The Weekend Report: Fantastic!

I tried out a new trial location for this report. While most people I know have gone to this site many times before, it was just outside my distance range, plus, until this year, it did not have A/C in the agility ring building, just the crating room. The venue is called Bella Vista and the trial was given by the Northern Virginia Brittany Club. It took just about a full two hours to get there, located a good distance north of Gettysburg, PA. That's a lot of driving in one day but, boy, oh BOY! Was it ever worth it this time!

We had a fabulously successful weekend! I had signed us up for four runs, regular Standard and Jumpers, and the trickier Premier Standard and Jumpers. I'll have to apologize up front, there are no videos. I didn't know too many people (not the usual gang here!) and I didn't want to bug anyone for video help.
 
I have the maps of course. And also a photo of our results.... Since it has been a few days since the trial (last Thursday), I'm not even going try a blow by blow description. I just know I was pleasantly surprised as run after run, Jimmy kept qualifying! When we got down to the fourth and final run, regular Jumpers, I didn't think our luck could possibly hold. But lo and behold, it did! And Jimmy had earned double-Q #19!!!! We are now on the very cusp of finishing his big PACH2 title (Preferred Agility Champion 2). Every trial from now on could be the one! So now I must have someone video us from here on out! Don't want to miss having that on camera!

It was such a lucky day, I even won one of the workers raffles, a Starbucks card! Woohoo! I think I probably should have played the lottery that day!

Tracking Jimmy's PACH 2 progress:
Very 1st Double-Q: Sunday 5/1/2016

QQ#20: 
Masters JWW legs: 63...MJP Title 01/25/15 MJPB 10/11/15 MJPS Title
Masters STD legs: 58...MXP Title!10/24/14 MXPB 04/30/17 MXPS Title
Double Q's: 19 (out of 20 needed)
PACH Points: Way more than we need! I have lost count!

The Weekend Report: A Premier Q

This weekend was another three day trial where I opted for just  doing Friday. I signed up for four runs, the usual Standard and Jumpers, and also the trickier Premier Standard and Premier Jumpers. (Premier runs contain more challenges that need to be completed in less time.)

So first up was Premier Standard and I have video! Here are both Premier maps, Standard on the left....

The first challenge and something Jimmy has not seen at a trial ever, but practiced once or twice in his lessons, is the #3 tunnel. Notice how the tunnel entrance faces away from the bottom of the #2 dogwalk bottom. If you watch in the video, Jimmy wasn't sure where he was going and did hesitate a bit before going into the tunnel. The judge could have called that a refusal, but kindly did not. I did a lot of shouting to keep Jimmy heading toward the correct obstacles. He expects more flow so I have watch him closely so he doesn't take what "he thinks" is next. He stayed with me pretty well but alas he knocked down the bar after the weaves. I was still very happy with our run. These are difficult courses and he ran it completely in the correct order. Such a good boy! Here is the video....




I don't have any more videos so feel free to move on. LOL! This stuff can be a tad dry, I know.

Next came regular Standard. You can see it has a few similarities to the Premier course, the tunnel facing the right way of course. Here are the Standard and Jumpers maps...

This was still a pretty tricky course and Jimmy did a great job. We qualified and earned 2nd place. Jimmy's corgi friend Twist smoked him, coming in several seconds faster! Of course now I had hope for a double-Q but it was not to be. Jimmy did not read my turn between #2 and #3 and ran right past the #3 jump, earning a refusal and a disqualified run. He made a couple of other errors as well, but after the first one, the rest don't matter since we are already out.

And finally Premier Jumpers (map in first image on right), another tricky course.  #1 to the backside of  #2, around the corner to the backside of #3, to the backside of #4, to a tough weave pole entry...whew! A few more manuevers to a tunnel facing away again, and a bunch of jumps to make it through. It wasn't easy and I was constantly calling Jimmy off of what he thought was right, but we made it through clean! Woohoo! It was a long but fun day and we were all pooped and ready to go home!

Tracking Jimmy's PACH 2 progress:
Very 1st Double-Q: Sunday 5/1/2016

QQ#20: 
Masters JWW legs: 61...MJP Title 01/25/15 MJPB 10/11/15 MJPS Title
Masters STD legs: 56...MXP Title!10/24/14 MXPB 04/30/17 MXPS Title
Double Q's: 17(out of 20 needed)
PACH Points: Way more than we need! I have lost count!

The Weekend Report: Still in a Slump!

Jimmy and I just can't seem to get it together lately. Friday we ran three courses and something went wrong in each run.

First the maps:

Our first run was Premier Standard, which is just a trickier and faster version of a normal Standard run. Most of the challenges involve making your dog run around to the backside before jumping. #3 was a backside, and I got myself lost and off balance coming around from sending him. This got Jimmy flustered, and put me behind for doing another backside at #5. We almost pulled it off but Jimmy dropped the #5 bar. The rest was clean, even the odd jumps after the AFrame.

Next up was regular Standard (middle map). We had a nice run going until the jump after the AFrame. Sigh.....but hey, I did get video!




And finally our Jumpers run where I felt confident we would redeem ourselves.....NOT! I knew the weaver entry would be a tad tricky and I thought I worked it enough but alas, Jimmy missed it and went in at the 2nd pole. It's been a long time since we have come home completely Q-less. Of course, Jimmy gets his peanut butter treat either way, so he's fine with it!

Next weekend is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club trial. Two days of agility! Let's see if that helps!

Tracking Jimmy's PACH 2 progress:
Very 1st Double-Q: Sunday 5/1/2016

QQ#20: 
Masters JWW legs: 59...MJP Title 01/25/15 MJPB 10/11/15 MJPS Title
Masters STD legs: 53...MXP Title!10/24/14 MXPB 04/30/17 MXPS Title
Double Q's: 15(out of 20 needed)
PACH Points: 1760 plus more! I have lost count!