http://www.akc.org/dic/events/agility/natchampionship02.cfm
Entry Requirements:
There are two ways to become qualified
to enter the 2002 National Agility Championships and Iams International
State Team Tournament:
1. Attend an AKC Companion Events Tournament and achieve a double Q on either day of the qualifying tournament. These tournaments are two days long with a Standard and a JWW class each day. Dog's qualifying through these tournaments must be eligible to enter the Excellent B class by the closing date for the National Agility Championships.
2. Achieve 4 double Q's from the Excellent B class at AKC agility trials between October 3, 2001 and the entry closing date of September 26, 2002 (the entry closing date for the 2002 National Agility Championships).
Qualifying scores (Double Q's) from all licensed trials, member trials, and the 2001 AKC National Agility Championships count towards these qualification requirements.
No conditional entries will be accepted for the 2002 AKC National Agility Championships; only dogs that have achieved the qualifications listed above are eligible for entry.
Only dogs entered in the National Agility Championships are eligible to enter the Iams State Team Tournament on Friday.
The 2002 AKC National Agility Championships, including the Iams International / State Team Tournament took place from November 1 - 3 in Katy, Texas. The ten Beardies who met the entry requirements had earned 4 double Q's from the Excellent B class at AKC agility trials between October 3, 2001 and the entry closing date of September 26, 2002. For the first time, two rescue Beardies competed at the Nationals.
" Hi Libby: I'm going to Houston. I'm traveling down with two other girls/dogs from Minnesota. Really looking forward to the competition." - Leslie Dawson-North
"On her last possible day, Molly the Muffin, rescue, age 10, qualified for the AKC Nationals with a first place in JWW and a second in Standard in Albuquerque, NM. We look forward to joining the other BAD folks and BAD dogs who will be there in November." - Martha Faulk of Fort Collins, CO and Molly the Muffin, aka the "Neardie"
"On his last possible day, David Williamson and his rescue Harley got their 4th Double Q to qualify for the AKC agility nationals being held almost in his backyard." - A big congratulations from Wade and DALLAS.
Friday 11/1/02
Iams International State Team Tournament:
Saturday 11/2/02 and Sunday 11/3/02
National Agility Championships:
The Nationals began on Friday, November 1, as participants assembled for the opening event, the Parade of States, filling the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas with the colorful flags of 40 states and Canada. Following the parade, agility enthusiasts gathered around the ring gates ready to begin the Iams International / State Team Tournament. The judges for the JWW Round I Class were Dan Dege of MN, Gail Storm of IL, and Diane Craig. This was followed by the Agility Standard Round II Class, judged by Doug Hurley of FL, Carrie DeYoung of CA, and Katie Greer of TX. The excitement mounted as the dogs and handlers neared the final round. Adding to the fun was a demonstration of the dances that the FCI Agility World Championship participants and fans learned while in Dortmund, Germany. Carrie De Young took command of the center ring and the final round began. The top four dogs of each team represented the five states which made it to the last round. After tight competition, Team Georgia ranked first, Team Texas ranked second, Team Ohio ranked third, Team California ranked fourth and Team New Jersey ranked fifth. Out of the 99 dogs in the 20" International Class, Leslie Dawson-North's Chase placed 13th, Karen Barratt's Jet placed 16th, and Leslie's Kassi placed 40th. In the 24" Class, David Williamson's Harley placed 22nd. That evening the competitors relaxed at the celebration banquet where Sarah Halsey and Wizard were given recognition for winning the most MACH points of all Beardies in competition in 2001.
On, Saturday, November 2, the 2002 AKC National Agility Championships began in earnest. They consisted of 3 rounds of competition, a challengers round, and a final round. The judges for the National Agility Championships were Gregory Beck of NJ, Barbara Budnar of AZ, Kurt Matushek of IL, and our own BCCA member, Tamra Fields Domico of CA, who judged the final "National Agility Championship" round.
The first two rounds of competition consisted of an Excellent B standard agility class and an Excellent B JWW class on Saturday. Unlike the other rounds, qualifying runs in these two classes may be counted as legs for AKC agility titles. The third round of competition was a hybrid agility class on Sunday. This class consisted of a combination of the standard and JWW classes; the judge had the option of including 1 or 2 contact obstacles in a JWW-style course. Standard course times for this class were set between typical standard and JWW course times.
The rules governing the Nationals competition were considerably different.
New this year was the implementation of a Challengers' Class, which was held following the first 3 rounds of competition and prior to the final round of competition. The 4 highest placing dogs in each jump height from each of the three rounds of competition with scores of 100, that were not already eligible for the final round of competition (on the basis of cumulative scores for the first 3 rounds), were eligible to compete in the Challenger's Class. Thus 12 dogs from each jump height could have competed in the Challengers' Class. The highest placing dog in each jump height in the Challengers' Class competed in the final round of the National Championships, providing that dog had a score of 100 in the Challengers' Class.
The final round was judged by Tamra Domico - Only those dogs having the highest cumulative score through the first 3 rounds of competition and those who won at each height level in the Challengers' Class ran in the final round, starting in reverse order of their placement through the first 3 rounds of competition, with the winner of the Challengers' Class running in a randomly drawn position (except that this dog would never run last in the jump height). The National Champion in each jump height was determined solely on the basis of scores in the final round. After two days of fierce competition, the National Champions were crowned:
8" Champion: Judith Bowers and Trey, Papillon
12" Champion: Christine Yankowski and Kevin, Shetland Sheepdog
16" Champion: Leland Perry and Matilda, Australian Shepherd
20" Champion: Terry Smorch and Remy, Border Collie
24" Champion & ISC class 26" winner: Nancy Gyes
& Riot, Border Collie.
--Thanks to the AKC Website for many of the details!
Leslie Dawson-North's Chase placed 19th/128 in the 20" Championship Class with three/three clean runs. Her Kassi placed 23rd, also with three clean runs. "What an EXCITING 2002 AGILITY NATIONALS. On top of the competition itself, my biggest thrill was meeting some new Beardie faces and reacquainting with some old ones. I was sure proud of all Beardie/teams on their representation of our breed. I came with a couple of Canadian/USA "United We Stand" pins which I distributed. I was sure thrilled to get Ann Chandoha's "DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS" shirt (featured in the States Parade) in return. I wear it with pride. Thought the weather should have been warmer than in Canada, but the hospitality sure made up for that. Hope we can all do it again next year in California!!!!" -- Leslie
Hello from Texas and WOW!...what a National.
First I have to say congratulations to Leslie with Chase and Kassi(who is by the way 11 1/2 yrs old) for their GREAT showing at this year's Nationals. Both Leslie's girls ran clean the entire weekend... and the only Beardie teams to do so. Chase placed 18th in the overall 20" division and Kassi was close behind. I only saw the standings for the top 20 dogs so I don't know where anyone else placed. Jet had clean runs in the state competition, placing fifth in the state overall and missing the finals by only 1 sec. In the national race he had a wrong course off of a 270 turn in the jumpers run on Saturday taking him out of the "possibility" of making the finals though with this year's competition not a real possibility. All of the top competitors in the 20" and 24" divisions had a composite average of 33 secs. or less...most around 30 sec. We were around 36 secs...so there for the fun of the competition. And fun it was! We really enjoyed seeing Pat Coreris with Chipper who traveled all the way from California, and Martha Faulk with Molly who came from Colorado. Tien Tran took some great photos of the Beardie Contingency which I'll send on to Libby. Congratulations to all those Beardie teams who competed this year including our own Texans, Ann Chandoha and David Williamson.
This year's format with the challenger's run was REALLY exciting. In this run were all those dogs who had placed in any of the three previous runs but failed to qualify in one or both of the others. Only one dog in each jump height would be able to advance to the finals. So the entire run was made up of fast dogs going all out to earn that first spot. It had spectators on the edge watching dog and clock. It was realy great agility. I think I enjoyed it as much or more than the finals. This is not to say that the finals didn't bring me off my seat. Watching the likes of Terry Smorch with BC Remmy and Nancy Gyes with BC Riot was worth the price of the ticket. Absolutely flawless handling! In the 24" division I think the first through fifth place was separated by only .3 seconds...one wide turn or glitch or even blink and your out of the running.
The Nationals this year drew a whopping 525 entrants so the air was thick with talk of the requirements for qualification for the next year. No one has any idea yet but all expect the difficulty to increase. Beardies get busy! We will need representation in California in 2003.
I will close this post by saying how proud I was to see our own BAD Tammy Domico judging the final round on Sunday. She did a GREAT job. Can't wait to see her competing at the Nationals with her Sparkee.
So long from Texas -- Karen Barratt, Boo!, Jet and Budweiser
Libby,
WE DOUBLE-Qed AT THE NATIONALS!
How wild is that?
From the first day, the folks who organized the event and the people who volunteered their time and energy WERE FIRST-RATE ALL THE WAY! Events started right on time, ring and gate stewards were supportive and so eager to help, and the course builders blazed through the set up of every new course. The banquet went off without a hitch... tables had great centerpieces that consisted of a "heap" of metal lunchboxes filled with Three Dog Bakery treats with a plush toy doggie sitting atop. (The stuffed doggies were given later to disadvantaged children involved in pro basketball player Monica Lamb's Wellness Foundation. The children were her guests and sat in the stands to watch two of the days of competition.) Monica's a first-class person who greeted many spectators and competitors while manning her Wellness Foundation booth. She wants to make dog training a part of her program that helps inter-city kids make it out of the 'hood. Here's a link: http://www.wslegends.com/speakers_monica_lamb.htm
Many people I spoke with were of the same opinion concerning the third and fourth rounds' formats: they liked them. The Challenger's Round gave teams one more opportunity to get into the finals.
Of course, the finals were raise-you-right-out-of-your-seat thrilling -- especially the 20" and 24" classes! There was a sea of video cams rolling -- you just knew all the agility diehards were gonna study those runs!
It was an honor to have taken part in such a well-run, first-class event, but I'm really happy to have met the other Beardie teams -- Leslie, Kassi, & Chase; Pat & Chipper; and Martha & Molly -- as well as hanging around with my ol' buddies Ann and Karen. What a nice bunch of folks!
Many thanks to the BAD subscribers who emailed well wishes -- MUCH appreciated!
Looking forward to seeing the Beardie Contingency pic on the BAD site, Libby. Thanks for offering to give it a place in the many pages you have to keep up with and thanks for all you do for the Beardie Community!
Always,
David
Hi Libby, It was so good to see you and Jack and the kids at the Specialty!
Arbi and I had a great time at the Nationals. She ran her little heart out and would have run CLEAN both Saturday runs if it hadn't been for her HANDLER!!! I crowded her at the Weave pole entrance because I did not "trust" her as I SHOULD have, and she missed the first pole! Then, in the JWW run, I caused her to back jump. :-((((((((( I was so upset, I cried! Now, can you imagine ME, crying? :-) We ran clean on Sunday.
Leslie and her girls are something to behold!!!!! What a thrill to see all three of them run and SO well! I cried, again. And I cried when David and Harley got their 2Q!!!!! And, my friend, Karen had an awesome "state" day! She was sooo close to a placement!!!
Hugs to you and yours! --Ann
Pat Coreris' Chipper was the only one of the three eligible California Beardies to make the trek to Texas. Chipper qualified with a perfect score in the JWW round on Saturday.
Usually, at an AKC Agility Trial, someone asks me, "What kind of dog is that?" Since "Molly the Muffin" is an ILP Beardie with, let's say, a non-conventional coat, I was a bit concerned that the other Beardie handlers at the Nationals might ask the same question. Instead, all of the Beardie folks-- Leslie, Pat, Karen, Ann, and David--were friendly and eager to get acquainted. The group camaraderie was an unexpected bonus since I was very nervous about being at my first-ever AKC Agility National event.
Not only did we get acquainted with each other, we also cheered and encouraged each other's runs. There were many clean and fast Beardie runs, but even the less-than-perfect runs were wildly applauded by our group and supporters. Although Molly and I didn't have as many clean runs as I would have liked, I'm grateful for the experience and particularly the opportunity to get to know so many Beardie folks. The Beardie group photos taken by Tien Tran are now part of her travelling display--no doubt because the Beardies (and their people) are a great-looking group. I'm certain that our group photo is the only one featuring a dog wearing a hat--that's Jet. And, Molly is the slightly unusual Beardie in the top row.
Saturday 11/2/02 and Sunday 11/3/02
National Agility Championships:
#19 - Leslie Dawson-North and Chase
Scores: 300 and Time 109.94'
Rd I-Standard - 100 - 36.77'/52'- 2Q
Rd II - JWW - 100 - 33.60'/39'- 2Q
Rd III - Combined - 100 - 39.57'/53'
#23 - Leslie Dawson-North and Kassi
Scores: 300 and Time 119.88'
Rd I-Standard - 100 - 40.45'/52'- 2Q
Rd II - JWW - 100 - 35.57'/39'- 2Q
Rd III - Combined - 100 - 41.86'/53'
#40 - Karen Barratt and Jet
Scores: 282 and Time 108.57'
Rd I-Standard - 100 - 37.56'/52'
Rd II - JWW - 82 - 32.96'/39'
Rd III - Combined - 100 - 38.05'/53'
#67 - Ann Chandoha and Arbi
Scores: 264 and Time 131.38'
Rd I-Standard - 82 - 48.64'/52'
Rd II - JWW - 82 - 36.03'/39'
Rd III - Combined - 100 - 46.71'/53'
#86 - Pat Coreris and Chipper
Scores: 210 and Time 140.07'
Rd I-Standard - 46 - 52.58'/52'
Rd II - JWW - 100 - 38.80'/39'
Rd III - Combined - 64 - 49.59'/53'
#105 - Martha Faulk and Molly
Scores: 179 and Time 90.64'
Rd I-Standard - 82 - 50.43'/52'
Rd II - JWW - 97 - 40.21'/39'
Rd III - Combined - 0 - 0'
#77 - David Williamson and Harley
Scores: 200 and Time 72.22'
Rd I-Standard - 100 - 38.51'/52' - 2Q
Rd II - JWW - 100 - 33.71'/39'- 2Q
Rd III - Combined - 0 - 0'
AKC National Agility Championships 2003
AKC National Agility Championships 2002
AKC National Agility Championships 2001
AKC National Agility Championships 2000
AKC National Agility Championships 1998
AKC National Agility Championships 1997
