The GRCA Certificate Programs 

By Edell M. Schaefer, Certificate Program Chair 

Programs Offered

In 2004 the GRCA Board approved the Certificate of Conformation Assessment (CCA) bringing to 13 the number of recognition awards that are offered through the club.  These programs currently consist of:

The requirements for these programs are available on the GRCA website (www.grca.org) and are occasionally published in the GRNews.  GRCA members whose dogs fulfill the requirements receive certificates acknowledging these accomplishments, and all dogs earning these awards are included in the GRCA yearbooks regardless of membership status.  

The Triathlon Award, Versatility, Versatility Excellent, Working Certificate, Working Certificate Excellent, and Certificate of Conformation Assessment certificates are mailed out regularly throughout the year.  Certificates for the Hall of Fame and Outstanding Producers are mailed in late May or June of the year following when the award was achieved.  These awards are compiled on an annual basis to reflect the entire calendar year.  For example: all 2009 (January through December) Hall of Fame and Outstanding Producer awards are compiled by statisticians and submitted to the yearbook editor and certificate chairman in spring 2010.  Certificates are automatically mailed out to GRCA members; you do not need to apply for these.

The Triathlon Award, Versatility and Versatility Excellent certificates on the other hand must be applied for and documentationneeds to accompany the application.  As with the award requirements, the application can be found on the GRCA website or occasionally in the GRNews.  Certificates are printed and mailed usually within a few days of receipt and verification of the application.

The Working Certificate, Working Certificate Excellent, and Certificate of Conformation Assessment certificates are printed and distributed within a few weeks of the event – after the test committee submits the judging results.  If you have not received your WC, WCX or CCA certificates, check with the committee chairperson whose name and contact information is provided in the front of the GRNews or on the GRCA website. 

All certificates are sent to the GRCA president for a signature before the chairperson or recorder mails them to the owner. 

Certificate timetable summarized

When can you expect to receive your certificate?

The Volunteer Team

A wonderful team of dedicated volunteers compile data – diligently recording wins and points, and keeping track of each dog’s eligibility for the award programs.  These folks deserve a round of applause for their time and commitment; without them no one would receive recognition, a place in our historical yearbooks, or a certificate.  Many thanks to:

Recognition in the GRNews

In addition to issuing certificates, the GRCA recognizes its award winners with announcements in columns in the GRNews. Announcements for Hall of Fame winners and Outstanding Producers are published throughout the year on an honor system.  In other words, the owner submits a photo and information to the appropriate columnist before the statistician has compiled their annual list. The VC/VCX information is verified before publication as part of the application/documentation process.  WC/WCX and CCA results are submitted by the host clubs.

To submit photos and information for the GRNews only, look at a recent GRNews and contact the appropriate columnist.  When submitting information for the GRNews keep in mind that the deadlines are two months ahead of actual publication.  For example: the November 15th deadline is for the January/February issue.  Clear original photos are preferred, and will be returned to you after publication.  However, if you submit a digital photo they must be high resolution – a minimum of 300 dpi or they cannot be used. Deadlines are adhered to so the earlier you can submit your information to the columnist the better. 

In conclusion

We are all proud of the accomplishments of those who work so hard to improve the Golden Retriever breed in all areas of competition.  The certificate program is in place to recognize those accomplishments.  If you have questions, comments or concerns about any of the certificates please don’t hesitate to contact Edell M. Schaefer for assistance or phone (262)796-6662. 

Updated - April, 25, 2011

Back to top