welcome to the ctpa 2022 season!
Letter of Welcome from the Chinook Team Penning Association President and Board of Directors
As the new President of the Chinook Team Penning Association I would like to welcome all present and future members to the 2022 team penning season. As everyone is aware the 2020 and 2021 penning years were full of challenges for Chinook as well as other penning associations across the province. Rotating lockdowns, capacity restrictions, social distancing and overall the concept of being ‘micro managed’ was not well received by members of the western horse community and many penners simply decided to sit the year out. We are hopeful that 2022 will see an end to COVID 19 lockdowns and optimistic the restrictions will eased and life will return to normal. We are also hopeful to see you return to the penning arena!
This year the board has reached out to many members, past and present, in order to re-orientate the trajectory of the club. We have heard from many of you who expressed the desire to that the Chinook Team Penning Association be more affordable, more inclusive, and more mentorship for the lower riders. We have heard that message. As a result of such consultation this year’s important initiatives will include:
- A reduction of Chinook membership fees from $60 to $45 (if purchased prior to February 28th);
- The offering of a $10 discount on Family Memberships.
- The introduction of an “Open Handicap” class to encourage lower numbers to ride in the Open class;
- A reorganization of the lower classes (10, 7 and 5) designed to encourage increased mentorship and ridership; and
- Introduction of a Chinook Clinicians Series for our Chinook members – one clinic for beginning penners and one for advanced penners (dates and locations TBD).
A number of other innovative ideas are in the process of development such as co-sanctioning shows with other penning associations in Alberta as well as a mentorship program to assist our lower numbers to develop and improve in their penning skill sets and real time strategies. Details on these will be coming in due course.
We are excited to get back to normal and we hope to see you all during the 2022 penning season!
Regards,
Greg Dunn
President
