NADAC Championships – What a Ride!!

Round 1 –

7am Thursday morning we were in the big arena for the first time enjoying the National Anthem and the Canadian Anthem. The arena was split it have with an over sized Regular course on one end and a Jumpers course on the other. The running order stayed the same for each day: Double Digit Dogs ran first then small to tall followed by Silver Stakes and Super Stakes. So Hershey ran first thing in the morning. Hershey ran fast and perfect; our only faults were because I had to cross the line, earning 6th Place out of a class of 13 dogs. The DD dogs only had to run the Regular course and not the Jumpers. Kant and I had a very nice Round 1 getting 4th Place. She was a little confused when we finished the Regular course and then went straight to the Jumpers course without leaving the arena and she had the BEST start-line stay for that Jumpers course.

Round 2 –

Mid-afternoon Round 2 started and DD dogs got to run first. Hershey and I had another great run with the distance line being our only fault but we were met at the end of the run and told we could not run anymore. Hershey was just too stiff in the shoulder to continue; his heart was there but the body was not. I knew it was coming but it still made me very sad to retire my first agility dog and have to admit that he is getting old. He did earned another 6th Place Ribbon ending his agility career with an amazing showing at Championships! Kant and I had an off-course but still ended up in 6th Place. There was only one other dog in the top 6 from Round 1 so I was pretty sure we were sitting in 2nd Place overall.

We went to bed very tired and off to a good start!

Round 3 –

Back in the big arena at 7am for the Anthems but this time we were looking out over just one big course. I had a hard time watching the Double Digit Dogs and not running Hershey. He did not seem to mind, he still liked all the attention he was getting and hanging out with me. Kant and I had a great run earning our first ever 1st Place at Championships. That run felt great and was one of those runs where you can feel the teamwork.

Round 4 –

We were having a great run and Kant was running fast; a little too fast to make the Dog Walk contact. We ended up in 10th Place on that round. I knew we were still in the top but we were going to have to step up the next day.

Team Round 1 –

I got ask to fill in on a Veteran team with Lynda and Robby, and Kathy and Dusty after their other teammate, Kelly and Fuzz, got injured in Round 1. It was a huge honor to be on a team with such great teammates and to represent a great team. Kant and I ran the 2nd part of the course with a three tunnel discrimination. We ROCKED that course along with the rest of our team getting 1st Place!!!

Once again we went to bed very tired with hope for the next day.

Round 5 –

We got another fault and I felt the Finals slipping away. Kant and I were still running as a good team but made one mistake. We got another 10th Place.

Round 6 –

We were having a great run until I took my eyes off of Kant to check where we were going and dropped by hand bringing Kant in to me over an off-course jump and over the distance line earning 2 faults for a total 15 points. I was having a pretty good pity party going on questioning my handling and if I should even be there when I thought get over it, put your big girl panties on, and run tomorrow the best you can! I went to bed early which caused me to wake up in the middle of the night and for some reason I checked Facebook and saw one of my friends post that his dog came up lame in that round and he was done with Champs. Pretty much made my pity party even more ridiculous and made me more determined to run our best because I was able to run my dog.

Team Round 2 –

Our Team Rocks and we had more smoking runs getting another 1st Place.

Echo also got asked to be on a team.  She had a great time and did awesome for a baby dog.  And she got to run in the big arena.

Round 7 –

7am back in the big arena for the last day of Championship. During the Anthems we were looking over a 10 obstacle U-shaped course. We were thinking and heard comments about this being a joke and where was the rest of the course but that was it. You had the option to walk or not; I chose not to but was still trying to figure out the trick. I knew better then to take the course for granted and I worked every obstacle. That course ate up teams. Kant and I accomplished the goal I had and went out and ran our best get another 1st Place.

 

Team Final Round –

The Final Round of Team is Batters Up, well we fell down! Lynda did a great job of batting but I could not throw a ball that Kathy could catch. But overall our Team ended up in 2nd Place!!

The Final Round –

I was outside with Hershey, Bart, and Bling when they started announcing who would be in the finals. Bart asked me if I wanted to go inside and I did not. I could hear just fine and I was just hoping to be in the finals. They were taking the top 33% this year not just the top 25% so that meant 8 dogs out of our class of 26. I was just thinking with two 1st Places I might be in the Finals. They started calling off names from my division and there it was Traci Bruchok and Kant were in the Finals.

Back in to the arena for the Final Round. I was sitting with a group of friends that had also made it in to the Finals in their division and we were strategizing. They knew where they were and I had no clue but knew I was going to go out and run as hard as I could. Then they started announcing the running order and the last dog called would be the dog sitting in first place. They get to my division and I said to my group where is Kant? And then I hear it the dog sitting in 1st Place in the 12” Veteran/JH division is Traci Bruchok and Kant. My chest hurt, I was going to throw up, I could not breathe, and my Mom was not answering her phone. How was it possible for Kant and I to be sitting in 1st Place with two 10th Places and a 12th and all those great handler/dog teams in our division. Change in strategy – run conservatively!

I watched some of the runs before our turn with a tricky opening, run it from the right or left side, and I saw some off-course possibilities. We handled the opening beautifully and then we got a part where several dogs were going off-course. I worked it hard, a bit too hard and pulled Kant off the obstacle she was supposed to take. I thought she is listening just fine, run her like you know you can and quit micro-managing. We danced through the rest of the course without any faults to become the 2010 12” Veteran/JH Grand Champion!! Even as I was handed the Trophy and Ribbon at the Awards Ceremony I still could not believe it!! I could not believe what a fool I was and what a GREAT dog I have!! Kant did not knock one bar at Championships!!