So we survived the EPIC implementation of our new electronic medical records system here at the hospital. It involved many days of waking up at 4am and working a 12hr shift, a couple of lost weekends, and a fair amount of anxiety and grumpiness, but it is over. The process actually went much smoother than anyone anticipated, thanks to the fact that Gainesville was the guinea pig of sorts and we managed to avoid most of their pitfalls.
I haven't had much energy to think of things other than work. Between finishing up my online certification in December, teaching classes here at work, and trying desperately to move up in the ranks, dog training has gone to the wayside. Of course Xander has not been neglected, in that he demands activity and exercise on a nearly daily basis, so we have continued playing frisbee and going to the park, and have made it to the practice field at least once in the last few weeks. We haven't competed, however, since early December, and will be doing a four day show here in town. I was almost dreading it, considering that I will be chief course builder, which is an exhausting job. However, it has been quiet here the last two days at work, and given me enough of a reprieve to build back some stamina and a desire to go play. I have no expectations for the weekend, aside from being a bit rusty, but it should be fun neverthless.
Agility has shifted in my mind in the last few months. It is an expensive sport, and more of a luxury than a necessity. I have found recently that life goes on regardless of whether we are earning ribbons and titles or not, and that money is needed for a great many other things in life. Buster and I have talked a lot about where we are, where we want to be, and the sacrifices it will take to get there. It is hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars playing a game when we have so much debt to get out of. If we can sacrifice some things now in order to get to a place where we can actually afford more things in the future, it will be worth it. Besides, we can play the game in training with friends, and I will still get to go to the home club trials (such as this weekend) as well as a couple of others that Buster and I both enjoy.
We are also moving in a couple of weeks, to a bigger place for the same amount of rent, and to a place that has a backyard. A teeny, tiny backyard, but a backyard nonetheless. This means an extra 20 minutes of sleep for me in the morning, because I won't have to walk the dogs to go potty, I can just let them out the back door! And we will have an attached garage, and lots more storage space, and even a spare bedroom! Very exciting. And then there is our wedding in May, which will be here in no time I suspect. Our friends Mike and Ashley are actually getting married this weekend, in Michigan. Yes, they are insane. Ok, their family is there, but seriously, who goes to Michigan in FEBRUARY?! Oh yeah, Buster. Who is in the wedding. I am a little bummed that I won't get to be there for them on their day, but we couldn't both afford to go, and someone had to take care of the dogs, and go to play agility....
My birthday is also coming up, and I guess Valentines Day the day after, but who has time to think about that? We get our new place that week, and I have to reserve a rental truck, and shop for a new bed since we are upgrading to king size to accomodate our large bodies, and we need wedding rings, and to figure out how our wedding day is actually going to go, and do taxes, and clean our old apartment, and update our address with all our bills, and make sure to pay all the bills, and get a marriage license, and figure out how I change my name......
Being a grown up is hard work!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
In With a Bang
The year 2012 has hit the ground running. At work, we are preparing to implement a new electronic medical record system across the entire hospital. It is a flurry of activity, excitement, anxiety, confusion, frustration, and hope. The switch will be flipped a week from Saturday, and we all get to see if our preparation and planning has paved the way for a relatively smooth transition. I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride.
Monday morning, Buster and I went into the Channel 4 New Station to tape a brief interview that will be aired at some point in the future yet unknown to us. Tonight we will finally play the "Nearlywed Game" in an effort to win the $40,000 wedding package from Jacksonville Magazine. It's been building up for many months now, with the original application, the interview, the two Bride's Night Out evenings, the photo shoot meeting, and the Channel 4 interview. The game tonight will also be filmed and aired on Channel 4 at some point, so win or lose, we better make an entertaining go of it.
To be honest, we share the same opinion as the couple that sat with us in the waiting room on Monday, as we prepared for our interview. It would be ok if we lost, because the wedding would be on a Monday morning at 8:30am and broadcast live as part of the Morning Show for Channel 4. If we don't win, we can get married on a Saturday afternoon/evening like normal people. On the other hand, a big fancy wedding/honeymoon could be fun, so we won't turn it down if we miraculously win either. There are four other couples thinking the same thing, and they all seem nice, and I am sure equally deserving. I, for one, will be glad when tomorrow comes, and it is decided one way or the other!
Finally, we are moving out of our apartment after two years. They decided to raise our rent, quite a bit this time, and it isn't worth staying. Especially considering I was able to find a townhome for rent with twice as many rooms and bathrooms, a two car garage, a fenced yard, and a washer and dryer for the same price. Score. We will be moving mid February, right after my birthday that I had kind of completely forgotten about.
If the rest of 2012 turns out to be as busy as the first part, I am going to need another long vacation come December!
Monday morning, Buster and I went into the Channel 4 New Station to tape a brief interview that will be aired at some point in the future yet unknown to us. Tonight we will finally play the "Nearlywed Game" in an effort to win the $40,000 wedding package from Jacksonville Magazine. It's been building up for many months now, with the original application, the interview, the two Bride's Night Out evenings, the photo shoot meeting, and the Channel 4 interview. The game tonight will also be filmed and aired on Channel 4 at some point, so win or lose, we better make an entertaining go of it.
To be honest, we share the same opinion as the couple that sat with us in the waiting room on Monday, as we prepared for our interview. It would be ok if we lost, because the wedding would be on a Monday morning at 8:30am and broadcast live as part of the Morning Show for Channel 4. If we don't win, we can get married on a Saturday afternoon/evening like normal people. On the other hand, a big fancy wedding/honeymoon could be fun, so we won't turn it down if we miraculously win either. There are four other couples thinking the same thing, and they all seem nice, and I am sure equally deserving. I, for one, will be glad when tomorrow comes, and it is decided one way or the other!
Finally, we are moving out of our apartment after two years. They decided to raise our rent, quite a bit this time, and it isn't worth staying. Especially considering I was able to find a townhome for rent with twice as many rooms and bathrooms, a two car garage, a fenced yard, and a washer and dryer for the same price. Score. We will be moving mid February, right after my birthday that I had kind of completely forgotten about.
If the rest of 2012 turns out to be as busy as the first part, I am going to need another long vacation come December!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Year In Closing
Sorry folks, I have been MIA on the blog front for about a month. Not exactly sure how that happened, except that I got REALLY busy, and then when I wasn't busy, I couldn't find the motivation to write. I am on day six of a ten day vacation that for a brief time, I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to take, so I finally have some time and energy to sit down and type.
I believe the last time I wrote, Xander and I had spent the weekend camping at the Palmetto trial. That seems like an eternity ago, as we are on an extended agility break at the moment. Actually, we did quite a lot of agility between the end of September, and the beginning of December, so we were in need of a rest! We hadn't been out to train in months until this morning, our outlet for a while was solely competition. I am extremely proud of my now mature, handsome man, who was the only dog to qualify in Advanced Standard both days at the Dog-On-It trial in November. We were the only Q on Saturday for the entire class, and one of only two Q's in Standard on Sunday. They were not PRETTY runs, but they earned us our long awaited Advanced Agility Dog title, finally!! We also earned our Advanced Jumper title that weekend, and picked up our first two Master Gambler Q's, another Steeplechase Q, a Master Snooker Q, and a Master Jumper Q. It was such a fun, relaxing, beautiful weekend in Winter Park.
Our last trial of the year was the Pals and Paws USDAA trial at the beginning of this month. It was our first time completely in Masters, which was SO much fun! In spite of working myself to death with three days as chief course builder, we picked up another DAM team Q with a bronze medal! My awesome partners, Terri and Vetter, and Sylvia and Oddysey were so great. Team was completed on Friday, which I thought was a fun way to start the weekend. Over the next two days, we got a Master Standard Q, our third Master Gambler Q, our first Master Snooker Super Q, and our first Master Pairs Q (thanks Mike and Dani!). We also had our best Steeplechase Q to date, with a 4th place in round one, and one stupid bar down in the finals that kept us from placing in round two. Overall, a great way to wrap up the 2011 trial season. We are taking January off, and will return for the Pals and Paws trial in the beginning of February.
Apart from agility, life has involved finishing up my six month certification program. I took my last final today. Things at work have been a little crazy, with ups including positive experiences teaching EPIC training classes, and downs centering on a threat to have our hours cut, or for people to be laid off. What will happen remains to be seen. At one point I was prepared to forfeit my vacation in order to offset a loss in hours, but once this decision was revoked, I went ahead with the much-needed break. This may come back to haunt me, but I feared that without the time off, I would not have been able to face another day in that place. We are also on the hunt for a new place to live, as our apartment decided to raise the rent well above our perceived value. A house with a yard is the goal now. Additionally, we are one of five finalists set to play the Nearlywed Game on January 12th for a chance at the $40,000 wedding package being given away by Jacksonville Magazine. If we don't win, we have decided to significantly simplify our wedding plans, which is a huge relief to everyone involved. Or at least to me!
So here we are, almost one year since I began this blog, and I have written at least once a month. I was significantly more prolific in the earlier months, but I am still proud that I have made it this far. It's been a year of many changes and a lot of growth. I feel like I am getting the hang of the whole "being an adult" thing, and even refinanced my car yesterday! I saved myself a lot in interest by lowering my rate and payments, and even got $100 cash back! I spoke to my mother for the first time in about four years, so that was pretty significant, but an entirely different story. We have plans for a low key New Years Eve with friends and family, and I am excited to see what 2012 will bring. When I write next year, I will be married (whoa!) and hopefully living in a house with a yard, have less debt, and be making more money. Here's hoping! Happy New Year to you all!
I believe the last time I wrote, Xander and I had spent the weekend camping at the Palmetto trial. That seems like an eternity ago, as we are on an extended agility break at the moment. Actually, we did quite a lot of agility between the end of September, and the beginning of December, so we were in need of a rest! We hadn't been out to train in months until this morning, our outlet for a while was solely competition. I am extremely proud of my now mature, handsome man, who was the only dog to qualify in Advanced Standard both days at the Dog-On-It trial in November. We were the only Q on Saturday for the entire class, and one of only two Q's in Standard on Sunday. They were not PRETTY runs, but they earned us our long awaited Advanced Agility Dog title, finally!! We also earned our Advanced Jumper title that weekend, and picked up our first two Master Gambler Q's, another Steeplechase Q, a Master Snooker Q, and a Master Jumper Q. It was such a fun, relaxing, beautiful weekend in Winter Park.
Our last trial of the year was the Pals and Paws USDAA trial at the beginning of this month. It was our first time completely in Masters, which was SO much fun! In spite of working myself to death with three days as chief course builder, we picked up another DAM team Q with a bronze medal! My awesome partners, Terri and Vetter, and Sylvia and Oddysey were so great. Team was completed on Friday, which I thought was a fun way to start the weekend. Over the next two days, we got a Master Standard Q, our third Master Gambler Q, our first Master Snooker Super Q, and our first Master Pairs Q (thanks Mike and Dani!). We also had our best Steeplechase Q to date, with a 4th place in round one, and one stupid bar down in the finals that kept us from placing in round two. Overall, a great way to wrap up the 2011 trial season. We are taking January off, and will return for the Pals and Paws trial in the beginning of February.
Apart from agility, life has involved finishing up my six month certification program. I took my last final today. Things at work have been a little crazy, with ups including positive experiences teaching EPIC training classes, and downs centering on a threat to have our hours cut, or for people to be laid off. What will happen remains to be seen. At one point I was prepared to forfeit my vacation in order to offset a loss in hours, but once this decision was revoked, I went ahead with the much-needed break. This may come back to haunt me, but I feared that without the time off, I would not have been able to face another day in that place. We are also on the hunt for a new place to live, as our apartment decided to raise the rent well above our perceived value. A house with a yard is the goal now. Additionally, we are one of five finalists set to play the Nearlywed Game on January 12th for a chance at the $40,000 wedding package being given away by Jacksonville Magazine. If we don't win, we have decided to significantly simplify our wedding plans, which is a huge relief to everyone involved. Or at least to me!
So here we are, almost one year since I began this blog, and I have written at least once a month. I was significantly more prolific in the earlier months, but I am still proud that I have made it this far. It's been a year of many changes and a lot of growth. I feel like I am getting the hang of the whole "being an adult" thing, and even refinanced my car yesterday! I saved myself a lot in interest by lowering my rate and payments, and even got $100 cash back! I spoke to my mother for the first time in about four years, so that was pretty significant, but an entirely different story. We have plans for a low key New Years Eve with friends and family, and I am excited to see what 2012 will bring. When I write next year, I will be married (whoa!) and hopefully living in a house with a yard, have less debt, and be making more money. Here's hoping! Happy New Year to you all!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Roughing It
Wow, what an incredible weekend I just had.
Firstly, I must begin by saying that I spent the weekend sleeping in a tent. A tiny tent that Buster won as a result of being a superb employee, which he lent to me for the weekend. From corner to corner, it is approximately 5 feet, 10 inches. I know this, because that is my height, and when lying inside the tent, both my head and my feet touch the sides.
That being said, I LOVE camping and sleeping in a tent.
I had Friday off for Veteran’s Day, and took Thursday off to enjoy a much needed four day weekend. I had originally entered Kirby, but later realized I could not afford the entry fees and the hotel room, so scaled back to allow Xander and I to go and sleep cheap, namely $5/night in the tent. So although I very much missed running Kirby, Xander and I had a blast hanging out just the two of us all weekend. When we arrived Thursday afternoon, the wind was picking up and the sky looked ominous. My backup plan involved sleeping in my truck, but thankfully it didn’t come to that. I staked down the tent effectively enough to prevent us from blowing away that night; unfortunately, it didn’t prevent the wind from rattling the hell out of my little shelter and waking us up repeatedly. The first night was not the best experience, but we survived. Friday’s trial did not begin until 10am, with the small dogs going first. So although we were up before 6am, we didn’t actually run until after 12pm, which made for a long morning. We walked, played Frisbee, chilled in the tent with a book, and finally got to run JWW. Unfortunately, he slipped in the sand and chested the second jump, so not a great start. We redeemed ourselves many hours later in standard, and got our fourth MX leg with a 2nd place. My friend Pam pulled in with her little RV around 4:30 as we were finishing up and offered to take me to dinner if I would drive. I of course agreed readily, and we enjoyed a lovely seafood dinner at a cute little restaurant nearby.
We were in bed early Friday night. When it gets dark before 6pm, and you have no computer, TV, or other device to keep you entertained, there is not much else to do but read and listen to the wind. I thoroughly enjoyed both. Being “disconnected” felt so refreshing and I can’t remember the last time I felt so peaceful, or had the time to just blaze through a good book. I had picked up “Water for Elephants” on a whim while picking up camping supplies on Thursday, and had finished all 350 plus pages by Saturday night. It was an enjoyable read, and I certainly would recommend it.
I actually overslept a bit on Saturday morning, which, go figure, was the day they started big to small. I stumbled out of the tent at 6:45am, got myself cleaned up, and was ready to play after a much better night’s sleep. Without the wind to keep me awake, I found sleeping in the tent to be quite enjoyable. It was also nice to have showers and bathrooms nearby, and a vendor with good coffee for only a dollar. They also have the WORLD’S BEST RIBS. And they are super nice.
At any rate, my friends Chris and Carol arrived that morning, so I escorted them to where I had saved a spot, and they got set up while I walked the FAST course. Chris was nice enough to fill in behind the camera, as Buster had to work and could not come with me. Thankfully, he was home to provide “corgi duty” so I was able to come at all.
Xander earned his Exc A FAST title that morning with a second place. We would have gotten first if I had not caused some wide turns. We crossed a five point obstacle just after the buzzer went off, so we ended up with 74 pts instead of 79. Oh well, he is now Xander, AX, AXJ, XF, AD!
Standard was up next, and someone was a little too excited and very naughty. He ran his dogwalk and got one little toe hair in the yellow before leaping, he left the table on the “1” and not on my release after the “go.” He also missed the teeter, and then left the a-frame without a pause. I excused us from the ring.
Jumpers was better, although he knocked the #17 jump for some reason which took me by surprise and caused a spin before the finish. Double NQ Saturday, but at least we got that FAST title!
That afternoon we were done about 2:30 and so took a drive down into Bradenton, down to the Gulf, and stopped at a park/marina near Sarasota. We walked around and made friends with a couple and their lab/shepherd mix. Much to my surprise, Xander dropped into a play bow and romped and splashed and wrestled with his new friend for a good 20 minutes until they had to leave. I drove through St. Armand Circle near Lido Beach, and back up through my old stomping grounds in Bradenton. I passed Ringling School of Art and Design where I had spent a year in college, past New College where my friend/roommate went to school, and past the Petsmart where I spent every weekend grooming to pay the rent. We picked up some Wendy’s on the way back to the trial site, and the standard ring was just cleaning up as I pulled in about 5:30. It was an early night for us again, although I stayed up long enough to finish my book by flashlight and let the sounds of a nearby neighborhood party die down a bit. They certainly sounded as though they were having fun.
Sunday morning came all too quickly, and the little dogs began the competition once again with the new Time 2 Beat class. Xander was naughty again by 10:30am when we finally got to run, and missed the A-frame contact for the second time in his competitive life. Luckily, the course repeated it three obstacles later, so he both stuck his 2o2o and I held it with a “gooooood booooooy.” It was a fun and fast course, and I look forward to running this class more in the future. It is almost identical to Steeplechase, just without the second round and potential for cash prizes. Leave it to AKC to take the fun out of something.
After hours of waiting, being bored, and finally spending money on some new toys to pass the time, we got to run jumpers around 1pm. It was worth the wait. A tricky, fast, fun course that took out a lot of dogs, Xander was brilliant. I am so glad we got this one on video, and as soon as I have the time to load it, I will, but the crowd was cheering for us throughout. I heard my friend Terri whooping as we neared the last stretch, and my friends Pam and Carol were at the finish line to congratulate us. I was so happy with his sends and my ability to haul butt in the other direction to get my front crosses in! I didn’t fall down, and we ended up in 1st against a HUGE 20 inch class! Good boy!
With a double Q on the line, we had to wait until nearly 4pm to run standard. We had a clean, fast run going, with a stop on the dogwalk and a good teeter before coming to the table. He hopped on with no trouble (we’d had some hesitation in previous runs recently), stayed while I led out as usual, but then released himself on the “go” and took me by surprise. I didn’t have time to get in the front cross I had planned, and he ran past the third to last obstacle. Darn. But he got his a-frame, and we finished with another near miss. I know the double q’s will come eventually, but we have had so many near misses! At least he evened things up and broke his JWW draught. We now have four MX legs and four MXJ legs. I was overall very proud of him this weekend, and considering that we haven’t been out to the practice field to train in almost two months, he is doing phenomenally well! We have been training via trialing, because I really don’t have the same dog in practice as I do in competition. We’ve needed the mileage, and it’s good to see what we need to work on now. I am hoping to make a trip this week to practice the table and contacts, because we are back at it next weekend for the Dog Gone It trial in Winter Park. USDAA at one of my very favorite clubs/venues! I can’t wait!
New! Here is a video!
Firstly, I must begin by saying that I spent the weekend sleeping in a tent. A tiny tent that Buster won as a result of being a superb employee, which he lent to me for the weekend. From corner to corner, it is approximately 5 feet, 10 inches. I know this, because that is my height, and when lying inside the tent, both my head and my feet touch the sides.
That being said, I LOVE camping and sleeping in a tent.
I had Friday off for Veteran’s Day, and took Thursday off to enjoy a much needed four day weekend. I had originally entered Kirby, but later realized I could not afford the entry fees and the hotel room, so scaled back to allow Xander and I to go and sleep cheap, namely $5/night in the tent. So although I very much missed running Kirby, Xander and I had a blast hanging out just the two of us all weekend. When we arrived Thursday afternoon, the wind was picking up and the sky looked ominous. My backup plan involved sleeping in my truck, but thankfully it didn’t come to that. I staked down the tent effectively enough to prevent us from blowing away that night; unfortunately, it didn’t prevent the wind from rattling the hell out of my little shelter and waking us up repeatedly. The first night was not the best experience, but we survived. Friday’s trial did not begin until 10am, with the small dogs going first. So although we were up before 6am, we didn’t actually run until after 12pm, which made for a long morning. We walked, played Frisbee, chilled in the tent with a book, and finally got to run JWW. Unfortunately, he slipped in the sand and chested the second jump, so not a great start. We redeemed ourselves many hours later in standard, and got our fourth MX leg with a 2nd place. My friend Pam pulled in with her little RV around 4:30 as we were finishing up and offered to take me to dinner if I would drive. I of course agreed readily, and we enjoyed a lovely seafood dinner at a cute little restaurant nearby.
We were in bed early Friday night. When it gets dark before 6pm, and you have no computer, TV, or other device to keep you entertained, there is not much else to do but read and listen to the wind. I thoroughly enjoyed both. Being “disconnected” felt so refreshing and I can’t remember the last time I felt so peaceful, or had the time to just blaze through a good book. I had picked up “Water for Elephants” on a whim while picking up camping supplies on Thursday, and had finished all 350 plus pages by Saturday night. It was an enjoyable read, and I certainly would recommend it.
I actually overslept a bit on Saturday morning, which, go figure, was the day they started big to small. I stumbled out of the tent at 6:45am, got myself cleaned up, and was ready to play after a much better night’s sleep. Without the wind to keep me awake, I found sleeping in the tent to be quite enjoyable. It was also nice to have showers and bathrooms nearby, and a vendor with good coffee for only a dollar. They also have the WORLD’S BEST RIBS. And they are super nice.
At any rate, my friends Chris and Carol arrived that morning, so I escorted them to where I had saved a spot, and they got set up while I walked the FAST course. Chris was nice enough to fill in behind the camera, as Buster had to work and could not come with me. Thankfully, he was home to provide “corgi duty” so I was able to come at all.
Xander earned his Exc A FAST title that morning with a second place. We would have gotten first if I had not caused some wide turns. We crossed a five point obstacle just after the buzzer went off, so we ended up with 74 pts instead of 79. Oh well, he is now Xander, AX, AXJ, XF, AD!
Standard was up next, and someone was a little too excited and very naughty. He ran his dogwalk and got one little toe hair in the yellow before leaping, he left the table on the “1” and not on my release after the “go.” He also missed the teeter, and then left the a-frame without a pause. I excused us from the ring.
Jumpers was better, although he knocked the #17 jump for some reason which took me by surprise and caused a spin before the finish. Double NQ Saturday, but at least we got that FAST title!
That afternoon we were done about 2:30 and so took a drive down into Bradenton, down to the Gulf, and stopped at a park/marina near Sarasota. We walked around and made friends with a couple and their lab/shepherd mix. Much to my surprise, Xander dropped into a play bow and romped and splashed and wrestled with his new friend for a good 20 minutes until they had to leave. I drove through St. Armand Circle near Lido Beach, and back up through my old stomping grounds in Bradenton. I passed Ringling School of Art and Design where I had spent a year in college, past New College where my friend/roommate went to school, and past the Petsmart where I spent every weekend grooming to pay the rent. We picked up some Wendy’s on the way back to the trial site, and the standard ring was just cleaning up as I pulled in about 5:30. It was an early night for us again, although I stayed up long enough to finish my book by flashlight and let the sounds of a nearby neighborhood party die down a bit. They certainly sounded as though they were having fun.
Sunday morning came all too quickly, and the little dogs began the competition once again with the new Time 2 Beat class. Xander was naughty again by 10:30am when we finally got to run, and missed the A-frame contact for the second time in his competitive life. Luckily, the course repeated it three obstacles later, so he both stuck his 2o2o and I held it with a “gooooood booooooy.” It was a fun and fast course, and I look forward to running this class more in the future. It is almost identical to Steeplechase, just without the second round and potential for cash prizes. Leave it to AKC to take the fun out of something.
After hours of waiting, being bored, and finally spending money on some new toys to pass the time, we got to run jumpers around 1pm. It was worth the wait. A tricky, fast, fun course that took out a lot of dogs, Xander was brilliant. I am so glad we got this one on video, and as soon as I have the time to load it, I will, but the crowd was cheering for us throughout. I heard my friend Terri whooping as we neared the last stretch, and my friends Pam and Carol were at the finish line to congratulate us. I was so happy with his sends and my ability to haul butt in the other direction to get my front crosses in! I didn’t fall down, and we ended up in 1st against a HUGE 20 inch class! Good boy!
With a double Q on the line, we had to wait until nearly 4pm to run standard. We had a clean, fast run going, with a stop on the dogwalk and a good teeter before coming to the table. He hopped on with no trouble (we’d had some hesitation in previous runs recently), stayed while I led out as usual, but then released himself on the “go” and took me by surprise. I didn’t have time to get in the front cross I had planned, and he ran past the third to last obstacle. Darn. But he got his a-frame, and we finished with another near miss. I know the double q’s will come eventually, but we have had so many near misses! At least he evened things up and broke his JWW draught. We now have four MX legs and four MXJ legs. I was overall very proud of him this weekend, and considering that we haven’t been out to the practice field to train in almost two months, he is doing phenomenally well! We have been training via trialing, because I really don’t have the same dog in practice as I do in competition. We’ve needed the mileage, and it’s good to see what we need to work on now. I am hoping to make a trip this week to practice the table and contacts, because we are back at it next weekend for the Dog Gone It trial in Winter Park. USDAA at one of my very favorite clubs/venues! I can’t wait!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Where Did October Go?
Holy cow, where did October go?! Here were are, November 4th, and I am still thinking its last month. What a busy fall this has been….
The last time I blogged, we had completed a fairly unproductive weekend of agility in Orlando. Although we did not experience much success, (actually none) some important lessons came from that weekend, and led to some important decisions. For one, between my increasingly crazy job, new responsibilities, and taking an online certification course, I decided that the stress of also trying to teach classes right now was too much. The challenge of fighting 45mins of traffic to change clothes, shove dogs into the car, and fight 45 more minutes through traffic to build courses and teach for a couple hours, practice with my dogs, and then make the long drive home and get to bed at midnight was taking too much of a toll. The fact that my classes were on Mondays, one of my most hectic work days, and often following a weekend of trials or travels, meant that I was supremely exhausted by Tuesday, and didn’t feel human again until Thursday. Although I struggled with the decision for months, and was able to delay it through the summer by teaching on Saturday, Buster was very supportive and helped steer me in the right direction. I miss my students terribly, but still see and talk to many of them, and will hope to resume classes in the future when the conditions are favorable again. Secondly, after falling on my butt and ruining a terrific JWW run with Xander, I bought a pair of soccer cleats (which I love) and have been running drills with Buster to improve my footwork. I am determined to learn to be less clumsy!
On a happier note, after being too stressed out to enjoy or compete well in Orlando that first weekend, we returned to the area the following weekend as part of Buster’s birthday celebration which we shall now refer to as the “ Roller Coaster Marathon Extravaganza!.” Having never ridden the coasters at Busch Gardens together, and for Buster, who had never ridden them at all, we were excited to go there on Saturday after staying at the La Quinta within walking distance of the park, and visual distance of the Sheikra! We awoke early enough to walk to the Ihop for an absurdly big breakfast before continuing to the gate, where we were actually 10 minutes too early to get in. Once the gates opened, we made a mad dash to the new Cheetah Hunt, and sat in the front row. While it was a fun warm up ride, it didn’t live up to the hype of the commercials, and we were glad we had ridden it first. From there was the floorless classic, Montu, set in the Egypt area. Always a favorite of mine, it was a definite step up from the lethargic Cheetah. After that, we headed across the park to the Sheikra, where we both experienced this thrill for the first time. By far my favorite ride in the park, the first drop was incredible and left us wanting another ride! We did ride it again, although later in the day. After this, we headed to the powerful Kumba, the oldest ride in the park, and still one of the best. We also rode Kumba twice, which was nothing compared to the seven times my uncle, brother, and I rode it in a row without stopping when we were younger. I am certain I would puke now if I attempted this today, although Gary was about my age now when he did it with us. Hard core, that one is.
We saw many animals, including a petting zoo of kangaroos, and some incredible cheetahs and tigers. We also rode the train and sky rides a couple of times, and did the Rhino Rally where an obnoxious kid almost tripped me when he cut across to get the seat in front. We saw a goofy pirate 4-D movie, and then were ready to head back. We enjoyed a fun evening in Ybor City with dinner at the Green Iguana, and turned in early.
Nothing says happy birthday like a car alarm at 2am, which is what we heard when our adjoining neighbors came home from the Hallowscream and woke us up. Sharing a door with obnoxious neighbors (who talk loudly and leave their TV blaring all night long) is not recommended, and while we didn’t get much sleep that night, we did get a $20 discount for complaining.
After that, we headed to our second home, Universal Studios Orlando, where we spent the day riding every ride we wanted. All weekend we enjoyed riding in the front row, and almost zero wait times! The longest we waited all weekend was for lunch and for the Rip, Ride, and Rockit!, which were both well worth the wait. All told, we rode 15 different rides over the two days, including 9 different coasters. Also, our weird but fun waiter Eric told us, after assuring us that he is good at picking up on things like this, that we shared a special aura together that will last. Good to hear, but we knew that already. Oh, and there was Butterbeer. Always Butterbeer. Yummmmmm.
The following week went quickly, as I was off on Friday for our Pals and Paws trial here at the lovely Equestrian Center. I really hope we get to keep this venue, as this was such a wonderful trial. In my opinion, it was one of the best our club has ever put on, and went really smoothly. People were happy and seemed to be enjoying themselves. I also got to see my student Anna Marie run her poodle Irish for the first time, and she Q’d in two Novice JWW, and one Novice Std runs! I ended up stepping in to run the costume contest on behalf of Stacey, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I was also one of the chief course builders, but had a nice judge who nested his courses well, even if he spent a long time tweaking each course! Overall, Xander and I had a great weekend, and we are really figuring things out. We had one trainwreck in JWW, but other than that, we either Q’d or missed by only one little thing. In the other two JWW runs, he ran past a wingless jump on a sharp turn both times, so obviously something to work on! We earned two ExcA FAST legs, both with 1st, and he earned two MX legs, in which I held his dogwalk for several seconds, so we earned a 4th in both. The other STD run was a near miss with one off course near the end of the run, as he blasted out of the tunnel toward the weaves without looking for me. Something I know, but didn’t see, and fell into the trap! More homework!
Kirby had fun, although seemed to be struggling to focus by the third day. He had a couple train wrecks, two close calls, and two awesome MXJ runs. He earned a 3rd on Friday, and on Saturday he beat a bunch of 12in dogs for a 1st! I have decided though, that due to his age and his build, I am going to go ahead and move him to 8in performance. He loves the game, and hopefully this way he will get to play it a little longer! Welcome back to the land of Novice, and only 6 weave poles buddy.
Kaylee, in the meantime, enjoys yelling at the boys when they come home and demands to know where they have been, and what they have been doing. She gets the most snuggles though. It’s a good life of retirement.
Monday was Halloween, so Count Buster and the Lady Vampire Bonnie accompanied Lumberjack Lovers Mike and Ashley, along with a poor victim, Buster’s friend Adam, to roam the streets of downtown St. Augustine. We had a fun dinner and admired the fellow costumed creatures. This was the first time in years that I’ve worn a costume. Good times.
This weekend, Xander and I are checking out a short seminar in Ocala with Rhonda Koeske, and the following two weekends will be AKC and USDAA agility. Then it will be Thanksgiving, and I will be asking where November went! Happy holidays?
Oh, and Youtube disabled the music that I carefully picked out, but here is the video from Pals and Paws last weekend. Pretend it’s a silent film….
The last time I blogged, we had completed a fairly unproductive weekend of agility in Orlando. Although we did not experience much success, (actually none) some important lessons came from that weekend, and led to some important decisions. For one, between my increasingly crazy job, new responsibilities, and taking an online certification course, I decided that the stress of also trying to teach classes right now was too much. The challenge of fighting 45mins of traffic to change clothes, shove dogs into the car, and fight 45 more minutes through traffic to build courses and teach for a couple hours, practice with my dogs, and then make the long drive home and get to bed at midnight was taking too much of a toll. The fact that my classes were on Mondays, one of my most hectic work days, and often following a weekend of trials or travels, meant that I was supremely exhausted by Tuesday, and didn’t feel human again until Thursday. Although I struggled with the decision for months, and was able to delay it through the summer by teaching on Saturday, Buster was very supportive and helped steer me in the right direction. I miss my students terribly, but still see and talk to many of them, and will hope to resume classes in the future when the conditions are favorable again. Secondly, after falling on my butt and ruining a terrific JWW run with Xander, I bought a pair of soccer cleats (which I love) and have been running drills with Buster to improve my footwork. I am determined to learn to be less clumsy!
On a happier note, after being too stressed out to enjoy or compete well in Orlando that first weekend, we returned to the area the following weekend as part of Buster’s birthday celebration which we shall now refer to as the “ Roller Coaster Marathon Extravaganza!.” Having never ridden the coasters at Busch Gardens together, and for Buster, who had never ridden them at all, we were excited to go there on Saturday after staying at the La Quinta within walking distance of the park, and visual distance of the Sheikra! We awoke early enough to walk to the Ihop for an absurdly big breakfast before continuing to the gate, where we were actually 10 minutes too early to get in. Once the gates opened, we made a mad dash to the new Cheetah Hunt, and sat in the front row. While it was a fun warm up ride, it didn’t live up to the hype of the commercials, and we were glad we had ridden it first. From there was the floorless classic, Montu, set in the Egypt area. Always a favorite of mine, it was a definite step up from the lethargic Cheetah. After that, we headed across the park to the Sheikra, where we both experienced this thrill for the first time. By far my favorite ride in the park, the first drop was incredible and left us wanting another ride! We did ride it again, although later in the day. After this, we headed to the powerful Kumba, the oldest ride in the park, and still one of the best. We also rode Kumba twice, which was nothing compared to the seven times my uncle, brother, and I rode it in a row without stopping when we were younger. I am certain I would puke now if I attempted this today, although Gary was about my age now when he did it with us. Hard core, that one is.
We saw many animals, including a petting zoo of kangaroos, and some incredible cheetahs and tigers. We also rode the train and sky rides a couple of times, and did the Rhino Rally where an obnoxious kid almost tripped me when he cut across to get the seat in front. We saw a goofy pirate 4-D movie, and then were ready to head back. We enjoyed a fun evening in Ybor City with dinner at the Green Iguana, and turned in early.
Nothing says happy birthday like a car alarm at 2am, which is what we heard when our adjoining neighbors came home from the Hallowscream and woke us up. Sharing a door with obnoxious neighbors (who talk loudly and leave their TV blaring all night long) is not recommended, and while we didn’t get much sleep that night, we did get a $20 discount for complaining.
After that, we headed to our second home, Universal Studios Orlando, where we spent the day riding every ride we wanted. All weekend we enjoyed riding in the front row, and almost zero wait times! The longest we waited all weekend was for lunch and for the Rip, Ride, and Rockit!, which were both well worth the wait. All told, we rode 15 different rides over the two days, including 9 different coasters. Also, our weird but fun waiter Eric told us, after assuring us that he is good at picking up on things like this, that we shared a special aura together that will last. Good to hear, but we knew that already. Oh, and there was Butterbeer. Always Butterbeer. Yummmmmm.
The following week went quickly, as I was off on Friday for our Pals and Paws trial here at the lovely Equestrian Center. I really hope we get to keep this venue, as this was such a wonderful trial. In my opinion, it was one of the best our club has ever put on, and went really smoothly. People were happy and seemed to be enjoying themselves. I also got to see my student Anna Marie run her poodle Irish for the first time, and she Q’d in two Novice JWW, and one Novice Std runs! I ended up stepping in to run the costume contest on behalf of Stacey, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I was also one of the chief course builders, but had a nice judge who nested his courses well, even if he spent a long time tweaking each course! Overall, Xander and I had a great weekend, and we are really figuring things out. We had one trainwreck in JWW, but other than that, we either Q’d or missed by only one little thing. In the other two JWW runs, he ran past a wingless jump on a sharp turn both times, so obviously something to work on! We earned two ExcA FAST legs, both with 1st, and he earned two MX legs, in which I held his dogwalk for several seconds, so we earned a 4th in both. The other STD run was a near miss with one off course near the end of the run, as he blasted out of the tunnel toward the weaves without looking for me. Something I know, but didn’t see, and fell into the trap! More homework!
Kirby had fun, although seemed to be struggling to focus by the third day. He had a couple train wrecks, two close calls, and two awesome MXJ runs. He earned a 3rd on Friday, and on Saturday he beat a bunch of 12in dogs for a 1st! I have decided though, that due to his age and his build, I am going to go ahead and move him to 8in performance. He loves the game, and hopefully this way he will get to play it a little longer! Welcome back to the land of Novice, and only 6 weave poles buddy.
Kaylee, in the meantime, enjoys yelling at the boys when they come home and demands to know where they have been, and what they have been doing. She gets the most snuggles though. It’s a good life of retirement.
Monday was Halloween, so Count Buster and the Lady Vampire Bonnie accompanied Lumberjack Lovers Mike and Ashley, along with a poor victim, Buster’s friend Adam, to roam the streets of downtown St. Augustine. We had a fun dinner and admired the fellow costumed creatures. This was the first time in years that I’ve worn a costume. Good times.
This weekend, Xander and I are checking out a short seminar in Ocala with Rhonda Koeske, and the following two weekends will be AKC and USDAA agility. Then it will be Thanksgiving, and I will be asking where November went! Happy holidays?
Oh, and Youtube disabled the music that I carefully picked out, but here is the video from Pals and Paws last weekend. Pretend it’s a silent film….
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Video Speaks for Itself
This weekend we are going to Busch Gardens and Universal for Buster's birthday! Can't wait!! Happy birthday my love!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
That DAM Team
Xander and I participated in our first Dog Agility Masters Tournament this weekend at the Cool Critter’s USDAA trial in Palmetto, FL. I am clarifying the name of the tournament because after repeatedly referring to it as the “DAM” tournament, Buster finally asked me “why are you calling it a damn tournament?”
One could probably swear at the sheer number of runs that this particular entry results in however. On a general AKC weekend, we get two runs a day and three if we are lucky. That’s around four to six runs over the course of two days, and maybe an extra two or three if it’s a three day trial. On Saturday, we had eight runs. Yes, eight runs. In one day. Madness. Add to that the three runs we had on Friday night, and the four we had on Sunday, and that makes for a long weekend. Given that we hadn’t competed really since July, and that last trial in Tallahassee was only one day, followed by one night in Deland earlier this month, we were a little overwhelmed by fifteen runs. Still, it was a blast.
I took Friday off as Palmetto is a four hour drive south of Jacksonville and the trial was scheduled to start at 4pm. I LOVE Palmetto. It truly is my favorite venue in terms of ease of access, parking, crating, spectating, and the running surface. We even stayed at the Ramada just down the street, which was much better than I expected. Clean, quiet, with a big room, and easy to get in and out of, I had no complaints. Also, the weather was gorgeous. Basically, it was a recipe for an awesome weekend.
I had an easy drive for the most part, and arrived a little before 2pm on Friday. I was set up and ready for the Double Bubba BBQ vendor to start making lunch before the trial began. They have, hands down, the best ribs on the planet. And I didn’t even used to like ribs.
Friday afternoon was advanced snooker, steeplechase, and grand prix. We went in needing one more snooker Q for our title, and knew we would get another chance on Tuesday, so there was no pressure. Of course we Q’d, even though Xander knocked the #6 jump in the closing, so dropped us to 2nd place. Still, a new title is a great way to begin the weekend. Following this was steeplechase, and one caveat I must mention is that our armband was 22001, which meant that we were the first 22in dog in the running order ALL WEEKEND. With the exception of two classes that got shuffled, and we were either second or last. For the most part though, we got lots of experience hanging out on the start line waiting for bars to be changed, or in a couple cases, waiting for a timer issue to be resolved. We also dealt with LOTS of conflicts, which I do blame at least two NQ’s on, but it was all still very good experience. Dealing with these issues is part of the game, and I was enjoying myself so thoroughly that I couldn’t even bring myself to be upset about any of it! The temperature truly was spectacular, with a cool, dry breeze. How can one be unhappy?
At any rate, I think steeplechase and grand prix ended up going at the same time, although they changed the running order to allow the performance dogs to start in one ring, and the championship dogs to start in the other. We ran steeplechase first, and were great going into a very difficult line. I was a dork and shouted out the WRONG command, and like a good dog, Xander turned and headed the wrong way. D’oh! Somehow, I managed to call him off a tunnel and bring him back. He ran around past me and we had to do a big circle to get back on track, which ate up close to ten seconds. Still, he didn’t take anything off course, and we finished without a fault. Steeplechase is a game that has two rounds, and the fastest dogs from the first round go on to compete for money in the second round. The number of dogs that Q is determined based on the fastest time, which in this case was a blistering 29 seconds set by Gabrielle and Zing. We were lucky somehow, and managed to earn the very last placement, lucky 13. Not pretty, but a Q is a Q.
Next up was grand prix, run shortly after steeplechase, and my boy was ready to rock. The ending was VERY tricky, and took down a lot of dogs and handlers. We made it through clean and even earned 3rd place, just half a second behind Sarah’s amazing girl Kate and a few seconds behind Stuart’s awesome dog Ares. We were three for three that night, although I got partial stops on the a-frame, I was still naughty and released him quickly. That poor dog, I really can’t maintain criteria. Bad handler!
Saturday began the team competition, and my teammates were Kelly Rossi and her super young boy Nitro, along with Terri Lee and her incredible young girl Vette. We were indeed a baby dog team, although Vette already has her ADCH! Kelly and I had never done team before, so it was a fun experience. I didn’t even really know all the rules, so it was a learn-as-you-go kind of thing! Our team name was Xander’s Nitro-Charged Vette. The reason we had so many runs on Saturday was the result of doing advanced pairs, standard, jumpers, and masters gamblers, in addition to doing team gamblers, standard, and snooker, as well as steeplechase finals! It was a long, eleven hour day, but we enjoyed every minute. Our pairs partners, Gail and Neece, were stellar, and even though we took the second to last jump off course, incurring a 20pt fault, our combined time was so fast that we still qualified. Thanks Gail and Neece! This was our first pairs leg, pairs not being my favorite class. Following this was team gamblers, where we played in a manner I had never done before, which was simply an accumulation of points, with a 13 second bonus time at the finish in which your point values were doubled, but lost if you didn’t cross the finish line in time. We played it safe and earned 51pts, although we could probably have earned another 10pts if I’d been greedy. Still, it was a respectable 5th place finish, and put our team in 3rd place after the first event. Our first run in master gamblers was good, and I thought we had earned the gamble which was a jump to A-frame, turn away into a tunnel, and over a jump, but the judge called Xander for running out too far after the tunnel before turning to take the jump. The finishing jump was at an angle, and I saw her give the Q to Zing for doing the exact same thing, but not us. Oh well, judging is hard, and I would NOT want their job of standing up for twelve hours and having to make those calls! The agility gods balanced it out later in jumpers. We were first up again, in a small class, and started the first three jump sequence. The judge stopped us because of a timer malfunction, so we had to putz around for nearly ten minutes while they straightened it out. By the time we got to go again, Xander made a beautiful turn and missed one jump completely. The rest of the run was gorgeous however. I went back to our crate thinking “oh well” until Gail walked up and told me she had good news. Either the scribe missed the call, or the judge missed the mistake, but either way, we got a Q with 1st place. Go figure.
Team standard ended up being the same time as advanced standard, and with the stress of another conflict, we went into team first. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful run that was spoiled by another bad handling maneuver on my part. I didn’t fully support a jump which led to him running past it. If I’d been thinking more quickly, I could have pulled him around and only earned a refusal, but I panicked and he back jumped. I earned our team a big fat E. Bummer. The difficult thing about team competition is the guilt that goes along with making a mistake. Normally, you just hurt yourself, but in team, it affects your teammates! The biggest lesson I learned about team this weekend was to get a score on the board! Even if you earn faults, don’t get an E! Luckily, Kelly and Nitro saved us with an awesome clean run and 4th place. Yay Nitro!
At any rate, we immediately had to go into advanced standard, and after the rush of team, he crashed the tire, which was the very first jump, and I decided to take him off. I did find myself frustrated after these two setbacks, but we recovered with a yummy rib from the barbeque vendor, which Xander got a little piece from. Since these were all MY mistakes, I was never upset with him, just with myself. Still, being in paradise and doing what I love meant that I didn’t keep my foul mood for long.
Steeplechase finals came next, and we discovered another hole in our training. The weaves were followed closely by a broad jump with no real room for building speed to get over it, and he landed on the third plank. This earned a fault, and resulted in me having to collect him again to finish. The rest of the run was pretty, but we have yet to run the finals clean. One day…one day. Team snooker was the last run of a long day, and although we had a great plan, Terri and Vette saved the team by being the only one to make it through to the finish. Xander knocked a bar on the third red jump, and I did manage to stop him long enough to figure out what to do next. We got the fourth red and made it to the closing, but I turned him away prematurely and he was whistled off for a refusal on the #2 jump in the closing. Still, we got a score on the board, even if it was only 22 points.
Sunday arrived before we knew it, and we started with team jumpers and advanced standard again running at the same time. Again with a conflict, we ran jumpers first and encountered a nasty angle to the broad jump. He landed on the third panel again, which meant that we will definitely be practicing the broad jump. Still, we got another score on the board, and Nitro ran clean again. Sadly, we rushed right into standard and had a fabulous run going until we came to the a-frame. We had iffy a-frames all weekend, due to my eagerness and lack of consistency, and he finally missed one. This was his first ever missed contact of any kind, in any trial. We really needed a standard leg, as we ONLY HAVE ONE, but no dice. Sigh. It is totally my fault though, so I can’t be mad at him. He nailed the dogwalk however, and I had him hold it, so at least there was that. He had also had a wonderful send ahead on the dogwalk in team standard with a beautiful contact, so the a-frame is really our biggest issue.
Although we already earned our advanced snooker title on Friday, I decided to run snooker on Sunday to practice the a-frame, which we did twice. It was not ideal, but at least he got them and did pause if not stop. We Q’d with 1st place.
After a looooong weekend, team relay was the last event. I have never done a three dog relay, so it was truly a unique event. Our team was in fourth place standing going into the final run, so we ran fourth to last. Our plan worked well, and both Nitro and Xander ran clean, although we had an iffy teeter and an almost off course. There was an extremely difficult turn near the end which resulted in faults for every team prior to us, but I did a front cross and was the first person to run clean. I even heard the judge say “nice” as I did it. However, I almost sent him into the weaves, but called him off at the last second, and that was followed by the VERY questionable teeter. Somebody was a little amped! Vette was last dog, and was called on her teeter, which we all thought was totally legal, so I think the judge just wished she’d called mine, so called Vette’s instead! She also ran past the last jump, but Terri skillfully pulled her around without incurring an off course, and we were done! The announcements were made immediately following the final few teams, and we maintained our fourth place standing to earn our first DAM Q! This was also Kelly and Nitro’s first! Terri used the front cross maneuver we had talked about with her aussie Bella, and that team came in first. Go Terri!
The final tally for the weekend included a Q in all three tournament classes (steeplechase, grand prix, and DAM team), as well as two snooker legs (for his advanced snooker title +1), an advanced jumper leg, and an advanced pairs leg. Hooray! And I learned so much from watching the other dogs and talking to the other handlers. Xander is longer and taller, as well as much heavier (with muscle) than his competition. He has so much heart, and tries so hard in spite of not being able to turn as fast or as tight due to his length and weight. He outweighs the females by nearly ten pounds, and is MUCH longer than dogs like Kate, Nitro, and Vette. I am eager to see how our core strengthening continues to improve his ability to turn and how that will affect our competitiveness. We really need to work on the broad jump and continue working the a-frame, but I really think we are making great strides as a team. I received a number of compliments from some highly respected handlers, so I was very proud of my young boy and continue to have high hopes for him. Can’t wait until our next show!
One could probably swear at the sheer number of runs that this particular entry results in however. On a general AKC weekend, we get two runs a day and three if we are lucky. That’s around four to six runs over the course of two days, and maybe an extra two or three if it’s a three day trial. On Saturday, we had eight runs. Yes, eight runs. In one day. Madness. Add to that the three runs we had on Friday night, and the four we had on Sunday, and that makes for a long weekend. Given that we hadn’t competed really since July, and that last trial in Tallahassee was only one day, followed by one night in Deland earlier this month, we were a little overwhelmed by fifteen runs. Still, it was a blast.
I took Friday off as Palmetto is a four hour drive south of Jacksonville and the trial was scheduled to start at 4pm. I LOVE Palmetto. It truly is my favorite venue in terms of ease of access, parking, crating, spectating, and the running surface. We even stayed at the Ramada just down the street, which was much better than I expected. Clean, quiet, with a big room, and easy to get in and out of, I had no complaints. Also, the weather was gorgeous. Basically, it was a recipe for an awesome weekend.
I had an easy drive for the most part, and arrived a little before 2pm on Friday. I was set up and ready for the Double Bubba BBQ vendor to start making lunch before the trial began. They have, hands down, the best ribs on the planet. And I didn’t even used to like ribs.
Friday afternoon was advanced snooker, steeplechase, and grand prix. We went in needing one more snooker Q for our title, and knew we would get another chance on Tuesday, so there was no pressure. Of course we Q’d, even though Xander knocked the #6 jump in the closing, so dropped us to 2nd place. Still, a new title is a great way to begin the weekend. Following this was steeplechase, and one caveat I must mention is that our armband was 22001, which meant that we were the first 22in dog in the running order ALL WEEKEND. With the exception of two classes that got shuffled, and we were either second or last. For the most part though, we got lots of experience hanging out on the start line waiting for bars to be changed, or in a couple cases, waiting for a timer issue to be resolved. We also dealt with LOTS of conflicts, which I do blame at least two NQ’s on, but it was all still very good experience. Dealing with these issues is part of the game, and I was enjoying myself so thoroughly that I couldn’t even bring myself to be upset about any of it! The temperature truly was spectacular, with a cool, dry breeze. How can one be unhappy?
At any rate, I think steeplechase and grand prix ended up going at the same time, although they changed the running order to allow the performance dogs to start in one ring, and the championship dogs to start in the other. We ran steeplechase first, and were great going into a very difficult line. I was a dork and shouted out the WRONG command, and like a good dog, Xander turned and headed the wrong way. D’oh! Somehow, I managed to call him off a tunnel and bring him back. He ran around past me and we had to do a big circle to get back on track, which ate up close to ten seconds. Still, he didn’t take anything off course, and we finished without a fault. Steeplechase is a game that has two rounds, and the fastest dogs from the first round go on to compete for money in the second round. The number of dogs that Q is determined based on the fastest time, which in this case was a blistering 29 seconds set by Gabrielle and Zing. We were lucky somehow, and managed to earn the very last placement, lucky 13. Not pretty, but a Q is a Q.
Next up was grand prix, run shortly after steeplechase, and my boy was ready to rock. The ending was VERY tricky, and took down a lot of dogs and handlers. We made it through clean and even earned 3rd place, just half a second behind Sarah’s amazing girl Kate and a few seconds behind Stuart’s awesome dog Ares. We were three for three that night, although I got partial stops on the a-frame, I was still naughty and released him quickly. That poor dog, I really can’t maintain criteria. Bad handler!
Saturday began the team competition, and my teammates were Kelly Rossi and her super young boy Nitro, along with Terri Lee and her incredible young girl Vette. We were indeed a baby dog team, although Vette already has her ADCH! Kelly and I had never done team before, so it was a fun experience. I didn’t even really know all the rules, so it was a learn-as-you-go kind of thing! Our team name was Xander’s Nitro-Charged Vette. The reason we had so many runs on Saturday was the result of doing advanced pairs, standard, jumpers, and masters gamblers, in addition to doing team gamblers, standard, and snooker, as well as steeplechase finals! It was a long, eleven hour day, but we enjoyed every minute. Our pairs partners, Gail and Neece, were stellar, and even though we took the second to last jump off course, incurring a 20pt fault, our combined time was so fast that we still qualified. Thanks Gail and Neece! This was our first pairs leg, pairs not being my favorite class. Following this was team gamblers, where we played in a manner I had never done before, which was simply an accumulation of points, with a 13 second bonus time at the finish in which your point values were doubled, but lost if you didn’t cross the finish line in time. We played it safe and earned 51pts, although we could probably have earned another 10pts if I’d been greedy. Still, it was a respectable 5th place finish, and put our team in 3rd place after the first event. Our first run in master gamblers was good, and I thought we had earned the gamble which was a jump to A-frame, turn away into a tunnel, and over a jump, but the judge called Xander for running out too far after the tunnel before turning to take the jump. The finishing jump was at an angle, and I saw her give the Q to Zing for doing the exact same thing, but not us. Oh well, judging is hard, and I would NOT want their job of standing up for twelve hours and having to make those calls! The agility gods balanced it out later in jumpers. We were first up again, in a small class, and started the first three jump sequence. The judge stopped us because of a timer malfunction, so we had to putz around for nearly ten minutes while they straightened it out. By the time we got to go again, Xander made a beautiful turn and missed one jump completely. The rest of the run was gorgeous however. I went back to our crate thinking “oh well” until Gail walked up and told me she had good news. Either the scribe missed the call, or the judge missed the mistake, but either way, we got a Q with 1st place. Go figure.
Team standard ended up being the same time as advanced standard, and with the stress of another conflict, we went into team first. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful run that was spoiled by another bad handling maneuver on my part. I didn’t fully support a jump which led to him running past it. If I’d been thinking more quickly, I could have pulled him around and only earned a refusal, but I panicked and he back jumped. I earned our team a big fat E. Bummer. The difficult thing about team competition is the guilt that goes along with making a mistake. Normally, you just hurt yourself, but in team, it affects your teammates! The biggest lesson I learned about team this weekend was to get a score on the board! Even if you earn faults, don’t get an E! Luckily, Kelly and Nitro saved us with an awesome clean run and 4th place. Yay Nitro!
At any rate, we immediately had to go into advanced standard, and after the rush of team, he crashed the tire, which was the very first jump, and I decided to take him off. I did find myself frustrated after these two setbacks, but we recovered with a yummy rib from the barbeque vendor, which Xander got a little piece from. Since these were all MY mistakes, I was never upset with him, just with myself. Still, being in paradise and doing what I love meant that I didn’t keep my foul mood for long.
Steeplechase finals came next, and we discovered another hole in our training. The weaves were followed closely by a broad jump with no real room for building speed to get over it, and he landed on the third plank. This earned a fault, and resulted in me having to collect him again to finish. The rest of the run was pretty, but we have yet to run the finals clean. One day…one day. Team snooker was the last run of a long day, and although we had a great plan, Terri and Vette saved the team by being the only one to make it through to the finish. Xander knocked a bar on the third red jump, and I did manage to stop him long enough to figure out what to do next. We got the fourth red and made it to the closing, but I turned him away prematurely and he was whistled off for a refusal on the #2 jump in the closing. Still, we got a score on the board, even if it was only 22 points.
Sunday arrived before we knew it, and we started with team jumpers and advanced standard again running at the same time. Again with a conflict, we ran jumpers first and encountered a nasty angle to the broad jump. He landed on the third panel again, which meant that we will definitely be practicing the broad jump. Still, we got another score on the board, and Nitro ran clean again. Sadly, we rushed right into standard and had a fabulous run going until we came to the a-frame. We had iffy a-frames all weekend, due to my eagerness and lack of consistency, and he finally missed one. This was his first ever missed contact of any kind, in any trial. We really needed a standard leg, as we ONLY HAVE ONE, but no dice. Sigh. It is totally my fault though, so I can’t be mad at him. He nailed the dogwalk however, and I had him hold it, so at least there was that. He had also had a wonderful send ahead on the dogwalk in team standard with a beautiful contact, so the a-frame is really our biggest issue.
Although we already earned our advanced snooker title on Friday, I decided to run snooker on Sunday to practice the a-frame, which we did twice. It was not ideal, but at least he got them and did pause if not stop. We Q’d with 1st place.
After a looooong weekend, team relay was the last event. I have never done a three dog relay, so it was truly a unique event. Our team was in fourth place standing going into the final run, so we ran fourth to last. Our plan worked well, and both Nitro and Xander ran clean, although we had an iffy teeter and an almost off course. There was an extremely difficult turn near the end which resulted in faults for every team prior to us, but I did a front cross and was the first person to run clean. I even heard the judge say “nice” as I did it. However, I almost sent him into the weaves, but called him off at the last second, and that was followed by the VERY questionable teeter. Somebody was a little amped! Vette was last dog, and was called on her teeter, which we all thought was totally legal, so I think the judge just wished she’d called mine, so called Vette’s instead! She also ran past the last jump, but Terri skillfully pulled her around without incurring an off course, and we were done! The announcements were made immediately following the final few teams, and we maintained our fourth place standing to earn our first DAM Q! This was also Kelly and Nitro’s first! Terri used the front cross maneuver we had talked about with her aussie Bella, and that team came in first. Go Terri!
The final tally for the weekend included a Q in all three tournament classes (steeplechase, grand prix, and DAM team), as well as two snooker legs (for his advanced snooker title +1), an advanced jumper leg, and an advanced pairs leg. Hooray! And I learned so much from watching the other dogs and talking to the other handlers. Xander is longer and taller, as well as much heavier (with muscle) than his competition. He has so much heart, and tries so hard in spite of not being able to turn as fast or as tight due to his length and weight. He outweighs the females by nearly ten pounds, and is MUCH longer than dogs like Kate, Nitro, and Vette. I am eager to see how our core strengthening continues to improve his ability to turn and how that will affect our competitiveness. We really need to work on the broad jump and continue working the a-frame, but I really think we are making great strides as a team. I received a number of compliments from some highly respected handlers, so I was very proud of my young boy and continue to have high hopes for him. Can’t wait until our next show!
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