Special thanks to the Colorado Disc Dogs for making the first annual Buena Vista Canine Classic possible.
Their indispensable help was greatly appreciated
This event was a combination UFO Fun Event and a fundraiser for the Ark-Valley Humane Society.
I do not have final numbers yet, but we raised about two thousand dollars for the humane society.
Saturday night featured a blues band, demos from the CDD demo team and the local agility club, and a
silent auction to benefit the Ark-Valley Humane Society. Thanks again to all who came up to do the demos.
Mother Nature almost cancelled the disc dog demo with tremendous winds, but we persevered and did a
Freestyle Jam with each team performing only the tricks they thought could be done in the horrendous wind.
The local spectators greatly appreciated your perseverance. This event was heavily advertised locally,
and the community really enjoyed the opportunity to see all the disc dogs in action.
The weather on Sunday was much more cooperative. It started out fairly cool, but warmed up nicely with
wonderful sunshine. The wind threatened to be a problem, but pretty much stayed at bay. Sunday’s events
included Novice, Intermediate, & Open divisions as well as Junior, Recreation, & Beginner Freestyle divisions,
with a total of about 50 entries. I apologize that my memory isn’t good enough to give you play by play action,
so just a summary will follow.
In the Junior division, the Brisse clan continues to dominate with Katie & Gabby taking first place.
2nd place went to Buena Vista local John Weber & Gracie. John came with me to another event this year,
I believe it was Thornton. I hope to get more local kids involved. 3rd place went to another clan member
Nicole Brisse. My son Teo entered his first event also. He is six years old and can hardly throw a Frisbee
(0 points), but he had a smile on his face the whole time. He is actually willing to try and practice a
little now. Don’t worry Brisse Clan, he has a long, long way to go. In the Beginner Freestyle, another clan
member Nicole Brisse & Cheyenne took 1st place. 2nd place went to Cathy Kramer & Bonnie. I was very impressed
at how Cathy & Bonnie’s routine is coming.
In the Novice division, Curtis Lucero & Jake took 1st place. After their second rounds, Kerry Samet & Xander
and Susan Shampine & Cooper were tied for 2nd. Susan & Cooper were nowhere to be found for their tie breaker
round, so Kerry Samet took 2nd by default.
In the Intermediate division, Darrel Earle & Nana crushed the competition and took 1st place with a total of 31.5 pts.
Fred Parks & Kona took 2nd with 24.5 pts. Dave Hale & Shep took 3rd with 23.5 pts.
In the Open division, Marie Earle dominated the freestyle round with Bo in 1st position and Nana in 2nd position.
Mark & Gabby were in 3rd after the freestyle. The T/C round blew things apart. Jason Holland & Dash who were in
7th position after the freestyle had an incredible T/C round of 17.5 pts. That destroyed the competition and earned
him 1st place with a total score of 47.5 pts. Second place went to Mark & Gabby with 42.9 pts. Marie & Nana held
on to 3rd place with 42.3 pts. Watch out everybody, Nana is on the way up.
In conclusion I look forward to the 2nd Annual Buena Vista Canine Classic. Many locals have told me how much they
enjoyed watching the dogs. They were greatly impressed at the training and athleticism of the dogs and were looking
forward to next year. There were over two hundred spectators present over the weekend. Looking back on how the weekend
went, I will make one change. Next years event will be one day only on Saturday, August 26th. The competition was
plenty enough of a demo for the locals, morning weather is generally more stable, and spectators won’t have to decide
which day to come. I look forward to seeing all of you next year.
Thanks to all,
Michael DiLillo
Note: Colorado Cup points were not awarded for this event.
