New PKC Youth Program Co-Director

Steve Burkholder of Angola, Indiana has graciously accepted the position as Co-Director of the PKC Youth Program. We are extremely appreciative of Steve’s acceptance and look forward to working with him and our current Co-Director, Amy Thomas. With both of these great people directing our youth program, we look forward to the future of the PKC Youth Program; we believe that great things are in store!

 A Note from Amy:  
With all the support of Steve Burkholder and Burky’s Construction for our program and now recently with our major youth events, it just made sense to invite him to be a co-director for the Youth Program. Steve happily accepted and I am thrilled to have him aboard. Steve has said over and over that the youth are the future of the sport and he wants to do his part to insure that the sport is around for his children as they get older. He has definitely upheld his part. The PKC Youth Program is very happy to welcome Steve Burkholder as Co-Director. I look forward to working with him and Mark Hauck to see how we can make an already good program even greater! Please read on for more information about Steve…

A Closer Look at Steve Burkholder

Steve Burkholder has been fascinated with coon dogs since he was an eight year old boy riding his bike past his neighbor’s house and seeing his Bluetick hound. This was also the beginning of his love of blue dogs. Steve began pleasure hunting with that neighbor’s brother. Later when Steve ventured into the competition side of the sport, he would not only be extremely successful, but he would forge friendships that he still has today. Steve knows first-hand the positive impact that coon hunting can have on a young person’s life.

Steve began his competition coon hunting being active in UKC and the BBOA. He knows what it is like to place high in the World Events, win the Purina Race, win Autumn Oaks, and win the first-ever Triple Crown. He was active with the BBOA as their vice-president for four years and began his friendship with Mark Hauck, former president of the BBOA, who now has joined Steve’s current construction business and will be helping Steve with the youth program. Steve also served as an officer for the DeKalb Coon Hunters’ Association.

Winning so much in UKC made Steve want to succeed in another direction and that brought PKC into his life. Steve has had just as much success with PKC with being a co-owner of a World Champion, winning Pro Hunts, and helping establish the Michigan Summer Madness. Steve has also been a member of the month featured in PROHOUND and in that article he discussed the importance of focusing on the youth side of the sport. Now he is doing even more to show just how important he feels the youth are by agreeing to join the PKC Youth Program as a Co-Director.

Steve Burkholder and his wife Kelly have their own children, Stevie and Sydney, whom Steve hopes will be able to enjoy competition coon hunting as much as he has from his childhood until now. Accepting this role with the PKC Youth Program is a major step for Steve; to be able bring that desire into reality. Steve shared his goal for this role, “The PKC Youth Program has come a long way and the proper steps are in place, but I want to help take it to its’ full potential. This cannot be done by me or Amy Thomas alone, it takes being surrounded by a team of people who also want to see this program grow even more. It is with my hope and desire with taking on this endeavor that the friends and acquaintances that I made over the years will help take this program to its full potential of what it should be. As we build the youth program even further through hunts, expanding the major youth events, and taking the scholarships to a different level, I hope that if you are called upon that you will help us.”

Steve is thrilled to have an entire weekend now for the Youth World Championship and is already adding new twists on events so the championship is even more successful than it has been before, “I want to appeal to the kids whose parents are the average working parents who do everything they can for their kids and can only hit a couple hunts a year. I want to give them the chance to go spectate or be able to be judged by the big names in the sport. I want to give them the most ‘bang’ for their buck and this is going to take a group effort.”

Steve looks forward to meeting many of you at the event this year and getting your input. We hope that you will take the time to introduce yourself to him and thank him for his involvement in the youth program and for coming aboard as a co-director of the PKC Youth Program. There are many great things ahead and Steve is one of the people helping make those things happen!