Day Two Regional Report

Day Two dawned drizzly and dreary .. and I watched it happen. I left home at 5 am to be on site for the 6:30 general walk through. To say I would be peeved to get lost on a course at regionals is a gross understatement. This year there really was little risk of that although each course had some challenges and I did watch people and dogs (both together and separately) go off course. In fact the jumpers run (last of our runs) had a NUMBER of off course potentials.

Class one was gamblers and there weren't a lot of ways to wrack up points without doing contacts. I wasn't doing them with Brody (he was tired) and I wasn't wasting the time with Sally (though in hindsight I should have risked a missed contact to get the drive I wanted.

Brody's run was first. We ran up the centre line doing a spread, tire and the four point jump, repeated the four point jump then double, teeter, jump jump, jump double ... 11 obstacles for all of 23 points - DOH .. the actual gamble was a no hoper for B - a jump at a 90 degree angle to weaves  then a far end tunnel. I tried and Brody was  ummm NO.

Sally's gamblers class was her only truly ugly class of the weekend  - we weren't connected properly off the start line - I suspect because I really felt I had no plan in place. We did the same start as Brody - although I forgot to repeat the 4 point jump, Sally knocked a one point rail and stopped dead after clearing the double. She turned around and carefully smelled it from top to bottom then carried on. She chose the dog walk - and held a beautiful contact on the bottom - the best static contact of the weekend (her teeters were good). She also weaved beautifully - sadly the whistle went with 3 poles to go. We did not get the weaves on the final gamble though we were much closer than Brody. She earned 23 points too. Very odd. Good learning though - lots of it!

Our next class was standard. Lots of ways to mess this run up ... and Brody was foot perfect. Not super speedy but his rock star self. He absolutely saved me once. He earned bonus points even so he was fast enough :) Sally's run was not quite as smooth. She bailed off the aframe from one step down - whoops! Luckily she was connected to me and caught the cue for the sharp turn for the tunnel. She read the jump tunnel tunnel dogwalk beautifully and got her dog walk contact. She got called for 2 refusals for the weaves although I'd swear she only curled out of them the first time as she slipped on the entry. Tire, teeter, jump, jump up to pin wheel was lovely but I just couldn't get where I needed to be for the last line. I had no idea how to steer her so she ended up dong a S turn. I earned her another R. 20 fault run well under time. It sounds funny to say but I was quite pleased with the run. It was slick, we stayed safe and enjoyed ourselves. Being in the A group was inspirational.. Laura got it right. Even the cameras all around the ring didn't worry us.

Jumpers had a wicked little opening. Brody got it and then my little rock star got peeved with me I told him "Tunnel" as he was already heading for the 14 tunnel. He looked around and happily found the wrong end of the tunnel. Took himself off track and did a beautiful wrong tunnel. He came out laughing - so I had no choice but to laugh and stick him back in then carry on. He (of course) did the rest of the course beautifully! Stinker... hilarious, sweet, funny little stinker. I think that was the first time in all of our runs he made a point quite that clearly about my inadequacies!
Sally had me terrified - I could feel 6 off course options calling me. I did a funky lead out I didn't see anybody else do and it worked for us  - I shot her over the jump then threadled her back to me - the pinwheel worked as did the 180 but we caught the wrong end of tunnel 8. My fault totally as I couldn't hold all the handling options together for what was a very tricky, fun, challenging opening. She corrected beautifully and then did a lovely lovely job on the rest of the course.

I could not be much happier with the dogs. Brody's 20 fault off course was his only fault all weekend. Sally's second gamblers class was the only urgh with her really. Both dogs ran beautifully and we stayed connected. I would have liked to watch more dogs run but I had a lovely wet weekend. She had a total of 45 faults - I caused 2 refusals, the weave issue, the ONE missed contact (GO Sally) and the offcourse. Not too shabby.