With three pools running simultaneously this year teams really needed to be on their "A" game to keep up with the fast-paced excitement happening all around. Kicking off the day of competition was the Novice and Senior divisions along with Iron Dog Extreme Vertical.
Steve Bower and Chester, making the trip all the way from Washington, took a commanding lead in the Novice division with their first round jump of 17'8". The next closest team was 4' behind with a score of 13'5" completed by Wilbur handled by Melanie Lehmann, who by the way is only a Lap dog (meaning he is 17" or shorter).
After having a rough start to the competition weekend on Friday Sue Sentowski and Bobber managed to put things together and make it into the Finals on Sunday with a 8'4" jump during Saturday's Novice competition.
Wilbur continued his winning streak he began on Friday by taking the competition by storm and winning the Novice division with a huge jump of 15'10". There were a few inches in distance between first and second place with Pat Ramunno and Buster coming in at 12' for the 2nd place win.
Giving the adults a run for their money in the Senior division was Ashley Hebel handling Shiloh who finished in 2nd with a score of 21'10". Alfredo Rivera with Leapin' Lobo barley squeezed into 1st with a first round jump of 22'5". Ashley and Alfredo should consider themselves lucky as they competed against 89 other teams for the top two spots. This was the largest group of competitors for a single division all weekend!
Surprising everyone during the second day of competition was the young handler Sydney Demeo with her Lab, Echo. The dynamic duo managed to get all the way out to 22' tying for the best score during this round of competition with Stephanie Prock and Zoey. Because Sydney had the better second jump her and Echo took home the first place position on Saturday for the Senior division.
Taking the early lead in the Senior Finals on Sunday were Sarah Clarke and Tweed with a score of 22'10". However, not being able to improve on the first score ended up leaving them in 2nd place overall in the Finals. Andrea Whiting and Caly capitalized on the shortcoming and busted out a big second jump of 23'3" to take the win in the Senior division.
Taking an early lead in the Iron Dog event this year was none other than the current reigning World Iron Dog team of Tony Lampert and Baxter after reaching a height of 7'2" in the Extreme Vertical portion. Coming in a close second were fellow World Champion contenders Lianne Hassen with Rex and Alfredo Rivera with Power Puma. Rounding out the 2nd place tie were Karin Apfel and Storm, our wonderful friends from the North.
Holding onto their lead Tony and Baxter had a monstrous jump of 27'7" in the Big Air portion of Iron Dog on Saturday. I'm sure that made them feel very secure in their hold of the Iron Dog Championship title. Coming in with the second best jump was none other than the current Speed Retrieve World Record holders, Sean McCarthy and Jordan with a score of 25'3".
With 40 teams and one final discipline to finish no one was safe from being bumped from a top spot in the race to be crowned Iron Dog Champion this year. Sean McCarthy and Jordan showed why they are the World Record holders, as they laid down a fast time of 5.264 seconds in the final component - Speed Retrieve. Coming in a very close second was the 2010 World Championship Extreme Vertical team of Lianne Hassen and Rex with a time of 5.489 seconds.
After tallying all of the points it was obvious who the dominant breed was in this battle of the bests - the Belgian Malinois'. We had a close race between 2nd and 3rd place in the Iron Dog standings, coming in 16 points short was Lianne Hassen and Rex in 3rd place while 2nd place was snatched by fellow Nevada natives Alfredo Rivera and Power Puma. Winning the 2010 National Championships and now holding two crowns were Tony Lampert and Baxter.
Leading off the Elite division with the biggest first round jump was Scott Christopherson and Jasper Jax. The duo held onto the lead, improving on their first round score, with a 26'7" jump. Coming in exactly one foot shorter was fellow Wisconsin natives Jessica Johannes and Phoenix in Friday's competition.
In a surprising set of events all 8 teams that qualified for the Elite Finals on Sunday did so on Friday. It seems that was the day everyone was at peak performance. Setting the bar high in this round of Finals on Sunday was Scott Vicary and Ricochet with the first 25'+ jump of the Final at 25'6" on their first attempt. Jessica Johannes with Phoenix also answered the 25'+ on their first attempt. Being an overachiever Jasper Jax decided to up the game by sailing out to 26'4", giving them the overall win in the Elite division.
Going into the Cadet round of Extreme Vertical were 19 teams, by the time we hit the 5' mark 8 teams had already left the competition. Battling it out for the top position were three teams and the 5'10 mark seemed to be the do or die height. First up on the dock were Todd Whitney and Dublin; they actually had the advantage going into the round with no misses. However, the 5'10 mark proved to be a little more than they could handle as they missed both attempts. Next out were Damian Kolbet and Cadbury who had one previous miss. That left only Stephanie Prock and Zoey, from Canal Fulton, OH, making the 5'10 grab and moving them onto the Finals on Sunday!
Saturday saw a four-way tie for 1st place in the Cadet division as teams battled it out for the 4 remaining spots in the Finals on Sunday. The four teams represented all areas of the US as Linda Torson and Bosco, Dawn Meline and Grace, Robert Lockwood and Ryder and Sally Peyton with Echo all made it to 5'4".
Todd Whitney and Dublin, a Flat Coated Retriever, were the lonely team standing entering the Cadet Finals on Sunday as they faced off against 7 Labs. The intimidation factor didn't seem to bother them though as they managed to pull off a win. They even did so by being the only Cadet team to hit a Top Gun division height of 6'. Coming in a very close 2nd was Stephanie Prock and Zoey at 5'10".
Bella, the young Golden Retriever, handled by Sue Barnes took the lead in the first round of jumps in the Big Air Junior division with a score of 17'8". However, the team could not improve on the score and would hold onto that best leaving them in 2nd place during this first round of competition. The team making the best improvement from their first round score, and launching them into first place, was Laura Lockwood with her Lab Ryder with a jump of 19'.
A lot of the Junior teams improved during the second day of competition, securing themselves a spot in the Finals on Sunday. One such team was Dylan Shafer with Chessie, who joined his sister as a Finalist contestant on Sunday.
Surprising everyone in the Finals with an 18'8" jump Maddie, handled by Dan Mussell, pulled off the upset win over the favored team of Laura Lockwood and Ryder in the Junior Finals on Sunday. Coming in a very close second was fellow Iowa native Sue Barnes and Bella, just four inches shorter.
Unlike the Elite Finals earlier in the day the Super Elite finalists found themselves all improving on their scores from Friday. And this was no small improvement either they all gained about 3', on average. Making the biggest in position change was Tiffany Ballow and Marcie. They went from a 19'11" jump on Friday to 26'1" on Saturday!
It was a nail biter on Sunday as Tiffany and Marcie were out to show why they earned their spot in the Finals as they took on Iron Dog Champions Tony Lampert and Baxter. Tiffany and Marcie had a very impressive first round jump, but they knew they could do better. After a few good words from mom and some cheering from the crowd Marcie launched out to 26'8" tying Tony and Baxter for 1st place. Baxter knew he had to step up his game to hold onto his win, as he was the last dog to jump. As Baxter soared through the air landing perfectly into the pool the crowd braced for the score - did he win? Barely squeezing past Marcie by 2 inches Baxter had the better second score at 24'8" - taking home the win in the Super Elite division!
Dawn Meline and Grace took the Speed Retrieve Express division by force on Friday as they secured the fastest qualifying time with a run of 7.385 seconds - very impressive. Piper, handled by Jill Stalter, came barreling out of nowhere to knock 4 teams out of the Finals running by improving by over 2 seconds from their run on Friday, securing themselves a spot in our Finals on Sunday.
Coming right out of the gate in the Express Finals and securing the fastest round one time was Stephanie Malone with Juice at a time of 7.500 seconds. However they were unable to improve on that score and were quickly passed up by Mary Schuenemann and Nike with a time of 7.045 seconds, taking the win in the Express division.
Friday also showcased our Youth Handlers in a Big Air competition specifically designed for our younger participants. Everyone enjoyed watching our 22 youths, ranging in age from 7-15, show some of the older handlers just how it's done. Having the longest jump of the first round of competition was Kristina Schaffhausen and Zeke with a 19'11" jump. However, that was not good enough to secure them first place as Ashley Hebel with Shiloh jumped just a little further on their second attempt making it out to 20'1", securing the win in the qualifying round of competition.
In the Youth Finals Dylan Shafer and Yampa quickly took the lead with a jump of 19'3", but he didn't hold onto that for long as Kristina Schaffhausen and Zeke and Ashley Hebel and Shiloh tied at 19'6". It seemed as the Finals round drew to an end no one could surpass the jumps done by Zeke and Shiloh so it was down to the two Yellow Labs. Zeke seized the opportunity and came back with an improvement of 19'9" Shiloh could not do the same and thus gave up the win to Zeke with Kristina Schaffhausen.
The Turbo division of Speed Retrieve saw a familiar team taking the top spot as they had already earned themselves a spot in the Elite Finals on Sunday. Jessica Johannes and Phoenix snagged the only Sonic time in the Turbo division coming in at 5.971 seconds on Friday! "It had to be the quick reaction time", stated Brandon Long, DockDogs® Announcer. He went on to add that this weekend he saw some of the fastest reaction times in his three year career with DockDogs®!
Continuing her Sonic fast runs into the Finals Phoenix scored a second Sonic time of 5.753 seconds - still the only Turbo titled team to score a Sonic run at the 2010 National Championships. Coming in less than a second behind was David Smith with Rocket with a time of 6.297 seconds.
The Big Air Master division was our second largest group of competitors of the weekend's event. Every jump counted as 80 teams vied for only 8 spots in the Finals on Sunday. Quickly making their presence known on their first jump, with the longest jump of qualifying competition, was Bob Evans with Buckeye hailing from Elkhart, IN.
The dynamic duo seemed to lose a little of their "mojo" as they entered the Master Finals on Sunday only going out to 16'7" on their first jump. After the first round of competition it looked as though Kelsey Wehr and Indy were in the clear for the win being the only team to hit above 22'. After watching everyone pass them by and having the lowest score after the first round Buckeye knew he needed to step up his game; after a pep talk from Bob, Buckeye soared to 23'1" for the win. Sarah Clarke and Tweed just barely made it into 2nd with a score of 22'3" as Nai'a was one inch behind her with handler Abby Kidd.
The Speed Retrieve Sonic division may have been a small group, but they were powerful and committed. The difference between the top eight teams to make it into the Finals was less than 1 second! As we got down to the final two teams in Friday's first round of competition it was clear that the race was between Scott Vicary with Ricochet and the World Record holders Sean McCarthy with Jordan. Scott & Ricochet improved on their first time coming in with a 5.524 second run. Sean & Jordan knew they had to be quick to beat the time and regain their first place status. However, they were too quick and ended up false starting, leaving Scott and Ricochet with the fastest time of the Sonic qualifying rounds.
The fight to the top continued right into the Finals on Sunday in the Sonic division. While only 7 teams joined us they were all out to win. Unfortunately one team said goodbye early, Joey Spurlock and Brock, false starting on both their attempts. Sean and Jordan held onto the early lead they established for the win with a time of 5.392 seconds, being crowned the Sonic division Champions for the second year in a row.
The "Maligators" were out in full force in the Top Gun division of Extreme Vertical on Friday taking over all four top spots available for the Finals on Sunday. Saturday saw a few new breeds rounding out the list of finalists adding in two labs and a mixed breed from California.
As we got down to the top dogs in the Top Gun Finals on Sunday we had four teams join the 7'+ club vying for the win with three of the four teams having no misses under their collars. After hitting 7' Lianne Hassen and Rex left the game at 7'2". 7'4" seemed to be the height to beat as teams started dropping out. The only team to hit the mark, and take the win, were 2010 National AND World Iron Dog Champions, Tony Lampert & Baxter.
Our 8 dog Lap Dog division Wave was host to some of the cutest little competitors we saw all weekend. "These little guys (and gals) showed that they might be small, but that doesn't mean they can't jump!" stated Max DeWire, DockDogs® Announcer. One of the teams up on the dock, Jennifer Gensler with her Jack Russell Miss Molly, were awarded as the DockDogs® Lottery Winners for the 2011 season. This is a very exciting honor for any competitor as they are granted free Big Air Waves for the 2011 season! Taking top honors in the qualifying round was Pippin, who is not only a Lap Dog but also a Veteran Dog (meaning he is at least 8 years of age) with a jump of 13'2".
It became clear as the Lap Dog Finals progressed on Sunday that the competition would be between hometown neighbors Melanie Lehmann with Wilbur and Jennifer Gensler with Lottery winner Miss Molly. Out jumping Miss Molly by about 2' Wilbur kicked it into high gear for his second jump making it out to 14'6".
Kicking off our day of Finals on Sunday were the last qualifying rounds of competition; the Veteran Dogs which are dogs that are 8 years or older, were given their time to shine. Going into the second jump in the Veteran Dog Wave there was a tie for first place between Rich Schafer & Jasper and Todd Dalle Ave & Snickers. Rich & Jasper were first up on the dock sailing all the way out to 21'3" on their second attempt. Now it was all up to Todd & Snickers, they put forth a very good effort, but came up slightly short at 20'4", giving Rich and Jasper the win.
"Giving us quite a scare prior to the Veteran Dog Finals on Sunday was long time competitor and DockDogs® family member Dean Skillman", stated Tyler Nicholson, DockDogs® Administrator. After falling victim to an unfortunate accident Dean was taken to the hospital leaving us all to wonder if he would be able to return, Nicholson went on to say. This moment of potential tragedy was turned into joy as we saw Dean return to the competition site and back on the dock just in time for the Veteran Dog Finals.
While Dean and Wylie did not go on to win the Veteran Dog class (they did manage to take 3rd place) they were "an example of what a true competitor's spirit and love for the sport can do." Nicholson commented. Coming in first over Wylie by only 5" was Rich Schafer and Jasper with a score of 21'6". Tying for the best jump of the Finals was Todd Dalle Ave and Snickers, however since Jasper had the better second jump Snickers was awarded 2nd place.
The latest addition to the DockDogs® line-up this year was the Legend Dog class - dogs 10+ years. It was designed to honor dogs that laid the foundation for the sport and still love it to this day. "It was great seeing faces who haven't been on the dock in a while", stated Max DeWire. "It was especially heartwarming to see Country, the reigning Big Air World Record holder, up on the dock for the first time in a couple of years" he added.
Taking the competition by storm on their first jump Sue Barnes and her German Shorthaired Pointer Tanner made a huge splash with their 18'1" jump in the Legend Dog Finals later in the day on Sunday. The closest that anyone could come to catching them was Dave Breen and Black Jack with their 15'6" jump.
For those of you who did not get to the National Championships this year, or who opted out of some of the "Special Events" that took place over the weekend, let me give you some insight on what you missed out on. Friday's Social Night aka "League Night" was fantastic, it was so much fun to get out and Bowl. The common thread for most attendees was that they hadn't been bowling in years (decades for some of us - and our scores were reflective of this). With that said, there were some shining stars amongst us; there were 2 individuals that bowled a perfect game - 300 (how did they find the time to practice between DockDogs® events?) All kidding aside, congratulations to Dawn Miller & Jeff Salisbury, that is quite an accomplishment.
A quick summary outlining the League Night Champions - in 1st place with a score of 1,016 the Rocky Mountain DockDogs® Bowling Team consisting of Ken, Van, Jon, Clark & David; followed closely by the 2nd place team of Dawn, Nina, Bill, Kevin & Chet with a score of 1,010; and rounding out the top 3 - in 3rd Place with a score of 1,006 the team of Jeff, Liz, Ernie, Scott & Bernie. Also, congratulations to the following Youth Handlers that participated in the Youth Bowling Finals: Katy, Lauren, Nikki, Tricia & Zach. I hope everyone had as much fun as they appeared to be having.
The other component of League Night included the Overall Regional Awards and the National Zone Awards. Because of the phenomenal turn out we had to split our guests into 2 very large groups in order to accommodate everyone with bowling and eating. Upon arrival, guests were directed to either bowl first or to grab a plate of BBQ and sit down and eat while being entertained by some 2010 event footage, club commercials and a brief awards presentation. Congratulations to all 2010 Regional Award recipients & Top National Zone Ranked Teams!
"The highlight of the weekend & the Season for that matter (in my opinion), was the Formal Banquet & Year End Awards Ceremony", stated Teresa Reeves, DockDogs® Admininstrator. This gala event took place on Saturday night at the Grand River Center at the Port of Dubuque, the venue was perfect for this hard to top annual event. Reeves went on to state, "It is always exciting to see the DockDogs® community all dressed up and ready to socialize with and recognize fellow competitors for their achievements over the course of the season." There were many familiar faces that have managed to maintain their rankings over the years, and lots of new teams that have joined the ranks of Top Competitors for 2010. Sean McCarthy & Jordan along with Lianne Hassen & Rex and Craig Haverstick & Henry were among several teams that received multiple awards for their efforts this past season. Congratulations to Tony Lampert & Baxter for being recognized as the Rookie Team of the Year for 2010 along with Damian Kolbet & Cadbury for being chosen as the Most Exciting Team and Julie Jay who was voted Favorite Cheerleader, your enthusiasm is contagious!
Although 2010 brought with it the loss of several dogs along with a few friends including Mark Ruiz and Tim Kline - all were there with us in spirit and were thought of by many at the Sunday morning memorial service & Balloon launch that was held at the competition site prior to the start of Sunday's Finals. Started last year with the Balloon launch in memory of Chase, this has become an annual event that gives us all the opportunity to come together to remember and honor our DockDogs® friends both human & canine alike.
According to Heather Zuhl, DockDogs® Administration "Based on the sales of dog training toys and various additional dog accessories at this event, the theme of the weekend seemed to be that everyone was excited to start practicing and training for next season". She went on to add that competition for the 2011 Season is looking to be fierce as teams battle for top honors and invitations to the 2011 World Championships!
Thank you to all teams that came out to participate or simply cheer on and support their fellow competitors & club members both at this year's National Championships as well as any and all of the 2010 Season's Events. This was once again a successful and momentous year for DockDogs®, we look forward to seeing all of you out on the dock in 2011.
Until we meet again, play and stay safe!
To see the original press release, please CLICK HERE!
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