Julie Black (ME)

"I am currently living in Down East Maine where I have lived for the last 15 years on a private lake deep in the woods. A wonderful place to raise children and dogs! I have been in dogs for over 30 years most of the time as a professional handler. I started out doing obedience titles for other people and have put titles on several breeds (Goldens, Shelties, Great Danes, Labs, PBGVS, Tervs, etc) up to and including the UD. I have also done rehab work on rescue dogs and trained problem dogs as well as service dogs. As a conformation handler I have won a group first in every group and have finished multiple dogs from each group, campaigning several to top 10 positions in their breeds. I have bred/handled/owned the #1 PBGV in the country and in PBGVs have bred over 60 champions, several multiple Best in Show winners, top ten dogs and Best in Sweeps/Best in Specialty winners. Herding is very important to me and I plan on doing more of it with my three current border collies this fall. I have never done agility, but will be doing obedience with my guys when their conformation careers are over.

I have judged the PBGVCA Eastern Regional Sweepstakes in 2008 (the weekend of the National) and also a local breed club's Papillion Sweepstakes back in 2005 at the Fitchburg MA cluster in August. I have judged several matches over the years, taught handling classes in the past and have attended some judges education seminars, although regrettably not on the border collie and the PBGV. I am a member of BCSA and the vice president of the Bay Colony Border Collie Club, a BCSA affiliate club. I would be very honored to judge the Futurity at the BCSA National Specialty"

Laura Overmyer (IL)

"Laura is 18 years old and is attending Augusta College in Rock Island, IL where she is entered in the pre-veterinary medicine program. Becoming a veterinarian has been her main career goal. However, there was a time when she thought about becoming a professional handler, trainer, and groomer. She showed multiple breeds of dogs in AKC conformation shows and traveled with a professional handler during high school. She enjoys showing, training, handling, and grooming dogs but realized that this is a very difficult way to make a living so she will finish her degree in veterinary medicine and then will maintain dog showing as her hobby after graduating from college.

Laura began her dog showing career at the age of 8 when she entered her first 4-H dog show with her Jack Russell Terrier, YIP, and after that she was hooked on showing and training dogs. She went on to compete in the care and grooming, showmanship and obedience classes in 4-H every year and was awarded Grand Champion in these classes 5 years. Laura also qualified to show her dogs at the State 4-H dog show and was awarded High in Trial in Obedience with her Border Collie, Blitz, and has placed in the top 5 in both showmanship and obedience at the state fair for the last 5 years. She has finished 6 of her own Border Collies to their AKC breed championships and one to a CDX and Novice Agility title. She showed, trained and groomed her brother's Border Collie CH Hot Shot Rolling Thunder to Best of Winners at the BCSA National Specialty and her own Border Collie CH Pawtails Xpress Yourself to reserve winners dog at the BCSA Specialty and was best Junior Handler twice at the BCSA National Specialty. Laura also showed one of her bitches in the brood bitch class along with her offspring - CH Agape Rythm'n Blues and CH Agape Life Song Sings for HIM - and took first place in that class. She has also competed at the Specialtyseveral years and shown not only her own dogs but other Border Collies and has been very successful in conformation, showmanship, obedience, and agility AKC shows.

During high school, Laura worked in an Animal Hospital for 4 years and also for the local feed store. She has shown steer, rabbits, cats, dogs, sheep, goats, duchs, and pigeons in 4-H along with public presentations, visual arts, veterinary study and advanced animal studies, horticulture and wood working in Ogle County 4-H classes and taken many of these projects to State level. She was awarded the Illinois Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship and also the FFA Scholarship and the 4-H Foundation Scholarship along with the Presidential Scholarship from Augustana college. All of her experiences during her childhood have given her a well rounded appreciation and understanding of the importance of maintaining a good breeding program and producing better quality puppies rather then just producing puppies for the sake of producing puppies. She plans to specialize in her veterinary practice in genetics and reproduction but, of course, will always show and train dogs as her hobby."

Lisa Pruka (IL)

"I currently show in conformation and have bred five litters of Border Collies in 8 years, with hopefully one more on the way soon. I have bred 2 dogs that have finished their AKC CH. I have owner/handled 4 dogs to their CH -- 3 that I own with 1 finishing from the bred by exhibitor class and 1 additional dog that I bred. I have also handled a dog to an HXAs, 2 dogs to an HIAs, 1 to an HSBs, 1 to an HSBd, 2 to their HSAd and 4 to their HSAs. I also compete with my dogs in tracking, obedience and agility where they have earned advanced titles, including 3 TDX, an AX and 2 AXJ.

I am currently working on finishing the requirements to apply to judge Border Collies and Junior Showmanship. I judged sweepstakes at the BCCGLA specailty in May 2007. I have also judged a couple of sanctioned matches where I did the working and sporting groups. I also have an assignment to judge a schipperke sweeps in April 2009 and I will be judging the KTBCC sweeps in Louisville in March 2009.

I am currently on the board of BCSA and will continue as the President of BCSA in 2009. I am also a member of my local obedience club, Forest City Dog Training, and the local conformation club, Rockford-Freeport IL Kennel Club. Additionally I am a founding member of an all-breed herding club, Northern IL Stock Dog Club where I am the treasurer.

I enjoy the conformation ring and feel it is important to maintain our vigilance in protecting the breed that we all love. As such I have served as a breed mentor for the 2 years that I have been on the board. I am currently working as part of a group to redevelop our judges education materials. I would be honored to judge the Futurity event at a national specialty, especially since it is a first step towards protecting the future of our breed."