After a good 2 weeks of no training whatsoever, Jam and I headed off to CA for a USDAA show. I had no expectations given the fact that I had just returned from WI and we hadn't seen a piece of equipment in a very long time.
We started with Masters Gamblers. Before this weekend, we needed 10 more legs for our ADCh...4 of them being Gamblers legs. This show offered double Gamblers. This gamble actually had a table in it. We haven't seen a table in a gamble since the advent of electronic timers several years ago! Regardless, we worked the opening and were in a great position when the gamble horn sounded. She did great on the first 3 gamble obstacles, but woudn't send to the table...pooh. Oh well, there was another opportunity tomorrow!
The next class was Steeplechase. I needed 1 more qualifier in order to run at Nationals this year. I had low expectations since the competition in the 16" class was seriously competitive. We went in and SMOKED the course!! By the end of it, we had Q'ed...WOOHOO! That monkey was now off my back!
Next came Masters Standard. We had a GREAT run up until the end...she went around a jump. I had let off on my handling and it showed. Oh well...she was running so fast that I couldn't be too upset.
Next came Masters Snooker. I needed one more Super Q for my Snooker Master title. Again, with the competition so stiff, I wasn't expecting much. I had a plan, but the times were tight and I started to waver on my plan. But, as the class went on, one 16" dog after another started to muff it up. I decided to stick with my original plan. We went in and NAILED it! We did 4 reds and got through number 6 in the closing. In the end, the Super Q was ours and we earned our Snooker Master! Another monkey off my back! :)
Last was Masters Jumpers. Jam again was very fast, but again, my handling skills went downhill. It was about 5:30 PM by that time so I was a bit tired. Regardless, we had a couple refusals but once again, I was so very pleased with how Jam ran!
Today (Sunday) we started with Steeplechase round 2. I pushed Jam for speed and she totally gave it to me! She was FAST! She did pull a couple bars in the process but in the end she placed 5th. I was so PROUD!
The next course was the Grand Prix. The course was very ugly. It required a lot of handling and it was VERY technical with some ugly angles. We started with the big dogs. NO 26" dogs Q'ed and I believe only 3 22" dogs Q'ed and only 1 of those dogs was clean. Next were the 16" dogs. Dog after dog ahead of me eliminated. I got Jam to the line and just went for it. We had a BEAUTIFUL run and ended up clean! :) Everyone let out a huge cheer! There was one more clean run after her, and the dog was faster, so she didn't get the bye (for a Super Regional), but dang...she handled perfectly and again was fast!
Next was Masters Standard. I was going to let my friend run Jam, but Jam wanted only her mommy! While my friend was warming her up, she had eyes only for me so I ended up running her anyway. Once again, she smoked it and we ended up in 2nd with the Q! I am so PROUD of her! This was her 8th run of the weekend and she was as fresh as if it were her first.
Masters Pairs came next and I had paired with Cedar, a very nice Italian Greyhound. Cedar didn't like the surface (dirt with clumps and rocks) so she was a bit slower, but still very consistent. She went first and went clean. Jam took off from the start and never looked back. She was so fast that I had no chance to get in the crosses I had planned! We ended up in 1st with a Q!
The second round of Masters Gamblers was next with a very nice, doable gamble. We got plenty of opening points and started the gamble nicely, but she was to push out to the teeter after a tunnel...she ended up coming back into me so we didn't get it. Guess I gotta work on some better "OUT" commands! :)
This weekend also offered double Snooker, but we left before the class started since it was already 3:15 and I had a 5.5 hour drive ahead of me. Since I got my Snooker Master on Saturday and was dog tired, I had no problems leaving early!
After this weekend, we now need 8 more legs for our ADCh:
4 Gamblers
2 Jumpers
2 Pairs
Jumpers and Pairs shouldn't be a problem...Gamblers will be a problem! I've never liked Gamblers, but I must now embrace it and love it!
Now I am tired. Jam came home tonight and wanted to play. I, on the other hand, did not!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
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5 comments:
I saw that coursemap! YIKES! Same judge as the technical Colo regional, btw, just one week earlier. Those are some YIKES courses, but the course did NOT best you and Jam! Good on ya!
Btw, I've noticed increasingly technical gp's this year, esp. at regional competitions. Do you think it's a trend?
I saw that coursemap! YIKES! Same judge as the technical Colo regional, btw, just one week earlier. Those are some YIKES courses, but the course did NOT best you and Jam! Good on ya!
Btw, I've noticed increasingly technical gp's this year, esp. at regional competitions. Do you think it's a trend?
I certainly hope that it's not a trend! I know when I judged the PA Regionals, my first round had much more flow than this local qualifier did.
What I have been noticing is a trend for round 1 of the Steeplechase to be more technical. It wasn't this past weekend, thank doG, but every other Steeplechase I've run in has been very technical.
This GP course (not done by the judge in CO BTW...done by a judge on the upper east coast instead) was beyond yucky. I considered pulling Jam from it, but in the end decided to try. If I were a Starters person with a Starters dog, I would've been seriously dismayed.
pass it on...
http://wishythewriter.blogspot.com/2008/07/participate-in-blog-blast-for-agility.html
What a relief to finally get that 3rd Super-Q, eh? I've found that, once I get my 3rd Super-Q, then more Super-Qs come more easily, probably because now I'm breathing when I run.
-ellen
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