Littleton Colorado - UFO Major Colorado Canine Challenge

Bailey and I made the long drive out to Littleton Colorado, from Santa Monica California, a couple weeks ago to take part in the UFO Major and the storied classic Quadruped Long Distance Disc Dogging competitions titled collectively as The Colorado Canine Challenge. First, what a beautiful drive through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado only to have the amazing scenic red carpet a precursor to a fun-filled successful weekend of canine acrobatics and disc chomping fun. As you can see from the picture, Bailey and I brought home a little hardware.

Bailey and I had an amazing weekend in Colorado!

On Day #1

We competed in the standard disc dog format. First we had our Freestyle routine. Among such an amazing group of talented freestylers if you fell off your game even a little bit you could find yourself at the bottom of the standing looking up. Well, we fell, a little and out of 50 teams we fell to 23 place. Ugh...

Next we had our Toss & Fetch round. Now you need to understand that for a few weeks prior to the event, a disc dogger name Matt Diano had been trash talking to EVERYONE about his talents in the Distance Accuracy. In fact, he put up (a sponsor put up) $100 to anyone who could not only beat Matt Diano, but take 1st place in the Distance Accuracy event.

I have to take my hat off to Matt. He put up, and he performed. He actually went out there and took 1st place! There were alot of really good teams out there, so it was by no means a done deal for Mr. Diano, but he did it. Bailey and I gave him a run for the money, but in the end we had to settle for a well earned 3rd place. Not Bad!

With the 3rd place we garnered a respectable 12th PLace overall and grabbed 45 UFO World Cup points.

But on a disappointing note, Bailey begins limping pretty noticeably by the end of the 1st day and I pretty much decide I'm not going to run him in the second day of competition.

On Day #2 the Quadruped was run. The Quad is all about LONG Distance! The further you can throw and your dog can catch, the better your results.

As I mentioned, Bailey was limping pretty bad the previous night and I had made plans to throw with someone else's dog (Al Erickson's young pup Roxie). But as the morning dawned and Bailey staring moving around, he seemed just fine. So I kept a close eye on him all morning, tested a few short tosses, and he was ready to go! I didn't make up my mind until the minute before it was our turn to go out there and compete. But he was showing NO signs of discomfort at all, and he really wanted to play. So we went for it!

Now this event, year in and year out, has the usual suspects making their way to the finals. Most competitors just hang around in the men's division (until they win and have to move up to the pro division) to avoid having to throw against the likes of Andy Busby and Chris Sexton (two flingers that can hurl plastic over 100 yards!). There are others of course that are in the same league, Mark Jennings, Tom Wherli, Matt Diano, and a few others. But not many. So I start out in the men's division, a respectable decision given the history of the event. The first throw is just a seeding throw where each competitor throws as far as they can, or want, without their dog just to setup the heats. When I get up there I rip off a pretty good toss of 63 meters and I start hearing all the pro competitors yelling "Sandbagger!!!". It was all in fun, but I'm not one to hide from a competitive challenge and I request that I be moved up into the pro division.

Jeff Hoot lets me know the prospects are bleak but honors the request.

My luck I'm put into the first heat against one of the best competitors of this event, Chris Sexton. The heat starts with 4 people and each round of the heat the shortest throw is eliminated. I get through the first round with a decent toss. The next round has 3 of us standing. I power off my BEST throw of the day with a 68 Meter toss that Bailey jams down the field for and grabs beautifully!!!!

That leaves just me and Chris Sexton. The pressure finally get to me a I fade out with a big fat strikeout (you get 3 chances to make a catch each round).

That leaves me to the mercy of the LAST CHANCE heat. This is where ALL the competitors who did not win their heat (meaning EVERYONE in the pro division but the 3 winners of the 3 heats) get to make one last attempt at a long throw. The furthest catch in the LAST CHANCE round makes it to the finals as the fourth team.

Because of the way the rules read, I ended up having to be the third thrower of the round out of about 12. Bailey, as always, is charged up and ready to go! I fling a decent toss out there and Bailey gobbles up the ground and snatches the disc out of the air 58.5 meters from the start line! A good throw, but not great. So now I have to sit and watch all the rest of the competitors take turns trying to beat my throw. After about 6 more competitors go up and walk away without taking my throw down I start thinking I may have a shot. And after Matt Diano misses the mark by a scant meter or so the round seems to be mine. And in fact it is, as I survive with my 58.5 meter throw and make it to the finals!


So it was Chris Sexton (past multi-time champion), Andy Busby (a side-arm flinging phenom who can casually launch a disc 100 yards on a good day), Mark Jennings, and me. Well the first round all I had to do was throw farther than 1 of these guys to make it to the next round. My best chance was with Mark as he (as most mortal men, did not throw as far as Andy or Chris). This didn't bother me too much as Mark happened to be one of the judges from the previous day, and after reviewing the judges score cards I found that Mark scored me MUCH lower than any of the other 3 judges. He is welcome to his opinion, of course, but pay back is a bitch! ;-) So I let loose with a decent toss of 54 meters, and it is enough to move me past Mark and into the next round.

Now at this point I know that the only way for me to make it to the next round is to unleash a massive toss. During practice the previous day I was uncorking tosses in the 80 Meter range, and I knew it was going to take one of these to stay alive. So I put everything I had into each of my throws. Yep... You guessed it... Bailey isn't going to be able to catch discs that are flying off into the crowd, or the grandstand. Another strikeout for me, and Bailey, shaking his head in dissapointment with me, has to settle for 3rd place. 3rd PLACE! Yahoo! Pretty damn cool!

Chris Sexton eventually outlasted Andy Busby and grabbed another, his 4th, Quadruped Championship.

I am happy to report that Bailey showed NO SIGNS of discomfort after the competition. I learned that I have to carefully manage my frisbee crazed canine's drive as he gets into his middle years.

Anyway, that is the story of the Colorado Canine Challenge for Bailey and myself.

Team White Thunder