THE END OF AN ERA 1990-2016
Show of Champions on Hiatus
By: Linda Quattlebaum
Until 1990 each CSHA program held separate State Championship Shows/Finals scheduled at various times and locations. This made it expensive and time consuming for members who desired to compete in more than one program. The expense of holding individual events was also stretching the financial resources of the committees, and the CSHA volunteer worker pool. At the 1990 January Quarterly meeting, the idea of a combined show was proposed. Representatives from English/Western, Gymkhana, Horsemastership, Royalty (then Miss CSHA), and Stock Competition met to discuss the proposal. By the end of the meeting, the show format and name Show of Champions (most commonly referred to as SOC) had been established. The combined venue format provided both competitors and spectators the unique opportunity to see and appreciate a variety of competitions.
The format successfully met our programs’ needs for 28 years. The 2016 SOC was the last year the four programs shared a venue. It had been hoped Humpty Dumpty (aka SOC) could be put back together at a future date. But alas current scheduling and facilities have made that impossible. In order for the four programs to share a venue, where every program could have their competition on the same weekend, the venue would have to have a minimum of six arenas plus warm up arenas. Of those six at least two would have to have ground and fencing conditions required for Gymkhana events. In addition to the arenas, a room for written testing, speeches, interviews and a banquet are also required. Finding such a venue, at an affordable price, has proved to be impossible. Therefore, at its January Quarterly meeting the SOC Committee determined the combined format was no longer viable. Beginning this year (2019) the programs will return to the original format of separate State Championship Shows/Finals.
This change, in no way, should be construed as a negative reflection on the SOC Committee, the program chairmen or the current CSHA Administration. It was a unanimous decision of the SOC committee. It is a sign of the times and what is best for our competitors and the future of our programs.
The Gymkhana State Championship Show (SCS) will be held at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville from October 10-13 (grounds will open on Tuesday October 8th).
The English/Western State Championship Show, the Royalty and Horsemastership State Finals will be held in October at Brookside Equestrian Park in Elk Grove.
