The Leaderboard received 8 suggestions/proposals for 2019 from active houndsmen & women. Each one was reviewed and 5 were approved by the committee members and the Masters Executive BOD. The following 5 changes will be effective in 2019.


The 5 changes are:
1. Trials signing a “Franchise” Trial agreement can be upgraded in either class, independently, AA or Derby, if that class achieves the minimum number of entries required for the specified region the trial is being hosted. If a trial in VA, NC, SC etc., signs an agreement and the derby class has entries over 150 and the AA doesn’t, then the derby class gets upgraded to 4A and the AA doesn’t and remains a Grade 3.

2. Require all new trials/affiliations, Masters or National associated, that will cast hounds on or after July 1st must be registered prior to June 1, in order to be eligible for leaderboard points within the current year standings. Trials not registered prior to June 1, will not be eligible for leaderboard points within that year.
a. a. i.e. – No one can schedule or “start up” a new trial within 30-60 days just because they can pay the affiliation fee and make the advertisement deadline in the upcoming months Hunters Horn magazine to potentially receive “quick” leaderboard points. Trials not “pre-planned” or registered by June 1, will not be eligible for current years leaderboard standings.

3. Reduce the number of field trial placements from the Top 10 HGA or GTP that can count towards the year end final total in Kennel of the year (KOY) from an individual facility or outside hunting ground from 6 to 4. This would require kennels to place at a minimum of 3 different facilities to be capable of fulfilling their maximum of 12 trials for any given year and compete or be recognized as the best kennel in the country.

a. i.e. for year end grand totals and award recognition, only 1/3 or 33% of the maximum of 12 eligible trials can be counted and retained from an individual facility or outside hunting ground. For kennels or individuals to receive points for their 12 trials, they would have to place no less than 4 times at Creedmoor, 4 times at Manning and 4 times at Swainsboro, GA., etc.

4. Revise the points brackets to the following:

250+ = 1.30
200-249 = 1.20
175-199 = 1.10
100-174 = 1.00
75-99 = 0.90
50-74 = 0.70
0-49 = 0.40
5. Require trials that run eight hours to be judged the full eight hours to receive leaderboard points.

Note – Field trial advertising deadlines, leaderboard fees, etc. did not change for 2019. All trials must be advertised in the Hunters Horn magazine a minimum of the prior month to prevent a late fee.

2019 LEADERBOARD RULES
FOXHOUND AWARDS PROGRAMS of the Masters Corporation

This program was established as an extra incentive to improve and promote quality breeding of field trial hounds, as well as being an informative tool for those interested in statistics. The majority of the work is done on a voluntary basis and it is the responsibility of the hunter’s to review and follow-up on field trial result posting’s to ensure correctness.

Key sponsors and supporters of the Leaderboard program consist of The Hunters Horn Magazine, Pride Dog Feeds, Showtime Dog Feeds, Specialty Dog Feeds

The top 20 hounds and kennels, in the following 4 categories, are recognized each year at the headline Masters Banquet and periodically in the Hunters Horn magazine.
HOUND OF THE YEAR

SIRE OF THE YEAR

DAM OF THE YEAR

KENNEL OF THE YEAR


LEADERBOARD RULES & AWARDS COMMITTEE

1. Oversight of the rules listed herein and year end awards will be the responsibility of the Leaderboard Rules and Awards Committee. Unavoidable situations or disputes may arise and upon review, judgment will be determined by majority vote of the leaderboard advisory committee members listed below:

CLIF PARKER
LARRY SAUCIER "BIRD"
KELLY PARKER
DAVID FUTCH
TERRY WALKER
MIKE CARR
SHANE PAINTER
CHRIS GRAHAM
BRANDON WHISENANT
2. All field trials must be advertised/published in the Hunters Horn magazine on a minimum of ¼ page in order for points earned from placings to be included in the HOY, SOY, KOY, DOY standings.
a. ALL trials must be advertised/published AT LEAST 1month PRIOR to the 1st day of cast of hounds (1st day of running).
**Note** The PRIOR month rule applies to ALL TRIALS, whether hounds are cast on the first day OR the last day of the month. (i.e., Trials casting hounds on March 1st, must have advertised no later than the February magazine. Trials casting hounds on March 31st, must have advertised no later than February magazine).
b. Any association MISSING any of the PRIOR months publications, for any reason, and wanting to parti****te, must still place a ¼ page ad in the Hunters Horn magazine within the actual month the hounds will be cast or running occurs, BUT will also be required to pay a late fee or penalty to the Leaderboard association for parti****tion. The late fee is required in addition to the standard required $30 leaderboard parti****tion fee.
1. First offense- $120 late fee and standard $30 fee to the leaderboard.
2. Second offense – $220 late fee and standard $30 fee to the leaderboard.
3. Third offense – Forfeiture of parti****tion by individual association in Leaderboard for 1 year.
4. All new trials/affiliations, Masters or National associated, that will cast hounds on or after July 1st must be registered prior to June 1, in order to be eligible for leaderboard points within the current year standings. Trials not registered prior to June 1, will not be eligible for leaderboard points within that year.


**Note** The Leaderboard Committee and its members, individually; the Masters Corporation and its owners, management and Board of Directors including individual members; and The Hunter's Horn magazine and its owner(s) as well as the Leaderboard sponsors including the sponsors' ownerships management shall not be held liable for any association missing EARLY publication dates and being penalized via late fees for parti****tion.
All late fee monies paid to the Leaderboard will be added to the standard parti****tion fee of $30 and paid back as part of the annual year end awards in HOY, SOY, KOY and DOY.
c. Advertising two trials in the same ad shall not be allowed. Advertising two trials on ½ page, three trials on ¾ page or 4 trials on a full page shall be allowed.
3. In order for points to be counted, each field trial must pay an annual affiliation fee to the Masters or National FHA and run under the National Rules, Masters Rules or July National Rules and a recording fee of $30.00 must be paid by each association to the Leaderboard for their trial to be included in the Leaderboard standings. The mailing address is listed below and make sure you write on the check what specific trial the fee is for and please write "Leaderboard" example: MidSouth Masters Leaderboard, Texas St Leaderboard.

Clif Parker
6330 Hugo Road
Hookerton, NC 28538
4. All Age and Derby of the same name, run at the same time, will count as one trial in reference to the Leaderboard fee. All monies received will be accounted for by the Corporate Secretary and deposited into the Masters account. After expenses are paid all remaining monies (each year) will be used to sponsor the AWARDS for the four LEADERBOARD categories.
5. All 2019 field trial results and related information (location, dates, number of entries, etc.) must be posted on www.Masterfox.net or www.Speeddogs.net within 30 days from the last day that the trial was run so that information can be reviewed for correctness and standings kept current. Anyone not having access to a computer can mail results and all field trial information within the 30 days to the contact below. Information received via mail will also be posted on www.Masterfox.net or www.Speeddogs.net for review.
Clif Parker
6330 Hugo Road
Hookerton, NC 28538
252-559-0400
jon.parker@hospira.com
Post field trial results under:
**MASTERFOX---

** 2019 ** Field Trials Graded 1-5---RESULTS ONLY---
4 days, 5 hours~~3 days, 5 hours~~2 days 8&7~~2 days, 5&5~~1 day, 8 hours-
6. When posting or sending in field trial results, make sure everything is included or complete. Make sure duals, combination winners, classiest hound, best mouth, and especially Sire and Dam are included for all. ENTRY NUMBERS separated by Derby and AA are very important. The date the trial was ran, where it was ran and the month the ad was in the horn. Remember: MAKE CLEAR THE NAME OF THE TRIAL WHEN SENDING IN LEADERBOARD FEES and posting results because many field trials have similar names and some associations have multiple trials. Please list if the trial is a 3 day (5hr), 2 day (5hr), 2 day (8&7hr), etc.
7. Field trial results not posted or received within 30 days may be disqualified from being eligible for that year’s annual awards. Disqualification of any field trial is at the discretion of the leaderboard committee. Mistakes must be corrected within 10 days from being posted or results will stand as posted.
8. Trials/ hunters/hounds will not receive points if Leaderboard fees are not paid, if trials are not advertised in the Hunters Horn magazine and if trial results are not posted, published or sent to the contact and address listed above. Bonus Points will be lost if trials fail to turn in combo winners, dual champions, classiest hounds, and best mouth.
9. Once a field trial is advertised in the Hunters Horn to be held on specific dates, regardless of the venue, that trial must be held on those dates. If there is a mistake made in the advertising or if the trial finds the need to change those dates for any reason the trial must make any and all effort to notify the public by running a new Hunters Horn ad, if time allows, or if not then via Masterfox.net and Speeddogs.net at least 30 days prior to the field trial in order for the trial to be counted in the Leaderboard points standings.

10. Any field trial wishing to parti****te in the Leaderboard program must not use any judge currently on the Master’s banned list. Any trial using “banned” judges will not be eligible for points.

11. The LEADERBOARD COMMITTEE strongly recommends that a field trial use any of the following computer scoring programs to figure scores so that the trial can be reviewed by the Joint Masters/National review committee in the event a protest is initiated:
a. the MASTER’S GRAND TOTAL POINTS or HGA computer scoring program
b. the MASTER’S NATIONAL computer scoring program
c. OR DAVID WRIDES 7 D’s NATIONAL computer scoring program

12. It shall be the responsibility of the person(s) entering the hounds to present to the trial Secretary a correct entry sheet, which includes a hound’s Sire and Dam. Hounds entered and results posted with NO Sire or Dam given will remain and recorded as “Not Given”. Misspelled names can be corrected but information cannot be added.

13. If you are in charge of a field trial, you can send in your Leaderboard fees to the secretary EARLY for every trial your association intends to have during the year. The fees can be paid as far in advance as you like. Reminder- write a note or on the check write the name of the trial(s).
**Note** VERY IMPORTANT FOR RECORD KEEPING.

14. ANYONE WISHING TO PROTEST A FIELD TRIAL MUST DO SO IN WRITING WITHIN 10 DAYS OF THE LAST DAYS RUNNING. ANYONE WISHING TO PROTEST THE RESULTS AS POSTED ON MASTERFOX.NET OR SPEEDDOGS.NET MUST DO SO within 10 days of the POSTING OF THE RESULTS. All PROTEST MUST BE SIGNED BY THE PERSON(S) MAKING THE PROTEST. The protest must be specific about what has happened with names and objective evidence included on the protest letter. PROTEST MUST HAVE THE CONTACT INFO FOR THE HUNT PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY.
Note: IF THE “PROTESTED” FIELD TRIAL’s DIRECTORS (President, Secretary, BOD etc) FAIL to cooperate with the LEADERBOARD OR THE JOINT REVIEW COMMITTEE and its INVESTIGATION, THE TRIAL WILL AUTOMATICALLY FORFEIT THEIR RESULTS BEING COUNTED FOR THAT YEAR. Protests must be mailed, e-mailed or given directly to a LEADERBOARD COMMITTEE PERSON OR MEMBER OF THE JOINT MASTERS/NATIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE.
THERE WILL BE A $50.00 FEE CHARGED TO PROTEST A TRIAL OR THE POSTED RESULTS. THE $50.00 FEE HAS TO BE SENT WITH THE WRITTEN PROTEST. IF THE PROTEST REVIEW PROVES TO BE VALID, THE FEE WILL BE RETURNED. IF THE PROTEST PROVES TO BE INVALID, THE FEE GOES INTO THE LEADERBOARD FUND THAT THE COMMITTEE CAN USE AT ITS DISCRETION.

15. ANY questionable activity such as: Kennel partner’s or immediate family members judging & running in the same field trial, Borrowing of dogs for KOY points, Improper contact with judges during trials, purposeful listing the incorrect breeding on Sires and Dams, etc., etc. must be brought to the attention of the leaderboard committee IN WRITING within 10 days after the end of the event in order for items to be reviewed. These complaints will be forwarded to the new Joint Masters / National review committee lead by Brad Hoehner. The Leaderboard committee will follow their direction as to the findings and any impact on the Leaderboard points and standings.
Contact Information:

Brad Hoehner
380 Friendship School Rd
Anna, IL 62906
hoehner71@gmail.com

To clarify “questionable” activities, several examples are provided below:
a. KENNEL PARTNERS OR IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS such as FATHER/SON, HUSBAND/WIFE, BROTHER/SISTER ETC. RUNNING HOUNDS, JUDGING THE FIELD OR ENTERING SCORES IN THE COMPUTER (except when following the Master’s Rule Book, Article II, General Rule #6, b & c) OF THE SAME FIELD TRIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IMPORTANT NOTE: The Leaderboard Committee understands there may be a limited availability of judges and unavoidable situations may arise for a hunt to exist or continue. If any of the above listed activities occur and are in direct violation of the Master’s Rule Book, the INVOLVED HUNTERS MAY RISK HAVING LEADERBOARD POINTS DENIED UPON THE JOINT REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.
b. BORROWING OF DOGS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AN ADVANTAGE IN KOY POINTS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED –ANYONE TRYING OUT A DOG AND PLACING THAT SAME DOG MUST COMPLETE THE PURCHASE OF THE DOG AND RETAIN OWNERSHIP FOR THE DURATION OF THE YEAR IN ORDER TO RETAIN THE KOY POINTS.
c. THE USE OF CELL PHONES TO CONTACT JUDGES DURING A FIELD TRIAL IN ANY MANNER INCLUDING TALKING, TEXTING, PICS OR E-MAIL EXCEPT FOR A PROVEN EMERGENCY IS PROHIBITED. HUNTERS COMMUNICATING WITH JUDGES RISK HAVING LEADERBOARD POINTS DENIED, UPON THE JOINT REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.
d. If DISPUTES ARISE AND DNA TESTING, ETC., IS PERFORMED, THE COSTS WILL FALL ON THE PARTIES INVOLVED TO CLARITY THE PROBLEM.
16. Kennels or any members of a Kennel found guilty of an entry or any running rules violation or questionable “un-sportsman like” activity will, at a minimum, forfeit all leaderboard points for the trial in question.
17. Kennel registry shall consist of a maximum of 4 members based on residency. No more than 4 individuals can register as a single kennel, who have separate or different mailing addresses/residences. (Note- Members spouses, kids etc., do not have to be counted as part of the 4 memberships since they live at the same address. They will all be recognized as one). Kennels already established prior to 2017 will be “grandfathered” and allowed to retain their memberships previously registered.
Note- If any of the 2016 “grandfathered” kennels, who had 5+ members registered, lose a member, they cannot replace that member with a “new” member until they are below the limit of 4, at which time they can add a new name. If a kennel had 7 members registered in 2016 and loses 1 member, they are now down to 6 members for 2017. GRANDFATHERED kennel memberships from 2016 cannot change except with the removal of a member until they are within the current established guidelines.

Kennels, with all member names and contact information, MUST REGISTER On MASTERFOX.net Leaderboard forum post by January 31, 2019, to be eligible for any year end awards for the Leaderboard Kennel of the Year (KOY). In addition, NO NEW MEMBERS CAN BE ADDED AFTER JANUARY 31, 2019 UNTIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
The KENNEL registration period for each year will be from DECEMBER XX until JANUARY 31ST of the upcoming year. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO RE-REGISTER EACH YEAR when we make the post on Masterfox beginning in DECEMBER of the current year and extending until JANUARY 31ST of the upcoming year.
SIMPLE-
1. LIST YOUR KENNEL NAME AND AN ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER TO GO WITH IT.
2. LIST ANY and ALL MEMBER/ MEMBERS OF THE KENNEL.
On February 1ST we will put together the registered list from the Masterfox post and those Kennels and those Kennels only will be eligible for awards for Kennel of the Year.
*NOTE- THIS REGISTERY IS FOR “KENNEL OF THE YEAR” PURPOSES ONLY!! It does not affect HOUND OF THE YEAR, SIRE OF THE YEAR OR DAM OF THE YEAR….
**Note- You may see your kennel listed in the periodic updates posted on Masterfox and Speeddogs or in the Hunters Horn during the year even if you are not registered, but unless you officially registered your kennel and members by January 31, 2019, your kennel will be eliminated at the end of the year when the final points are calculated for awards.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPUTER OR KNOW SOMEONE THAT DOES HAVE A COMPUTER AND YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THE LEADERBOARD KENNEL OF THE YEAR YOU CAN CALL:
SHANE PAINTER @ 804-920-3199
BY JANUARY 31ST AND HE WILL PUT YOUR INFORMATION ON THE POST.
18. The person or kennel owning the hound as of the last day of the year will be eligible for the awards unless this committee is notified in writing of an agreement between two parties that gives awards rights to another individual a kennel or person will not be allowed to purchase hounds and transfer awards for the purpose of the KOY.
19. LEADERBOARD standings for HOY, SOY, DOY and KOY will be kept on an annual basis with periodic updates posted on www.masterfox.net and printed in the Hunters' Horn magazine (approximately every 2-3 months). The final standings will be posted in the April or May issue from the previous year and posted on the various websites. For the purpose of validation, the first day of running will constitute the start date of the field trial. The World Cup will be considered the last trial of the year and the last opportunity for hounds and hunters to obtain leaderboard points for any given year.
For clarification:
a. The “calendar” year for all Leaderboard programs will end with the World Cup. Field trials held after the World Cup of any calendar year, will have points calculated and applied to the “new” year.
b. Meaning, any field trial starting after the first days running of the World Cup and the end of the calendar year, will be considered the start or beginning of the “new” leaderboard year.
c. Field trials who’s start date is typically within the same calendar year but held after the start date of the World Cup, will be counted in the leaderboard standings for the upcoming year.
20. An association can have only one field trial for each $30.00 paid, however an association can have as many trials as they pay for, provided they have different names and pay $30.00 for each one. In this case each field trial would be allowed to run their trial under one affiliation fee with each additional trial costing $30.00.

21. The Four Leaderboard Categories include:
HOUND OF THE YEAR (HOY)

SIRE OF THE YEAR (SOY)

DAM OF THE YEAR (DOY)

KENNEL OF THE YEAR (KOY)

1. HOY-

Individual HOUNDS earn points towards this award via the point/grades system outlined below. The points/grades for individual hunts can be reviewed yearly, when brought to the attention of the H, S, D, KOY committee.
HOY points will be limited to a maximum of four (4) Grade 3, 4, 4A or 5 field trials being counted from a single “home” pen PLUS any trial held in the same pen classified as a Grade 1-A, or 1. Example: Red’s Sam may place four times in Manning, SC in a Grade 2, 3, 4, 4A or 5 trial and in addition, have points counted for any trial such as the Masters, All American, or USO also being held in the same pen. This does not apply to SOY, DOY or KOY.
Hounds that earn points towards HOY, carry their points for the year, regardless of ownership
2. SOY-

Individual SIRES earn points towards this award via the point/grades system outlined below. The points awarding system can be reviewed yearly, when brought to the attention of the H, S, D, KOY committee.
Hounds that earn points towards SOY, carry their points for the year, regardless of ownership.

A sire's best 12 field trial results will count towards the year end final total.
At year end, the 12 highest points trials will be tallied for the final standings. Only 6 of the 12 can come from one single pen for SOY. And to clarify, when a derby trial and an all age trial are run together - they are still 2 separate trials with different grades, etc.
3. DOY-

Individual DAMS earn points towards this award via the point/grades system outlined below. The points awarding system can be reviewed yearly, when brought to the attention of the H, S, D, KOY committee.

Hounds that earn points towards DOY, carry their points for the year, regardless of ownership.

A dam's best 12 trial results will count towards the year end final total.
At year end, the 12 highest points trials will be tallied for the final standings. Only 6 of the 12 can come from one single pen for DOY. And to clarify, when a derby trial and an all age trial are run together - they are still 2 separate trials with different grades, etc.
4. KOY-

Individual KENNELS earn points towards this award via the point/grades system outlined below. The points awarding system can be reviewed yearly, when brought to the attention of the H, S, D, KOY committee. Points for KOY will only be awarded to the individual kennel that entered the hound in a particular field trial if a particular hound changes ownership, the new owner/kennel that enters the hound will earn points the previous owner/kennel keeps points earned when they entered the hound. Individuals that enter hounds do not have to have “kennel” beside their name to count in the KOY re: (John Doe, somewhere USA) however the name as the dogs are entered is how the points will count towards the KOY, if an individual chooses to partner with another re: (John Doe and James Smith, anywhere USA) he will not be able to count these winnings with his or hers individual score. Scores cannot be transferred and each hounds points goes to the kennel that entered the hound in a particular hunt.

A kennel's best 12 field trial results will count towards the year end final total.
At year end, the 12 highest points trials will be tallied for the final standings. Only 4 of the 12 can come from one single pen for KOY. And to clarify, when a derby trial and an all age trial are run together - they are still 2 separate trials with different grades, etc.

Note: Errors will undoubtedly be made, as different spellings of names occur on field trial results. While efforts are made to correct this when entering hounds in these awards programs, it is the final responsibility of the hound owner to point out any errors in a timely fashion.

22. Calculating HOY, SOY, DOY and KOY Points:

For purposes of points calculation, all trials are placed into one of the following seven stakes grades. The entry level for any newly established field trial will be no higher than Grade III. After the first year, an association may petition the Leaderboard Advisory Committee for a higher grade.

Hounds winning a combination and dual will ONLY receive points for one or the other; whichever is the greatest but NOT a combination of the two.

For the matter of dual field trials, only half points will be awarded to each side of the dual. Example, the North Georgia runs a dual trial scoring a National HGA and a Masters HGA. Once the results are turned in, the 350 available points will be divided in half to each side and calculated with the entry factor. All field trials wishing to run as dual trials must pay a $30.00 recording fee for each trial.

Grade 1-A consists of the following trials:

MASTERS
NATIONAL

Grade 1 consist of the following trials:

ALL AMERICAN
UNITED STATES OPEN
TOP GUN
WORLD CUP
AMERICAN INVITATIONAL RUNNING HOUND CLASSIC
INTERNATIONAL RUNNING HOUND CLASSIC

Grade 2 consist of the Franchise Qualified trials as described in # 23 below.


Grade 3 consist of all (15 hour) All Age or Open trials.
ALL State Trials, FUTURITY a