As in years past, the Colorado Springs competition at Cottonwood Creek Park
was an experience in gusty wind and threatening clouds. Fortunately, the tents
stayed anchored, the temperature remained cool, and the clouds exhibited restraint.
With water restrictions in effect in Colorado Springs, the field was nice and dry,
yet still reasonably green. And, we had the park to ourselves, as no other events
or activities were scheduled.
With 48 teams competing (8 in Open, 24 in Intermediate, and 16 in Novice), this
was another great day of canine-frisbee competition. The absence of veterans
Laika/Chris Sexton, Ryder/Christi Goodman, and Gabby/Mark Brisse provided placement
opportunities for participants newer to this division. Bo/Marie Earle took first,
Flygirl/Becky Mueller came in second, and, with a smoking round of distance/accuracy,
Kona/Fred Parks were third. With the large number of participants In the Distance/Accuracy
divisions, only the top 10 teams in each advanced to the second round. In the Intermediate
Division, Shep/Emily Hale won first place, and, after an amicable wedding-anniversary
tie-breaker, Scooby/Emily Hale took second place, and Shep/Dave Hale had third. In the
Novice Division, with a score that would have secured second in the Intermediate Division,
Hero/Jeff Carpenter won first place; Allie/Chris Nigro and Mattie/Sean Stephens took second
place and third place, respectively.
This competition enjoyed considerable coverage by the Colorado Springs media. The event
was announced on radio stations and in the city newspaper. KRDO-TV13 covered our event,
and broadcast a great two-minute segment on the 5:30 and 10:00 news. In this fast-paced
segment, Cheyenne/Jennifer Brisse and Bo/Marie Earle were interviewed, and most of the
Open Division competitors and some of the Intermediate competitors were featured. The
Colorado Springs Gazette also featured color action photos of Hero/Jeff Carpenter and Shep
in the weekly edition of "The Slice."
Posting of the results of this event was delayed due to a technical error in the
scorekeeping. This caused some incorrect placements in the Novice division, which
affected trophies. The event organizers happily figured it all out and everyone has
their correct places and trophies!
