Debbie Little, the president of the New York City chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association and a columnist for Harness Racing Update, has been named USHWA’s Member of the Year by a committee of former winners of the award.
Little has been an
USHWA director for more than two decades and was a national officer for 10
years, including two years as president. She serves on multiple committees for
the organization, most notably for the annual Dan Patch Awards banquet and as co-chair
of the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop.
“I am pleased the
committee chose Debbie,” USHWA President Barry Lefkowitz said. “She has done a
great job, particularly with the Clyde Hirt Workshop and the Dan Patch Awards
banquet, and I’m glad she is being recognized for her hard work.”
Little assists with
the planning of the Dan Patch Awards banquet and is responsible for organizing
the live production of the awards show as well as preparing the event’s
scripts.
As a longtime advisor
with the annual four-day Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop, she has overseen
nearly every logistical aspect of the program, which introduces college
students to harness racing by giving aspiring media members the opportunity to
cover the Hambletonian at The Meadowlands. This includes arranging student
assignments with media outlets, setting up mentoring with editors and other
industry professionals, and coordinating travel and meals.
In addition to those
responsibilities, Little also coordinates production of the artwork of honorees
displayed in the Communicators Hall of Fame, not to mention helping at the
races every year at Goshen Historic Track in New York and the Orleans County
Fair in Vermont. Little’s husband, Dave, is the announcer at both venues.
Born Deborah Ann DeBiase,
she was introduced to harness racing at an early age when she and her father
would watch New York City Off-Track Betting’s “Racing from Yonkers” show. The
Yonkers native saw her first harness race – not surprisingly – at Yonkers
Raceway, when her parents took her to the Westchester County Fair.
Her first job in the
industry was in the Publicity Department at Yonkers in 1987, sending out
entries and results. She would later do the same job at The Meadowlands. In
1993, Little was hired as a handicapper, harness writer and racing clerk at the
New York Post, where she spent almost 27 years.
She currently writes
a weekly column for Harness Racing Update called “Meadowlands Matters,” which
deals with the happenings at the New Jersey oval. She is also a regular
contributor to TROT Magazine and the Standardbred Journal. This past January,
Little was named the winner of the 2020/2021 John Hervey Award for feature
writing for her story, “The Legend of Walter Case Jr.,” which appeared in TROT.
Little will be
honored as USHWA’s Member of the Year at the Dan Patch Awards sponsored by
Caesars Entertainment on Feb. 19, 2023, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. Room
reservations for the weekend can be made at the USHWA website at usharnesswriters.com.
Sponsorship
opportunities for the event can be procured from sponsorship chairman Shawn
Wiles at swiles@rwcatskills.com.
For information
regarding banquet tickets, contact Judy Davis-Wilson at zoe8874@aol.com. To place an
ad in the Souvenir Journal, contact Kim Rinker at Trotrink@aol.com.
