Wednesday 31 July 2013

Some Oh So High Moments with Zev

Some oh so high moments with Zev this agility season - A series of first achievements for me and Zev. We came
  • 2nd in the Medium KC qualifier for the semi’s at Thames, so now have a chance to qualify to run at Olympia
  • 1st in the Crufts Singles at Landsdown (Marc won the smalls with Big, so nice to do the double)
  • 1st in the championship jumping qualifying round at Tuffsbury
This is so exciting. Then another bonus was Marc and I with Zev and Big achieved another double at Tuffsbury by qualifying for the Pro-Plan final in September.

However, our record for getting through to champ finals is abysmal this year. Last year I think we only failed to qualify for 2 finals. This year up to the end of June we have qualified for just one!!! Talk about a reversal and that’s a bugger. The getting to shows is costly and we luv running in the finals it real ‘by the sit of your pants’ stuff. So the focus for the rest of summer is champ. This focus has made the difference, we made the last 3 finals and we won our second championship ticket at the Agility Club Show on 27th July 2013, then the icing on the cake was the next day we won the Medium KC qualifier. What a weekend of determination, focus and sheer highs of running agility courses :)
 

 
For me it is a sense of achievement and recognition of an evolving handling style and a fabulous sheltie, who gives so much. To some this may seem a ‘bragging’ post, but what the heck we achieved this and this is a record and celebration of that achievement. And good stuff happens to need celebrating...
 
 

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Time to get a life back :):):) the course is finished!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wingate-Wynnes @ WAO Spain 2013
It has been intense. Marc and Big’s at WAO’s in Oviedo, Spain – fabulous 2 seconds and 2 firsts, a good clear in the team to assist England to achieve a Silver team medal. In England they have won two reserve tickets and qualified for the semis. Great form. For me grooming for Bigs to sitting last major exam, submitting an assignment and doing a presentation.  The discipline to keep going the last two years has been intense. With agility it has been a case of there but not there, so much

studying and how Zev and I have managed to achieve being reserve
Bear and Zev - play time
both for WAO England and Team GB, whilst all this is going on is both amazing and crazy. Being the team reserve has it down and up sides. The training sessions meant Zev and I were getting some training, remembering agility and gaining some great ideas to improve our competitiveness. The down side of being the reserve is just being nearly there but not there!!!! Mentally it is quite a challenge, but I’d rather be a reserve and than not gain a place at all.

I am already thinking how I can make me and Zev a better and faster team. As the rules for having a chance to try out for representing Team GB have changed. Understandably I get why, but bugger me we need to seriously raise our game. How much can we max out of our performances every time? We are so on the edge J, so I need to now get back to agility being seriously fun and nail those courses.
We have ordered some more and much needed agility equipment so that we can start to set proper courses rather than elements of courses. This should be arriving this month. Who knows I might do some teaching of agility again?

Then the beautiful Bear continues to be a delight and lead me quite the merry dance. He has topped it by having his first fox poo-roll. Darn, foxes coming into the garden ;)