You can bring two sides of a conflict to the Peace Table .....but, you cannot make them shake hands.
There is no doubt that the sport of Flyball is conflicted as evidenced by articles such as Flyball vs Flyball, Measuring, and Bureacracy at it's Best found on The Flyball Blog.
U-FLI was founded in Spring of 2005 as a response to opposing views within NAFA (North American Flyball Association) to issues surrounding measuring dogs. Both sides were passionate and firmly entrenched in their positions. U-FLI was created to meet the needs of flyballers who have rejected NAFA's traditional method of measuring dogs. Largely, U-FLI has succeeded in meeting the demands of this segment within flyball. Still, the conflict continues to exist.
The challenge is how do "we" (the flyball community at large) agree to disagree without permanently damaging the future of Flyball? The first step is for each organization to acknowledge that the other has the "right" to exist and be what it is to its followers and move into a relationship of peaceful co-existence.
Agility went through a very similar experience. First, USDAA was the Agility game, period. Then, NADAC was formed. It filled a need in Agility that USDAA was not meeting. Later, the AKC adopted rules for AKC style Agility. There are several other dog Agility organizations as well.
The wonder is that Agility survived the "breakup". Not only did it "survive" but, today it thrives as a sport that dwarfs Flyball in comparison. How can that be? Didn't NADAC siphon off revenue from USDAA and "shrink" that Agility venue? Doesn't having several Agility venues "shrink" the market for each of them? The answer is "No" for one reason. Having a "choice" when it came to Agility venues caused the Agility "market" to grow.
It is time for U-FLI and NAFA to shake hands and wish each other success in their endeavors. The surprising truth is that NAFA "needs" U-FLI because NAFA cannot be "all" things to all flyballers. The question is "will U-FLI admit that the NAFA delegates are 'right' in the direction they choose to steer NAFA?"
Chris, i agree wholeheartedly with the gist of your comments, with one exception. As most people following events in flyball know, Nevada and California have probably had the most problems and acrimony. As Jane Horsfield once told me after UFLI was established things are better now that "we" play NAFA, and "they" play UFLI.
ReplyDeleteI guess there's more than one way to co-exist peacefully.
Pete,
ReplyDeletePeace is NOT the "absence of war".
As things stand, one side continuously snipes at the other and now that there is "blogging" a lot of articles stand to become somewhat permanent on the web. What price does flyball pay if it gains the reputation as a sport filled with hate, animosity and just plain "poor sports"?
When I read descriptions comparing the two organizations, ultimately, the writers conclude that "one may lose its customer base" and/or that the other "will win out in the end". Well, what will that look like if it comes to pass? Does competition ALWAYS have to mean that one side wins and the other side loses?
If we peacefully co-exist, then we BOTH win. Agility did it.
I play both UFLI and NAFA. I've gotten dirty looks from competitors that knows the team I'm on play both. I've even had people stop talking to me because I play both. NAFA and UFLI need to learn to co-exist. I hate the fact that people that play NAFA think they are better than someone who plays UFLI. That's just crap. Just like the poster who said that even the different agility "people" have learned to co-exist, then why can't NAFA and UFLI co-exist? Its just a SPORT that we do for FUN with our DOGS! There's no money involved so why is every other region so determined to squash either venue? It's about the FUN, the COMRODERY, and the DOGS. Why be ugly? WHY? What does hostility solve? Absolutely NOTHING.
ReplyDeleteWhat is so sad about all of this is that "anonymous" did not feel safe enough to sign their name.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't NAFA and U-FLI co-exist? A better question might be, "What do we have to do to change it?"