Clean Run Magazine - June 2008 - 77

Agility Organization Compiled by Brenna Fender Agility Association of Canada By Kathryn Harvey After careful deliberation, the AAC board of directors opted to change the number of Regional Championship qualifying points for Nationals from 400 to 350. In November, 2006, the previous board decided to increase the requirement from 300 to 400 points starting in 2008; however, at that time, the location of the 2008 Nationals had not been determined. When the new board decided that the 2008 Nationals would be held in the Maritimes, they recognized that the location—at the edge of the country in an area with a relatively small agility population—might affect the number of competitors able to attend. So the board took a hard look at the effect of the change to 400 points. The 100-point increase in qualifying points would have knocked out of contention approximately 45% of 2007’s qualifiers, and the impact would have been felt unevenly across divisions and height classes. Changing the requirement to 350 points virtually eliminates these differences and, at the same time, opens the field to more players. The required qualifying points will be re-evaluated following the 2008 Nationals. © DOGHOUSE ARTS Opportunities to earn those qualifying points have been underway since late April 2008, with Regional Championships being held across Canada. The National Championship will be held on the second weekend of August in Sussex, New Brunswick. For information on Regionals and Nationals,go to www.aacnationals.ca.Many thanks to the hundreds of people who contributed to the AAC World Team’s fundraising efforts for the trip to the IFCS World Agility Championships in Belgium.Team Manager Tracy Sklenar was a remarkable driving force in preparing the group for everything they might face in Belgium, and she deserves kudos for bringing in top coaches Marquand Cheek and Greg Louganis to provide advice on achieving brilliance both physically and mentally. The board of directors has been busy working on a number of new policies aimed at developing a sound and sustainable organizational structure. Among them is the establishment of twice-yearly target dates on which rule updates become effective. This is only one of many initiatives designed to enhance the organization’s communications strategy. American Kennel Club By Sharon Anderson The success of the AKC agility program is shown yearly by the outstanding AKC Agility Championship and AKC Agility Invitational. The constant growth is reinforced by the fact that 1,249 dogs have been measured for a height card since January, 2008. Tulsa, Oklahoma, proved a super venue to host the 12th AKC National Agility Championship, an exciting fourring competition. Volunteers from all over the country supported the event, making it an outstanding memory for everyone there, from exhibitors to AKC personnel to competitors. Following are the winners of the International State Team Day: • Large (26"): Jeff Blake, Voucher, Border Collie • Medium (18"): Angie Benacquisto, Dylan, Rat Terrier • Small (14"): Dee Anna Gamel, Kelsi, Shetland Sheepdog • State Team winner: Wisconsin Following are the 2008 National Champions: • 8": Danika Hedges (Junior handler), Allie, Papillon • 12": Dee Anna Gamel, Kelsi, Shetland Sheepdog • 16": Kate Moureaux, Driven, Border Collie • 20": Kendall Fairchild, Teak, Border Collie • 24": Carrie Jones, Jive, Border Collie • 26": Geri Hernandez, Focus, Border Collie The 2009 AKC National Agility Championship will be held in Concord, North Carolina, at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in March. The announcement was received with cheers, as this is a familiar show site for many dog shows in the area. There will be five dirt rings with room for 3,000 spectators in the stadium-seating arena. The World Team tryouts took place in Hopkins, Minnesota on May 4 to 6, 2008. Judges Scott Chamberlain and Don Farage helped select the team members for the World Agility Championship that will be held in Helsinki, Finland, at the end of September. The sponsors, I Love Dogs, Inc., were in attendance, with supporter shirts and good wishes for all. If you’d like to purchase a supporter shirt for the team, go to Ilovedogs.com. Toni Osojnicki is organizing the travel package for all supporters who wish to travel with the team to Finland. Complete information on this exciting event is on the AKC website: www.akc.org. © ROBERT YOUNG Back row: Curt Curtis, AVP Companion Events; Kathie Moureaux 20" champion; Dee Anna Gamel 12" champion; Daneka Hedges 8" champion; Sharon Anderson, AKC Agility director, Don Farage, Finals judge. Front row; Jeri Hernandez 26" champion; Ken Fairchild 24" champion; Carrie Jones 24" champion. Wisconsin state team winners. June 08 | Clean Run 79

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Clean Run Magazine - June 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2008