The American Kennel Club Introduces Junior Showcase Events

New York, N.Y. – The American Kennel Club (AKC^®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce the launch of Junior Showcase events meant to promote and increase youth participation in the sports of agility, obedience and rally.

“Junior Showcase events provide clubs the option to limit entries to junior handlers only and to tailor the events to their interests.  Our experience with junior events has shown this setting promotes camaraderie and provides an enjoyable experience,” said Carrie DeYoung, Director of Agility.

“Many AKC clubs have a relationship with local youth organizations.  Junior Showcase events are an opportunity for thes clubs to provide meaningful events that appeal to young dog owners,” said Pamela  Manaton, Director of Obedience, Rally and Tracking.  “We encourage clubs to invest in the future of the sports by hosting these events.”

Administrative advantages to holding Junior Showcase events include:

• May be held in conjunction with a club’s regular event or as a stand-alone event.
• No event application fee.
• Does not count against the number of events a club may hold in a year.
• Normal judging assignment conflicts are waived for Junior Showcase judges.
• Junior Showcase events can be identified on the AKC website when using the Event Search feature for obedience/agility/rally.

“The AKC is committed to promoting youth involvement in our sports.  Like AKC’s successful Junior Showmanship program, Junior Showcase events will provide another visible symbol of this commitment,” said Doug Ljungren, Vice President for Sports and Events.  “Many in the fancy have a deep interest in providing opportunities for youth.  We encourage suggestions. Please email them to Juniors@akc.org.”

Junior Showcase events may be held starting February 1, 2017.  Interested clubs may submit their event applications immediately.

To learn more about AKC’s Junior Showcase events including application forms, please see –

http://www.akc.org/events/junior-showcase-events.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Nov 30 2016. Filed under Breaking News, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.