USDAA Hall of Fame Announces Meritorious Service and Volunteer of the Year Awards

Randy Holford, Carol Voelker and Chris Frado Wentworth honored.

Nov 5, 2023

By: News Editor

Congratulations to the 2023 recipients of the Meritorious Service and Volunteer of the Year Awards, who were inducted into the USDAA Hall of Fame.

Meritorious Service: Randy Holford & Carol Voelker  

Randy Holford of Cloquet, Minn., never spends much time just sitting around watching trials. Even when not competing, he can usually be found in the ring -- judging, course building or both. For over 12 years, he has been a stalwart volunteer at all levels of the sport, from local events throughout Minnesota to the national tournaments at Cynosport®. He has also served as a judge since 2013 and is well known (and loved) for being helpful at every trial he attends.  

Randy often works tirelessly throughout an event. Each day, he can be seen volunteering in the rings, then staying late to build new courses and returning early the next morning to ensure the rings are ready for the first walkthrough. He is also a mainstay of the Arrowhead Dog Agility Association in Duluth, Minn., where he serves as trial secretary in addition to judging. 

In January, he further gave back to the community by donating his judging fees to Heart of a Border Collie Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group dedicated to rehoming Border Collies, Border Collie mixes, and other herding breeds in Minnesota and the Dakotas. 

Randy Holford 500 Carol Voelker 500

Randy Holford and Carol Voelker

Professional dog trainer Carol Voelker of Tails in Motion in Little Falls, Minn., teaches obedience and agility, judges and hosts trials, and volunteers for the Minnesota Agility Club. She attended her first judges clinic in 1997 becoming a Starters/Advanced level judge. 

A familiar face at Cynosport, Carol has worked the busy rings for over 13 years, including staying late into the night to build the next day’s courses. In addition to her volunteering, Carol has judged Cynosport four times and often serves as a USDAA course reviewer, thus contributing extra time and effort anywhere she judges.  

Carol rescued her first dog in 1993 and got into agility shortly thereafter. Within four years, she ran four very different rescues, all of whom earned top USDAA titles. Nowadays, she continues to train and compete with her own dogs around her busy schedule, sharing her passion for the sport with a variety of breeds.  

Volunteer of the Year: Chris Frado Wentworth  

Chris Frado Wentworth has contributed to the sport’s development and growth regionally and nationally earning her the honor of Volunteer of the Year.  

Chris Frado Wentworth 500Chris took her dog, Bandit, a wolf hybrid, through the ranks in obedience and was looking to compete in other sports when she saw a flyer for Julie Daniels’ "Introduction to Dog Agility." That class sparked the creation of Canine Agility Training Society (CATS), Inc., by the late 1980s. Chris joined with Leslie Vassall and Judy Davis to bring the fun of agility to others around New Hampshire. Since then, CATS has become one of the nation’s three oldest operational dog agility clubs, hosting numerous USDAA trials.  

Chris has been volunteering since 1989 and is best known as the “publicizer” for everything related to CATS. As a founding member, Chris helped to write the club bylaws and has served in every capacity on the Board of Directors over the years. She has been elected president many times, chairs the club’s two USDAA trials each year, maintains the website and Facebook page, and helps with the seminars and Groundskeeping Committee. Chris has also offered “Intro to USDAA” and “Intro to Snooker” webinars to continue expanding the club’s reach.  

She has trained seven dogs through the sport, including the late Bandit, and enjoys being such a large part of this fun, dog-loving community. Among the achievements of which she is most proud are: 

  • Bingo still holds the record for the highest number of titling Qs for a German Shepherd Dog (GSD) in USDAA history, followed by her “Shepherd Sisters” and their dogs for #2 and #3 spots. Bingo reached the level of Performance Dog Champion-Silver, earned a Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA)-Silver and had several Gold titles.  
  • GSD Snoop Doggy Dog is #4 for total Qs by a GSD in USDAA history.  
  • Together Bingo and Snoop Doggy Dog are the only two GSDs in USDAA history to earn Veteran Versatility Dog titles.  
  • Miso Happy, her “borrowed” Portuguese Water Dog (PWD), is the 4th PWD to earn a Performance Dog Champion-Bronze and LAA-Bronze.