Lynn Shrivers, Head of the IBCA sanctioning body, and I have mutually resolved our miscommunication regarding the qualifying status of the New Mexico contest which we won on June 26, 2010. After careful consideration, Lynn has officially declared that contest as a non-Jack qualifier. I have accepted Lynn’s decision on this matter.
Consequently, the application I submitted for the 2010 Jack Daniels Invitational did not have the 7 GCs needed to qualify for an automatic draw. Lynn has agreed to 1) flag the June 26 results page so it is clear that the NM event was a non-qualifier, 2) establish a process to flag all future contest pages which are deemed non-qualifiers (Jack and Royal) so teams do not misinterpret these official pages, 3) develop procedures so mistakes that occurred at the NM contest can be eliminated or minimized so no team experiences such a situation in the future. These recommendations will restore my confidence in the IBCA sanctioning process. We fully intend to continue our support of the IBCA and participate in their contests.
I’ve spoken to Steve May, JD Director, and Debbie Christian, JD Organizer, to respectfully request my automatic draw application be withdrawn. They have graciously allowed me to do so. We will not be going to the Jack this year.
If you have been supporting us and following our journey the past three years, you will likely have strong emotions to learn what I have decided to do. I ask that you take a deep breath and let it go. There is no need to expend any more energy on this closed matter.
Be assured we will continue our journey forward and make best efforts to earn a spot at the Jack for 2011. Our Focus is intact, our Faith in our ability is strong, and our Fire burns undiminished. We want to wish our fellow California team Daryl Smith of Smitty’s Smoke Patrol the best of luck at the Jack in October.
See you on the trail.
Best, Harry