Dear Editor:
 
 
"Grow old with me!  The best is yet to be."  ~Robert Browning   
 
I must express my opinion in regard to the Celebration dropping the Retired Trainers Class and/or the Trainer 60 and older class.
 
I think it is terrible that this decision was made, and then there was added three Young Trainer Classes.
 
I believe we will have the opportunity to see most of those same young trainers showing in many of the open classes on all of the ten nights of the Celebration.  However, now our senior trainers do not have a "special" class to highlight and acknowledge them. 
 
It should not matter if the class has 4 entries or 14 entries,  it has been a popular class in the past and has been a class that has generated excitement and applause from the audience.
 
I was brought up to always respect my elders and that we should sit and wait and let the older people go first.  Our industry has chosen to make our elders just sit, and this is very sad.
 
I am proud of our young trainers,  I am proud of our middle aged trainers, and most of all I am proud of our senior trainers.  These men have spent a lifetime working within our industry and should be respected and should have a world championship class to honor them. 
 
I hope you will join me in letting the Celebration know that we want a class back in the program to honor our senior trainers!
 
Sincerely,
 
Jill Derickson