saturday/Sunday for people with a Monday-Friday job, and made the cost more affordable, I would have been there. Instead, I didn't go, didn't participate, and the USEA got $0 from me when they could have gotten $50, or $75, or even $100 if things had been priced differently. I'm not a math genius, but I do know that some profit is better than none. 

Hey.....at least Eventing Nation John is there reporting back to everyone via EN. I appreciate that so much. It certainly makes my decision to sit this out a positive one on my part. But, doesn't that mean there is something wrong with this scenario, when I am content (almost forced) to participate from afar?????

UPDATE: 12/11/2011
My blog is automatically posted to my profile on Facebook, and after this entry appeared last evening, a great discussion ensued on my page, and I am -- unfortunately -- not alone in feeling as I do. Here are a sampling of most of the comments.

• [Area III adult rider and USEA member/owner]: thanks for taking the time to write my sentiments KERZACTLY!!!! Happy that all who could go and get together did so, but couldn't even BEGIN to muster an itty bitty bit of real regret in not going...let's have our own convention soon though, ok?
• [Area I adult rider and USEA member/competitor]: Did not break this down in my head like this... Really good points...
• [A convention-attending USEA member/competitor/T3D rider from Nashville]: I was there... and I hear ya. I did not feel like I got my money's worth.
• [Local USEA event organizer, venue manager, volunteer coordinator, USEA member/competitor parent, and USEA member/competitor herself]: My thoughts exactly! Was planning on going, staying with a friend,(trying to cut down on cost) and looking forward to learning and being with fellow eventers and organizers. Then I saw the price. For me it WAS about the price. Out of the question. So how can it be a convention for me/us, members of USEA, when it excludes so many of us?
• [My response to all of them]: [Name of previous commenter], It's almost like they should have all of the committee meetings on Thursday/Friday, and then lots of fun, informative, and interactive sessions for riders, owners, organizers, and course designers on Saturday/Sunday. I know they can't make everybody happy all of the time, but it sounds as though -- resoundingly -- I am not alone in my frustration! [Name of above respondent], you're right. This is about the third or fourth USEA convention agenda that I've looked at the past few years where it seems as though the offerings continue to move further and further towards administration and select participants, and further away from pulling in the people out there running competitions, managing venues, and entering/competing at events. It also irked me that there were NO SESSIONS (as far as I could tell) that discussed improving volunteer involvement. And, there was the "Pan Am Games Review" session, but where were the forums for riders who participated in the Classic 3-day in South Carolina this past spring? Or, the T3Ds across the country in 2011? I also didn't see ANYTHING that looked interesting for younger riders (our JRs, who constitute a lot of the lower-level membership and generate just as many dollars as you and I do). Kind of shameful, the more I think about it. Grrrr.....