Area II, in conjunction with Waredaca Horse Trials, Seneca Valley Pony Club Horse Trials and the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, is pleased to announce an exciting new program to promote and recognize the heart and soul of eventing: volunteers.
From volunteer check-in on your smartphone to an online source for organizers to coordinate volunteers, this new pilot program, the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) kicks off with big plans to streamline the volunteer experience. Area II will launch and test this idea before expanding across the country.
The cornerstone of VIP, through the generous contribution of Area II, is the website, eventingvolunteers.com. This site is poised to be the go-to place for volunteers and organizers alike. Participants can sign up for volunteer shifts at participating events directly through the site, and organizers can also use the page as a point of communication with volunteers. Eventually, this site will also feature any resource a volunteer could need including summaries of volunteer jobs, tips on what to bring for the day and information on getting more involved in the sport.
Volunteers receive a custom lanyard and neck wallet similar to those we've used at convention, recognizing them as VIP Program participants. Over time, volunteers can decorate the lanyards with incentive pins and other recognition markers as they complete volunteer time. Once at an event, volunteers will "check in" and “out” to the time-keeping system using their smartphones or manually; organizers can also check volunteers in and out.
The program will track a leaderboard for volunteers, based on the hours volunteers contribute, with bonuses for volunteers who go to events at different locations or hit hourly milestones. Volunteers will be recognized with awards at our area meeting, and nationally as the program is expanded.
You can take the new VIP website for a test drive here.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
The Maryland International + Horse Trials in Adamstown, Maryland, is going to be crawling with talented young riders ages 25 and under for the 2024 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships (YRC). This year’s Championships has been transitioned from a fall long-format event to a summer short-format event to encourage participation and will offer CCI1*-S, CCI2*-S, and CCI3*-S Championship divisions.
"The riders are getting stronger every year, and you can see the kids that have been in the camp for several years," USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) Coach Rebecca Brown said of the EA21 athletes on the West Coast. Brown just wrapped up the EA21 West Coast I Regional Clinic last week at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, and will go on to coach the athletes named to the USEA West Coast II Regional Clinic at Aspen Farm in Yelm, Washington, on Aug. 13-14.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is pleased to announce the Retired Racehorse Project as a “Bronze Level Sponsor of the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC).” In return, the USEA will be supporting the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, which takes place Oct. 9-12 in Lexington, Kentucky, as a “Starting Gate Sponsor.”