But Who's Counting?

For those of you counting, there’s 116 days left until the AKC National Agility Championships. That’s 16.571 weeks according to Google. Three months and 6 days. 2784 hours. Should I stop there? Probably.

I haven’t attended the AKC nationals since 2010 when I last went with Nike. We did really well. Nike won the ISC jumpers round (lost the cumulative by a technical fault, a total bummer) and made his way to the challengers round. I remember sitting in the stands, thinking we were out of it, before I heard my name announced over the PA. That was an awesome moment, and one I won’t soon forget. We didn’t win the challengers round, it was a great experience though—even if at the time watching the finals from the stands wasn’t where I wanted to be.

A lot has changed in my life since that point. Nike had emergency surgery last summer. An unexpected and scary procedure that left him unable to compete anymore. It coincided with Bolt turning one and getting ready for his agility debut. I’m not sure what I would have done if I didn’t already have Bolt in my life at that point—I’m not sure I would have been quick to jump back into the sport again, we’d sort of been fading out the last couple years as it was. I think in the end it was meant to be. It’s how he got his name; Written in the Stars. A too long name, too serious name for a goofy puppy. But I think it suits us.

Anyway, after four years I’m gearing up for my first nationals with a dog who has been showing just over a year. I’ve had the hotel reservations saved since September when we were absolutely qualified.  My best friend since I was 6 is coming with us for moral support & to keep me sane (thanks, Jen!). So with that being said, I want to use the next 3 months; 116 days; 2700+ hours the best that I can. I don’t mean just training, because yeah, that’s important too, but there’s a lot more beyond training.

So here’s a list in progress I’ve come up with to keep in mind in the weeks/ months leading up to our first nationals together as a team. (Feel free to add your own in the comments):

1. You’re definitely qualified. Stop counting points, QQs, weekends, etc. Yes it happened. No, you didn’t miscount. You paid $7 to see it in writing. Just enter the damn show, already. You’ll feel better once you do (even if your bank account won’t).
2. Every show from now until March 28, 2014 is a practice run for the nationals (tryouts too, by the way). Use it like practice! You don’t need to go out to the local, weekend shows throwing out running dog walks and a-frames like you’re Lisa-freaking-Frick at the WC. Stick to your criteria. Not every run is a gold medal run and it shouldn’t be treated like one. Blue ribbons at home are nice. Medals and NACs sound a bit better though ;)
3. Don’t obsess (too much). Pull courses from the judges. Study maps—plan. You’re good at this stuff. But don’t over-do it. You can only prepare so much, so do the best you can. Just don’t go crazy.
4. Training agility isn’t the most crucial piece of the puzzle. Marathon runners don’t run 5 marathons a week to keep in shape—the same applies to agility. You don’t need to train full courses multiple times a week. Strength train yourself & Bolt (even if he is way stronger than you). Hike  (avoid hunters). Stretch. Eat right, and get enough sleep. Drink more water. Watching movies on the couch together is okay sometimes too. The bond is the most important thing between you two.
5. Don’t stress. Your dog can’t stress about the future. Bolt has no idea that his second biggest event of his career is coming up. And if he did? He’d be freaking excited, not nervous. So shed that nonsense. You’ve worked too hard to be afraid to get there.
6. Remember that it’s agility, nothing more, nothing less. Yes, it’s a huge part of your life. But we’re not curing cancer, we’re not fighting wars, we’re playing with our dogs. We get to do it on a huge, awesome stage too, so be thankful for that. Don’t take it, or yourself too seriously.
7. YOU ARE NOT COMPETING AGAINST ANYONE BUT YOURSELF. Caps lock needed. Don’t compare yourself. Don’t compare your dog. Don’t do yourself that horrible disservice. Run and train the dog you have. Love the dog you have. He is the best dog he can possibly be for you & comparing him to anyone/anything else is unfair. Don’t watch videos of your competition. Watch videos of yourself and find ways to improve. There are always things to improve.
8. Your dog, like you, is fallible. Don't treat him like he can't make mistakes, it's unfair to both of you & isn't a helpful mindset. Move on from mistakes; work to understand them so you can try to avoid them again in the future. Know that you will make more, as will he. Life will go on.
9. Take the pressure away. A much easier thing to say than to do. Clear your head, think of how far you've come, how far you have yet to go & know that this is just a step along a much bigger road. Pressure in the right mindset can be a wonderful thing. It can make us perform better than we ever have before. But too much of it can collapse our foundation. Do your best to find balance.
10. Remember that tryouts are less than a month after Nationals, so keep this list going for then too ;)

Enjoy the ride. Enjoy the friends (the village) you have and the dog you have by your side for this journey. Smile after every run. Keep your heart light and happy. Hug your dog. Congratulate your friends. You never know when one of them might not be there with you anymore. 

116 days to go. But who's counting anyway?

Naps count as prep too, right?

The Cluster

Everyone in New England (& many outside) knows about "The Cluster" & this was the 12th (I think?) year in a row I've gone. Yeesh! I'm getting old. ;) One thing is definitely for certain: I don't remember many of our runs from the last 12 years. Not Q's or NQ's or bad calls, or what place we came in or what classes we won. What is lasting are the stories we tell year after year, adding new ones each November.

My first year of the Cluster I was about 12 years old. I was in the seventh grade, running my first sheltie Flame- likely still in Open. We were the masters of the Open standard class seeing as it took us over a year to get out of it ;). That was when the past generation was still around. When 30+ second jumpers runs were blazing fast & we'd do goofy dances at the table to make our friends on the sidelines laugh (looking at you, Carolyn). When every (rare) taped run was done on one of our big, bulky camcorders and ALWAYS started with a close up shot of our butts. (Good thing there was no YouTube then). When we'd sometimes miss our walk thrus but still be able to pull off a Q (Carolyn, I might be looking at you again). It was when the Cluster marked the "end" of the show season (unless you got in the Boston show) because yes, it used to end. When we all had matching jackets, and I had never felt cooler walking through the breed building. When we swarmed the Clean Run booth the first day it opened in order to get the newest pair of Ditas-- the ones we waited all year for. When blind crosses usually happened accidentally, and otherwise weren't "allowed". The days when "European" moves were running sideways in the poles (looking at you, John) and ketschkers (a ketch- what?!) weren't even thought of. Before anyone in our agility family had won a national event, or made World Team. We definitely dreamt it, though ;)

"Don't mind me, just picking dog poop off my new shoes with my oatmeal spoon!"

Years later, Nike was there running in novice, getting distracted in the poles and being VERY enthusiastic on the start line (ie, Nike grumbles/ howl-screams) and I had to really start running! Dinner at On The Border became an absolute must (with me drinking strawberry daiquiri- my aunt Mel being absolutely sure to emphasize the fact that they were VIRGIN daiquiri). Our own pre/post Thanksgiving dinner. We gathered around like the giant extended, (mostly) unrelated family we are, sharing laughs (complaints), stories and, of course lots of food. We were a little rowdy occasionally... doing things like dumping out salt shakers to send bottle messages to the other side of our 16 person table asking for our tab to be covered.  We still quote Judy Murphy from that night ("Pay for your own damn meal!"). We'd trek back over to our less than luxurious Red Roof room (right next to the stairs? How convenient!).

Glad I get to enjoy double Q-ritas now. WITH tequila ;)

There have been lots of MACH runs, victory laps, cakes, and bars (and maybe a fake MACH one year... Whoops!). Sometimes the weather was warm enough to walk the top of the hill in between runs- which we may or may not rolled down once or twice in the better weather. Other years there were snow storms, hail storms, freezing rain and power outages. Smells of cougars/ mountain lions/ pumas lingered in the corner of the back rings. By day two, the dirt was coming out of our noses. Our feet and backs aching with too much time on concrete floors. We'd order pizza and sit ringside to watch the ISC classes-- I'd study the courses, wanting so badly to some day compete. It might have been one of those years when I set my mind on getting to world team.

Last year was Bolt's first Cluster & things were so different than they had been. This year was too. The ISC class is gone, dinner was much smaller, and four days of showing shrank to two for me. Some of our very good, long time friends weren't there like they should have been. Their absence was felt. For us, it was Paulette's in particular. The ISC class was replaced by an ISC match in her honor. The other three rings also dedicated to other lost friends, competitors and dogs. It was sort of an overwhelming experience. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry (again). Her picture was there all weekend, a reminder of how much has changed, but also as a reminder of why I've been working so hard. Her Bare Cove family was very well represented & I can imagine her beaming with pride.

Bolt & the collage made for Paulette.

 Not sure how much will have changed by next year's Cluster, but I know we will be there again- come dirt filled noses, pumas, snow & anything else thrown our way & I'll be so thankful that our agility family will be there again too.

Thoughts on a Year

This weekend marks one full year of showing and competing with Bolt.

Really? Really.

In some ways, I feel like the time has (to be cliche) flown by- in the blink of an eye. At the same time though, I feel like he and I have been a team for so much longer. I'm lucky with that, and I know it. Bolt is a deep soul. He is goofy, he is funny, he smiles (a lot, if you hadn't noticed). He has the best energy about him than any dog I have ever been lucky enough to live with or spend any real amount of time with. Never mind train, compete and share awesome adventures with. He has incredibly intelligent eyes. He's sensitive. He knows when I'm upset. He knows when I need to laugh & when I need to cry. I can't help but be totally in love with him. I have my heart dog-- a thought that is both incredible and terrifying.

Incredible is the obvious. Terrifying is harder to explain.

My greatest fear about getting a puppy was that I would not do justice to the him. That we might not be compatible. That I might face some of the issues I've had to work through with other dogs. What if I couldn't work through them? What if I made a mistake? What if things don't work out? I do a lot of worrying, if you couldn't tell. I had wonderful guidance when the time came to get my next puppy. Everything felt "right" about it. I had no reservations. No panic attacks came. The fears I had didn't disappear, but they quieted down. A lot.

I think this has been one of the most valuable years in terms of experience I've had in agility, probably life in general too. I still have fears-- it would be unhealthy without them. But I can honestly say that more than anything esle I'm really excited for everything coming our way. I made this blog as an attempt to follow some of our adventures. This first year has been incredibly exciting, and I'd like to think that we have many, many, many more to follow.

We have many more mountains to climb, beaches to run, places to see, dinosaurs to find, friends to meet, cities (countries?) to explore & agility to play, of course.
This life is beautiful.

Setting Goals

This past weekend left me with a lot to think about. Bolt earned QQ#4 and Q#20 towards AKC Nationals 2014! We're still missing about 40 points, but a couple single qualifying scores will cover that & especially since we have until the end of November I'm confident that is achievable.

 So...We're going to Harrisburg!

 This has been my goal since learning the nationals would be held in Pennsylvania and (finally!) be close enough to drive to. I didn't entirely expect it to happen, though. I considered all of the factors going into the time frame for the qualification period. He began showing at the end of September 2012, and had made into the Masters level for both Standard and Jumpers by the middle of December. Even still, my previous experience with trying to qualify for the nationals proved to be a difficult endevour, even for a more seasoned team-- something we're not yet. When I was competing heavily with Nike several years ago we struggled to get the qualifying scores done and it took several years for us to get there. I was incredibly thrilled to go when we did, and was very pleased with our results. I understand though that I'm a different handler, and trainer with a different dog than I had in 2009-2010, so comparing the two results is not fair. Even still, I took this into account and didn't want to set myself up for dissapointment if we weren't able to make it.

Bolt & his buddy SirPrize

 At the end of the weekend we had the scores I was most fixated on, the ones I thought might be more of a struggle. I'm incredibly thrilled that my two year old-- my baby!-- has come as far as he has. But what this weekend started me thinking on was what my next goal should be. Not in terms of competitions, titles, etc., but what else we could work on. I think ring criteria will definitely be what we focus on in the coming months when Harrisburg & World Team Tryouts begin to creep a little closer on the calendar (March/May 2014...I plan ahead, ok?). I'm really pleased with what I get from my young dog in the ring. I think in a lot of ways he is mature beyond his years, which is why when he sometimes does something a young dog will do I scratch my head and think, what was that? He's spoiled me in a lot of ways, but I'm making a conscious effort to take the pressure off of him. To treat every run like practice becasue, essentially, that's what these coming shows are for. To practice the skills we work on at home in a different environment in preparation for the bigger events.  Let's hope I can keep this mindset ;)
I'm happy to say that our contacts have really become solid in the show ring in the past month or so. He's performing his criteria perfectly (something I could seriously dance around the room like an idiot over.. omg, contacts that work? They DO exist!!!)

The last piece is our start lines. I'm definitely going to work to make those rock solid too. As Paulette would say (and I'm sure she is saying) "make it black and white, there is no in between." You got it, girl ;)

So here's to the coming months & beginning our preparation for Nationals & Tryouts. To maintaining & sticking with our criteria. To keeping our dogs healthy & sound. To keeping our minds & bodies strong. To taking the time to enjoy this journey & all of the inevitable ups and downs that come with it. To, above all else, thank our teammates every day for all they do for us.


Thanks Bolt :)


Our QQ#4 runs:

***

 Also, on a different yet still exciting note, I've started back into photography! I'm still looking to sell my current dSLR (hint, hint: someone please buy it) to upgrade, but in the meantime I'm happy to be back playing with photos. Looking forward to getting back into it & maybe finding a class at some point to learn more. If you're bored please check out my page here (don't judge the name, I was 13 when this thing was made, ok?) where most of my photos live. www.x0megster0x.deviantart.com

My last year of grad school at Emerson starts Thursday. Bittersweet. Better get going on that novel...

Measuring Success

Last weekend was a success, even if it didn't reflect in how many Q's we came away with.

I'm taking stock of where we are as a team. Bolt is an incredible teammate and I constantly see us improving and working better together. He won his first class, master jumpers, with a 6.2YPS run despite a minor miscommunication.

We came close in our other runs, but had some small mistakes. The mistakes we had in those classes were mostly my fault & a result of us just not entirely working in-sync with one another. Training to run 5Ks has helped tremendously, but my timing is off now that I'm able to get places more quickly.

It also doesn't help that one ankle keeps randomly swelling and causing terrible pain. I was lucky to have good friends who were willing to spare pain relievers, ice & good advice.

We're still figuring things out, but I was really proud of a number of things we put together. Start lines have been an issue in the past couple months, but not last weekend! He was solid on his starts, on his contacts, was a phenomenal jumper, hit all pole entries (and stayed in all poles), took direction well & listened. At two, listening is one of the things I'm most impressed about with him. He's more mature in a lot of ways than I expected, but I don't expect him to be all the time.

The best part of the weekend was being able to spend some time just relaxing with my boy. Not driving, not stressing, not planning for anything-- just getting the chance to hang out & explore.

We walked around the Yale campus, which might sound lame, but I've always wanted to see it. I think most of the time agility brings us to these new places & we don't take the time to enjoy them or explore at all.

Plus, we got to find dinosaurs, so how could you go wrong there?

So two QQ's down, 400 points and 15 single Q's for Nationals.

We'll get there & I'll be sure we take the time to enjoy this awesome journey we're on along the way.

Connecticut

After nearly a month off, Bolt & I are back at it this weekend! We're showing in Hamden, CT for two days (and again in two weeks). It's a drive that is a hell of a lot further than I originally thought and at a facility I haven't been to. Planning on being up by 4AM tomorrow and on the road by 4:30. Luckily for us, we're fortunate enough to have the best "village" who is offering us a place to stay for the night. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We've been training a lot in this time off, both on the field and off & I'm hoping it's reflected in our performance this weekend. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few nerves going into it.

Don't be fooled, he's ready.

I'm really looking forward to a weekend of agility with just me and my boy & especially an afternoon and night to spend some time with him. I've scoped out an awesome looking park in the area and am planning on taking a nice long hike & finding some caches on the way, plus taking far too many pictures. I'll start overloading the blog with pics, rather than Facebook ;)

We're still chasing some elusive Q's & points for Nationals, but I'm confident we'll get it done this year.

Let's make it happen!

New Blog!

I have never blogged before, but I figured now would be as good a time to start!

I'll use it as a place to explore, vent, talk (probably too much), share pictures & as a way to chronicle this awesome journey with the best teammate I could have hoped for.

Can't wait to see where this life takes us...