United States Eventing Association

As of May 13, 2019, a total of 14,461 volunteer hours have already been recorded for 2019. Only five months into the year and over 1,000 volunteers and 110 events have used EventingVolunteers.com. As the 2019 winter and spring season reaches an end, the volunteer leaderboards have several familiar names on top. However, with the summer and fall season yet to happen, it’s anyone’s game for who will take home the 2019 Volunteer of the Year award.

She once topped the 2018 national volunteer leaderboard and now she’s currently on top of the 2019 national volunteer leaderboard, Vicki Reynolds from North Carolina has a total of 159 hours and 40 minutes for 2019. Right behind her is Cindy Jezerski from Florida with 146 hours and 50 minutes. Rounding out the top three is Diane Bird from South Carolina with 145 hours and 25 minutes.

Since the addition of the new USEA VIP All-Time Leaderboard on EventingVolunteers.com, another known name is sitting number one – Michael Smallwood, who was the 2017 Volunteer of the Year. Since December 2016, Smallwood has accumulated a total of 553 hours and 45 minutes. The top five on the USEA VIP All Time leaderboard are as follows: Michael Smallwood [553:45], Vicki Reynolds [490:05], Diane Bird [462:32], Art Bird [409:13], and Paige Ervin [362:25].

Several factors can influence the number of hours each volunteer has, factors including the frequency of events in each area, geography and the ease of travel, and how many events are using EventingVolunteers.com. Whether it’s 100 volunteer hours or 10, every top volunteer from each area deserves recognition for their hard work. Below are the current 2019 top three volunteers from each area.

Area II:

• Vicki Reynolds [159:40]
• Joan Harper [122:00]
• Ian Wookey [85:16]

Area III:

• Cindy Jezerski [146:50]
• Diane Bird [145:25]
• Cynthia Smith [137:08]

Area IV:

• Kira Pearce [12:04]
• Kara Claxton [11:00] *pending 00:30
• Linda Powers [6:21]

Area V:

• Don Slottke [31:58]
• Aynsleigh Fettig [17:30]
• Rosemary Perez [16:15]

Area VI:

• Todd Killalea [58:43]
• Naomi Lafata [58:30]
• Alexius Carbajal [47:00]

Area VII:

• Gail Mackie [32:03] *pending 54:58
• Cyra Carlson [11:15]
• Kathie Skeman [09:25]

Area VIII:

• Mary Fike [92:42]
• John Marshall [81:30]]
• Kristine Stahl [78:00]

Area IX:

• Clarissa Taggart [8:23]
• Siri Huntington [5:15]
• Ashley Rothaug [4:22]

Area X:

• Jana Flagler [52:18]
• Sheila Strickler [32:22]
• Elizabeth Patten [28:07]

About the Volunteer Incentive Program

In efforts to recognize the dedication, commitment, and hard work that volunteers put into eventing, USEA formed the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) in 2015. In 2017, an online management portal was designed for volunteers, organizers, and coordinators at EventingVolunteers.com (available as an app for iOS and Android).Volunteer incentives include national and area recognition, year-end awards with ribbons, cash prizes, trophies, a top ten USEA Volunteer leaderboard, and a Volunteer of the Year award which is given to the volunteer who accumulates the most volunteer hours over the USEA competition year. Click here to learn more about the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program.

The USEA would like to thank Sunsprite Warmbloods for sponsoring the Volunteer Incentive Program.