Ashley Whippet Invitational World Championships Day#1

Well Day #1 is in the books! It was a lot of fun, the weather was great, and the performers were ALL on their game!

The teams from Japan, as expected, all showed why the trip half-way around the world was warranted. These teams bring the added dimension of showmanship to the sport, framing amazing tricks with well choreographed intricate moves, and athleticism. Showmanship hasn't always been appreciated in the world of disc dogging, as some of the old schoolers considered it a a detraction from the real athlete, the flying pooch. But as the sport evolves, new and exciting elements need to be developed else the danger of stagnation faces the sport. So these incredible teams from abroad are re-introducing this aspect to the sport. The key is to do it as a team aspect between human and canine. And the Japanese teams are doing this to perfection.

But don't get me wrong, we have some top-notch performers here in the birthplace of the sport.

Lawrence Frederick was wowing spectators and competitors alike with his unique tricks, and amazing disc handling skills. To watch that frisbee flip this way and that, in his hands, before each release showed the level of intricate detail that can be achieved simply in the act of releasing a disc.

From Southern California we had some serious representation as Al Erikson not only achieved a spot in the finals, he snatched two spots of the 15 with both his pups, Gracie & George! They were consistent, and very good, through each and every round on Saturday.

And then there is the current California State Champion team of Todd & Bella who, even on a day that wasn't their best, managed to hang on to the 15th and final spot after the first freestyle round. Then moved up to 13th spot after a stellar 16 point T & F round at the cut, then move up to 12th place after the final freestyle. But on the final day, the slate is cleared and they all start fresh, so what out for these guys!!!

If you check out the AWI website they have Todd listed in 14th place. But as you can see on the sheet they posted, pictured below, at the end of the event was a bit different. Obviously an error was made somewhere.

And of course, this is Bailey's website afterall, there is the matter of how Bailey and I did. Well, we had a decent freestyle round that I felt good about. We got a lot of good feedback too. So when we ended up in 20th place, I was a little surprised. But after watching video of the routine, I understand our placement. The routine is a little low on energy, and not as flowing as it should be. Bailey and I learned a LOT this weekend, and if he's up for it, we're going to try some new tricks next year. Looking forward to another year of disc dogging!

Here are the results from Saturday (Remember, the slate gets wiped clean for Sunday's Final):