Saturday, June 21, 2008

Comments from the judges...






















...........................Photo from left to right, Bruce Ahlers, DVM, Roger Fangsrud and Steve Kompf.

I was fortunate to visit with the judges and will pass along some of their thoughts regarding this National.

From Steve Kompf: "We've had such a great group to work with and all of the committees have worked hard to provide good mechanics. Look, we've not really had any late nights out here and that's saying something for this number of dogs. And regarding the dogs entered, overall as a group they are very nice dogs and watery dogs. It's good to see.

"We hope we've put marks out there and not just birds placed where you have to run forever to get to them. Each of us has had input for bird placement...we all have strong personalities but we've shown we can sit back and listen, too. Any time we've had differences we've been able to move on from them.

"The toughest thing is to get numbers down. It must be done. And we've found out it's very difficult to evaluate the work as a whole to do that."

Roger Fangsrud shared: "I can't say enough about the mechanics of this field trial. They've kept the timing right on and it's been impressive.

"And the throwers are the best I've ever worked with...they volunteer with enthusiasm and they can sure throw!" [Kudos to Co-Chairs of the Bird Throwers, Alan Pleasant and Hugh Arthur, and their committee.]

"My feeling on the type of dog we're looking for is one where marking is the most important quality of all. We may be looking at the blinds a little less but of course they still count. We want to see natural marking and how it overpowers training.

"And I just love the area and the people here.

"As far as my co-judges go, well, we are partners in crime, and we lucked out as a group...we really get along."

And Bruce Ahlers, DVM, contributed the following: "This has been just beautiful countryside for a National. We've wanted to have tests to bring out the flavor of the area and the characteristics specific to this area. That's why we've used these beautiful stick ponds and the things you've seen.

"I'm really pleased with my two co-judges, we've gotten along great and we've fed off each other to put up tests that we feel are quite challenging.

"Bird placement is key to bringing out the best marking ability in these dogs, and to showcase those with great style and desire. That's what we're looking for. We don't want to just keep eliminating dogs until there's one left that hasn't handled. We want a National Champion that is a stylish and wonderful marker that is a pleasure to watch."

Cutter is enjoying the attention...



...and is hamming it up in the Town & Country Pub at his party!

Congratulations to 2008 NAFC Cutter!



.................................................................................................................................................Left to right, Steve Kompf, judge; Bruce Ahlers, DVM, judge; owner/handler Jeff Talley; Cutter; and Roger Fangsrud, judge--CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The second photo includes Jeff's wife, Cindee, and daughter Jordan.

Update on internet connection...

...Hello, big congratulations to 2008 National Amateur Retriever Championship Winner, CUTTER, (AFC Hawkeye's Coast Guard) and JEFF TALLEY, as you surely already know...we've not had any internet signal whatsoever during the two tests today and now I will try to catch you up while at Talley's winner's party...

All the finalists...



..........................................................gather by the waiting winner's table...waiting with suspense to learn who the new National Amateur Champion will be....

Oh, what a feeling!


....Jeff Talley has finished with both of his dogs, which is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself, and at the very moment this photo is taken he has learned the big news---Cutter is 2008 National Amateur Field Champion...Jeff said a few minutes later: "It's a dream! It's all about the dogs, but to do something like this--you work hard, but you don't think it will ever happen to you--This is just a dream..."  

Dreams can come true!!!

Judy Pond


...This is Judy's first National Amateur after quite a tenure in the sport. Big Congrats!

Dick Fenner of Official Guns

























.....................................................................Dick Fenner is more or less an institution as far as Official Guns at Nationals go. After all, he's shot at 53 of them. Wow! But, this year, by the looks of things, you'd think: "He can't shoot anymore."

Wrong. Well, I remember hearing some story about how he recently went to Argentina and had a blazing time down there.

But, did you know that Fenner has never missed a bird in his entire National shooting career? And now, while shooting with one arm, he maintains that streak. The only concession is that he must shoot at non-retired stations as it's difficult to move his wheelchair quickly; it's no problem to accommodate this situation.

What happened to Dick Fenner? A freak accident, the kind none of us expect, hit him, literally, soon after last year's Utah-based National Amateur. He fell off a ladder and struck his head. But, he insisted he was fine and it was that evening before his wife was able to drag him, under protest, to the hospital. It was a few weeks before he was diagnosed as having had a stroke; whether or not the fall attributed to that is unknown.

Scheduled to be Captain of the Guns for Morgan Hill in California that November, he was heavily involved in rehab so able Ron Foley took over.

But, here he is again, ready, willing and able!

(Richard Smith, Eastern time zone's Co-Captain of the Guns, explained some things about the Official Guns for me to share with you. The Guns have a Captain and Co-Captain for each time zone, and they are self-inclusive, responsible for every detail to facilitate smooth running of the Official Guns and smooth shooting rotations at Nationals.
With an admirable working system in place, the Guns rotate duties and keep tallies on every member so that the shooting of flyers and popping at dead bird stations becomes evenly distributed for all. And, when any Gun is running a dog in a National, he doesn't shoot until such time as his dog goes out, if and when that occurs.
Also, each time a Captain of any time zone retires, the current Co-Captain moves up in rank and then picks his own Co-Captain. For example, Richard's father passed position of Captain to Dan Kingston [edit--prayers for Dan Kingston's family and Godspeed to Dan, who passed away June 23...he will be missed], who in turn passed it to Bruce Doing and Richard is current Co-Captain and will move up, as did his father, when Bruce retires. )


The Heart of Pogo


...I wanted the story of Pogo. So, all week I pestered her co-owner until we finally pegged some time to fill in the blanks around that which I already knew about this neat little dog.

Here goes: Veteran field trialer Martha Russell has raised a number of puppies for Judy Aycock. So, it was nothing unusual for her to step in and offer to raise another for her, this one out of "Ford" (FC-AFC Fordland's Bored Out Ford) and "L'il Ms" (L'il Ms Hot Pursuit).

When down in Texas for a nephew's wedding, Martha met with Judy and played with the puppies in that litter.

"Which one?" she asked.

"Which one do you want?" Judy returned.

Since Martha was taking the puppy in the plane's cabin with her, she elected to choose the small female; Pogo was eight weeks old.

She kept her for about six months, and by that time, Trumarc's L'il Ms Pogo was blossoming into a special little dog that could not only mark but run hard while doing it...and was unusually strong in the water as well.

Judy ran her in a few Derbies. However, when Pogo was between one and two years she came down with a mysterious illness. No diagnosis could be made, but she became deathly ill and almost died. While fighting to live, she spent much time in Judy and Ed's home being nursed back to health. With a pitiful appetite, she'd barely nibble at little cans of Mighty Dog. Then, just as mysteriously, she rallied and began to gain weight and improved in general. Soon, she was back at field trialing--she still wanted to play the game--as she placed fourth with Judy in an Amateur when she was just two.

Due to personal reasons, Judy decided to sell Pogo. Danny Farmer looked at her for a client who decided she was too much dog, and then Martha approached John about buying the plucky female. John consented and the Russells left Pogo with Danny for several months.

"Maybe as long as a year," Martha stated. "But we originally bought her for John to run, because I was running Pow at the time. So we took over. John had great success in running her, but never felt comfortable with training her."

(A note from me: Indeed, he did, as I enjoyed watching him with her several times, most notably in Klamath Falls, Oregon a few years back at the National there when she finished as a strong contender for the title.)

And how did Martha end up running her?

"I did all her training, and John suggested I start running her, too. She's a neat little dog...special, like she was as a puppy."

And she's special indeed. She decided to go on living, and she's finished a National with John and now one with Martha.

And that's the story of Pogo. For now.

Tenth series


.................................................................................Pam's drawing, and more to come...

First Time and Nine Series for Jeff Telander
























.......................................He qualified...but didn't plan to come. After all, it would essentially take up two weeks of his life, or more.

"I debated on whether I wanted to do this--come to the National--it seemed like such a huge time commitment. But then I also thought this might be my only opportunity to get here, and I felt I owed it to her..."

Now, you may jump to the conclusion that he means "Sinner" when he refers to "her" but he just might be referring to previous co-owner, Martha Voshell, (now deceased) who was responsible for Jeff's involvement with his beloved dog.

Telander had been in the competitive obedience arena six years ago and had earned OTCH... He went to Connie Cleveland for higher learning toward field and hunt tests, and -- presto -- he got hooked on field training...and never looked back.

Five years old when he picked up his first bird, Jeff's dog, Broad Reach Diesel, finished to QAA a year and a half later. Diesel may have continued on from there but due to an injury was retired.

Now, enter Martha and Buddy Voshell, friends who operated a triple-purpose Labrador kennel for bench, obedience and field performance. Martha had been diagnosed with metastastic cancer when she informed Jeff she'd bought a dog for him. It happened to be from a cross done by Milly Welsh and Charles Hayden.

People often asked Martha why she got a field puppy at this stage of her life--with such enormous complications to face--and she'd say, "The devil made me do it." That, coupled with the fact that this puppy's sire was FC Runnin with the Devil set the puppy's name in stone. Broad Reach Devil Made Me Do It, or "Sinner" hurtled into the field trial world. That was Fall of 2002.

Jeff did the basics and then sent Sinner to Jamie Balesdent for a winter. Alan Pleasant also had her for a year. Then, Jeff brought her home and resumed her training until he bcame faced with a heavy job workload; he now places her with Dave Smith in the summer and winter while he keeps her fall and spring.

Since last fall he's picked up an Amateur win at the Down East trial and also won Blue Ridge's Open this spring. With a second in the Open for Dave Smith at Snowbird, Sinner is also qualified for this year's National Open.

Who did Jeff join for pre-National training? Well, none other than the Lardy group, which consisted of Mike, Mac and Lynne DuBose, Judy Powers, Chad Baker, Charlie Hines, Judy Rasmusson, Karl Gunzer, Charles Tyson and Joan Fine.

"Everyone was helpful. And I want to thank Allen Voshell for his support and his interest in Sinner."

His thoughts on this National?

"I've had a really good time, but it's all much more grueling than I anticipated. Up late, back up early...it's not a restful experience! I wasn't prepared for how demanding this really is.

"But now that I've done it one time, I want to do it again--I want to qualify and come back and see what we can do!"

Test nine

















..........................Pam's drawing shows the test. The long bird on the right is thrown left at 320 yardsand the guns/thrower retire into the treeline. On the right, shot and thrown second at 190 yards is a hen pheasant thrown flat to the right and into the hip pocket of the flyer located in the middle of the test; the flyer station shoots a rooster flyer angled back to the right at 210 yards.

Pro trainer Alan Pleasant had these comments about the test: "There is plenty of room to miss that short bird and go deep -- and there is a lot of scent playout off that flyer fall. Plus if you miss the long retired out far to the outside, there is tons of room to go deep and really get into trouble in that deep cover."

Saturday morning is here...




.... and tenstion electrifies these last two series of the 51st National Amateur Retriever Championship.

Here we have photos of Leo "Pete" and "Coach" Plourde, with #76, FC-AFC-CFC-CAFC Miss T, MH rocking in the ninth.

Also, #73 FC-AFC Trumarc's Stormin' Norman II with owner/handler Mark Rosenblum.