USDAA Hall of Fame Inductees 2025
Meet Shawn Cossart, Evelyn Robertson, Kevin and Tracey Kent
For more than three decades, USDAA has recognized individuals and groups who have contributed to the sport’s development and growth, regionally and/or nationally. Those whose contributions are deemed to be of lasting significance through service to USDAA and the sport are honored with induction into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to our 2025 inductees!
Kevin Kent, Tracey Kent, Evelyn Robertson, Shawn Cossart with Ken Tatsch (GreatDanePhotos)
Meritorious Service: Shawn Cossart
Shawn Cossart of Heart of Texas (HOT) Dog Sports has been an active participant in USDAA® since 1996, running everything from Jack Russell Terriers to Border Collies as a competitor and working hard as a trainer and trial secretary. After moving from California to Dripping Springs, Texas, in the early 2000s, she saw the need for a facility catering to t
he local Texas community and founded HOT Dog Sports in 2008 to offer classes, workshops, seminars and eventually trials.
Since then, Shawn has recommended USDAA to all her students and helped them get started with the organization. She runs HOT Dog Sports’ trials and those of local clubs as a trial secretary and is always quick to offer “rarer” classes such as Team and Biathlon. Additionally, she has hosted USDAA’s South Central Regional Championship at HOT Dog Sports for several years, as well as special one- and two-day trials in August 2025 to give competitors a last-ditch opportunity to qualify for the Cynosport® World Games presented by Purina® Pro Plan®.
Often one of the first people onsite for a trial and one of the last to leave, Shawn shares her love for the sport with her three Border Collies as well as a retired Pug and Miniature American Shepherd. Her longtime and ongoing efforts as a supporter and advocate for USDAA have earned her a place in the Hall of Fame with its 2025 Meritorious Service Award.
Meritorious Service: Evelyn Robertson
Evelyn Robertson was one of the early members of the Rainier Agility Team (which started in 1989) and she remembers her first agility dog, Dance, earning a novice title in 1996. Her contributions have helped the club stay strong over the years. Nume
rous people cite her dedicated service and mentorship for promoting newcomers to the sport, as well as new judges to USDAA, helping the sport grow and thrive in the Pacific Northwest.
Evelyn’s kindness, openness and sense of humor are immediately obvious to all who meet her. A resident of Seattle, Washington, she welcomes newcomers to the sport with open arms and respectful answers to their questions. She helps to make people feel at home, even when they doubt their own knowledge and abilities. No matter what her own runs bring, she focuses on finding the good parts of her time with her dogs and is a model of good sportsmanship and cheerleading support for her fellow competitors.
Over the years, Evelyn has served the USDAA community as a judge, trial chair, and president and treasurer of the Rainier Agility Team. Although she always has a dad joke or pun at the ready and delights in little, good-natured pranks, she knows when to keep a level head and build confidence in the competitors and crew of volunteers around her. She is always willing to help where she is needed.
A retired general practice veterinarian, Evelyn has been part of USDAA nearly from its inception. She currently competes in agility and nose work with her three Border Collies: Story, Pizza and Kismet.
Volunteers of the Year: Kevin and Tracey Kent
Kevin and Tracey Kent have been instrumental in the smooth operations of the events at Canine Sports Zone (Wisconsin) for over a decade. Originally from Woodstock, Illinois, the Kents are always willing to lend a hand and often go out of their way to help someone who needs it. They are kind, welcoming and approachable, and always willing to answer questions about the sport.
Kevin has been Ca
nine Sports Zone’s chief course builder for over 10 years and is usually the first in and last out to ensure the rings are set for an event. His keen eye notes any issues before they become one, and he makes any corrections in a kind and respectful manner. During the 2025 USDAA North Central Regional, which had over 1,500 runs in one ring over three days, Kevin organized three course-building teams before the event. Each team was in charge of a third of the arena, and if there were no changes on one third, that team checked in with their fellow builders. This early strategy kept everything running smoothly, with each course being built in less than six minutes on average.
Meanwhile, Tracey can be found in any position that needs to be filled. If she is not running a dog, she is often at the scribe station; if she is competing, she might be leash running, manning the gate or simply bringing a smile and a fun sense of humor to her fellow competitors until she needs to grab her dog. The couple currently shares their lives with five dogs: Lyric, Bonza, Galaxy, Waterloo and Philia.
The community at Canine Sports Zone is so grateful for everything Kevin and Tracey have brought to the area, and USDAA congratulates them with their induction into the Hall of Fame as the 2025 Volunteers of the Year.