I developed the Junior Star Program, a program for Hound Juniors that has many elements and components for Juniors to earn recognition.
Karissa Groves
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Junior Star Program by Karissa Groves
(In Loving Memory of Sebastian, a Fabulous Junior’s Dog!)
My name is Karissa Groves and I am a recently aged-out Junior who loves the sport of purebred dogs. During my time as a Junior, I saw that there was no (or very little) support for many Juniors showing a Hound. I had a great run in Juniors with my Bloodhound, Sebastian, but I did more than Junior Showmanship with him. So, I thought about creating a program for Hound Juniors that would encompass more than points earned and Best Junior wins. Because of this, I developed the Junior Star Program, a program that has many elements and components for Juniors to earn recognition. This ranges from showing in Junior Showmanship to earning a Championship or Grand Championship on their Hound. It also includes securing a non-conformation title (Rally, Obedience, Coursing, Tracking, etc.) and there is even more… things like ranking in your breed’s Top 20 or Hall of Fame, a Specialty win or maybe even an Ace Award Winner. I also want to encourage and reward Juniors who are responsibly breeding Hounds, so this is part of the program too.
This August, at our
RMHA Show in
Greeley, Colorado,
we will have a celebration
to mark the
start of the program.
Our Hound Star Junior Program officially starts July 1st, 2021
We will use a July 1 to June 30 timeframe. This August, at our RMHA Show in Greeley, Colorado, we will have a celebration to mark the start of the program. The first winner will be selected and presented at our RMHA show in August 2022, so there is plenty of time to review the list of components and start working on accomplishing your goals with your Hound!
Hound Breed Clubs: I/we challenge you to consider matching the program or part of it
Perhaps you would like to offer a “full match” if the winner comes from your Hound breed. Or, maybe, you want to create a similar program in your breed club to truly help Juniors with their Hounds. Please let us know if you have an interest in cooperating or if we can help you in any way.
More about the Rocky Mountain Hound Club:
We hold three conformation shows each year, and we offer Rally and Obedience bi-annually at our summer shows along with Health Clinics. We also hold several Fast Cats (Coursing Ability Trials) and Lure Coursing events! Of course, we have monthly meetings (currently via Zoom) and we always welcome new members (Full, Associate, and Juniors). Junior membership is FREE and is a program requirement. A membership application can be found on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockymtnhoundassoc/ and on our website: www.rmhounds.org.
Go Hounds & Go Juniors with Hounds!
For information, contact Karissa Groves at karissamgroves@gmail.com or Marlene Groves at marlene@buffalogroves.com or 303.621.1111.
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