Missing Blogs

• Nope, the blogs have not gone missing. I've been remiss. Very busy.
  
  SMART (salinas monterey racing team) had it's annual spring trial last weekend. I act as the secretary. This involves:
• Working on a database and entering all competitors entry information. Changing that entry information for multiple people and their dogs multiple times.
• Sending out lots of emails to ensure that everything is alright.
• Once all info is in, I then post the info out on the share drive, and change a bunch of stuff when people find mistakes.

At some point, I've got to stop making changes. This includes all the people that want to enter late. The only thing I hate about this job is that people will try to enter after the deadline. I've had individuals that try to enter a day before the trial. It is very hard for me to say no.

Once I say, "this is it, you've got to do the running orders," the fun begins. I have the enviable task of pairing up all the dogs for the pairs classes. For me, another stressful but fun job. I want everyone to be happy, but not everyone will be. Once the pairs are up, I print out all the running orders, check to make sure people who are running multiple dogs are far apart, and post everything up to our website.

Then I make changes as people call and say that they are not in the correct class (this should have been caught on the first posting...but what are ya going to do?).

It is now two days before the trial.

• All docs need to be printed
• The score sheets have to be created (1 label per score sheet 6-9 runs per dog per weekend, 230 dogs = 1000-2000 labels need to be put on small squares of paper).
• Once all the labels are stuck, they are organized by level and class and placed in their proper folder in ring boxes.
• A bunch of other stuff also has to go into the ring boxes including official score sheets from the USDAA, ERB documents, workers schedules, running orders, etc.
• Day of the show: just a little stress. Is get everyone entered correctly? Will the score sheets be in the proper order. Do the rings have what they need?

Was there a few problems. Yep. Always will be. But goodness it was easy this year. After the first two hours on Saturday, I actually started to relax. A good feeling. Yep, I made a couple mistakes, and of course, competitors had made a few mistakes. But overall, this was the smoothest the paperwork has gone.

Today I run the numbers and deliver checks to our treasurer on Thurs.

Tomorrow all paperwork is shipped to USDAA (I've posted the results and competitors have a couple days to check their results to make sure everything was recorded correctly).

A HUGE thanks to Laura who, despite having to deal with a dog requiring surgery last week, is the "Label Master" and helped a great deal this week.

Whew...another one bites the dust....oh, how'd you do you ask? Well...

Fin got her AD title this year (my one goal for her this trial)...not alot of other Q's, but fun runs. Tazzie had a great time...no Q's, but it is nice to see him happy and running around enjoying himself. His fav thing? Leaping of the dog walk one toenail shy of the yellow zone (@#$%$). Oh well.

Taking a break with my buddy Rob.

SMART

Salinas Monterey Racing Team (SMART). My first agility club. Two USDAA shows a year. This one I secretary. April...time for watching the mail box, organizing entries, accepting checks, worrying over details, and basically hoping for the best.

A few tips when you are entering dog shows.

• Don't send the trial secretary a black entry with a check and ask them to pick a couple classes for you. She will call you and tell you that you must decide.
• Don't ask the trial secretary 2 weeks after the closing and the day before the big show whether you can enter, she might flip out on you.

So tomorrow is the true test of whether I did it all right. Fortunately for me, we have the "SUPER" secretary and all around good citizen at this trial "Karey." who is bringing her computer and printer...just in case. With me...there is always the possibility that I screwed something up...I'm always surprised when the trial goes smoothly.

A good weekend

Another day another trial :)

Salinas Monterey Agility Racing team (SMART) is an agility club I'm active in. We put on two trials every year in Prunedale, California. This year, the fog rolled in and we had some nice cool weather for the two days (it did get hot and sunny midday, but GREAT agility weather for sure).

There was alot of work. I'm the RV Czar for the August trial. It is a great gig. People tell you they want to camp. You get their $$, give it to the SMART treasurer, make a map of where everyone should go, and then make sure they are happy with their spots. This job is all in the prep work and making sure everyone knows where to go. By the time the trial starts, you don't have much responsibilities. Sure I did the basics of pole setting, shoot straightening, leash running, trash cleaning, but all in all I was pretty relaxed.

Saturday wasn't a "Q" day, but all of our runs were fun. Laura had a number of runs that were wonderful and Tazzie really seemed happy all day. I think our gamble was the most exciting. Going into the gamble Tazz had enough points and all he needed was to do jump, A, Tunnel, then take a jump way far away. I didn't think we had a chance in heck of getting it so I just thought I'd work on my contacts and such. When the buzzer went off for the gamble, we were in a good spot and we went running towards the jump a-frame combo, I had to stay about 15 feet away from him, but he took the A frame with no prob. Coming down the other side he touched yellow! I couldn't believe it, then I sent him to the tunnel and he went in! "the crowd was going wild!" Out of the tunnel, he came right to me and took the wrong jump. I could have cared less! He was such a good dog and got all the hard stuff!

Sunday we had high hopes for a good day. Tazz was 6th dog in the ring for Perf National Standard. It was over before I could believe and we "Q'd!" We did everything just fine, I was off the line for the weaves, but he made up time by doing the weaves a little faster than normal. Whew! very exciting!

Tazz PNS - Yippiee!

Tazzies and my favorite event is snooker. I always hope for a "super Q" (being in the top 15% of the jump class), but given our speed, I work on making a nice course for Tazz that allows him to get some speed without jerking him off obstacles. Since this was a pretty good size trial, I decided to go for a good course rather than trying to get all the points. Although the start wasn't exactly what I had walked, we did good and got through the sixth obstacle in the closing. I new I q'd, but never did I dream I would super Q. But we did! Yippiee! Horah! Zowza!

Super Q! Whoo Hoo

So Tazzie got to come home and swim in the pool and Kel couldn't complain about dog hair. Tazzie did his job and made his mom love agility all the more!

Tazz gets his AAD, Havoc gets her PII, and Vici still coughs

First I have to give a BIG shout out to Trish who drove down, stayed the night, got up at the ungodly hour of 5:30am, and helped me out for the SMART trial. I would have LOST my mind on Friday had she not been there.

Second, a huge thanks to Kel who helped maintain my sanity by doing whatever I asked and then a few things I didn't ask and held me when I wanted to lay down and let my flu take over.

The trial was fun. Lots of work and a few things to do still, but almost all done. I heard very nice things and the entire trial committee should be congratulated for a job well done.

I did go. Coughing, sneezing, and a somewhat altered state of voice..but go I did. Saturday I only ran Tazz in Gamblers, Snooker, and Standard (well, ok I did try to run steeplechase but forgot the course and ran out of the ring). Laura ran him in grand prix for me and he did really well, staying with her the whole time. He would have Q'd, but he stopped twice looking for me.

The highlight of Saturday was Tazz and Havoc both "Q'd" in their standard runs and got their Advanced Agility Dog title (AAD) yipppee! (Havocs title is PII which is the same as an AAD just Havoc jumps a lower jump height).

A big Whoo Hoo to Laura! Here is Tazzies run.


Fin, Maddie, and Rocks stayed home with Dad this weekend. I felt that being the secretary, running Tazz, and resting were about all I could do. So I stuck to the plan. I do want to say that I started to feel better on Sunday and missed her a bit, but Kel got to enjoy her and she seemed happy enough being with him.

Overall it was a fun weekend and my exile is over. I'm feeling even better today and I think I've knocked this flu out of the ball park.

And finally, my creative Snooker. I had a plan. I practiced my plan. I showed the plan to Tazz. Tazz had his own plan. We went' with it...and ALMOST finished :)