NYCHA Awards and Programs

NCHA Judging Contest

The NCHA Judging Contest is held each year in conjunction with the NCHA World Championship Futurity. The goal is continue to \ develop and educate youth in the art of judging cutting horses. The contest will test the contestants on their knowledge of the NCHA Rulebook with a written exam,  penalty clip test, and scoring two sets of video runs. The Top 10 highest scoring individuals in each division will be invited to judge a live portion of the NCHA World Finals.

 The judging contest is open to all youth and collegiate horse judging teams, as well as individuals. If you would like to know more about the contest and how to enter, please contact Jennifer Zoller, Extension Horse Program Specialist at 979-862-5980 or Tammy Kimmel in the NCHA Judges Department at 817-244-6188 ext. 158. 

2019 NCHA Judging Contest

Youth Judging Program

NYCHA members, ages 16 through 18, are now eligible to apply for the honor of becoming an NCHA Youth Judge if they have won a minimum of $10,000 in NCHA lifetime earnings, or fifty youth points (worth $200 each), or a combination of both which equals $10,000. This is a unique opportunity to train under the NCHA Director of Judges while earning LEAP points. LEAP points are valuable for obtaining Youth Scholarships and are vital for the Youth Hall of Fame. All Youth Judging applicants are eligible to attend only after their application and paperwork is received by the NCHA office at least two weeks prior to each clinic date.

Click for full INSTRUCTIONS and APPLICATION.

NYCHA Hall of Fame

In an effort to make this year's Youth Hall of Fame inductions as seamless as possible, the NYCHA, in conjunction with the Youth Committee has created a Hall of Fame application form.

Hall of Fame applications must be completed and postmarked no later than April 1st.

Standards adopted by the Youth Board of Directors / Youth Committee at the Youth Workshop 12/98 - to be considered for the Youth Hall of Fame, a youth must:

• Be our of youth (20 years of age or more on Jan 1 – youth are still eligible to compete at National Championships in the 19th year)
• Have accumulated 100 Riding/ Show points in cutting accomplishments (August 2018 minutes) (see point system on the form)
• Have been in Top Ten Youth World Standings or Finalist at Eastern, Western or Summer Spectacular at least once.
• Served as NYCHA Officer/ Director at least one term (August 2018 minutes)
• Allow double points for World Standings (20 Points vs. 10 for Champion)
• Must be enrolled in LEAP to be eligible
• Must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent (June 2001 minutes)
• Must have achieved at least the Gold LEAP Level (7,500 points) to be eligible (effective 2004)

Point System:

Youth World Top Fifteen

• Champion - 20 points
• Reserve Champion - 18 points
• Placing 3-15 - 10 points

Area Top Ten

• Champion - 10 points
• Reserve Champion - 9 points
• Placing 3-15 - 5 points

Eastern or Denver National Championships

• Champion - 10 points
• Reserve Champion - 9 points
• Placing 3-15 -  5 points

Summer Spectacular

• Champion - 10 points
• Reserve Champion - 9 points
• Placing 3-15 - 5 points

2019 Hall of Fame Application

Outstanding Area Director Award 

"Among the Best" Awards Program

Program

O.A.D. stands for Outstanding Area Director. The O.A.D. The program was designed by past President Matthew Blewitt in order to increase motivation amongst directors to accomplish their duties as an NYCHA Area Director. Year after year the requirements of the NYCHA Director are taken lightly, and out of 50 area directors, only a few fulfill their duties. Since the program is designed to increase motivation at the area director level, NYCHA Officers are ineligible.

An O.A.D. Program Checklist will be mailed out in January of each year to all NYCHA Area Directors. For points to be considered, it is the responsibility of the area director to mail in the O.A.D. Program Checklist for the prior year term of service, January - December. The program checklist should be mailed to the NCHA Youth Department and postmarked no later than May 15th. Award recipients will be recognized at the NYCHA Awards banquet in July of that year.

Points

Once an Area Director has fulfilled all of their regular director duties, they can go about earning points towards the O.A.D. Program Award. It is up to each area director to keep up with any additional points collected for such things as recruiting members, collecting stallion services for the NYCHA Stallion Service Program, selling raffle tickets, attending NYCHA meetings, and submitting articles to the Chatter Magazine or Youth Cut & Chat Newsletter to the NYCHA Youth Department.

The O.A.D. point system is as follows:

• Each Stallion Donation Obtained - 10 points
• Each Raffle Ticket Sold - 10 points
• Each New Youth Member Recruited - 10 points
• Each NYCHA Meeting Attended - 10 points
• Each Article Submitted to Chatter - 10 points

The Top 15 Outstanding Area Directors are recognized each year at the NYCHA Convention and Summer Spectacular Scholarship Cutting.

Awards for O.A.D. are as follows:

• O.A.D.
• Outstanding Area Director - Among the Best

Click for the O.A.D. PROGRAM CHECKLIST & PROGRAM INFORMATION

A Friend of the NYCHA Award

• Scholarship Donor
• Long-time stallion donor
• NCHA Corporate Sponsor
• Youth Committee members
• Trainers who works with a large number of youth members
• Show secretaries that make a significant contribution to the youth activities
• NCHA Executive Committee Members

Todd Drummond Memorial Award

The Todd Drummond Memorial Award is presented annually to an outstanding youth member nominated by an NCHA Affiliate. The youth member will be recognized for:

• Scholastic Achievement
• Extracurricular Activities
• Cutting Horse Involvement

The recipient of the Todd Drummond Memorial Award receives a trophy buckle, presented during the NCHA World Championship Futurity each December in Fort Worth, Texas.

We encourage everyone to participate in the nomination process. 
*** Affiliates must send their nomination and information to the NCHA office.

If you know a youth member that you think deserves this award, please contact your Affiliate President or Secretary right away. Todd Drummond Memorial Award applications must be completed and postmarked no later than October 1st. If you have any questions about the award, please contact Cathy Marie Aleff at the NCHA office at (817) 244-6188 ext 121.

Todd Drummond Nomination Form

Past Recipients Include:

Whitney & Greg Welch Memorial Sportsmanship Award

Established in 2000, this award is presented to a National Youth Cutting Horse Association member who exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, responsibility, and respect for fellow competitors.

The annual award was established in honor of NYCHA member, Whitney Welch, daughter of Greg and Pax Welch. The award is presented at the NYCHA Awards Banquet during the NCHA Derby each summer. Whitney and three of her friends were killed on December 19, 1998, the result of an encounter with a drunk driver. It was a devastating loss to all who knew and loved her. Whitney exemplified the true meaning of sportsmanship; she was a quiet girl, always friendly, courteous and respectful to others. Whitney was gracious in winning, as well as losing.

Whitney's father, former National Cutting Horse Association President, Greg Welch, passed away on July 4, 2004, after a brief illness. Greg was a much-loved supporter of young cutters and served as a positive force in the lives of many youth members. Prior to his death, he presented the Whitney Welch Memorial Sportsmanship Award during the NYCHA Awards Banquet each summer. After his passing, Greg's name was added to the sportsmanship award in honor of his dedication to children.

To be eligible for this award, the nominee must be:

- A member of NYCHA
- Nominated by an NCHA Affiliate
- Submitted by an NCHA Affiliate Secretary

Each Affiliate may determine their own process for selecting a nominee. Each Affiliate may nominate one youth member each year for this prestigious award.

Nomination forms must be submitted by July 1st each year to:
Whitney & Greg Welch Memorial Sportsmanship Award Committee
P.O. Box 94
Aubrey, TX 76227
Phone: (940) 782-9127
Email: haveyriddle@icloud.com

Questions regarding the award can be directed to Havey Manion 940-536-8572 or Kisten Jackson 940-782-9126

Click to download the Whitney & Greg Welch Scholarship Award Application

Whitney & Greg Welch Memorial Sportsmanship Award Recipients