USDAA FRAC Loveland

Record breaking heat, high winds, wildfires, blizzard, and fire alarms forcing us to evacuate the arena for nearly half an hour, I don't think we missed a trick this weekend.  April is always interesting in Colorado.  Freaky acts of nature aside it was a fun weekend.  Best part was Strum got a CMJ measurement under 21" (20 3/4") so if he can get one more CMJ to measure under then he gets to play in Championship.  The next CMJ at a trial we're planning on going to isn't until August though so for now we still have to play in Performance for 2 more trials.  And Strum turned 6 last month so it's doubtful we'll ever get very far in USDAA but at this point it would be nice to have the option and even if we stay in Performance at least I can move him down to 16" as a vet.  Because USDAA's new Vet Program is pretty suck-o-riffic.  You can't bring your legs with you and continue with your titles so what's the point?  And the dog has to be 8 years old which is better than the 9 they started out with but still not on par with the 7 that every other venue allows.  It's a nice amenity for people whose dogs easily measure into Championship but it's a slap in the face to people with big dogs who spent their whole career in Performance.

 The theme of the weekend was that I was behind.  Speed Jumping was crazy fast, even more so than any DOCNA course I've run lately.  I was so sure we'd make the finals but I got too far behind on a straight line of jumps and Strum ran past the second to last jump.  I tried what I could to get ahead, even was able to leave him on the A-frame but my short little legs couldn't quite keep up and he got a stride ahead of me.  I contemplated a front cross at the A-frame but that would have put me even further behind and I figured we'd miss the last jump or maybe have the bar down.  Oh well, there's always next time.

Speed Jumping

I put some music by Belly on the video in honor of my friend Josh who passed away on April 4th a long long time ago at way too young an age.  Belly's singer, Tonya Donnelly, was apparently a good friend and comfort to him and his family towards the end so a little music from her to remember them all.

Advanced Jumpers was a fun course but again I was behind on the opening line of jumps and had a hard time getting him over #4 causing the only knocked bar of the weekend.  I had walked a front cross between 16 and 17 but ended up doing a rear which put me behind for the last jump.  He got it with another rear but the turn was way too wide.  If I'd gotten my front in I probably could have run that final line no problem.

We missed a Q (and our ticket out of Starters) in Snooker by one point, the little stinker missed an A-frame contact so we were one point short.

Got a Q and first place in Advanced Gamblers.  And unfortunately those were are only runs for the weekend.  I could never do AKC, 2 runs per day is way too boring.  I only even signed up for this trial because of the CMJ.  I am going to sign up for more runs for the USDAA trial in May because I'm confident Strum's dogwalk will be good by then.  He got called for about half his A-frames at this trial, very bad.  I'm not sure what's going on with that but we'll be back to practicing those.

Trial Stats

Perf. Advanced Gamblers Q, 1st place

Didn't do any dogwalks

A-frames:  3/6 (50%)

Weave entries:  0/2 (0%)  At least he didn't pop out.

Knocked bars:  1, handler caused, jumping was excellent this trial

Teeters:  2/2 (100%)