The deposit has been paid and the date is locked in for the annual awards banquet in 2025. Once again, it will be held at Devens Common Center. This year the date is Saturday, January 18th, 2025. Look for more info towards the end of the NETA riding season.
The business meeting before the banquet is every member’s opportunity to affect both policy and the competition rules for the coming year. For 2024 several big policy changes were agreed to by all in attendance. Looking forward, everything is up for discussion for the 2025 season. It’s too early in the season to know what needs adjustment for 2025. I am certain that using memories of the past to criticize the present is not constructive. If you want to help NETA, get involved. Every rider (past and present) can volunteer for work parties and help provide the man-power to put on events. The 2025 meeting will provide an opportunity for everyone to help guide NETA for the coming year.
The event survey’s from last year continue this year. The design is the same as last year so the results can be compared and will help access rider acceptance of both the new gates and trophy plates. We can also do a pre-banquet survey to help identify topics with broad interest for discussion.
There have recently been misleading claims regarding the cost of the banquet at Devens. Bill & I put together a spreadsheet to address these. The bottom line is the NETA spent $642 less at Devens in 2024 vs Twelve Acres in 2023. While the Devens facility cost $1968 more, different awards & trials master vendor selection and increased income from admissions and raffle ticket sales made up the difference. If you have questions, please contact Bill or me (David).
