2010 CAA Bid Call Championship Contest
Brings Exciting Changes to Enhance the Competition
Once again the holiday season fast approaches. And while most people are busy trying to decide whether or not to have turkey or ham for Thanksgiving, the CAA Board of Directors has been busy planning another important winter event, our annual convention! Once again I am pleased to be the chairman for our annual Bid Calling Competition. However, this year is particularly special because the Board has decided to dedicate this year’s convention in memory of the late Chuck Cumberlin. As most of you know, Chuck passed away on May 1, 2009, after a hard fought battle with cancer. Chuck was a World Champion Livestock Auctioneer in 1978 He was also Past President and Hall of Fame Member of both the NAA and CAA. He also taught at Missouri Action School for years, and more recently was an instructor at the World Wide College Of Auctioneering. As many young Auctioneers will attest, Chuck was a Mentor, Friend, and Advisor to any one in the Auction Business. So in turn, along with the chance to win the Champion Buckle and $1000 to help defray costs to compete in the NAA IAC, our next champion will also be awarded the 1st Annual Chuck Cumberlin Memorial Award. This will be in the form of a traveling trophy that each year’s champion will have during the year of their reign.
Also the CAA Board of Directors made an important decision this year to WAIVE the requirement that members must be in good standing for 6 months or longer in order to compete. This was done for a couple of reasons. First – A few years ago, the CAA Board of Directors implemented a system where the dues of the membership would be billed in different months. That was done so as to not have such a large financial strain on members at Convention time. This well intentioned decision has had some negative consequences. We have seen a lot of confusion amongst members as to when their membership dues were paid or not. That, along with the fact that the CAA no longer has its administrative duties managed by the NAA has led the CAA Board of Directors to decide to go back to billing dues at the first of the calendar year for all members. One of the reasons the 6 month requirement was waived is an effort not to exclude someone who thought their dues were paid. Second - In the past few years we have had a few instances where we have had new members to the association, who were experienced auctioneers, come to the convention and pay their dues. They wanted to compete in the Championship Bid Calling Competition, but due to the membership requirement, were unable. As the rules were written, that forced us to allow them to compete in the First Timers Contest. This put a damper on the “Rookies”, who the First Times Contest was intended for. Hopefully this rule change will fix both situations. Bottom Line…You can come to this year’s convention, pay your dues and fees, and compete in the Championship Bid Call Contest!
Lastly I want to stress the importance of competition. As an auctioneer who competed actively for over 20 years until I won a championship, I know the reluctance that one feels sometimes to enter the contest. We all feel that the toughest thing that we ever do is compete against our peers. In the Auction Industry we compete all the time. We are always competing against each other for clients and business. We are anticipating a great lineup for this year’s convention. Don’t let the threat of competing against other pros put a damper on your desire to compete. In every competition that I ever competed in, I learned valuable lessons. Each competition made me a better auctioneer and bid caller. Sometimes the judges liked me, sometimes they didn’t. But in all cases, their comments and advice proved invaluable. For example, in recent years the interview portion has been incredibly valuable into the insight knowledge of the other auctioneers in the competition. Don’t miss this great opportunity to show off you talent! Let’s truly make this years Convention a tribute to the great champion, Chuck Cumberlin!
The CAA Bid Calling Competition is conducted annually by the Colorado Auctioneers Association. It is the premier showcase of auction talent in the state of Colorado. Auctioneers are judged by five judges in a bid calling contest. The bid calling, in which each contestant sells three items on stage, is comprised of preliminary and final rounds. Contestants are required to provide 3 items with a value of $50 or more for the preliminary round. Each contestant will sell his own items in the preliminary round. (Remember…the better the items, the better your preliminary will be). Finalists will be selected based on the preliminary score cards. Finalists will return to be judged in an interview and then sell their final 3 items which will be provided by the CAA. The winner will be expected to represent the CAA and the auction industry for the next year, and is expected to compete at the NAA IAC the year of their reign. All CAA members in good standing are welcome to compete in this exciting event. See Entry form for details as well as a complete list of rules for the competition. For additional information, please contact Chairman Mike Heitmann at (719) 683-7235.
-Mike Heitmann, Owner of MH Bar Auctions of Calhan CO, is a CAA Board Member,
the 2007 Colorado Auctioneers Association’s and the
2007 Montana Auctioneers Association’s Champion Bid Caller and Auctioneer |
