April/May is rapidly becoming a very busy time! The last two weekends we have been out at trials, and have 2 more this month.
April 24-25 was the USDAA trial in Fletcher, NC hosted by the Blue Ridge Agility Club (BRAC). They have now moved the USDAA trial to the indoor arena at the Western NC Agricultural Center, which we could not be happier about. The covered arena was better than no arena, but I really disliked the footing in that arena. It was hard, and had too many rocks. The indoor arena has a little softer footing, but not like running in sand, and rocks aren't as much of a problem.
Harley's performance was...well...a little subpar for us. We got blanked for Q's on Saturday, mostly due to contact issues. For some reason, Harley decided that the dog walk and a-frame down contacts weren't required! Still, we had fun, and placed 3rd in two of the classes. We nearly had a Q in Pairs, but our partner eliminated on a wrong course. We don't hold anything against them for it, as that is the inherent challenge of being paired with a stranger. I really like pairs, as you get to meet a fellow competitor that you might not have gotten to know otherwise. The point of pairs is to have fun with your partner, and Q's are a nice topping. Harley did an accommodating run with another dog and Q'd with them (An accommodating run is where a dog does not have a partner, so a dog from another pair will run with them. The accommodating dog does not get credit for the Q, and cannot run the same half of the course they already ran). So technically we did Q on Saturday, but don't get the credit for it :-) Our Snooker run was looking dead on....until Harley knocked the #2 jump in the closing sequence. We needed to get through #4 to Q.
Sunday started out as a continuation of Saturday. More contact issues in Standard. Finally we got some Q's at the end of the day. Harley had a decent Snooker run with some fast thinking for James since Harley took an incorrect obstacle. Also, during the weaves, Air Force 1 took off from the adjacent airport, which made Harley pop out of her weaves due to the noise! We adjusted, however, and ended up with 40 points (need 37 to Q). Last of the day was Jumpers, which is always Harley's best event. She was visibly slower (last run of a two day trial), but still managed an easy Q.
Fast forward to this past weekend, and we attended our first Dock Dogs trial! Hosted by Carolina Dock Dogs in Sanford, NC, this trial was close and convenient. Unfortunately, Harley broke one of her nails off the day before! We bandaged it up, put some silver nitrate on it to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, it didn't seem to bother her at all, and we decided to see how it went. If it had been an agility trial, we probably would've scratched, but dock diving is must less strenuous on the feet.
Also, we decided to enter Mo in the event, just to see how it went....We only entered him in wave 1. For each wave, you get 2 jumps, and the longest jump is your score. We haven't had a lot of time to work with Mo at the lake like we did with Harley, so he wasn't exactly excited about jumping. We got him to jump in the practice round, but he decided that he just wasn't going to jump when judged. Oh well. Despite his efforts, Mo managed to get his picture in Sunday's Sanford Herald!
Harley had 3 waves on Saturday. Harley jumped a personal best of 21'9" with Kristen in Wave 2! We decided to scratch on Wave 3, since we were worried about her foot.
Sunday was the last 2 waves, and then the finals afterwards. Harley jumped very well, and we ended up in the "Masters" division. Your longest jump places you in a division, and the top 6 dogs in each division compete in the finals. The Masters division is for a longest jump of 20' to 22'11". Harley did pretty well, and ended up placing 4th in the finals.
Coming up this weekend is our 2nd AKC trial in Pendleton, SC!
We would also like to welcome the latest addition to the Davis family - James' sister, Anne, delivered her first child, Quinn Carolina Francis, on May 4th at 11:09 AM. Congratulations! We'll be driving down there soon to see our new niece :-)
Showing posts with label usdaa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label usdaa. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
LCDA Charleston Trial Recap
February 27-28th was Harley's trial down in Charleston, SC. Harley did very well the first day, earning qualifying scores in several events, most importantly the tournament events.
The Cynosport World Games are coming up this October in Louisville, KY, and this trial was an important step along the way. To qualify to enter a Cynosport tournament event, one must earn 2 qualifying scores in that event (except for Dog Agility Masters Team/Performace Versatility Pairs, which only requires 1 qualifying score). Coming into Charleston, we had 1 Q in Performance Grand Prix and 1 Q in Performance Speed Jumping. We needed a Q in each to guarantee our trip to Louisville. Read on to see if we made it...
Saturday
PIII Snooker - Harley usually does very well in Snooker. It's been her handlers that alway bungle it up! Not so with this run. Harley scored an impressive 52 points (If you know snooker rules, it was 4 reds and the points were 1+7+1+7+1+3+1+4+2+3+4+5+6+7 = 52). Best part was that she placed 1st and got her first SuperQ! 3 SuperQ's are needed to earn a PIII title in snooker, and we were dry up to this point, not for lack of trying. The thing about SuperQ's is that you have to be aggressive in your plan. It's not enough just to qualify. A SuperQ is earned when you place in the top 15% of a height class of at least 7 dogs (there are other rules about less than 7). You have to start running for the most points you can get instead of trying to be conservative and get the minimum 37 points required for a qualifying score. We've struggled recently with this, and going all out has cost us. Snooker is very unforgiving!
PIII Gamblers - Harley always does very well in her Gamblers opening. She racks up a lot of points very quickly. However, the closing came to bite us again. We placed 3rd overall, but no Q. We're still working on her distance work, and there's a lot more work to be done.
PIII Standard - As is always the case with our standard runs, something went wrong. Harley uncharacteristically dropped a bar, then proceed to look at her dad while not doing the weave polls (which was more dad's fault for not hiding well enough while video taping!). We ended with a respectable 3rd.
Performance Grand Prix - With all Harley's troubles in standard, she sure doesn't show it in this tournament event (which has all the standard obstacles minus the pause table). She flew through this course to a first place and a Q! This was doubly important - A) This now qualifies us to enter PGP at Cynosport later this year, and B) a 1st place finish earns us a first round bye at regionals this June!
Performance Speed Jumping - Harley turned in another impressive performance, earning a 3rd place and a Q! This completes our goal for qualifying in each tournament event for Cynosport!
Sunday
In brief, Sunday was not as good as our Saturday showing. Harley was a little tired, and her runs showed it. She was making mistakes, and ended up not earning a Q in any of the events. She did, however, earn LOTS of 3rd places! Four, to be exact.
That's it for this trial. Our next trial isn't until April when we enter our first AKC trial! This will be the first month that mixed breeds are allowed at competition, and we are looking forward to showing our stuff!
Sunday
- PIII Standard - 3rd
The Cynosport World Games are coming up this October in Louisville, KY, and this trial was an important step along the way. To qualify to enter a Cynosport tournament event, one must earn 2 qualifying scores in that event (except for Dog Agility Masters Team/Performace Versatility Pairs, which only requires 1 qualifying score). Coming into Charleston, we had 1 Q in Performance Grand Prix and 1 Q in Performance Speed Jumping. We needed a Q in each to guarantee our trip to Louisville. Read on to see if we made it...
Saturday
PIII Gamblers - Harley always does very well in her Gamblers opening. She racks up a lot of points very quickly. However, the closing came to bite us again. We placed 3rd overall, but no Q. We're still working on her distance work, and there's a lot more work to be done.
PIII Standard - As is always the case with our standard runs, something went wrong. Harley uncharacteristically dropped a bar, then proceed to look at her dad while not doing the weave polls (which was more dad's fault for not hiding well enough while video taping!). We ended with a respectable 3rd.
Performance Grand Prix - With all Harley's troubles in standard, she sure doesn't show it in this tournament event (which has all the standard obstacles minus the pause table). She flew through this course to a first place and a Q! This was doubly important - A) This now qualifies us to enter PGP at Cynosport later this year, and B) a 1st place finish earns us a first round bye at regionals this June!
Sunday
In brief, Sunday was not as good as our Saturday showing. Harley was a little tired, and her runs showed it. She was making mistakes, and ended up not earning a Q in any of the events. She did, however, earn LOTS of 3rd places! Four, to be exact.
That's it for this trial. Our next trial isn't until April when we enter our first AKC trial! This will be the first month that mixed breeds are allowed at competition, and we are looking forward to showing our stuff!
Summarized Results:
Saturday
Saturday
- Performance Grand Prix - 1st and Q
- PIII Snooker - 1st and Q
- PIII Snooker - 1st and Q
- Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 1 - 3rd and Q
- PIII Standard - 3rd
- PIII Gamblers - 3rd
- PIII Gamblers - 3rd
Sunday
- PIII Standard - 3rd
- PIII Jumpers - 3rd
- PIII Gamblers - 3rd - Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 2 - Eliminated
- PIII Snooker - 3rd
Monday, January 18, 2010
Carolina Piedmont Agility USDAA Trial Recap
We've just wrapped up the trial weekend in Raleigh at CPA's USDAA trial. The venue was great! Hunt Horse Arena is a superb location for an agility trial. It fits 3 rings in the indoor heated arena, albeit it's a tight squeeze. A two ring show would be more comfortable, but with the amount of entries, 3 rings were really needed.
I'm really impressed with CPA. They are just starting out in the world of trialing, and they are getting everything right. We learned on Sunday that this was the largest USDAA trial EVER held in NC. This was only their 2nd trial, and there looks to be many more to come. Kudos to Greg Fontaine, Carolina Piedmont Agility, and everyone involved.
Now to Harley's performance!
Day 1
P3 Snooker (Kristen) - Not too tough of a course. Kristen and Harley were doing VERY well and looked like they were headed for a sure Q. Unfortunately, the practice jump was right next to the weave poles. In the closing, Harley got distracted by something that direction and popped out of the poles. Snooker requires 37 points to qualify, and we ended with 33 points. Had we gotten through the weave poles, it would've been worth 5 points and our Q. Oh well...
P3 Pairs (James) - This is a class Harley traditionally does very well at, and this was not an exception. We had a great partner who did their half flawlessly. Despite an awkward baton exchange area that got the best of a lot of pairs, it went very smoothly. Harley was on-target and fast, but unfortunately she missed her weave pole entry. I think it was probably that she had too much speed going in, and just overshot it. Regardless, it was a 5 point fault. Great thing about pairs is that Qing is time+faults so as long as you're still under course time, you're good. We Q'd, and just barely missed 3rd place. 0.05 seconds sooner and we could've had it!
P3 Gamblers (James) - Harley's string of Non-Q's continued, highlighting our need to keep working on our distance work. James had a nice send over a jump to a far tunnel, but unfortunately stepped over the gamble line. Our opening would've had plenty of points, but the closing is always the challenge. Even had I not stepped over the line, Harley took the wrong jump after the tunnel. C'est la vie.
P3 Standard (Kristen) - This was our most important class this weekend, as our last P2 title was on the line! Harley was running a little slow, but ran clean. We were concerned that she might not make the course time, but our worries were unfounded as we ended up placing 1st and Q!
Performance Speed Jumping Round 1 (Kristen) - The Steeplechase/PSJ course was very challenging for many dogs that entered. Since Harley was running pretty slow in her P3 Standard run, Kristen tried jazzing Harley up before her run with her favorite toy: a racquetball. Her strategy proved to be a successful one as Harley was noticeably faster. But it's not just speed that counts....it's accuracy. Harley was dead on! She earned a Q, and advanced to the next round on Day 2.
Day 2
P3 Gamblers (Kristen) - Harley's first run of the day. This run started out FANTASTIC....until the timer realized that they hadn't started the timer (very important in Gamblers). D'oh! So Kristen had to start over. Graciously, the judge said that as long as she did the same course, she'd give us the points even if we faulted. The restart did not go as well as the first run, but she did do the complete gamble, but missed the A-Frame contact. Despite not Qing, we were very happy with this, since she's starting to "get" distance work and not be velcroed to our side for the entire run. It's a process of learning, and she's showing signs of great improvement!
Performance National Qualifier (James) - This course was fast and fun! James had the pressure on to Q since Kristen already Q'd on Saturday in Performance Speed Jumping. These two tournament classes are important since Q's in these count towards qualifying for the Cynosport World Games. Harley did beautifully and Q'd with ease. She didn't place, but Q's are what counts. The only place that counts is 1st since that gives you a first-round bye at regionals (we earned one of these last year).
Performance Speed Jumping Round 2 (Kristen) - With our Round 1 Q in hand, this run is for the money! PSJ round 2 placements determine prize money for places 1st-3rd in each height class, with 1st obviously getting the most. Harley did well, but with so many good dogs and the fact that Harley was getting tired, she just wasn't fast enough to place. We ended up in 6th.
P2 Standard (James) - Since we earned our PS2 title the previous day, this run was just for fun since it won't count towards anything. Despite being late in the day and both of us being tired, Harley had a nearly clean run. Her only fault? She jumped off the pause table. While I'm very happy this didn't count, it was frustrating since we've worked very hard the last couple months to "fix" her table. All weekend she was doing a beautiful automatic down. For some reason or another, she hopped on the table and hopped right off. When she got back on, the down was automatic. Despite not Qing, Harley placed 1st (nobody else Q'd in our height class either). That's what I love about USDAA: You don't have to Q to place!
P3 Snooker (James) - Last run of a very long day! I took a very risky snooker plan and hoped it worked. Since it's the last class of the day, I knew Harley wouldn't be as energetic, so I wanted to avoid the weave poles (the #6 obstacle was a combo jump to weave poles). So I did all 7 point obstacles. Problem is that the 7 point obstacle was not very close to the required red jumps! Harley and I sprinted all over the field and made up some impressive ground (I actually had to warn the judge at the start that my path was coming right towards her! She thanked me for telling her, and moved to a better position so I wouldn't barrel right into her..). The strategy worked, and we got all three 7-point obstacles and made it through obstacle 6 in the closing for a total of 44 points (need 37 to Q). We were hoping for a "SuperQ" but were bested by 2 other dogs that managed to get 48 points. We ended with a 3rd place and a Q.
Summarized Results:
Saturday
- PII Standard - 1st & Q
- PIII Pairs - Q (Did not place)
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 1 - Q (Did not place)
- PIII Snooker - Did not place
Sunday
- PII Standard - 1st
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Performance National Qualifier - Q (Did not place)
- Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 2 - 6th
- PIII Snooker - 3rd & Q
NEW TITLES:
PS2 - Performance II Standard
PD2 - Performance Dog II
I'm really impressed with CPA. They are just starting out in the world of trialing, and they are getting everything right. We learned on Sunday that this was the largest USDAA trial EVER held in NC. This was only their 2nd trial, and there looks to be many more to come. Kudos to Greg Fontaine, Carolina Piedmont Agility, and everyone involved.
Now to Harley's performance!
Day 1
P3 Snooker (Kristen) - Not too tough of a course. Kristen and Harley were doing VERY well and looked like they were headed for a sure Q. Unfortunately, the practice jump was right next to the weave poles. In the closing, Harley got distracted by something that direction and popped out of the poles. Snooker requires 37 points to qualify, and we ended with 33 points. Had we gotten through the weave poles, it would've been worth 5 points and our Q. Oh well...
P3 Pairs (James) - This is a class Harley traditionally does very well at, and this was not an exception. We had a great partner who did their half flawlessly. Despite an awkward baton exchange area that got the best of a lot of pairs, it went very smoothly. Harley was on-target and fast, but unfortunately she missed her weave pole entry. I think it was probably that she had too much speed going in, and just overshot it. Regardless, it was a 5 point fault. Great thing about pairs is that Qing is time+faults so as long as you're still under course time, you're good. We Q'd, and just barely missed 3rd place. 0.05 seconds sooner and we could've had it!
P3 Standard (Kristen) - This was our most important class this weekend, as our last P2 title was on the line! Harley was running a little slow, but ran clean. We were concerned that she might not make the course time, but our worries were unfounded as we ended up placing 1st and Q!
Performance Speed Jumping Round 1 (Kristen) - The Steeplechase/PSJ course was very challenging for many dogs that entered. Since Harley was running pretty slow in her P3 Standard run, Kristen tried jazzing Harley up before her run with her favorite toy: a racquetball. Her strategy proved to be a successful one as Harley was noticeably faster. But it's not just speed that counts....it's accuracy. Harley was dead on! She earned a Q, and advanced to the next round on Day 2.
Day 2
P2 Standard (James) - Since we earned our PS2 title the previous day, this run was just for fun since it won't count towards anything. Despite being late in the day and both of us being tired, Harley had a nearly clean run. Her only fault? She jumped off the pause table. While I'm very happy this didn't count, it was frustrating since we've worked very hard the last couple months to "fix" her table. All weekend she was doing a beautiful automatic down. For some reason or another, she hopped on the table and hopped right off. When she got back on, the down was automatic. Despite not Qing, Harley placed 1st (nobody else Q'd in our height class either). That's what I love about USDAA: You don't have to Q to place!
P3 Snooker (James) - Last run of a very long day! I took a very risky snooker plan and hoped it worked. Since it's the last class of the day, I knew Harley wouldn't be as energetic, so I wanted to avoid the weave poles (the #6 obstacle was a combo jump to weave poles). So I did all 7 point obstacles. Problem is that the 7 point obstacle was not very close to the required red jumps! Harley and I sprinted all over the field and made up some impressive ground (I actually had to warn the judge at the start that my path was coming right towards her! She thanked me for telling her, and moved to a better position so I wouldn't barrel right into her..). The strategy worked, and we got all three 7-point obstacles and made it through obstacle 6 in the closing for a total of 44 points (need 37 to Q). We were hoping for a "SuperQ" but were bested by 2 other dogs that managed to get 48 points. We ended with a 3rd place and a Q.
Summarized Results:
Saturday
- PII Standard - 1st & Q
- PIII Pairs - Q (Did not place)
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 1 - Q (Did not place)
- PIII Snooker - Did not place
Sunday
- PII Standard - 1st
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Performance National Qualifier - Q (Did not place)
- Perfomance Speed Jumping Round 2 - 6th
- PIII Snooker - 3rd & Q
NEW TITLES:
PS2 - Performance II Standard
PD2 - Performance Dog II
Friday, January 15, 2010
Major AKC & USDAA Announcements
Just about to leave for our trial in Raleigh and got some VERY good news!
1. USDAA just announced the venue for the 2010 Cynosport World Games. This year it will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY October 13-17!
From USDAA:
2. AKC just made a major announcement about changes to their Mixed Breed program!
1. USDAA just announced the venue for the 2010 Cynosport World Games. This year it will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY October 13-17!
From USDAA:
We are pleased to announce that we have received a Letter of Commitment from the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville to host the Cynosport World Games on October 13 - 17, 2010. Options are also being offered for 2011 and/or 2012.
The facility is home to the Kentucky State Fair and the Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows and has ample RV and general parking, and includes both indoor and outdoor areas for competition and other use. Much of the competition and the finals will be held in the Broadbent Arena on packed dirt and will be streamed live via the Internet.
We are working diligently with the facility, local sports commission and hotels to secure room blocks at favorable rates.
The City of Louisville has undergone a great transformation as a destination of choice, and we are certain competitors and guests alike will enjoy their time in Louisville.
Further details will be annouced as they become available.
2. AKC just made a major announcement about changes to their Mixed Breed program!
- They have decided that Mixed Breeds may compete in any agility, rally, or obedience event. Initially, Mixed Breed classes were only available at events that were not also holding an all-breed event (Conformation).
- Mixed Breeds will now compete with their Purebreds friends instead of in a separately.
- Mixed Breed titles shall be the same as their Purebred friends. There will NOT be separate titles for Mixed Breeds.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
This Weekend: Carolina Piedmont Agility Trial (Raleigh NC)
Wish us luck this weekend as we travel to Raleigh to compete in Carolina Piedmont Agility's USDAA trial! Given the recent cold weather, our host had the wisdom to hold this trial in a heated horse arena, so we will be very comfortable!
Looks like Harley has 2 titles she can earn this weekend: Performance Standard II (PS2) and, by extension, Performance Dog II (PD2). PD2 is an accumulative title that's earned when you have 3 Q's in each of the 3 non-standard Performance II classes (Snooker, Gamblers, and Jumpers), and your PS2 title. We have all the non-standard Q's required already, so by earning a Q in PII Standard, we can obtain both titles at once! Let's hope I didn't just jinx our chances...
Hopefully we can also pick up a couple tournament Q's so we can qualify for nationals again this year! Expect updates via our Facebook, and a full recap post when we get back.
Looks like Harley has 2 titles she can earn this weekend: Performance Standard II (PS2) and, by extension, Performance Dog II (PD2). PD2 is an accumulative title that's earned when you have 3 Q's in each of the 3 non-standard Performance II classes (Snooker, Gamblers, and Jumpers), and your PS2 title. We have all the non-standard Q's required already, so by earning a Q in PII Standard, we can obtain both titles at once! Let's hope I didn't just jinx our chances...
Hopefully we can also pick up a couple tournament Q's so we can qualify for nationals again this year! Expect updates via our Facebook, and a full recap post when we get back.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Fletcher: Trialing in the Mountain Snow
This weekend's trial in Fletcher started out with frustration. A snow storm descended upon western NC on Friday night as we were traveling. What would normally be a 2 1/2 hour drive turned out to be much, much longer.
The roads were bad, but passable within a safe speed. We were doing well until 3 miles from I-26 we were stopped due to a tractor-trailer accident. After an hour and a half wait, we got going slowly and decided to re-route off the highway to get to I-26 where I was convinced that since it was an interstate, the roads would've been pre-salted and possibly plowed once or twice.
I was wrong. Not long after getting on I-26, we got behind another accident approaching the gorge near Saluda. This time we had 2 hours to entertain ourselves. We found out that another tractor trailer had jack-knifed across the interstate.
After getting going again, things were looking good. People were starting to realize how to drive in the snow, and as a result, traffic was relatively smooth considering the conditions. Then came the THIRD stoppage. This time we were TWO MILES from our exit, and it was 1:45 AM. After about 2 hours, I got out and started talking with other people. Turns out that there was another tractor-trailer jack-knife, and that the police had now closed the interstate until it was all cleared, and they could plow everything. Hour after hour passed. Finally at 5:30AM we started moving. 10 minutes later we were at the exit.
We pulled off, and much to our displeasure, the exit was blocked. Two tractor-trailers had attempted to go up the exit ramp, and subsequently got stuck. (Are you noticing a theme here?) After waiting about 20 minutes to see if anything was going to happen, we turned around on the ramp and got back on the interstate hoping that the next exit was free. As we went through the underpass, we noticed the exit ramp was free. Having been driving for just under 11 hours, laws be damned, we went up the exit ramp backwards.
When we finally checked in to the hotel, it was 6:20AM. The trial check-in starts at 7. So we slept for 40 minutes and headed over to the site. Upon arriving we found out that the trial start had been delayed for 2 hours due to weather. So we had to sit around for another 2 hours.
Once things finally got started, we started having fun. Saturday we were entered in PII Standard, PIII Snooker, Performance Speed Jumping, PIII Pairs and PIII Gamblers. Snooker was short and not-so-sweet. We got eliminated on our first set of obstacles. Our pairs run was clean, earning a 2nd Place & Qualifying. Unfortunately, we already have a Q in PIII with the pair we ran with, so it won't count towards our PIII title (it can apply to other titles down the road). Harley did well in Gamblers, but came up short on the closing gamble. Our Standard run was excellent, earning a 2nd & Qualifying, which means we only have 1 Q left before getting our standard title! A fault on her Speed Jumping run left us out of the running for round 2.
Sunday started earlier than Saturday despite being slightly delayed due to the icy road conditions. We had 3 runs, none for Q's. Another good Gamblers run, but still came up short on the gamble (need to do more distance practice!). Harley faulted her weave entrance in her Standard run, and proceeded to do the same in Performance Grand Prix (in addition to an off course that was totally my fault). Having only 3 runs, we left for home early. Thankfully the trip home took the usual 2 1/2 hours.
Reflecting, we learned a few lessons and what to work on. While we didn't perform as well as we hoped, it was the best we could do considering the lack of sleep and conditions. We're planning on attending CPA's trial this January in Raleigh, so we'll see if we can get our weave poll issues and distance work improved by then!
Lastly, Harley, Slo-Mo, Jazzmine, India, Shai, Bruno, Pepe and their 2 two-legged friends would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
Summarized Results:
Saturday
- PII Standard - 2nd and Q
- PIII Pairs - 2nd and Q
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Perfomance Speed Jumping - Did not place
- PIII Snooker - Eliminated
Sunday
- PII Standard - Did not place
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Performance Grand Prix - Eliminated
The roads were bad, but passable within a safe speed. We were doing well until 3 miles from I-26 we were stopped due to a tractor-trailer accident. After an hour and a half wait, we got going slowly and decided to re-route off the highway to get to I-26 where I was convinced that since it was an interstate, the roads would've been pre-salted and possibly plowed once or twice.
I was wrong. Not long after getting on I-26, we got behind another accident approaching the gorge near Saluda. This time we had 2 hours to entertain ourselves. We found out that another tractor trailer had jack-knifed across the interstate.
After getting going again, things were looking good. People were starting to realize how to drive in the snow, and as a result, traffic was relatively smooth considering the conditions. Then came the THIRD stoppage. This time we were TWO MILES from our exit, and it was 1:45 AM. After about 2 hours, I got out and started talking with other people. Turns out that there was another tractor-trailer jack-knife, and that the police had now closed the interstate until it was all cleared, and they could plow everything. Hour after hour passed. Finally at 5:30AM we started moving. 10 minutes later we were at the exit.
We pulled off, and much to our displeasure, the exit was blocked. Two tractor-trailers had attempted to go up the exit ramp, and subsequently got stuck. (Are you noticing a theme here?) After waiting about 20 minutes to see if anything was going to happen, we turned around on the ramp and got back on the interstate hoping that the next exit was free. As we went through the underpass, we noticed the exit ramp was free. Having been driving for just under 11 hours, laws be damned, we went up the exit ramp backwards.
When we finally checked in to the hotel, it was 6:20AM. The trial check-in starts at 7. So we slept for 40 minutes and headed over to the site. Upon arriving we found out that the trial start had been delayed for 2 hours due to weather. So we had to sit around for another 2 hours.
Once things finally got started, we started having fun. Saturday we were entered in PII Standard, PIII Snooker, Performance Speed Jumping, PIII Pairs and PIII Gamblers. Snooker was short and not-so-sweet. We got eliminated on our first set of obstacles. Our pairs run was clean, earning a 2nd Place & Qualifying. Unfortunately, we already have a Q in PIII with the pair we ran with, so it won't count towards our PIII title (it can apply to other titles down the road). Harley did well in Gamblers, but came up short on the closing gamble. Our Standard run was excellent, earning a 2nd & Qualifying, which means we only have 1 Q left before getting our standard title! A fault on her Speed Jumping run left us out of the running for round 2.
Sunday started earlier than Saturday despite being slightly delayed due to the icy road conditions. We had 3 runs, none for Q's. Another good Gamblers run, but still came up short on the gamble (need to do more distance practice!). Harley faulted her weave entrance in her Standard run, and proceeded to do the same in Performance Grand Prix (in addition to an off course that was totally my fault). Having only 3 runs, we left for home early. Thankfully the trip home took the usual 2 1/2 hours.
Reflecting, we learned a few lessons and what to work on. While we didn't perform as well as we hoped, it was the best we could do considering the lack of sleep and conditions. We're planning on attending CPA's trial this January in Raleigh, so we'll see if we can get our weave poll issues and distance work improved by then!
Lastly, Harley, Slo-Mo, Jazzmine, India, Shai, Bruno, Pepe and their 2 two-legged friends would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
Summarized Results:
Saturday
- PII Standard - 2nd and Q
- PIII Pairs - 2nd and Q
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Perfomance Speed Jumping - Did not place
- PIII Snooker - Eliminated
Sunday
- PII Standard - Did not place
- PIII Gamblers - Did not place
- Performance Grand Prix - Eliminated
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Keeping Track of Titles
When we started in agility, there was so many things we not only had to learn, but also to keep track of!
Titles are a big part of competing in agility. Most competitors will tell you how excited they were when they earned their first title with a dog.
For those of you who might not know much about agility (yet!), a "title" is a certification of sorts - It says that you have completed all the requirements set forth by an organization. After completing all the requirements, the dog is awarded the title. Usually titles have a 2-4 letter abbreviation. Dogs earning titles like USDAA's ADCh (and the Performance equivalent APD) and AKC's "MACH" are highly regarded and respected in the agility community, as the road to earning those titles is long and hard. When a dog earns a title, it is proudly appended to that dogs name. For example, our dog Harley's full name is currently "Harley Davis PJ3 PK2 PR2 PG2 PS1 PD1."
While you're racking up the Q's, it does become hard to keep track of all that information, especially when you have more than one dog! Here are several recommendations:
Titles are a big part of competing in agility. Most competitors will tell you how excited they were when they earned their first title with a dog.
For those of you who might not know much about agility (yet!), a "title" is a certification of sorts - It says that you have completed all the requirements set forth by an organization. After completing all the requirements, the dog is awarded the title. Usually titles have a 2-4 letter abbreviation. Dogs earning titles like USDAA's ADCh (and the Performance equivalent APD) and AKC's "MACH" are highly regarded and respected in the agility community, as the road to earning those titles is long and hard. When a dog earns a title, it is proudly appended to that dogs name. For example, our dog Harley's full name is currently "Harley Davis PJ3 PK2 PR2 PG2 PS1 PD1."
While you're racking up the Q's, it does become hard to keep track of all that information, especially when you have more than one dog! Here are several recommendations:
- Agility Record Book is a free, open source software product that keeps track of pretty much anything you can think of with agility. It supports requirements from most agility organizations (USDAA, AKC, NADAC, CPE, etc) and helps organize your future trials as well.
- If software is not for you, then consider the old fashion way: Pen and Paper. Many trial vendors offer agility record keeping binders. They're relatively cheap, but not as cheap as free. You also have to be diligent about keeping track of your runs - it's easy to fall behind and lose track!
- Make a cheat sheet. I wrote my own spreadsheet that's printer-friendly so I can take it to trials and quickly mark off Q's I earn during the weekend. I made mine to be quick to update, and SIMPLE. Here's a link of my USDAA cheat sheet on google docs. It doesn't keep track of course times or placements, but it doesn't need to. It's just a quick cheat sheet, and to be usable, it needed to be simple. Note: I hastily converted the link above from an ODS file, so it's not as pretty on google docs as the original on my computer.
- As a reader added, some organizations have online portals to access your dog's information online. As far as I know, AKC and USDAA both offer this feature. USDAA charges a $20 subscription fee for 2 years of access. I gladly pay that much for access, and to support my organization of choice.
User Suggestions:
- From Elizabeth Z:
I use the "Manage my Dogs" feature on www.akc.org and this way I can verify (after about a 3 week period following a trial) my dogs titles and Q's earned. I always check the site before I enter the next trial so I know for sure what we are striving for as far as titles go. I then have the green Q ribbons to know what we got for that particular trial.
You can also follow your friends dogs too, who are registered with the AKC, with their online record keeper.
I used to go by the ribbons on the wall. I would drape them in the orders recieved and then I could see when there was a new title ribbon or notice when a Q was needed. This got to be too long.....it circled my ceiling and soon needed another room! I had to box up the ribbon idea and look for something easier. - Comments: I did the same thing when I started. Keeping track of so many ribbons is tedious, and not a very good record keeping practice.
If you have any suggestions on how you manage your dog's information, post a comment and I'll add it to be above list!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
This Weekend: Fletcher
This weekend, we are headed off to one of our favorite places to trial: Fletcher, NC! The Blue Ridge Agility Club always knows how to put on a good trial, and we're hoping to continue the success we had at their trial last May (1st place in Performance Grand Prix that gave us our first round bye at SE Regionals, which lead to our qualifying for Nationals).
This will be the first time we've competed at the indoor arena at the Western NC Ag Center. Given the cold temperatures expected this weekend, it will certainly be nice to be indoors. Our trainer, Deb, will also be making the trip with her dog Ike, so we can bug her with our obsessive handling analyses instead of always bothering Susette. :-)
In other news: Carolina Piedmont Agility just announced some of their future trial dates for USDAA and AKC. In addition to the January USDAA trial in Raleigh, they will be hosting TWO AKC trials in Charlotte at the Charlotte Sports Center. Both trials are after April, when the new Mixed Breed classes can be offered, and it's been confirmed that they will be holding Mixed Breed classes. The Charlotte Sports Center is a great venue, and has a great indoor playing surface. I should know - I played indoor soccer there for many years in high school & college. It's great to see more trials in the popping up in the Charlotte area!
Wish us luck this weekend!
This will be the first time we've competed at the indoor arena at the Western NC Ag Center. Given the cold temperatures expected this weekend, it will certainly be nice to be indoors. Our trainer, Deb, will also be making the trip with her dog Ike, so we can bug her with our obsessive handling analyses instead of always bothering Susette. :-)
In other news: Carolina Piedmont Agility just announced some of their future trial dates for USDAA and AKC. In addition to the January USDAA trial in Raleigh, they will be hosting TWO AKC trials in Charlotte at the Charlotte Sports Center. Both trials are after April, when the new Mixed Breed classes can be offered, and it's been confirmed that they will be holding Mixed Breed classes. The Charlotte Sports Center is a great venue, and has a great indoor playing surface. I should know - I played indoor soccer there for many years in high school & college. It's great to see more trials in the popping up in the Charlotte area!
Wish us luck this weekend!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Davidson News Story!
Our good friends at DavidsonNews.net has posted another story about Harley!
Brenda Barger has become a great fan of Harley and has been posting updates about Harley and our agility accomplishments in her semi-weekly "Around Davidson" column. We greatly appreciate not only the exposure she has given to Harley, but also to the sport of agility.
Here's a listing of all the stories so far:
Brenda Barger has become a great fan of Harley and has been posting updates about Harley and our agility accomplishments in her semi-weekly "Around Davidson" column. We greatly appreciate not only the exposure she has given to Harley, but also to the sport of agility.
Here's a listing of all the stories so far:
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Distance Work
Tonight's class highlighted an issue that Kristen and I were all too aware of: Distance work.
Admittedly, Harley is a very clingy dog by nature. She's not clingy in the regular kind of way. She's quite independent, and is completely happy doing her own thing. However, when you're doing anything WITH her, she wants us to be close. As a rescue dog, I can understand where she comes from. She's shy, and doesn't like strangers to approach. When she's near us, she's in her comfort zone. Agility has been a sport where she can come out of her shell - most people we train and trial with don't believe us when we tell her she's shy.
That is what makes distance work so hard for her. Thankfully, tonight's lesson gave us a crash course on how to motivate her to send out to jumps.
For those of you who might not know what I mean by distance work, here's a short summary: While running a course, a handler's job is to try and pick the most efficient route for both dog and self. Most of the time this is pretty straight forward, but if you have a fast dog, it's challenging. Practicing distance work allows you to put more distance between you and your dog while maintaining control of their direction through verbal commands and body language. By adding distance, you can make your route shorter, which helps keep pace with a fast dog.
There are classes in most venues that require distance work: USDAA has Gamblers, AKC has the FAST class, NADAC requires distance tests in some of it's standard courses, and there are probably several others in other venues I haven't come across. Since we primarily run USDAA, we are most familiar with the game Gamblers. Simplified, a Gamblers run consists of 2 parts: opening and closing. In the opening, you have x number of seconds to get as many points as possible (each type of obstacle is designated a point value). At the end of this time, a buzzer sounds and you have y number of seconds to complete a closing sequence. This sequence is numbered, must be taken in order, and the handler must remain on the opposite side of a line on the ground, about 5-10 feet in Starter/PIs. Failure to complete the obstacles or stepping over the line results in a fault, and a non-qualifying score. As you progress from Starters/PI to Masters/PIII, the distance between the line and the obstacles increases. You can see now how valuable distance work becomes!
Kristen, Harley and I have progressed in Gamblers to PIII, the highest competitive level, admittedly by mostly sheer luck of the course designs. Harley's distance work has been inconsistent at best, and getting better at this has been a training goal of ours for quite some time.
Deb setup a very nice course to gradually get our dogs to learn the 'out' command. When handling at a distance, using a word to tell the dog to leave you is a must. This word, like all the agility obstacle commands, needs to be consistent every time you say it. In Deb's course, she set up a tight double-pinwheel with 7 jumps (shown below). The dog would complete the pinwheels in a figure-8, while the handler attempted to stay on one half of the course while using their 'out' command to send the dog to the outer jumps before turning back towards the handler. The handler's objective was to not cross over the red line draw below. After a few repetitions to pattern the dogs to the course, the pinwheel would become larger. More repetitions, and then larger more.
Harley's first go at it was a bit embarrassing. She just didn't know what we were asking her to do. She'd start the pinwheel, and at the 'out' command, she'd just stop running and start casually walking towards us. After I admitted failure, Kristen tried with similar results. Finally after supporting her a bit more, blocking her return route with a wing fence, and breaking out the ultimate motivator (the blue racquetball), the course sunk in. This then allowed us to start moving the jumpers further apart. Using our out command, she got better and better. I was surprised at how fast she was catching on! By the end of class, she was reliably sending out to jumps on a full-blown course that incorporated the double pinwheel at the center.
There was a magic moment near the end of class when Harley started to come back to me and I yelled 'OUT!' while pointing to a jump. Harley then altered her course and took the jump. Why do I think this was a magic moment? Because she thought about coming toward me, recognized the command, and changed her direction accordingly. This told me that she didn't merely memorize the course, but she was learning and recognizing the command.
Training Pop Quiz: Does this mean mission accomplished? Harley is now an expert? NO! While she is beginning to learn the out command, there's a lot of work to be done to hone and maintain this skill. Harley now knows what to do on that specific course. The hard work comes in generalizing the command so Harley can apply it in a variety of different courses and obstacles (Gamblers course designers frequently like to put contact obstacles in their closing sequences).
Looks like I'll need to start building some more jumps so we can do our homework!
Admittedly, Harley is a very clingy dog by nature. She's not clingy in the regular kind of way. She's quite independent, and is completely happy doing her own thing. However, when you're doing anything WITH her, she wants us to be close. As a rescue dog, I can understand where she comes from. She's shy, and doesn't like strangers to approach. When she's near us, she's in her comfort zone. Agility has been a sport where she can come out of her shell - most people we train and trial with don't believe us when we tell her she's shy.
That is what makes distance work so hard for her. Thankfully, tonight's lesson gave us a crash course on how to motivate her to send out to jumps.
For those of you who might not know what I mean by distance work, here's a short summary: While running a course, a handler's job is to try and pick the most efficient route for both dog and self. Most of the time this is pretty straight forward, but if you have a fast dog, it's challenging. Practicing distance work allows you to put more distance between you and your dog while maintaining control of their direction through verbal commands and body language. By adding distance, you can make your route shorter, which helps keep pace with a fast dog.
There are classes in most venues that require distance work: USDAA has Gamblers, AKC has the FAST class, NADAC requires distance tests in some of it's standard courses, and there are probably several others in other venues I haven't come across. Since we primarily run USDAA, we are most familiar with the game Gamblers. Simplified, a Gamblers run consists of 2 parts: opening and closing. In the opening, you have x number of seconds to get as many points as possible (each type of obstacle is designated a point value). At the end of this time, a buzzer sounds and you have y number of seconds to complete a closing sequence. This sequence is numbered, must be taken in order, and the handler must remain on the opposite side of a line on the ground, about 5-10 feet in Starter/PIs. Failure to complete the obstacles or stepping over the line results in a fault, and a non-qualifying score. As you progress from Starters/PI to Masters/PIII, the distance between the line and the obstacles increases. You can see now how valuable distance work becomes!
Kristen, Harley and I have progressed in Gamblers to PIII, the highest competitive level, admittedly by mostly sheer luck of the course designs. Harley's distance work has been inconsistent at best, and getting better at this has been a training goal of ours for quite some time.
Deb setup a very nice course to gradually get our dogs to learn the 'out' command. When handling at a distance, using a word to tell the dog to leave you is a must. This word, like all the agility obstacle commands, needs to be consistent every time you say it. In Deb's course, she set up a tight double-pinwheel with 7 jumps (shown below). The dog would complete the pinwheels in a figure-8, while the handler attempted to stay on one half of the course while using their 'out' command to send the dog to the outer jumps before turning back towards the handler. The handler's objective was to not cross over the red line draw below. After a few repetitions to pattern the dogs to the course, the pinwheel would become larger. More repetitions, and then larger more.
Harley's first go at it was a bit embarrassing. She just didn't know what we were asking her to do. She'd start the pinwheel, and at the 'out' command, she'd just stop running and start casually walking towards us. After I admitted failure, Kristen tried with similar results. Finally after supporting her a bit more, blocking her return route with a wing fence, and breaking out the ultimate motivator (the blue racquetball), the course sunk in. This then allowed us to start moving the jumpers further apart. Using our out command, she got better and better. I was surprised at how fast she was catching on! By the end of class, she was reliably sending out to jumps on a full-blown course that incorporated the double pinwheel at the center.
There was a magic moment near the end of class when Harley started to come back to me and I yelled 'OUT!' while pointing to a jump. Harley then altered her course and took the jump. Why do I think this was a magic moment? Because she thought about coming toward me, recognized the command, and changed her direction accordingly. This told me that she didn't merely memorize the course, but she was learning and recognizing the command.
Training Pop Quiz: Does this mean mission accomplished? Harley is now an expert? NO! While she is beginning to learn the out command, there's a lot of work to be done to hone and maintain this skill. Harley now knows what to do on that specific course. The hard work comes in generalizing the command so Harley can apply it in a variety of different courses and obstacles (Gamblers course designers frequently like to put contact obstacles in their closing sequences).
Looks like I'll need to start building some more jumps so we can do our homework!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cynosport Pictures
We've been inundated with requests for pictures from our trip to Cynosport. After getting settled, we finally got around to getting them posted!
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| 2009 Cynosport Games |
Monday, November 16, 2009
Arizona & The Cynosport World Games
Just returned from our trip out west to the Cynosport World Games in Scottsdale, AZ. What an experience! We were very fortunate for Laura (James' sister) and her son Ewan to accompany us from Iowa.
Thursday's itinerary included our Performance National Standard agility run and dock diving. Cynosport certainly tests your handling and course memorization as everyone walks in the morning, but you and your dog might not run it until hours later. Luckily for James, our scheduled run time was only about 1.5 hours after the walk-through.
We left on Wednesday, November 11th flying to Phoenix with a layover in Dallas/Ft Worth. Harley did very well in the airport and on the plane, although the Charlotte ticket counter gave us a little trouble. After picking up our rental car and getting to the hotel, it was already 12:30 AM (2:30 ET) and we had to be at the trial site at 7:00!
Thursday's itinerary included our Performance National Standard agility run and dock diving. Cynosport certainly tests your handling and course memorization as everyone walks in the morning, but you and your dog might not run it until hours later. Luckily for James, our scheduled run time was only about 1.5 hours after the walk-through.
The course was tough, and as such, I decided to be cautious and conservative in my plan. When we ran, I found myself VERY nervous, and it showed. Harley was a good sport and kept with me, but dropped the second to last jump bar, which I can only blame myself for since I didn't put her in a good position. I tried doing a rear-cross after the weaves (18) but realized Harley didn't have enough momentum yet, and my rear made her jump early. She landed on the bar (19). As always, I congratulated Harley at the finish for a great run. The dropped bar had put us just short of advancing to the Semifinals.
The Splash Dogs Dock Diving competition started shortly after our agility run. We did 3 'waves' during the course of the day, and each wave includes 2 jumps, the higher of which determines your score. We posted consistent jumps around the 18 and 19 foot marks, with our longest jump being 20 feet 6 inches.
Friday was Kristen's turn on the Performance Speed Jumping Semifinals course. Unlike the previous day, our run was not as close to the walk-through. Kristen walked the course around 8:00am, and her run was not scheduled until 2:20pm! Despite the long wait, Kristen kept the course fresh in her mind by watching other competitors' runs throughout the day. Harley did very well again, but missed her weave poll entry. She didn't get any faults for it, but the time taken to reset her back in the weaves put us outside of the top dogs. Only the top eight dogs in each height class advanced, and the slowest time of the eight in our height was 25 seconds!
We had 3 more waves of Dock Diving on Friday, and each jump was around the 17 to 19 foot mark. Harley made an impression on the announcer, who frequently remarked on her good form and how beautiful she was.
Saturday was a down day. We did one dock diving wave in the morning and then decided to drive out to the Grand Canyon as neither of us had ever been. The drive from Scottsdale was about 3.5 hours though the desert and mountains near Flagstaff. To our surprise, we drove through a snow flurry! It had been in the 70's in Scottsdale, and we were a bit unprepared for how cold it would be at the Grand Canyon. Despite the cold temperatures, the views were breathtaking. Our only regrets were not having more time to wander (we got there an hour before sunset) and not bringing warmer clothes!
Sunday went very quickly. James ran the European Jumpers course. Harley didn't do very well as she was very distracted during the run. I can't blame her - it had been a long week and she was doing much more than she would do at a normal trial.
We did qualify for the Dock Diving finals on Sunday, but unfortunately we couldn't compete since we had to catch our flight home.
After our run, we packed up everything and headed to the airport. After 2 long flights, we picked up our puppy, Mo, from my parents' house. We finally made it home at 12:30am, just in time to go to sleep and go to work the next morning!
Even though we didn't advance past the first rounds, we throughly enjoyed ourselves. USDAA knows how to put on a great trial and treat the competitors right! We hope to qualify again this coming year, especially since it was announced that the Cynosport Games would be heading east to either Philadelphia or somewhere in Kentucky.
Our next trial is in December, wish us luck!
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