HACD Members,
I am seeking the HACD At-Large position in the upcoming election and I ask for your support.  

Since 2005, I have been an active competitor participating in every US National Championship since 2006 and have qualified for the US World Championship Team in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.  While I enjoy the highest levels of competition, I believe that there are many ways to enjoy balloon competition and any level of competition can increase the skill sets of the pilots and crews participating. 

I believe competition ballooning is a great vehicle to grow ballooning, especially in the younger demographic.  It has certainly kept me engaged in ballooning.  To that end, I've focused heavily on opportunities to share competition ballooning including through our website BalloonPong.com where we shared articles, photos, and videos chronicling competition experiences from ourselves and others at events around the world.  In the BFA's Ballooning Magazine I have contributed many competition event synopses as well as a regular competition column where I focused on sharing useful tips, tricks, methods, and mindsets for competitors of any skill level.  

As an active participant in competition over the years, I've observed our peers shape the sport for the better through their work on the HACD Board.  I feel the time is right for me to pick up the baton of service and run with it for a while - as so many have done before.  If elected, I'll look forward to the work and the opportunity to serve and contribute.  In those efforts, I promise to seek out and listen to other's points of view, share my own point of view, and let the betterment of our sport be my North Star.

Thank you.

Joe Zvada