Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 79

Agility Organization Compiled by Brenna Fender American Kennel Club By Sharon Anderson At Crufts Dog Show, the largest in the world, the AKC agility representative, Marcus Topps and his Border Collie Juice (sponsored by Clean Run), were the talk of the event. The international agility competition was held in the main arena for the ﬁrst time this year. This meant more than 6,000 people sat in the stands. BBC and Animal Planet cameras were rolling in the charged atmosphere. This competition became the who’s who of agility; France’s Christine Charpentier and England’s Toni Dawkins were there, along with last year’s FCI Agility World Championship individual champion representing Denmark, and champions from the Netherlands, Wales, and Norway. All 17 teams were outstanding. Both rounds were Standard runs with challenging courses on carpet. Marcus and Juice handily won Round 1 with a 3-second time margin. Round 2 was exceptionally challenging with a chute to a jump sequence that had about two strides for the dog to take the 26" jump, but Juice handled it easily. A small bobble at a jump, however, caused a 5-point fault for Juice in Round 2. The overall placement of countries found the USA in third. The 21-acre show site was packed with vendors, rings to show the 25,000 dog entry, and many demonstrations to educate the public; there were over 100,000 spectators per day. Marcus and Juice were a hit at the AKC education booth. Another event that recently occurred was the 11th AKC Agility National Championship held in Columbus, Ohio. Many thanks to all the volunteers who made the event possible. With 1,049 dogs entered, this was the largest entry to date for the Nationals. The three-day event was also the most exciting to date.The Challengers round lived up to its name; all handlers stepped to the line knowing it was all or nothing. The ﬁnals boasted the cream of the crop and fulﬁlled the crowd’s expectations. The new title © MATTALLISONPHOTOGRAPYHY.COM NAC (National Agility Champion) will now be placed in front of the winners’ names. Newly crowned Champions are: 8" class, MACH4 Bomar’s Beanie Baby, a.k.a Phoebe, Papillon, Kim Sisak, Minnesota; 12" class, MACH8 Blue Moon Shine on Willow, a.k.a Willow, Australian Shepherd, Michelle Beardsley,Virginia; 16" class, COURTESY AKC AND CARRIE DEYOUNG MACH Luka De La Brise, a.k.a. Luka, Pyrenean Shepherd, Ashley Deacon, California; 20" class, MACH Sagehill Happily Ever After, a.k.a Smart As, Border Collie, Paulena Renee Hope, Virginia; 24" class MACH3 Wildﬁres Precious Metal, a.k.a. Sterling, Border Collie, Gerry Brown, Texas; 26" class MACH2 Jumpstart Maladjusted Jester, a.k.a Jester, Border Collie, Daisy Peel, Oregon. Watch the AKC website, www.akc.org, for announcements for the 2008 Agility Nationals location and dates. The next large event for AKC agility is the AKC Agility Invitational. This event will be held on December 1 and 2, 2007, in Long Beach, California. The judges will be Pam Richcreek, Lori Purdy, Karen Paulukaitis, and international judge Saso Novak from Slovenia. The top ﬁve dogs per breed according to the AKC list of top MACH-pointed dogs will be competing. Australian Shepherd Club of America By Allison Bryant Dogs on Course in North America By Jim Mills ASCA agility trials are open to all dogs regardless of breed.To enable ASCA to track titles, a dog needs to have a tracking number.Tracking applications and rules can be downloaded from www.asca.org. ASCA agility trials are being held all over the U.S. and we even had our ﬁrst one in Germany last year! ASCA agility is a lot of fun.The courses are open and ﬂowing, and dogs love them. It’s a good venue in which to start a young dog since training in the ring is allowed. For example, if you miss a contact, you can repeat the obstacle. Training in the ring results in an elimination, but it’s a good way to make sure each run is a positive experience. Seasoned agility dogs love ASCA agility as well. The open courses give them a chance to really stretch their legs and run. For more information about ASCA agility, please visit www.asca.org. There is also a Yahoo Group called ASCAAgilityEnthusiasts where you can ask questions about the program and get information about upcoming events. June 07 | Clean Run On October 5 through 7, the DOCNA Eastern and Western Championships will be held.The Eastern Championships will be hosted by Southern Connecticut Agility Team in Hamden, Connecticut, while the Western Championships will be hosted by DOCNA in Buckeye, Arizona. DOCNA’s goal at the championships is to provide a safe venue for all competitors and their dogs in an atmosphere that promotes fun and success. All different levels of handlers and dogs are welcome, including junior handlers and the physically challenged. The championship agility courses will be like they are at the trials you attend on any given weekend.They will have ﬂow, challenges, and fair standard course times that will promote success.The format of each event will not change or be expanded into extra-long courses; what you see now is what you will get at the championships. The DOCNA North America Challenge (NAC) will be the featured event at the DOCNA Championships that will decide Eastern and Western regional champions along with 79

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Clean Run Magazine - June 2007

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