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Candidate for TICA Maine Coon Breed Committee
Elektra Hammond - Blueblaze Cattery
 My history in the maine coon breed:
I started showing sometime in 1987 with Hopeless, my first HHP. My first
show was a TICA Show in Lexington, MA. Soon thereafter, we (Mike and I)
acquired another household pet and continued showing, in TICA, CFF, and
CFA. At a show in Pennsylvania I saw SGC,IW MtKittery Penobscot - and
then and there decided I wanted a maine coon of my very own.
Our first maine coon, a black smoke female, came to us in 1989. We
registered BlueBlaze as a cattery name and we've been breeding and
showing ever since.
In 1993, BlueBlaze was voted in as a breeder member Cattery of MCBFA.
Starting in 1995, our breeding program "hit its stride" and we had our
first regional winner. Over the years we've had more than fifteen maine
coon RWs, plus a few assorted alter wins with other breeds and some HHP
wins.
We've breed more than 75 maine coon litters to date.
Despite all of this - I still think of myself as a relative newcomer to
the breed. When I started, some of my mentors had been at it 20 years or
more, and some of them are still going strong. I do bring a lot of years
of experience with the breed to the table and a lot of showing and breeding.
My history in the fancy:
I've been a TICA member since 1991, a life member since 1993.
I am a past breed committee member.
I was licensed as a TICA judge in 2000, and have judged in every region
except Europe South and Asia. And I'll be in Europe South in a few weeks.
Our club, Cats of the Finger Lakes, put together the first CoonClave, a
show featuring 3 rings of maine coon congresses similar to "On Safari"
in 2007.
Head gopher and webmaster for the TICA Annual 2005, put on jointly by
Cats of the Finger Lakes and Westchester Feline Club.
I've been around long enough to remember 2 regional realignments and the
assorted fallout.
I'm a licensed Master Clerk and Entry Clerk, and I've conducted clerking
schools in 4 different regions, starting in the mid-1990s.
2-time Northeast Regional Member of the Year (1996, 1997).
Member and/or Officer of the following clubs:
Texas Maine Coonfederacy (SC)
Cats of the Finger Lakes - Treasurer (NE)
GeneTICAts -Secretary (NE)
Gold Coast Cat Fanciers (NE)
Cats of the Endless Hills - Treasurer (MA)
Potomac Area Cat Enthusiasts (MA)
Susquehannock Cat Club (MA)
Beautiful Cats Forever - Secretary (SE)
Volunteer Cat Club (SE)
Midwest Norwegian Forest Cat Club (GL)
Maine Coon Connection of Texas (SC) [Honorary Member]
Webmaster for TIFF
Webmaster for the TICA Junior Achievers
I also do online show flyers for a number of clubs, at no charge
My goals:
I think it's time for the breed committee to get back to basics.
Before the committee starts stepping outside its purview, we need to
step up and do more towards educating the judges on what we want to see
in our breed. I also think it's time to review the standard again and
see if sections of it need tweaking.
In all my time as a breeder, I have both taken and offered advice, while
never dictating terms. I would strive to continue that as a breed
committee member. I think everyone's opinion deserves to be heard, and I
will listen.
I have attended a number of TICA BoD meetings as a spectator, and I
bring a solid knowledge of TICA's rules and how TICA works to the table.
In Real Life:
I am a computer programmer (underemployed, although that will hopefully change
with my upcoming move to the MA region), and a freelance copyeditor. I have a BS
from Cornell and an MS from SUNY-Binghamton,
both in Computer Science.
I remain,
Elektra
To visit the Maine
Coons, Maine Coon Polydactyls, and Munchkin at Blueblaze click
HERE
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