Hey there folks! The annual Ft. Collins competition has come and gone, and it was awesome!!!
The weather was a bit warm but no rain, and the wind was under control for
the most part.
We had 80 entries for this event, which is not only a Colorado State
Championship event, but also a UFO World Cup event. There were several
dogs entered multiple times, but there were still an AWFUL LOT OF FRISBEE
DOGS there!!!
The event is known as the Payton Classic, in honor of our first state
champ, a little border collie owned and trained by Todd Stevens. Todd and
Payton won the Ft. Collins event twice-97 and 98. Payton won the State
Championship in 97, and still holds a state record of 4 consecutive event
wins.
With tons of great sponsors and lots of giveaways, the club tried very
hard to send everyone home happy!
The action was steady all day long, and I want to thank our competitors
for their professional demeanor all day long-when one competitor finished,
the next one was ready to go right away. With all those teams, it was
important to keep moving, and the dogs and their throwers did a great job.
We had some familiar guests in again from "out of town", Alicia and Reuben
from Montana once again came down to play! It was great to see you guys!
Ok, now the results!
The Novice division as always surprised and delighted us as we see new
dogs come from "out of nowhere" and do well. And with Ft. Collins being
the third competition of the year, we are starting to get hints about who
the Rookie of the Year might be!
Prizes went to 6th place (thanks to our sponsors!) so I will list those
teams here:
5th(tie)-Doug Dornseif and Ollie
5th(tie)-Jeff Hood and Callie
4th - Peter Boyle and Lucy
3rd - Shoshana Nash and Sema
2nd - Scott Amman and Toby
1st - Brett Lawrence and Shadow
The always tough intermediate division finished up next, and those dogs
that keep you on your toes once again rose to the occasion. With 39 teams
entered, and a hot sun beating down, the decision was made to put in a cut
to the top 10 for the finals. (I know folks like getting their 2 rounds
in, so just come on up to Breck in July-we will do 2 intermediate rounds
there for sure. Englewood will be a game-day decision like Ft. Collins)
So when the grass clippings settled, here was our top 6:
6th-Jay Smartz & Boomer
5th-Matt Diano & Molly
4th-Sherry Gacke & Jiggs
3rd-Jeff Mueller & Flygirl
2nd-Matt Diano & Xander
1st-Darrel Earle & Nitro Nana
Finally, the Open division held some terrific surprises for everyone. With
dogs in Colorado that easily hold their own in international competitions,
we are always entertained by some great talent. But now and then you get
those lighting strikes that REALLY set the place off! 2 of those happened
Sunday. 1st, Tracy Williams and Angus put on one of the best freestyle
rounds we have seen in this state in a while. It was incredibly smooth,
and a clinic on freestyle flow. We have been watching Tracy and Angus put
great moves on the field for a couple years now, and Sunday everything
clicked and they left everyone behind. It was electric!
Another team that
raised hairs was Curtis Lucero and Jake. What? That name isn't familiar?
That's because this was Curtis and Jake's FIRST EVER FREESTYLE. And it is
very apparent that not only do Curtis and Jake spend a lot of time
practicing, but they also have a lot of natural talent. Curtis and Jake
had the 3rd highest freestlye on Sunday, and this is only their second
year! Great job! Kudos should also go to Sally Cumpter with her dogs Zen
and Chant - She is brand new this year, went to Spring Training, and she
jumped right up into Open to do some freestyle.
Ok, now some results. There was a 3 way tie for 5th, so all got prizes:
5th-Mark Brisse & Gabby
5th-Tracy Williams & Angus
5th-Jennifer Brisse & Cheyenne
4th-Curtis Lucero & Jake
3rd-Becky Mueller & Flygirl
2nd-Matt Diano & Maggie
1st-Chris Sexton & Banzai
I would like to thank all the help that was contributed to put this event
on - everyone did such a great job! Jennifer Brisse had the registration
under control, and handled a volume of entries that rivals some of the
biggest events out there. Amanda Guth and Rick Brydum kept our "I.T.
department" moving smoothly, and scores and standings were available
pretty much as soon as the last competitor walked off the field in each
division! Mark and Jenn brought the club trailer and helped with setup,
Matt Diano, Jason Holland and Darrel Earle laid down paint in straight
lines.
Judging! I know I will probably forget a few people here, and I
apologize! Darrel & Marie Earle, Russ Friesen, Rick Brydum, Jeff Mueller,
Mark Brisse, Frank Kerchner, Russ Green, Jeri & Charlie Lawrence, Alicia
Patencio, Keri Samet, Christi Campbell-Sexton, & Dennis Madden. Special
thanks also to Tracy Williams for her hard work in bringing in
sponsors - the club awarded prizes to 6th place due to her efforts! And of
course, thanks to all those great dogs who made a bright and sunny day
even more bright and sunny!
