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Everyone!
Thanks so much for such an awesome agility trial. The day was perfect, the people were fun, the beardies were happy. What more could one want.....a better excellent standard course???? Oh well. Open and Novice standard were a bit better. The jumpers courses rocked. They were fast and fun....perfect for our beards! Joni Weed did set up an awesome pairs class. Spice and Grendel were a bit sad to not have been the worst pairs! Hope everyone has a safe trip home!
Thanks to everyone who helped out. The trial could not have run without such a wonderful help from the BAD people. Jana Dozet got everyone to help out, Libby kept the score table going, Sharon Prassa, Michelle Ritter, Jack Buhite were always out there building the new courses. I know I haven't mentioned everyone, but I do want to thank everyone!
The photos from the trial can be found at:
http://www.kengeephoto.photoreflect.com
Thanks again!
Kim Horsley, Grendel....still the brown thing, and Bronte who had a great time in pairs with Harper.
I couldn't have enjoyed myself more at the 2004 BCCA National Specialty. It all started with a party the evening before at Martha Faulk's. Ray, Martha's husband, stepped in during her absence and made sure everyone was well taken care of. He was a generous host who attended to the guests' needs. It gave me a chance to meet a few people I hadn't met before.
The next morning, City Park provided a perfect venue for our trial. The park and weather were ideal. The morning temperature was cool, just the way beardies like it. It was nice to meet the rest of the beardie agility community at the trial. Many of the people there I have only read the results of their team
I was hoping to come to Fort Collins needing a Double Q for our MACH. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. We arrived in Ft. Collins needing two Double Qs. Since we couldn't get our MACH at the Specialty, Jax delivered the next best thing. He had two flawless runs for Double Q #19. His Standard run was fast enough to earn High In Trial. According to the BAD web site, his HIT was the fastest yards per second Standard HIT yet of any Specialty.
The day concluded with the relay race. It was a fun way to let the beardies play and "let their hair down." The course allowed everyone, regardless of ability, to participate and enjoy the time with their dogs.
Throughout the day I was approached by people wishing me luck toward attaining the MACH. It was nice to spend some time talking with just about everyone there. The support everyone gives one another in agility certainly is unlike other competitions. This camaraderie was noticed by people watching who were not involved with our club. Everyone will know if and when we get our MACH. Regardless of where you are you'll hear the scream coming from northeast Ohio when it happens.
Good luck, run clean, run fast and I look forward to seeing everyone next year in Omaha.
I so enjoyed being at the specialty, but unfortunately it was only for two days. It was so organized and so well run. My first time. And Joli's run was such a wonderful treat, and then the icing on the cake was the HIT. Gosh, good things DO happen in beautiful Colorado!
A very big thanks to Kim Horsley and her agility committee for putting on a lovely agility trial. Thunder showers the night before the trial were a little unnerving to say the lest for those of us from California, but the day of agility was absolutely beautiful. The park was beautiful with green green grass, trees and very bold squirrels. The agility ring was placed where everyone could sit and watch the entire show. What a great sight to see so many Beardie's running!! Spice enjoyed seeing so many brown beardies on course.
The standard course was quite challenging and had few qualifiers but by jumpers things seem to loosen up a bit. Congratulations to Jeff Ipser and Jax on their double Q, the only one of the day. Jumpers With Weaves was very close with Jack Buhite and the amazing Caper taking first, Sharon Williamson and Brio with a flawless run taking second, Spice and I took third, and the Texas boy, Jet, and Karen Barratt taking fourth. It was fun being able to watch everyone run and putting faces to names, both dogs and people.
The pairs game was terrific fun!! Spice and I ran pairs with sister Grendel and Kim. Spice was very proud of how fair Grendel has come since the Monterey show two years ago.
National's are a huge undertaking especially with a breed that is so diversified with performance events along with conformation. It is truly an education on all fronts.
So many people made this a great gathering and a trip I will remember and cherish. The Bar B Q at the Faulk's home was great and gave us a chance to make new friends before the trial. The drive home took us from rain with thunder and lightening leaving Ft. Collins, to snow going up over Vail and back to warm temperatures as we hit the flat lands going into Utah.
Thanks again to Colorado!!
We're finally home! Kim, thank you for doing such a knock-out job at agility. We had a wonderful time. It was also nice to see so many competitors, most of whom we only get to see at beardie nationals, as well as spectators!! I spoke with one gentleman (78 yrs old, the man in the little cart watching us) who noticed the beardies at the Marriott the day before and had his son bring him over to the park so he could watch agility! They were on vacation from Canada. When I told him that we still had jumpers left to do, then the relay, he exclaimed, "You mean we'll be here all day????!!!!" As always, the relay was great fun. Zoot had a ball, in spite of Kira having to tell him to leave her alone!! Boys...what can I say!
Thanks, again, Kim. It was great. Good job on the weather, also.
Like a horse racing for the barn door I made the trip home in two days instead of the three going out....
I still think EVERYBODY needs to drive at least part of the USA just to remember just how awesome and big this country is. Going to and from Colorado much of the path is on the old trails, California, Overland, Oregon, Barlow, Lewis and Clark...wowzeers. In parts of Wyoming it was real easy to let the image of "indian" country super impose itself as there are herds of Buffalo (now raised for meat) along the I-80 corridor in the wider open spaces....along with the prong horn antelopes and not a few coyotes.
My lasting impressions will not be of the conformation ring (as heady as the BOB ring was on Sunday) but of say the mental and physical successes of individuals and their wonderful partners...called "a Beardie"
Rossane Hunt back finally (after injuries)
to handling her own dog Zoe.... and doing a fabulous job. Agility
and Obedience and doing
super in BOTH..and thanks to Barbara Claxton for filling in the
time till she could
Carl Widell and his new partner Polo in agility.... and I mean partner. THAT dog never took his eyes off of dad and did so much that was asked of him. More than my boy who just found Frisbees way too much for him. Carl and Polo are going to be a team to watch in the future.
Jenn and Phinn in obedience. A happy rollicking duo that I hope to emulate someday.
I can't get the image of the Pentangle girls in herding coming to their pert sits and waiting (for the most part) for mum's next request....what a hoot. You ain't seen a "SIT" till you seen the Pentangle babes do it!...must be in the genes.
The absolute grinning tearful delight in both Sandy Dubin and Sharon Prassa's faces when Teddy...."did good" in herding. (Not to mention Sharon with Ry in PT...)
Pam Harris smashing a long dry spell with Jodie in agility.
With all these folks and more it wasn't just the performance....it was indeed the partnership and the team WORK that went into it all.
Those grins and tears will last me quite a few days; thank you for sharing your dogs with us all.
Thanks to Rocky Mountain for providing the experiences...
First, thanks to Kim and all her helpers for putting on a wonderful trial.
Second, thanks for a judge who had a smile on her face the whole time.
Third, thanks for holding off the rain until Thursday.
It was nice to put faces with names. There were also 2 of my rescue cohorts trialing, Karen Allen and Hank Price. For those who don't know, Karen has posed as a puppy mill buyer to get beardies out of terrible conditions.
We had a great time
As the Diehard Trophy was being awarded to
Wizzie at the BCCA Awards banquet, for the third year in a row,
I forgot the disappointments I had felt on Wednesday (and yes,
embarrassment, too - Could this non-qualifying Beardie in the
Ft Collins agility trial REALLY have
several Machs?). I had hoped to do better, but only because I
am truly a Diehard (maybe translated as never give
up, more than a bit foolish, no matter what wanting to run with
my exuberant, equally foolish, and very equally a Diehard Beardie,
Wizzie my clown, my buddy and my fun and happiness!
Me who hardly ever gets a cold had to run into a nasty one, two days before we left for Colorado. VERY poor planning! By Wednesday I could hardly talk (and Wizzie has been very much verbally taught by me, which I never ever thought I would have to say was an unfortunate thing!). In addition (this is the stubborn Diehard part of me) I probably should not have been running anyway. As a few know, I had some surgery on my upper leg in early August which has been refusing to heal normally and which has cost us more Qs than I like to think about, by such things as spins incurring a Refusal at the last obstacle, which was never a Wizzie trait before.
See, who else but an agility Diehard would think about Qs and the fun of getting to do agility with your best buddy Beardie, rather than taking care of one's health! And agility is SO much fun!!!!! Wizzie is probably in his prime right now and working as well as I had ever hoped, in spite of how it may have looked at Ft.Collins. He tries so hard, he understands courses and obstacles, and he responds willingly, if I can just let him know. And so, as I have said before, this kind of a dog is pure joy and fun to run, Q or not!
As I have also said, the silly things, the
mistakes, these are probably my greatest memories. I am so glad
to have had the chance to run with him, even before we were ready.
You never know when something may interfere with doing that wonderful
carefree child's play in the ring! Keeping it fun and happy for
both me and my dogs, being proud of small improvements, well
that is what really has made this such a fabulous game, one that
you love repeating over and over! It never gets old! And so that
is why I came to Colorado with a cold and a bum leg!
And what fun it was! I used to live in Colorado Springs, so the thunder and lightening and sudden downpours were all a welcome back! Many many old friendships were renewed during the week and new friends made, or faces put with names. The Marriot was nice, with everything close and convenient, especially with the indoor ballroom for conformation and obedience (while that rain was coming down!).
So very sorry that my friend and Monterey Pairs partner, Ann Chandoha, was unable to attend to run her Arbi, due to sudden surgery on her wonderful older Beardie, Stoli. She was very worried and would not have left him. I just talked with Ann who said that Stoli is doing great, and in fact was outside barking at the oncoming thunderstorm as we spoke! I hope and pray for Stoli's full recovery.
Special Congratulations to Jeff Ipser, whose Jax was the only Standard Q and also the only DOUBLE Q! Way to go! And just the very best of luck on getting that last DQ soon for his MACH! And special Congratulations also to Wizzie's half-brother Teddy, owned by Sandy Dubin, who got his first Herding Advanced leg, very ably handled by Sharon Prassa.
And of course a special tribute to Kim Horsley who did a great job producing the agility show! And to poor Martha Faulk who planned (and still held anyway, even without herself able to be there), a bar-b-que for agility folk prior to the trial. Martha herself became ill just before her party and had to go to the E.R. Fortunately it was not serious and Martha was able to come to the trial the next day.
And so, as Wizzie was being presented with
both the Diehard Trophy for overall agility and the Mirage JWW
trophy, both for the third year in a row, I only thought about
what fun it all was, not at all about the two NQs. It was unbelieveable
to think that this was happening to me and my funny little noisy
Beardie. Believe me, it hasn't been easy! I am so proud of him!
And I was so proud of him
in the Titleholders Parade. The more the applause the more fun
he had, barking back, wagging his tail, and wanting to say (ie,
jump on) hello to anyone within reach. He is this way at a trial
and he always pulls me into the ring. He is, every moment, interested
in what is going on when outside the ring and who of his special
friends are there, barking or wagging. But once on course he is
all serious totally focused on a course to run. And run he does
and fun I have! And so I thought about how lucky I have been,
to have this much fun, to have this carefree personality of a
Beardie who somehow was able to win these beautiful trophies three
times. With many many thanks to those who made these awards possible
and to the BCCA and to those who congratulated Wizzie and me.
You have all been wonderful!
And most of all, special thanks to my best friend, my husband, Doug, who Wizzie also thinks is pretty neat! He somehow can put up with us, the want to try-hard, play-hard, Diehard pair, Wizzie and me.
From Libby
As everyone reported, it was a great joy to see so many at the trial whom we chat with on line! 73 were entered and 66 ran, making this the largest all-Beardie trial in BCCA History. The day was perfect in terms of weather and ran smoothly, with pairs capping off the event. They were so much fun that we all ended the day laughing. The trophies, hand painted boxes and bird houses, were lovely. The Standard HIT, won by by Jeff Ipser, was a gorgeous treasure box, also hand-painted. The JWW HIT, won by Carol Hegg, was a painted shoulder purse/carrier.
Many congratulations to our two HITs and all those who qualified and placed. I was especially delighted with Rosanne Hunt's qualifying Ex A Standard run on a course that knocked out most of the very experienced handlers. Rosanne, who had been out of agility with an injury, was beside herself with surprise and happiness!
Jeff Ipser was hoping for Jax's MACH at the trial, but he arrived needing two double Q's. As the only double qualifier at the Excellent B level, Jax is now only ONE double Q away! The MACH watch is getting intense! Lizzee and Godiva with Sharon Ipser and Kathryn Haas qualified in both Novice classes.
Thank you, thank you, Kim and Jana and all who worked so hard with course building, the table, and all it takes to make for a successful trial!
Thanks so much for coming over on Saturday evening. It was so nice of you to take the time to come by and deliver Molly's retirement certificate. I was surprised and delighted by the trophy box! And, of course I'll enjoy my "Bad Dog" socks.
I hope you had an enjoyable week in Fort Collins and an uneventful trip home. I'll miss all you Beardie folks now that I'm training my "Almost" Cattle Dog. The best thing about the BAD group, I think, is that it's made up of a bunch of folks who really do care about each other's triumphs and disappointments, and especially, loss of our beloved dogs.
Hope to see you in California sometime soon.
All the best . . .
For those of you who are history buffs, you can find accounts of all nine trials along with scores and pictures at:
Okay agility folks! Here are the some details for the 2004 National Specialty.
Fort Colllins was my home for many years while attending veterinary school there.I can answer most questions about that town. They are famous for the Fat Tire Ale and The Rio has the best margaritas.
As always with Colorado, be prepared for gorgeous weather....or snow. It could be either.
The Specialty starts out on a Tuesday with the herding trial. The place is about an hour from the host hotel. I want to let all you herding people know there is a two day herding trial the weekend before at the same location.
The agility trial is being held in City Park. Yes it will be outdoors. This is one of the oldest parks in Fort Collins and is approximately 5 miles from the Marriott Hotel. There are tons of shade trees. We are getting equipment from the lady who trained Becket and me years ago. She wanted me to tell you, she has a big, 36 feet dog walk. Not a lot of clubs use the big dog walk anymore. So make sure your beards are prepared for that. City Park is also conveniently located near the mountains, Colorado State University, Horsetooth Reservoir and many wonderful restaurants.
The judge will be Joni Weed. She is a local here in Colorado who owns and shows Bouviers. Her courses vary from tight (perfect for the slower beards) to fast and hard.
There will also be a trial photographer, Ken Gee, who takes the most awesome action shots.
There will be the wonderful pairs event, where hopefully my beardie Grendel can once again entertain the heck out of everyone while barely completing one obstacle....So pick your partner, a great team name and get ready to have fun. It is a great way to wind down the day and have some good laughs before you head to the BAD agility and awards dinner. The dinner will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 at 6:30 PM at the Fort Collins Marriott Hotel. Entrée selections are Prime Rib or Chicken Florentine.
We look forward to everyone having a great time at the Specialty. Fort Collins is a fun college town located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Fort Collins boasts numerous local breweries and restaurants. It is also a very dog friendly town. The local ice cream shop makes milk bone ice cream every Sunday for dogs."
The host club is not very familiar with performance events. We are going to need tons of help. Please email if interested or wanting to volunteer. I am so pleased that Jana Dozet will be our chief ring steward.
Also feel free to email with questions.
Kim Horsley, Becket, Grendel and Bronte
Martha Faulk extends an invitation to all Agility trial participants and their friends to meet the judge, Joni Weed, at a BAD Bar B-Q Bash on the eve of the trial. It is an AKC agility tradition to "meet the judge" in advance of a trial so that we all work together to make it a great success!
"All Beardies, handlers, friends, and significant others entered in the agility competition are invited to a BAD Bar B-Q Bash in Fort Collins on Tuesday evening, Sept 28, from 5pm to 8pm, 2825 Skimmerhorn Street. We will be celebrating Beardie agility competitors and especially the BAD folks. We'll provide food and soda. Joni Weed, our agility judge, will be there for all to meet.
Located only 10 minutes from the venue at City Park, we're easy to find on the southwest side of Fort Collins. From City Park, come west on Mulberry to the dead-end at Overland Trail. Go south past the football stadium to Skimmerhorn Street (one block south of intersection with Drake). Turn right on Skimmerhorn Street and go to the crest of the hill, just past Alumbaugh Court. Turn right at "private drive" sign and go uphill to the end of the driveway. Look for the stump with "2825" on it.
There's plenty of off-street parking.
Martha Faulk and Molly the Muffin (Retired Neardie)
Please RSVP confirmations to Marthfaulk@aol.com- 970 282-0966.
Last updated 14 October 2004
- BCCA Agility Awards - 2003
- BCCA Agility Awards - 2002
- BCCA Agility Awards - 2001
- BCCA Agility Awards - 2000
- BCCA Agility Awards - 1999
- BCCA Agility Awards - 1998
- BCCA Agility Awards - 1997
- BCCA Agility Awards - 1996
