Buffalo Sighting

(Rawlins, WY/Provo, UT) It was super clear and there were nice blue skies when we awoke this morning – but that meant it was really cold. Certainly time to move on.

As usual, we stopped about 1:00pm for lunch. It just so happened that in a large field right next to the rest stop there was a herd of buffalo.



One of them was super huge and when he saw us with four dogs he decided maybe he should get up. But he was so big that in order to get up he had to roll and roll to get enough momentum to help him up.



My, what a process this big guy had to go through to get up. Then we noticed a baby feeding from the mom. Now that's a big baby!



It took a while but I finally got one to look at me!




The whole time we were looking at the buffalo, the dogs were putting their noses in the all the holes in the ground. Then we noticed a badger running around and pouncing. I guess it was hunting time.



About that time a large bird came swooping down as he figured he’d just found lunch.



But when he realized how big the badger really was changed his mind. You could certainly tell he was disappointed.

From there we had to go over some mountains to get to the Salt Lake City area. There was some snow on the ground but fortunately not on the road. We made it to our campground in Provo, UT just fine. We've been to this campground before - it's quiet as it is away from the freeway and not near any train tracks which is highly unusual!

Debbie
9/25/07

Reflections

(Gillette, WY/Rawlins, UT) The 2007 NADAC Championships are over and everyone has cleared out of Gillette, WY. They’ve even already taken down the “Welcome NADAC Championship” messages off the marquis. The highways are now dotted with cars and RV’s full of agility folks scattering in all directions. Everyone is thinking over the events of the past five days. These memories range from exhilaration to deep disappointment and everything in between. All these memories are so fresh in our minds now. Some will slowly disappear from our memory banks while others will stay vividly in our minds for years to come.

Since many of these memories will disappear from my mind very shortly I’m sure, I’d better share some of them before they are no longer in existence.

One of the things we did each morning right after the two National Anthems was to sing an agility song. They were pretty cute so I thought I’d share them with you. We were accompanied by an accordion which was played by 82 year old Paul Kirk (who ran agility at the Championships). His wife, Mary Finley, wrote the words which were then put to the tune of some famous songs we all know.

The first day we sang: Dog Agility which was done to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Once your heart has seen the joy in an agility dog’s eye,
When she’s sailing over every jump and climbing to the sky,
You will know it is addictive for it makes you very high.
So, come give it a try.

Chorus:
Dog agility, forever!
Dog agility, forever!
Dog agility, forever!
Let’s run the course once more.

May you run until you’re ancient, may you gamble ‘till you die.
May it never even cross your mind to every wonder why.
It is fun for everyone and keeps your spirits very high.
So, come give it a try.

(Chorus)

In comparison all other sports are nothing but a bore.
Dog agility will take you where you’ve never been before.
It can strike at any time of life and lasts forevermore.
So, set the course once more.

(Chorus)

This seemed to get everyone going pretty good in the morning. The chorus was always especially loud. We sang this a couple different mornings.

One day we sang: Oh, My Good Dog (sang to the tune of Clementine – which starts out Oh my darling, oh my darling)

Chorus:
Oh my good dog, such a good dog,
Runs the courses so divine.
If she only had a handler,
That was equally as fine.

Oh my good dog, did the gamble
Did the gamble just in time.
But we lost a Q that morning
When my foot went o’er the line.

(chorus)

To the tunnel or the contact?
There’s a choice which way to go.
But I never gave a signal:
How’s a dog supposed to know.

(chorus)

So we tried our luck in Jumpers
Just to see how we would do,
But alas, I lost the course there
And we skipped a jump or two,

(chorus)

So, we muffed it. Yes, we muffed it.
Oh, we muffed it once again.
And instead of qualifying
It’s a Q that might have been.

(chorus)


You can’t help but smile when singing these fun songs.

There was a Kelpie at the Championships that looked just like my friend, Shari’s, Kelpie. The dog was really good! So of course when I saw the lady and her dog out in the field, I had to go over and visit. She said her dog is from some line out of Wisconsin. All I know is that this dog was fast and smooth – very impressive. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot from this team in the next few years.

Each Regular course was set to test different skills. One tested your weaving skills as there two sets of weaves. One tested your handling skills as the course was tighter than most and had a lot of off course potentials. Another was wide open – this was to see how well you could handle from behind as there was no way to keep up with your dog at all. Another really had a lot of discriminations. So as you can see you have to be very well rounded and have all the skills to do well at Championships. And you have to have a little bit of luck on your side as well.

Last year distance was a factor in every single run. This year however distance really wasn’t a factor at all unless you had entered Super Stakes. There was a distance line on all the regular courses and they were a little farther away than on a normal weekend. But I don’t think I saw one dog have a problem with the distance. There certainly may have been some – but I didn’t see any. I only saw one course where I thought the distance portion of the course was any kind of test at all. To my surprise, Wazzu did it perfectly and never looked at the off course layer jump.

I'm not totally sure what I think about the mulligan option that was part of the Championships this year. I found that it really added a lot of stress to the event. Do I use it on this run or save it? Do I want to use it early or save it for later? Many people I talked to found that it added another point of stress. Also, it kind of seems like at the Championships that all runs should count. If you mess up then that should be part of your score. I will admit that on normal weekends I have often said I'd like a mulligan. Overall I think it definitely added a new dimension - I'm just not sure if I really want it to be a part of the Championships. I really have mixed emotions on that.

One thing that was really fun was that my friend Pat was there with her husband Bob and two of their five dogs, Will and Quinn. It was so fun to watch their runs. They did extremely well – Will got a 1st place in Weavers and won by quite a margin which is very unusual at the Championships. And Quinn was pretty consistent and came close to making the finals. Pat was so nice and tried to make sure people didn’t stand in front of me so I could see some of the action. We had an opportunity to visit more than we usually do at a normal trial which made it even more special.

Just like previous years, it seemed that our most vocal supporter was Debbie Pierce. When Wazzu and I would finish a run we’d always get a lot of support from the crowd, which Wazzu ate up big time! One thing I could always count on was to hear Debbie congratulating us as we crossed the finish line. Bart and Debbie are both so nice – and their dogs are great too! The agility community really is full of super nice people and Debbie and Bart certainly fit into that category!

We got to spend some time visiting with Billie who owns Boogie’s half-brother and great uncle. They both made the finals – I had a blast watching them (and dreaming). They did so great. Billie was very nice to give us some information and pointers. We’ve known Billie a long time and she has been so nice to us from the very first time we met her, which was at the Championships a number of years ago.

That’s another thing that is great about the Championships – you get to meet so many nice people. Some of them you may only see once a year at the Championships but it’s like having a big family reunion each year when we gather where ever the Championships happen to be held. And there are so many cool dogs. Each dog has their own story, and all are very interesting in their own way. It’s amazing what some of these dogs have gone through or are going through. One gal I met a number of years ago runs a deaf Bull Terrier. Now that is challenge – but they do very well out there together and it is quite an inspiration. I could go on and on listing all the neat people and dogs we meet each year but this post would go on for pages and pages.

Even if you come away from the Championships with no ribbons, you certainly don’t come away empty handed. And if you wait a day or two after the event is over you can sit back and reflect on the experience and realize that everyone that goes to the Championships is a winner. After all, it takes a lot just to qualify for the Championships. We’re excited for next year already – wherever it may be.

Today, Monday, we left Gillette and made our way to Rawlins, WY. From what I saw there isn’t much there. And it is COLD! Even Mike agreed it is cold. I had to wear a stocking cap and gloves…and of course a coat to take the dogs out for a walk, although I don’t have a heavy coat as we expect to be in relatively warm places year-round.

Between Gillette and Rawlins, it was even snowing – very big flakes. Fortunately the snow wasn’t sticking to the road. I’m thinking it’s a good thing we’re headed south!

After walking the dogs, we barricaded ourselves into the RV by putting pillows in front of the windows and stuffed pillows and blankets by the door trying to block all the cold air that comes in. RV’s still aren’t made with very good insulation which is one reason we need to stay in warm parts of the country year round.

Mike made a nice big batch of chili, we got Sparkie all tucked in under many layers of blankets, I made some hot chocolate and got under the super neat blanket mom and dad got me for my birthday, we turned on Monday Night Football and we were all quite content for the rest of the evening.

Debbie
9/24/07

Final-ly Over

(Gillette, WY) When we awoke this morning we noticed a pretty rare morning rainbow from end to end. In fact, if you look closely you can see a little bit of a double rainbow.

This morning when we all got into the building we noticed that everyone looks really tuckered. I think most people are glad today is the final day. However, I'm sure many of the dogs would like a couple more weeks of this. Believe it or not, Wazzu is one of those dogs! It's a given that Sparkie wants more but it is a big surprise that Wazzu is in that group.

Today's Regular course isn't all that long - just 21 obstacles. It's a very flowing and open course - a nice course for the last Regular run that all dogs get to run. I figure the times will be very fast!

Sparkie ran first and was running beautifully. I tell you, she is trying so hard and running so confidently. That has been Mike's goal with her the last few months - just to build up her confidence so that she'll really go fast without any hesitations. And she sure did that here.

Unfortunately, at one point in the run Mike thought he had her all set for the next obstacle so he took his eye off her for just a split second and she darted into an off course tunnel. I guess to the dogs this was a possible obstacle but I don't think one handler saw this as an off course possibility. A few dogs actually did this though. Anyway, when Sparkie came out of the tunnel she looked a little worried but this time Mike really praised her and acted like that was exactly what she was supposed to do and then got her back on course. She did the rest of it with complete ease. No ribbon for this run but a HUGE good job to Mike on this for being happy with Sparkie on course even after an error. This is a huge step. Way to go Mike and Sparkie.

About 11:00am it was Wazzu's turn. And she was big time happy this morning. It is very cool, a little windy, and there was a slight drizzle as well - just the kind of weather Wazzu likes.

When there were about three dogs left in the class before us, they posted the Vet run order. So we got gathered and had our dogs all psyched up and ready to go. Then just as we were getting in line they pulled down the run order and put up a new one. So now the dogs they needed to get in the queue were out in the field warming up and those of use that were there ready to run now had to figure out how to keep our dogs "up" for another fifteen to twenty minutes.

Wazzu and I went back to the field and played a little bit. When we got back in she still seemed happy. In fact, she was happier this morning than I've seen her in a very long time. We got in the queue just ahead of Andrea and Token who have followed us in almost every run this weekend. There is no greater team to be next to as Wazzu really feels comfortable with both Andrea and Token. Andrea was always so nice to give Wazzu and I encouragement before we went out for our run. Andrea is the epitome of nice.

When it was our turn Wazzu took off like a bullet. She had a beautiful line with no wasted steps at all. She was totally hyped up. How fun is this!! I was having an absolute blast. It's so fun to see Wazzu come blasting out of a tunnel toward me with her mouth wide open and the biggest twinkle in her eyes ever. The look on her face during this run will stay with me for a very very long time. But then we came to the weaves. Each day Wazzu has been more and more reluctant to do the weaves. Yesterday she refused to do them and again today she just didn't want to do them. She entered and then skipped a pole. I think it is hurting her back to bend. Since she messed up so early in the poles I took her back and had her enter again. But she popped again right away so I said forget it lets just go on. Well she thought that was a great idea! She loves chasing me by the weaves - it makes her really silly. Plus the crowd knew that she loves the attention so they all started cheering - well now she was playing to the crowd and off she went. We did the second half of that course extremely fast and smooth. As we got to the last four obstacles that was a straight away right along the side of the arena with the bleachers (and the distance challenge) the crowd starting hooping and hollering. Oh gosh, did Wazzu ever show her stuff. What a great way to finish the Championships.

PNW Elite Regular Round Five results:

20"
Susan Perry and Harley 1st place
Kari Hammargren and Elf 6th place
Bart Pierce and Pulse 9th place

20+
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 3rd place
Michael Bruce and Jule 5th place
Mike Mason and Sparkie 17th place
Debbie Pierce and Kobie 18th place
Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 19th place
Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 22nd place

PNW Pre-Elite Regular Round 5 results:

8"
Bill Judge and Rosie 1st place

12"
Bill Judge and Teddy 1st place

20"
Susan Perry and Chevy 2nd place
Scott Imlay and Jade 3rd place

PNW Super Stakes Regular Round 5 results:

16"
Arlene Courtney and Trick

16+ vet
Karen Hunter and Quickie 3rd place

20"
Amanda Gross and Hope 4th place

(Sorry, I seemed to have missed Vets (my own class!!), Skilled and Jr. Handlers - guess I was getting tired!)

After studying all the results and looking at our runs and times we determined that had Wazzu weaved even just the average speed she usually goes she would have place in four of the five runs. How awesome is that. But if you can't bend your back then you can't do the weaves. But I'll tell you, Wazzu left everything she had on those courses. She had a blast - which means I did too!

After we finished our run we went out to the field behind the arena (it's an off leash area).



Wazzu saw Chelle's little dog and they were flirting big time. After a few minutes Wazzu decided she wanted to play with me. She did some huge play bows and then started doing crazy dog big time. She was darting here and there running by Mike, Chelle, and me and as she'd go by each one of us she jump way up in the air and pretend she was going to hit us and she'd fly by. Then she started doing big laps around us. At one point she ran over to the kids play area which has sand for the ground (the field is beautiful green grass). She started darting around the play area kicking up sand. Suddenly at one point, at full speed, she ran through the two tires and came back around to us with a huge smile on her face.



She thought she was so funny - and many of us were laughing as we couldn't believe she did that. Our laughing only hyped her up more. We finally had to make her stop as she'd been darting around for close to fifteen minutes! I so wish Wazzu would be this happy all year as she's been at the Championships. Every year she comes alive at the Championships. So even though it is very tiring and stressful for us humans, we'll keep doing it as long as Wazzu is enjoying it (which I hope is at least a couple more years).

So we're completely done! As soon as the Regular runs are over then they'll run the last team event. While they are resetting the course they'll do the raffle drawing as well. Then it will be on to the finals. Of course we'll go in to watch that even though we're not involved.

As soon as we got done with Wazzu's play time we went to the photographer's booth to get a picture taken will all four dogs. We warned the people that it would take a lot of patience as Boogie doesn't know the command to wait or stay (gotta work on that). We got the big dogs all situated and then set Boogie on top of the old suitcase. He sat there just perfectly! Who would have thought! Everyone was great. We didn't get the perfect picture - but we got a couple good ones. We're having them sent to a friend in Phoenix so we will get them late next month. I think it's going to be a really fun picture.

A couple days ago they gave out the 2007 Top Ten awards. Once again Wazzu and Sparkie were included. I was very surprised when Wazzu got some as she was out quite a bit this year due to her health issues. Sparkie did great as she was in the Top Ten in every category!

Here are the PNW Results:

Proficient Regular:
Sparkie 4th place (860 points)
Lacey 6th place (705 points)

Skilled Regular:
Robby 2nd place (410 points)

Proficient Chances:
Sparkie 7th place (320 points)
Lacey three way tie for 8th place (310 points)

Skilled Chances:
Robby 6th place (140 points)

Proficient Jumpers:
Sparkie 3rd place (465 points)

Skilled Jumpers:
Wednesday 7th place (145 points)
Cheers 9th place (130 points)
Robby 10th place (110 points)

Proficient Touch N Go:
Sparkie 2nd place (410 points)
Wazzu two way tie for 4th place (355 points)

Skilled Touch N Go:
Robby 7th place (140 points)
Cheers two way tie for 8th place (120 points)

Proficient Tunnelers:
Sparkie 2nd place (520 points)
Wazzu 8th place (430 points)

Skilled Tunnelers:
Robby 3rd place (195 points)
Cheers two way tie for 4th (180 points)

Proficient Weavers:
Sparkie 5th place (390 points)

Skilled Tunnelers:
Robby 3rd place (165 points)
Will 6th place (125 points)

Here is a very happy looking Mike with two of his favorite gals - Marj (this year's Super Stakes 20+ Champion!) and Sara. Quite the bling they all have.



I got a bit of bling too!



After the 5th round Regular runs were all finished today they ran the last team event. During that time the list of dogs that made the finals were posted.

Classes that include PNW competitors are as follows: (listed in order of seeding for each class)

Skilled 12"
Nancy Creel and Saales
Lynda King and Robby

Pre-Elite 8"
Bill Judge and Rosie
Chris Mosley and Winn

Pre-Elite 20"
Edward Drenten and Jazz
Susan Perry and Chevy
Paula Goss and Trae

Vet 16+
Susan Perry and Lacey
Diane Allen and Lucy
Amber Abbott and Kody
Wendy Hultsman and Racquette
Marnie Hammerite and Whim

Elite 20"
Susan Perry and Harley
Ken Perlmutter and Shayna
Pamela Smith and Jetta

Elite 20+
Michael Brue and Jule
Ann Zarr and Skylar
Leath McLaughlin and Merlin
Jean Marie Wilcox and Kopper
Susan Anderson and Flagg
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh
Nicole Baily and Mojo
Mike Overton and Cowboy

The finals were fun to watch (other than the fact Sparkie wasn't involved...sob, sob). The interesting thing about the finals is that now that we have traveled so much of the country we know most of the folks. So it was fun to know the people and dogs and root for all of them! It was also fun as we watched the finals together with our friends, Pat and Bob. In fact, we got to see them quite a bit during the Championships. It was not only fun to visit with them, but it was fun to watch Pat run both Quinn and Will - who both ran extremely well! Oh, and Wazzu wants to send out a special really big thank you to Pat for giving her her blanket to lie on during the finals. Poor Wazzu was really cold and didn't want to lie down. So Pat gave up the blanket she was sitting on so that Wazzu would have something soft to lie on. Now that's a real friend!!

The final results for ALL classes are:

Skilled:
8"
3rd Chelle Schumann and Roja
2nd Janet Ooms and Teaser
1st Gro Aasgaard and Bebop

12"
3rd Rachelle Jenson and Kelly
2nd Lynda King and Robby
1st Nancy Creel and Saales

16"v jump 12
3rd Lisa Bonker and Moxie
2nd Nancy Creel and Kili
1st Lisa Bonker and Expidite

16"
3 Sandra Gebo and Max
2 Wendy Hulstmann and Qyette
1 Paula Goss and Split

16+
3 Dan Ethertan and ???
2 Jean McCreight and Zack
1 Denise Gosik and Zeke


Jr Handler
3rd Katherine Martucci and Dazzle
2nd Melinda Pope and Tali
1st Rebecca Kriz and Blue

Pre Elite
8"
3rd Jackson ??
2nd Chris Mosley and Winn
1st Bill Judge and Rosie (by 20 pts)

12"
3rd Bill Judge and Teddy
2nd Billie Rosen and Klev'r (Boogie's half brother!!)
1st Mike Omartian and Tate

16"
3rd Cathy Schmidt and Roxie
2nd Tracy and Molley
1st Jane and Missy

20"
3rd Susan Perry and Chevy
2nd Pauala Goss and Trae
1st Edward Drenten and Jazz

20+
3rd Bernice Gourley and Piper
2nd Bernadette Doyle and Kruzer
1st Leath McLaughlin and Blast


Veterans
4"
3rd Lisa and Emma
2nd Blair Bloxham and Zac
1st Candice Malvin and Cassy

8"
3rd Patty Leroy and Geordi
2nd Leo Fuerst and Maya
1st Jeanne Nixon and Brandy (by 1 point)

12"
3rd Brenda and Megabyte
2nd Kim Wiklof and Pinot
1st Cynthia Ernat and Hope (by .90)

16"
3rd Pam Smith and Oakly
2nd Sara Mckinly and Wizz
1st Sheri Singer and Sampson (by .21)

16+
3rd Amber Abbot and Kody
2nd Diane Allen and Lucy
1st Susan Perry and Lacey (by 27 points)


Elite:
8"
3rd Patricia Neal and Jake
2nd Richard Peterson and Tazer
1st Frances Godwin and Mack

12"
3rd Amber Abbot and Pokey
2nd Jen Rochedieu and Wedge
1st Lori Jenks and Taz

16"
3rd Tom Moloney-Harmon and Piper
2nd Kyle and S'more
1st Katrina Scott and Baby

20"
3rd Ken Perlmutter and Shayna
2nd Pam Smith and Jetta
1st Susan Perry and Harley (by 37 points)

20+
3rd Nicole Baily and Mojo
2nd Michael Bruce and Jule
1st Ann Zarr and Skylar (by 5 points)

Super Stakes
4",8",12"
3rd Scott Whittington and Lexis
2nd Gary Visintaner and Scorch
1st Tom Moloney-Harmon and Maddie

16"
3rd Arlene Courny and Trick
2nd Chris Nelson and Jewel
1st Gro Aasgaard and Rocky

20"
3rd Gary Visintainer and Suede
2nd Audry Bloxen and Impulse
1st Michael Omartian and Lodi

20+
3rd Lindsy Cooper and Brisco
2nd Jaz Whittington and Creek
1st Marjorie Ross and Chellie

16" vet
3rd Don Cuda and Blaze
2nd Carol Bevan and Jiffy
1st Sharon Nelson and Lucky

16+ vet
3rd Karen Hunter and Quickie
2nd Susan Rappillus and Fritz
1st Carolynne White and Lucy

Olivia Copeland and Tess - Jr Handler Ready to Run Spirit of Agility Award

Double Digit Awards (dogs 10 years old and over)
1st place awards:
8" Carla Ruebel and Petunia
12" Karen Merriman Willoby
16" Lynn Smitely and Yola
20" Chris Nelson and Jewel
20+ Karen Hunter and Quickie

Finally, it was announced that MAYBE the Championships will once again be held here in Wyoming next year. They're trying for another site - somewhere unnamed between here and New Jersey (that narrows it down!) but currently the required dates aren't available.

I may have missed a few things but hopefully you got the gist of it!

Still tired!

Debbie
9/23/07

Day Four (seems like forty!)

(Gillette, WY) I got a request for more pictures - so I've done my best to include lots of pictures this time. But not all are the best of quality.

According to reports, last night didin't finish until 11:30pm. And that didn't even include the team event that was scheduled for yesterday - which was then postponed. One event, Gators, has been totally cancelled due to lack of time.

The event overall is running behind and then today we started late. We were all in the crating area at 6:45 waiting for the doors to open to the arena but they were still locked. To keep us entertained they had Paul play his accordion for us. They had sing-a-longs and then a polka dance for all to join in.



Finally at about 7:15 the doors opened and we all filed in. We did the two national anthems and then we waited. About 15 minutes later the briefing started. Just when you thought you kind of knew the routine, things changed. But if you're going to come to the NADAC Championships you'd better get used to anything and just go with the flow. It will make your experience so much nicer!

So during the briefing we find out that the two Regular runs scheduled for today will be run together. In other words one course is set up and you'll run and get timed for that run. Then instead of stopping you keep right on going to the next course where a different set of timers will time that run. The entrance to the last tunnel on the first course stops your time for round one. The exit of that tunnel starts your time for round two. So it's two runs in one. The people running in Super Stakes and Elite must run both courses together. Those folks in Jr. Handlers, Pre-Elite, and Skilled have the option of running both together or splitting them. Veteran dogs are required to split them. In other words, all vet dogs will run one course. Then right after that they will all run the second course. This whole routine is to try to save time!

After that is all done they will be doing a similar thing with two of the Team games. They will be combined as well with all teams required to do the courses back to back.

In theory this should all save time. However, instead of the runs starting at 7:30 this morning they didn't start until 8:45. By 10:00 Super Stakes was done and Elite was ready to walk. Once it really got going it did seem to move along much more quickly. I sure saw a lot of heavy breathing from the handlers when they finally got through both courses.

Sparkie ran so nicely the first course and then at the very end of the second course she had an off course as Mike admits he didn't call her nearly in time - bummer, so close. This has been such a tough Championships for Mike. They started off so well the first two days and then ran into trouble. I think most of it was mental. After such a devastating start in Round One I just think that took a lot out of Mike. I can't blame him. He and Sparkie were one of the favorites to make it into the finals (as they've done every year) and then all hope was lost after such a hard knock in the first run. But at least Sparkie had fun on all of the runs but the two where she got scared.

At 5:00pm, seven hours after our walk-through it was finally time for vets. They were really nice and gave us a two minute walk-thru to refresh our memories. First we ran Round 3. Wazzu was pretty bored as she just laid around all day waiting. Plus it's really hot today. She wasn't running as fast the first half of the course as she had in her previous runs but she picked up in the second half. Unfortunately she missed pole number four so I had her restart the weaves which is something I don't do on normal weekends (nor here until this round). She then weaved fair - at least it was faster than a walk. But the bobble cost us some time. She finished really fast though. The crowd cheered and she just kept going onto course four! It was an a-frame (which she did with major air) which got quite a reaction out of the crowd and that only excited her more and she did one more jump for good measure. Silly Wazzu. I'm not sure of our placement as the results posted were totally mixed up!

A little over an hour later it was time for Wazzu to run Round Four. This time she was super wound up! She took off the fastest of any of her runs. She was knocking it out of the park. Her line was perfect and she was really scooting it. The middle obstacle of the distance test was a dog walk. She was going so fast and I thought I saw her just miss the contact. This distracted me for a split second - just long enough for me to then accidentally send her to the wrong obstacle. Darn it! I got her back and sent her to the weaves. She was being silly now, and did four poles and then started racing me. What the heck, I'd already blown it so why make her do the weaves. So we just made it a race and she did the rest of the course at mach speed. She was so happy and silly. The run may not have looked good on paper but we definitely had more fun than anyone else out there for sure! We ended up 18th.

Our day was over.....but that was not the case for many others. I think the Regular rounds finished around 7:30pm. Then it was time for the Team event to begin. They combined rounds one and two to safe time - which was good as the games didn't begin until a little after 8:00pm. It looked super fun! I think they ended a little before 10:00pm - the earliest finish of any day.

Here are a couple teams.

Kari and Elf, Karen and Pounce, Andrea and Ceilidh our friends from Washington.


Our good friends from Oregon - Debbie and Kobe, Bart and Pulse, Robbins and Kelly.


On Day One there were probably seven or eight vendors. But now there are probably 20 vendors. From what I heard the vendors haven't gotten much business at all yet. But I'm sure things will pick up now that we're getting in to full swing.

My friend Pat has a booth to sell the beautiful frames, clocks, and coaster she makes. She made some specific to the Championships and I bought one of those up right away!



There are also a couple photographers who are capturing the action. There is also one photographer doing western theme portraits. We'll be trying to get a picture there again this year. The big tourist attraction around here - okay actually the only tourist attraction around here is Devil's Tower - that's what you see in the background.



In addition there is a food vendor, three booths full of dog toys, two vendors with jewelry and Italian Charms, two dog massage booths, one human massage booth, an embroidery booth - who has done many great things for us, one that sells magnets for your car, a couple clothing booths, and finally a booth that is trying to raise money to help pay for surgeries for dogs that need help.

Here is the food vendor who is selling a variety of kibble and treats.



This is one of the popular vendors that sells a wide variety of treats.



This booth is definitely the most popular at least in the early days. She'll embroider anything you want on a very large variety of items. In fact, you can give her something you already own and she'll embroider on that as well. We've had her do MANY things for us over the years.



For the second year in a row, Becky Wolfe made this beautiful quilt that will be auctioned off. It contains t-shirts from many of the previous years Championships. I donated the t-shirt that was used on the top - second from the left. That was from the St. Louis Championships in 2005. There is even a shirt on here from the Australian Championships.



Of course the Championships wouldn't be complete without the State Raffle Baskets. All the competitors that come make arrangements with others coming from their state/province to make baskets with items from their area. These very elaborate baskets are then raffled off. I believe there are over 30 baskets again this year. The sacks are pretty full of tickets and it's only Saturday morning. Even though we've tried numerous years, we've never won a basket. Hmphh!

Here are just a few of the more than 30 baskets. The first one is one of two PNW baskets.



The above PNW basket has more tickets at this point than any other basket!












I think the Pacific Northwest crating area is the best. Heather Bruce had each of us send her a picture of each of our dogs. She then made this beautiful sign to hang up in our area. If you look closely, you'll see that on the top she has the snow capped mountains, Mt. Helens blowing her stack, and trees on the sides. It makes our little area seem very cozy. Thanks Heather!



Last night they handed out some of the ribbons from the first two days. Mike got his seventh place ribbon for Touch N Go. Way to go Sparkie!



A bunch of results were posted today. They are:

Regular Rounds Two, Three and Four for the Super Stakes division:

16" (3 dogs in class)
Arlene Courtney and Trick 3rd place in rounds 2, 3 and 4

20" (5 dogs in class)
Amanda Gross and Hope 2nd place round 2; 4th place round 3; 1st place round 4

16+ vets (5 dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Quickie 2nd place round 2; 4th place in round 3 and 4

PNW Elite Regular Round Three

20" (11 dogs in class)
Bart Pierce and Pulse 2nd place
Susan Perry and Harley 5th place
Kari Hammargren and Elf 9th place

20+ (30 dogs in class)
Michael Bruce and Jule 4th place
Mike Mason and Sparkie 6th place
Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 10th place
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 13th place
Debbie Pierce and Kobe 17th place
Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 18th place

PNW Elite Regular Round Four

20" (11 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Harley 1st place
Bart Pierce and Pulse 2nd place
Kari Hammargren and Elf 10th place

20+ (30 dogs in class)
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 2nd place
Michael Bruce and Jule 5th place
Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 6th place
Debbie Pierce and Kobie 13th place
Mike Mason and Sparkie 24th place
Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 29th place

PNW Vet Regular Round Two

8" (9 dogs in class)
Frederick Haberman and Fuzz 4th place

12" (6 dogs in class)
Kim Wiklof and Pinot 4th place
Scott Imlay and PJ 5th place

16" (12 dogs in class)
Penny Richardson and Shen 8th place
Micki Lagrou and Wendell 12th place

16+ (22 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Lacey 1st place
Andrea Dexter and Token 8th place
Debbie Mason and Wazzu 14th place
Caryolynne Myall and Fortune 15th place
Robbins Church and Annie 19th place

PNW Vet Regular Round Three

8" (9 dogs in class)
Frederick Haberman and Fuzz 5th place

12" (6 dogs in class)
Kim Wiklof and Pinot 2nd place
Scott Imlay and PJ 5th place

16" (12 dogs in class)
Micki Lagrou and Wendell 7th place

16+ These results were totally wacky....will post when redone.

PNW Vet Regular Round Four

8" (9 dogs in class)
Frederick Haberman and Fuzz 6th place

12" (6 dogs in class)
Kim Wiklof and Pinot 4th place
Scot Imlay and PJ 5th place

16" (12 dogs in class)
Micki Lagrou and Wendell 6th place
Penny Richardson and Shen 8th place

16+ (22 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Lacey 4th place
Andrea Dexter and Token 7th place
Caryolynne Myall and Fortune 17th place
Debbie Mason and Wazzu 18th place
Robbins Church and Annie 20th place

PNW Jr. Handler Regular Round Three and Four (5 dogs in class)
Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 1st place round 3; 4th place round 4

PNW Pre-Elite Regular Round 2

8" (6 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Rosie 1st place

12" (4 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Teddy 4th place

20" (12 dogs in class)
Scott Imlay and Jade 3rd place
Susan Perry and Chevy 6th place


PNW Pre-Elite Regular Round Three

8" (6 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place

12" (4 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Teddy 3rd place

20" (12 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Chevy 1st place
Scott Imlay and Jade 6th place

PNW Pre-Elite Regular Round 4

8" (6 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Rosie 3rd place

12" (4 dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Teddy 4th place

20" (12 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Chevy 2nd place
Scott Imlay and Jade 4th place

PNW Skilled Regular Round Two

12" (6 dogs in class)
Lynda King and Robby 3rd place

16" (6 dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Lindy 6th place

PNW Skilled Regular Round Three

12" (6 dogs in class)
Lynda King and Robby 3rd place

16" (6 dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Lindy 4th place

PNW Skilled Regular Round Four

12" (6 dogs in class)
Lynda King and Robby 1st place

16" vet (6 dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Lindy 6th place


Here are results that weren't included in previous posts:

Skilled Regular Round 1
12" (6 dogs in class)
Lynda King and Robby 2nd place

Jr. Handler Regular Round One and Two (5 dogs in class)
Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 1st place round 1; 2nd place round 2

There is more news.....but I am once again feeling very tuckered. I'll try to get it to you tomorrow.

Debbie
9/22/07

Heavy Heart

(Gillette, WY) Day three started very early again. As usual we started with both national anthems and then another dog agility song set to the tune of Clementine. Then it was time to walk the first course. The order for this run is Elite, Pre-Elite, Veterans, Jr. Handlers, Skilled and Super Stakes. All division run the exact same course (this is different from previous years).

This course was much shorter and more compact than in all previous years. Even though there were only 29 obstacles this course had numerous challenges. The number of mulligans used on this very first run was fairly high.

Up first today was Sparkie. She and Mike had a beautiful run. Watching the clock I saw that Sparkie was ahead of previous dogs times in her class. The place was totally silent as they ran. It was the run of a lifetime....until the very last obstacle. The end was a straight line of jump, a-frame, tunnel, long gap, and another tunnel.

Almost every dog stopped after the first tunnel to look back at the handler. Most did a spin, some took an off course jump and a couple others ended up running past the last tunnel.

As Sparkie exited the first tunnel she turned to look at Mike. He tried to send her on and she started to go by the tunnel on the side closest to Mike. He got her to stop and he sent her again and she kept going in her super fast speed and ran by the tunnel on the side afar from Mike. The entire crowd groaned in pain as the entire run up until then had been picture perfect. Sparkie stopped right at the end and crouched down and had her tail between her legs. She knew she'd done something wrong. Poor Sparkie. Since that is a 20 point fault, Mike decided to use his mulligan - as did many other people.

They started their mulligan run just as pretty as the first run. But not too far into the run Sparkie made an off course onto the a-frame. Everyone in the crowd groaned so loud and Mike was far away on the course just standing still. At that point Sparkie was on the very top of the a-frame and she just stopped and looked scared. Mike tried to call her back happily to get her going again but she wouldn't come down. Finally Mike just decided to leave. So instead of 20 faults they ended up being eliminated. That means they have absolutely no chance to make the finals. This will be the first time they haven't made it to the finals.

My heart is so heavy for them. Mike is so disappointed and Sparkie is so scared. So many people have come up to me and asked me how Mike is doing. They all feel so badly for them. It's not the end of the world - but in this atmosphere here it sure feels like it. What a shame. I just can't convey the heaviness in my heart for Mike. And there isn't a thing I can say or do to make him feel better. It's such a helpless feeling when you can't do a thing.

About an hour later it was time for Wazzu to shine. I was having trouble remembering the course as I was going through the queue. Oh, I keep referring to the queue. Between the gate and the start line are five boxed off areas. The first three areas are just empty areas where you and your dog wait. As the dogs ahead of you move up, you then move to the next box. The fourth box has a jump or two in them where you can warm up your dog. This is also where you must relinquish all toys and treats. The last box is the "get nervous" box as you are up next! When the dog on the course gets to a certain point on the course then you proceed to the start line and take your leash off. It is your responsibility to watch the clock. The very second the clock stops you are to take off.

Okay, back to our run. Wazzu was acting happy in the queue - how exciting. We got to the line and Wazzu took off like a shot. When we got to the first set of weaves Wazzu went super slow - just walking. But that's okay since she has such a bad back. But she popped out at pole 11. That's still okay with me and we took off again. She was flying - I'm not sure I've ever seen her go so fast. Then we got back to the weave poles. She was going faster than she's ever gone in the poles - but her feet got a little confused and she missed a pole. Then she finished at top speed. But that's 40 faults. Oh, what to do. After much deliberation I finally decided to take our mulligan.

The big concern was could I get her motivated to run again. Yippee - she was excited. Once again she ran very nicely. We got to the first set of weaves and she walked through them. At about pole nine I noticed that she looked up a the crowd. I immediately put my hand down to guide her as she was about to skip a pole. Phew, we just saved that. The instant she exited the poles she was again was a speed demon. Then we approached the second set of poles. This time she slowed down and once again walked through the poles. The fast dogs probably do poles in about two and a half seconds. From what I was told we took eight to nine seconds in each set. After finishing the poles, she finished the course as fast as she possibly could taking lots of air over the a-frame. The crowd enjoyed that as well.

So we ended up being clean but we had at least seven or eight seconds extra between the two sets of weaves than we do in a normal weekend. (Turns out that if we'd have done the weaves at our normal speed we'd have been in the placements.) But even so, I'm extremely pleased with Wazzu. Doing two runs so close together and having so much speed and happiness in both was definitely a huge thing for us. And how courageous is Wazzu to even try to do the weaves with having a bad back. That's why I didn't push her one bit in the weaves - I let her go at her speed so she has total control over her back.

PNW Regular One Results:

20" (11 dogs in class)
Bart Pierce and Pulse 1st place
Susan Perry and Harley 3rd place
Kari Hammargen and Elf 9th place

20+ (?? incomplete results for this class - will update later)
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 3rd place
Michael Bruce and Jule 4th place
Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 9th place
Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 11th place



Vets:
12" (6 dogs in class)
Kim Wiklof and Pinot 1st place
Scotty Imlay and PJ 4th place

16" (12 dogs in class)
Micki Lagrou and Wendell 6th place
Penny Richardson and Shen 9th place

16+ (22 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Lacey 1st place
Robbins Church and Annie 8th place
Andrea Dexter and Token 11th place
Carolynne Myall and Fortune 12th place
Debbie Mason and Wazzu 13th place

Skilled:
12" vets (six dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Lindy 6th place

Pre-Elite:
8" (six dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place

12" (four dogs in class)
Bill Judge and Teddy 4th place

Super Stakes:
16" (three dogs in class)
Arlene Courtney and Trick 1st place

16+ vets (five dogs in class)
Karen Hunter and Quickie 2nd place

20" (five dogs in class)
Amanda Gross and Hope 4th place


At about 5:30 it was finally time for the second round of Elite Regular. Sparkie and Mike were the last 20+ dog to run. This 30 obstacle course was difficult unless you had a dog that could work ahead of you extremely well or you could run faster than your dog. It was also a difficult course to remember which loop you were in - a number of people finished but forgot one whole loop. Sparkie handled this entire course with no problem at all and came in seventh!

Then around 8:15 Wazzu got her second round run. She was even more excited than she's been the entire time. I knew that meant trouble as this course the dog had to work real well from out front or have a super fast handler. Oops - neither of those apply to us. Wazzu was so amped up that she ran even faster - faster than ever before. And since we never get practice running at this speed (as she's never this excited) I didn't know how to steer her from so far behind. I was running as fast as I could but I just couldn't get up to her. So she kept guessing where to go - but it was usually wrong so I had to call her off after about half the obstacles it seemed. She never went off course but we used up LOTS of extra time. Let me tell you, it was not a pretty run at all. But we had an absolute blast! It was like a train wreck that never quite actually wrecked but scared you every couple seconds as it looked like it would crash. Wazzu was jumping up and down on me at the end. This hasn't happened for seven years. Way too much fun. I'll tell you we are the happiest people here of all the people that aren't in the running to win! I love Wazzu's smile - and it was as big as it could get tonight. (I however had trouble breathing for quite some time - ha ha!)

The event is still going on strong at 9:20 so there are only a couple results posted for Round Two. Here's what is posted so far.

PNW Regular Round Two Results (Elite only)

20" (11 dogs in class)
Susan Perry and Harley 1st place
Bart Pierce and Pulse 3rd place
Kari Hammargren and Elf 8th place

20+ (30 dogs in class?)
Michael Bruce and Jule 4th place
Mike Mason and Sparkie 7th place
Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 11th place
Debbie Pierce and Kobie 15th place
Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 18th place
Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 26th place

Lots more happened today but I'm just too tuckered to do any more tonight. I'll try to get caught up tomorrow and I have more pictures (as has been requested).

All tuckered out.....
Debbie
9/21/07

Rest of Day Two

(Gillette, WY) From what I heard, someone left last night at 11:00pm and dogs were still running. Sleep is definitely at a premium around here.

Anyway, to catch you up on the rest of yesterday - Jumpers.

From the time we walk until the time we run is easily two to four hours (so far for us) depending on the event. In Jumpers I had close to three hours. In my case, I get to walk the course and then not see it again until I run as there really isn't a viewing spot for me. I do have a place in the front row of the bleachers to lay down (thanks to Karen) but everyone stands in front by the railing so all I see are peoples backs. Since the bleachers are very hard and are freezing, I don't stay in there any longer than I have to in most cases.

Before my run I had gone over the course in my mind and felt comfortable that I knew the pattern. Wazzu was once again extremely excited for her turn. She took off like a rocket. There was only one real difficult turn in this course and Wazzu did it absolutely perfectly. A couple obstacles later she went in the tunnel, I executed my front cross beautifully and darted off for the next obstacle. But suddenly my subconscious gave me a big alert sign.....there is no number on that jump - you are going to the wrong jump. So I quickly scan the closest obstacles to figure out where to go. There were NO numbers facing me. I stopped in my tracks and looked and looked. Now all I see is a see of jumps and not one number facing me. Note: According to the spectators, all this time I'm standing there looking around Wazzu is very patiently looking up at me just waiting to see what she should do. I still couldn't find a number. Finally, as I was about to totally give up, I walked over to the jump I thought was the correct jump to start with and walked around the other side, bent down to see the number on the opposite side and sure enough I had been right all along. Someone must have kicked the number and turned it around. So when I saw it was the correct number, I raised my hands in victory - which sent the crowd into an uproar. Wazzu loved it!! So after what seemed like three minutes (I'm told it was a full twenty five seconds)I sent her over the jump and she took off as fast as she's ever run. She did distance I didn't know was possible - she was really booking it. When Wazzu soared over the last jump the crowd once again erupted in cheers and hollers and clapping. Wazzu acted like she thought she'd just won the Championships. And for her we might as well have. We aren't ever going to win the Championships - but for Wazzu to get that much cheering for her during and after her run it totally made her week. She thinks she is the star of the entire event.

Sparkie had a fabulous run. You'll probably notice a theme here. Sparkie is running as good as she has run all year. It seems as though she is peaking at just the right time. Her run was smooth and fast. In fact, she even was in the placements finishing in seventh place. Way to go Sparkie.

PNW Jumpers Results: clean runs only
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinto 15th place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 1st place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 2nd place
20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 3rd place
20" Scott Imlay and Jade 13th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 1st place
20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie 7th place
20+ Susan Perry and Lacey 8th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 10th place
20+ Pat Weinkauf and Quinn 16th place

Late late late last night Hoopers was finally run.

PNW Hoopers Results: (clean runs only)
8" Bill Judge and Rosie 3rd place
12" Frederick Habermane and Fuzz 1st place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 3rd place
16" Scott Imlay and PJ 11th place
20" Amanda Hope and Hope 3rd place
20" Scott Imlay and Jade 7th place
20" Penny Richardson and Shen 8th place
20" Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 9th place

I think you're now all caught up through day two! Finally!

Debbie
9/20/07

Championships - Day Two

(Gillette, WY) Last night we had another strong wind storm. The dogs are all used to it now so they didn't care but it kept me awake for a bit. I really don't think you'll find us moving to Wyoming any time soon.

After a short night we were up again early this morning. During the very brief briefing I happened to be lying next to two vets - one, Chelle, was being so nice as she sat next to me and let me use her leg as a pillow. That was so nice and so great. It was really nice not to have to hold my head up. Anyway, we had Boogie with us and he's been licking his foot a lot. So I asked if they'd look at his foot. They said it is swollen, leaking, and irritated. Gosh I sure couldn't see that! Anyway, he has to soak his foot three times a day for two weeks. And he has to not lick it at all. They said if we didn't get this under control right away it could become a chronic thing for life. Gads! Sure glad I asked them to take a look. Chelle was even so nice to give us the stuff we need to soak his foot in. She is just the best!!

Today we started with Touch No Go. It was a longer course than yesterday with 15 obstacles, but certainly not considered a long course. Even so, it seemed like a fair number of people had trouble with this course. There were quite a number of missed contacts and off courses.

Wazzu was not at all happy looking as we were in the queue so I was worried that she was going to be in walking mode. But as soon as we got to the start line she was tugging at the leash wanting to take off. So off we went - fast. She was perfect - I had one tiny bobble where I got lost but fortunately figured it out before we had an off course. I don't think Wazzu took a wrong step at all - just me while she was in the tunnel. As it turns out, Wazzu had her highest finish so far at this year's championships - 15th. That's great out of such a big class and running against all the youngsters too.

Sparkie was really moving fast on the course. It is so great to see her running with such confidence. Mike is really trying to push her hard now as every tenth of a second counts! Unfortunately she got going a little too fast (is there such a thing!) and missed her contact by about an eighth of inch. Oh, it was so close! Just to show you how fast her time was, she would have had 4th place if we hadn't cut her toenails last night! Ha ha.

PNW Touch N Go Results: clean runs only

8" Bill Judge and Rosie 3rd place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 1st place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 14th place
20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 1st place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 4th place
20" Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 5th place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 7th place
20" Penny Richardson and Shen 16th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 2nd place
20+ Teresa Jewitt and Bogie 10th place
20+ Debbie Mason and Wazzu 15th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Token 18th place
20+ Andread Dexter and Ceilidh 22nd place
20+ Carolynne Myall and Fortune 24th place

PNW Super Stakes Touch N Go Results: clean runs only

20+ Karen Hunter and Quickie 1st place

The next run was Weavers and once again Wazzu wasn't entered in that. Mike knows that Sparkie has to have an absolutely amazing run to beat the best Border Collies and Aussies in the games here at the Championships. So they were having a great run and on the last set of poles Mike tried to really push her hard. She tried to go super duper fast and on the second to last pole got a little tangled up and missed the pole. She had a fantastic run otherwise.

PNW Weavers Results: clean runs only

8" Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place
12" Lynda King and Robby 1st place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 3rd place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 17th place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 1st place
20" Bart Piece and Pulse 4th place
20" Kari Hammargen and Elf 15th place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 18th place
20" Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 19th place
20+ Susan Perry and Lacey 5th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 9th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 14th place

The next run was Tunnelers. This was a fun looking course but had it's challenges as well. Wazzu was really ready to go for this run. She took off fast and never looked back. It seemed to me we did really well. I was so pleased with our run. And when I came off the course a couple people commented that Wazzu had run such a perfect and efficient line. We were getting lots of compliments on our run. And it felt great! But get this, when I looked at the results it did indeed show that we had run clean - but we came in 54th!

Sparkie had a great Tunnelers run as well. She is running very confidently right now. She and Mike ran a very nice line - only one turn was anything you might have considered slightly wide but just slightly wide if at all. Sparkie finished a very respectable 16th place.

PNW Tunnelers Results: clean run only

8" Bill Judge and Rosie 6th place
8" Clare Bland and Ralph 9th place
12" Lynda King and Robby 1st place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 7th place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 22nd place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 3rd place
20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 4th place
20" Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 5th place
20" Kari Hammargren and Elf 6th place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 7th place
20" Michael Bruce and Xena 19th place
20" Scott Imlay and Jade 23rd place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 9th place
20+ Robbins Church and Kelly 11th place
20+ Pat Weinkauf and Will 12th place
20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie 16th place
20+ Debbie Pierce and Kobe 30th place
20+ Amanda Gross and Fez 33rd place
20+ Karen Hunter and Pounce 37th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 42nd place
20+ Teresa Jewett and Bogie 45th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Token 52nd place
20+ Debbie Mason and Wazzu 54th place

Next was Jumpers. Since the results aren't out yet for that I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I'm just too tired tonight.

Finally, at 9:30 Phase III Hoopers started. We totally had planned on running and had listened to the whole (very long) briefing and then devised our strategy. But by 10:15 or so it still wasn't our turn and we just gave out. We were tuckered. So we both scratched.

I'll fill you in on this new game more tomorrow. It's after 11:00pm now and we need to get some sleep. Morning comes so fast!

Debbie
9/20/07

More Resuts from Day One

(Gillette, WY) Weavers and Touch N Go results from Day One

PNW Weavers Results: clean runs only

8" Bill Judge and Rosie 4th place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 2nd place
12" Linda King and Robby 8th place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 19th place
20" Kari Hammargren and Elf 2nd place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 4th place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 11th place
20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 12th place
20" Michael Bruce and Xena 16th place
20+ Pat Weinkauf and Will 4th place
20+ Susan Perry and Lacey 5th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 8th place
20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie 15th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 16th place
20+ Amanda Gross and Fez 21st place
20+ Debbie Pierce and Kobe 28th place
20+ Robbins Church and Kelly 29th place
(PS Wazzu did not enter this event)

PNW Super Stakes Results (Weavers): clean runs only
16" Arlene Courtney and Trick 1st place


PNW Touch N Go Results: clean runs only
8" Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place
8" Clare Bland and Ralph 4th place
12" Bill Judge and Teddy 4th place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 13th place
20" Kari Hammargren and Elf 2nd place
20" Penny Richardson and Shen 15th place
20" Michael Bruce and Sadie 17th place
20" Scott Imlay and Jade 18th place
20+ Pat Weinkauf and Will 1st place
20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie 7th place
20+ Karen Hunter and Pounce 10th place
20+ Carolynne Myall and Fortune 19th place
20+ Debbie Pierce and Kobe 24th place
20+ Debbie Mason and Wazzu 25th place
20+ Andrea Dexter and Token 32nd place

Super Stakes Touch N Go results are not posted yet.

Phew!

Debbie

Day One!

(Gillette, WY) What a night. Not five minutes after posting yesterday's post we lost internet and TV. Where we are in the RV park we are higher than the surrounding area. We can see for miles! Well we had quite the show as lightening filled the sky all around us. Unfortunately it also poured buckets and the wind was whipping through the area. The thunder literally rocked the RV. Poor Slugger had to sleep under Mike's legs all night.

I couldn't sleep as I was so worried about all the poor people that are sleeping in tents! How horrible is it that they get totally sopped the very first night. They'll probably be soggy all week. There are quite a number of tents - I haven't checked to see if they are still standing after that horrible wind.

Anyway, it was still nasty when we first got up but it is clearing up nicely - although it is still pretty chilly at noon.

At 7:00am this morning the 2007 NADAC Championships got underway.



First came the national anthems of the U.S., Canada, and NADAC (?). Paul played the accordion and was accompanied by Karen on the trumpet. Leading the singing was Chelle. (Sorry for the blurry picture - it's dark inside and I couldn't use a flash.)



Then there was a briefing by Sharon before we all started walking Jumpers.



Today all runs will go small to tall. I'd say it was about three hours before Wazzu and I ran. Wazzu was really fast and happy. Usually when she is really fast I can get more distance. Since the ground has very deep long ridges the length of the ring about every five inches apart, I was trying to be very carefully with my steps and wanted to take as few as possible. So about three quarters the way through I turned a little to save some steps thinking she would stay out. But she cut in to me and missed a jump. Darn we were going SO FAST. Then coming down the home stretch I again gave her a lot of distance as the ground was the worst in this stretch but she cut into me and missed a few jumps - but I didn't care by then as we'd already messed up so I just ran fast and happy with Wazzu. We came in 3rd to last, but Wazzu had a huge smile - and so did I as it's so fun to get to play with a happy Wazzu.

Sparkie and Mike ran about half an hour later. After the first three jumps you have to call the dog off a tunnel and do a sharp turn. Sparkie hates this as she thinks she's done something wrong when she gets called off an obstacle early in the course. So she was a little slow for the next few obstacles but then she figured out that all was good. Then she was blazing. It was a very pretty run. Sparkie thought a 22 obstacles jumpers course was way fun.

PNW Jumpers Results: clean runs only......
8" Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place
16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 13th place
20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 2nd place
20" Susan Perry and Chevy 5th place
20" Susan Perry and Harley 10th place
20+ Michael Bruce and Jule 6th place
20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie (yippee!) 10th place (out of 50 dogs!!)

New this year at the Championships is a new division called Super Stakes. I won't explain the whole thing but in short it's for those people that think they have super duper distance with their dogs. For being brave enough to enter this division they all got a really cool embroidered jacket. They also get to have one mulligan each of the f1rst three days. Even though there is no way Wazzu can do all the distance I wish I would have entered. There are so few dogs entered that we would have got a ribbon in every single class - okay so it most likely would have been 6th place, which is last, but it still would have been fun to get ribbons. We would have been totally humiliated though so I guess it's a good thing we didn't enter. Tee hee.

PNW Jumpers Super Stakes results: clean runs only

16+" Vet Karen Hunter and Quickie 1st place!!

Next was Tunnelers.

Wazzu was once again very happy. She was fast but Wazzu and I had a big bobble as I just couldn’t get up to where she needed to go and she is in Service Dog mode today – even though she is going fast she wants to come to me after every obstacle. I just couldn’t get near the next tunnel so she came back to me. I’m guessing we lost at least four (maybe more) seconds. We ended up getting a Q! Yea for Wazzu. I was so happy to see Wazzu so fast and smiling. That's just the best.

Sparkie had a very nice run too. She was fast and clean. Sparkie ran really nice – but the ending was three straight tunnels out. You just couldn’t be up with the dog if you had a really fast dog. Sparkie just isn’t used to going that far out in front of Mike so she did the first two tunnels but then had a spin to go back to Mike before the last tunnel. That cost a second or two and kept them out of the placements.


PNW Tunnelers Results: clean runs only....

8" Bill Judge and Rosie 2nd place

8" Claire Bland and Ralph 8th place

12" Linda King and Robby 3rd place

16" Kim Wiklof and Pinot 15th place

20" Bart Pierce and Pulse 2nd place

20" Susan Perry and Harley 4th place

20" Katherine Martucci and Dazzle 5th place

20" Susan Perry and Chevy 6th place

20" Karie Hammargren and Elf 8th place

20" Michael Bruce and Xena 17th place

20" Micki Lagrou and Wendell 22nd place

20" Scott Imlay and Jade 25th place

20+ Susan Perry and Lacey 3rd place

20+ Andrea Dexter and Ceilidh 6th place

20+ Mike Mason and Sparkie 16th place

20+ Teresa Jewett and Bogie 26th place

20+ Debbie Pierce and Kobie 27th place

20+ Amanda Gross and Fizz 34th place

20+ Andrea Dexter and Token 39th place

20+ Debbie Mason and Wazzu 42nd place

( I didn't count but I was told there were 80 dogs in this class)

PNW Super Stakes Results: clean runs only....

16" Amanda Gross and Hope 2nd place

At about 5:00pm we are finally ready to start Weavers. Sparkie had a very nice run. She had a great line and no bobbles at all. I don't think she could have done any better. But with her long legs she just can't weave as fast as the Border Collies.

It's now 8:30pm and we are getting ready to start Touch N Go. There are over 200 dogs in this class. So instead of having a 20 or more obstacle course they've shortened it to just 10 obstacles. And they've decided to cancel the other run we were to do this evening. Good thing as we'll be going well past midnight tonight. We're near the end at dog 179 and dog 184. So we won't be the last ones out of the building tonight but pretty close to it. But what the heck - we don't have to be back until 6:45am tomorrow.

Phew, 10:15 and we finally ran. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to wake Wazzu up but she was a real gamer and ran very nicely. Both Wazzu and Sparkie were clean. It's now 10:55 and it's too late for more details. I'll get results for Weavers and Touch N Go in the morning.

Besides being a long day for us, it was a very long day for the dogs - especially for Slugger and Boogie. Those poor boys. They were so good even though all they got was a couple potty walks. Late this evening Boogie actually ate a couple pages of Mike's Thomas Guide so we can't go to a few places now as we have no map! But little Boogie could have done much worse damage so we got very lucky.

We had planned on getting them out more but my legs gave out fairly early in the day and Mike got pulled into doing a log of volunteer work for many hours. Hopefully tomorrow Mike will have more time to spend with the boys.

With such a weird schedule we didn't eat well today either. Both lunch and dinner consisted of potato chips. Oh, but we did have some fruit tonight - we had lemon cake. That must count as fruit, right? Tomorrow we've got to do better!

Debbie
9/19/07

PS Here is one last picture.


This was our first walk-thru this morning.