It’s been 6 years since the first Special Awards Ceremony honoring my friend and mentor Diane Balkavich. Diane was a pillar in the freestyle and obedience communities and a pioneer in applying then new positive reinforcement techniques to dog sport training. Diane was truly the heart of freestyle, generously sharing her positive reinforcement training skills and helping… Continue reading…
The Rally Freestyle Elements Special Awards
You may have seen calls for nominations for the annual Special Awards posted in the Rally-FrEe for All Group recently. If you’re one of the 50 plus new members who joined RFE this year, you may be wondering what that’s all about. So, I wanted to use this post to share how the Special Awards came to be… Continue reading…
The 2021 Rally Freestyle Elements Special Awards
Three years ago, I created the annual Special Awards to honor three friends and mentors who influenced my freestyle journey, kept me moving forward when things didn’t go as planned, and taught me the intricacies of training this sport that I love. After losing my dear friend and mentor, Diane Balkavich in 2018, I wanted to commemorate… Continue reading…
2021 Rally Freestyle Elements Special Awards
Is there a member who’s inspired or mentored you? Consider nominating them for one of the annual Special Awards. These awards were created to honor the friends and mentors that influenced my freestyle journey: The Heart of Freestyle award in honor of Diane Balkavich Poetry in Motion award in honor of Cassandra Hartman Story Teller’s… Continue reading…
The 2020 Rally Freestyle Elements Special Awards
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2020 Special Awards! Nancy Marston is the recipient of The Diane Balkavich Heart of Freestyle Award Jenn Michaelis is the recipient of The Cassandra Hartman Poetry in Motion Award Judith Stoodley is the recipient of The Michele Pouliot Storyteller Award Rosalind Walkington is the recipient of The Julie Flanery Trail Blazer Award These… Continue reading…
Appreciation All Around
So many people make RFE special! In case you haven’t seen it on the Rally-FrEe For All group, members have been showing their gratitude to those that maybe aren’t in the limelight, but are always there to help, do a bit extra, or who are someone they can count on when needed! We had an overwhelming response of… Continue reading…
Celebrating Success
The beautiful thing about failure is that it’s also the path to success! In our sports, we are lucky to be surrounded by wonderful, talented people and their dogs who can help us and inspire us on our own paths. This month, I was delighted to honor some of these wonderful individuals through the 2019… Continue reading…
