Clean Run - September 2014 - 7

Everything you
always wanted to know
about agility

By Brenna Fender

Where and when did the tradition of taking the last jump bar to celebrate
a championship start?
The tradition of taking a jump bar as part of finishing an agility
championship began with the first AKC Master Agility Championship (MACH), which was awarded to Marq Cheek and his
Shetland Sheepdog Wyatt on June 26, 1999 at a Gamblers Agility Club of Las Vegas trial. There were other ways to celebrate
major agility accomplishments in other venues before this event,
including a mannequin leg that was passed around for earning
United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) Masters-level
qualifying scores ("Masters legs"), but the enduring championship bar ritual began as part of celebrating the first MACH.

The idea came from a conversation at the Gamblers Agility Club
event between competitor Franz Miller and one of the two judges
that weekend, Larry Brockett (the other judge was Dan Prestby).
Brockett says, "[Franz Miller and I] started talking about pro athletes
getting a game ball for outstanding performance during the game, as
Marq was getting ready for his MACH run." Miller adds, "We were
at ringside and were discussing how very cool it would be to see the
first MACH ever occur. Larry said something to the effect it would
be great if they could give him a memento to commemorate it-like
when a baseball player gets a baseball for a milestone homer. I told
Larry he was on to something. Maybe they could give Mark one
of the bars as his memento. One of us, I honestly can't remember
[who], said it should be the last bar on the course; literally, the final
hurdle to his MACH. Thus, this idea was a spontaneous joint effort."
The pair went to convince the trial secretary to allow them to give
away the top bar off the last jump, which was a triple. Donating
a piece of equipment, taped by the late Vi Odell (according to an
old email by Judge Prestby), was not in the club's plans, but the
trial secretary and club president Kim Buchan went along with it.
The bar, which was decorated with black and yellow tape, was

Do you have a question about agility
rules or anything else agility related?
Mail your questions to Brenna Fender:
brennafender@gmail.com
Brenna collects the questions and forwards
them to us so we never see the names.

signed by both judges, Buchan, Trial Chairman Henry Phiester,
and several of Marq's friends who were at the trial.
Everyone in the venue knew that the first MACH was on the line,
and, in fact, all action stopped so that everyone could watch Marq
and Wyatt attempt their 20th QQ. Competitors were on their cell
phones relaying play-by-plays of the run to those who were not
at the event. But while everyone knew that they were witnessing
history, no one knew that they were also in on the beginning of
a trend that would spread not only to every AKC trial in which a
MACH was earned, but eventually to other venues as well. Now
bars may be awarded for championships at events sanctioned by
USDAA, Teacup Dog Agility Association, and many others, although not in every venue or in all areas of the country.
At first, the actual last bar jumped was awarded, as it was to
Cheek. After getting the bar, competitors began to sit it out in a
central location so that friends and other competitors could sign
it in permanent marker, making later bars covered in signatures.
At some point in some areas of the country, clubs started packing
extra, unused (or relatively clean) bars in preparation for potential MACHs. Sometimes friends of "near MACH" competitors
would bring clean bars for this purpose. As the MACH candidates came up to the line, their friends would replace the dirty bar
with a clean one in case the championship was completed.
Eventually, this tradition led to the production of decorated MACH
bars, which could not be used on the course. So "MACH bars" began to be awarded, and the taking of the last bar on the course faded.
Some agility old-timers have lamented the loss of a simple, dirty,
stained bar and prefer it over the fancy ones. Regardless, the awarding of a jump bar still represents the completion of the "final hurdle"
toward the impressive agility achievement called the MACH! D

NOTE: While it is not permissible to make copies of Clean Run magazine, we wish to give readers permission to make copies of this particular column for personal use.
This means you are free to share copies of this column with students, friends, or club members. The information may also be included in not-for-profit newsletters as
long as credit is given to Clean Run.
September 14 | Clean Run

Clean Run - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - September 2014