The Colorado Disc Dogs generally run competitions using the freestyle and minidistance rules of two different major organizations, the UFO and Skyhoundz. While similar, there are small differences between the two that should be understood. The event format (what divisions, and how scores are computed), is a system that the Colorado Disc Dogs club implemented for our local events.
Click the tabs above for both organizations to learn the major rules you should know for each. The UFO Major, the Skyhoundz Open Regiona, and The Quadruped also usually make stops in Colorado each season, and these events are run by the organizers rules. Please see their official sites for more information. For newcomers, playdays are a great place to get
help with the various organization's rules, as is Spring Training!
In addition, The Colorado Disc Dogs have a general set of rules for our events.
In order for our events to run smoothly, we ask that everyone observe these basic
disc dog etiquette guidelines:
Basic Guidelines for Competition
Keep your dog on a leash at all times when you are not competing or warming up. This saves you the embarrassment of having your dog run onto the field and interrupting the competition.
Not all dogs, even well socialized ones, appreciate having other dogs in their space. Please be aware of what your dog is doing at the end of your 16-foot flexi-lead.
Always pick up after your dog, and remind others to do the same. We try very hard to maintain good relations with the communities that allow us to host our events in their areas, and this is the main way we show our gratitude. Always leave the event site cleaner than you found it!
As a courtesy to competitors, no food or treats of any kind are allowed on the competition field. Food dropped on the playing field may cause unnecessary distractions.
Please exhibit good sportsmanship. This is a family sport, and we want our kids to be able to look up to you. Set a good example.
NO female dogs in heat allowed at the competition site.
Please treat your dog with respect. At the discretion of the contest coordinator, competitors who are seen to be mistreating their dogs will be asked to leave.
Division Guidelines
Most of the events run by the Colorado Disc Dogs will have four (4) divisions. The following information should help you figure out which division you and your dog should enter. And as always, the staff at the event will gladly answer any questions regarding format or which division you belong. These divisions constitute the "format" of our events. At the Skyhoundz Regional and the UFO Major, the rules for those events will take precedence, so the number and names of the divisions may change. Please see the appropriate organizer's website to determine the format for our "big"events.
The four divisions that the CDD will offer at its events are: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Open. On some occasions, a non-competitive Recreational division may be offered as well.
The Novice Division: The novice division has been, and will continue to be, a division for people new to the sport. However, people progress at different rates when they start going to competitions -- some people improve quickly, and others get better more gradually -- and the club recognizes this. To that end, we allow new teams to remain in the Novice division for two years. During their first year (365-day rule), a novice team may remain in the division no matter what results they put up. However, during their second year, if a team competing in Novice earns two "Top 3" finishes, they must immediately move up to a higher division.
It should be noted that new teams are not required to stay in Novice. They can move up into other divisions at ANY time.
(Note: The Rookie of the Year prize is still only for teams competing in their first SEASON, and the cut-off is still January 1. If you've competed prior to Jan. 1, with any dog, in any Frisbee event, you are NOT eligible for Rookie of the Year.)
Novice competitors will compete in two rounds* of Mini-Distance (also called Distance/Accuracy or Throw & Catch) getting 60 seconds in each round to make as many throws for their dog as possible using a single disc. Points are awarded for catches based on length of throw and whether the dog was in the air at the time of the catch. Upon registration, all novice competitors will receive an official disc. Novice competitors may then use this disc or most any other safe disc in competition, including floppies.
The Intermediate Division is for experienced teams who have been involved in the sport for more than a year (365 days), but are not ready for the Advanced Division yet. Intermediate competitors will compete in the same Mini-Distance format mentioned above. Intermediate competitors must use a standard competition disc (Wham-O Fastback Frisbee, Hero 235, Dogstar, or HyperFlite). Some events do provide 1 disc at sign-up, but competitors at this level and above need to provide their own discs. Official club discs will be available for sale on site for $3.00, with quantity discounts available.
Advanced and Open-For these 2 divisions, it is allowed for a competitor to enter both divisions with the same dog. The 1st round of MiniDistance in the Advanced division will count as the MiniDistance score in the Open division. Only teams that are "entered" into Advanced will do a second round of MiniDistance. PLEASE BE AWARE OF YOUR DOG'S CONDITION AND THEIR LIMITS. Summer competitions can quickly wear out both humans and dogs. Only enter both divisons, or consider sharing your dog, if you know your dog can handle it.
The Advanced Division is for the top MiniDistance teams. These teams are generally very experienced, but the division is open to anyone. Teams competing in Open will also do 1 round in the advanced division to satisfy their 1 round of MiniDistance for their Overall score.
The Open Division is for the most experienced teams and consists of one 90 second (Skyhoundz) or 120 second (UFO) round of Freestyle, and one 60 second round of Mini-Distance.
The MiniDistance round is is also the first round of Advanced competition for those teams that wish to compete in that division.
Freestyle consists of a choreographed routine with your dog set to music, utilizing multiple discs and any and every type of throw and trick you can think of. This is where you routinely see vaults off the back, flips, spins, jumps, rolls, weaves, and many other amazing moves. Please see the official rules for either the UFO or Skyhoundz. New freestylers are always welcome, so if you think you can put on a good show, please don't hesitate to give it a try! Open competitors are also required to supply their own competition standard discs.
The Recreational Division is designed to be a non-competitive division, appealing to those who want to "just play" or perhaps gain a little more experience before trying a competition. The division is open to anyone, regardless of the experience level of handler or dog. There will only be a single 60 second Toss and Catch (MiniDistance) round for each team. The round will be scored according to the normal scoring rules for that event's format (UFO or SkyHoundz), but the teams will NOT be ranked, nor will there be a final standings posted, or prizes awarded. Upon request, competitors will receive a copy of their score sheet following the event, but it will not contain any final standings information. Since there are no standings, teams in the Rec Division will NOT earn Colorado Cup points.
* Depending on the number of teams registered in each division, the availability of enough space to run a second field, and whether there are enough qualified volunteers to run the second field, the event organizers may run a second field, or decide to limit participation in the Second Round to the top finishers of Round One. This decision will be made once registration is complete and announced prior to the beginning of Round One.
Sponsorship has long been a part of the sport of canine frisbee. The earliest events had support from Wham-o, and shortly thereafter, Kal-Kan, thus beginning a long line of dog food sponsors.
Since the departure of the last "big" sponsor of the sport, Alpo, at the end of the 2000 season, we have seen various events and organizations "open up" their fields to individual sponsorship. Similarly, we have seen many teams get sponsored in many different capacities. Where it is allowed, this can be a great benefit to both the sponsor and the individual team.
The CDD would like to make sure that the environment that we offer people to play in is sponsor-friendly. Both for our event sponsors and for any individual sponsors that may teams may bring in.
To that end, here is a list of what the CDD guidelines for sponsorship are. If there are any problems with this list, you can address them (politely!) on the club list, or you can email Chris Sexton privately, and he will try to answer your question. If you come up with something that this list does not address, feel free to make it known to the officers, and we will see if we need to address it, or if it is beyond the scope of this project.
With all the below provisions, it SHOULD go without saying that ANY clothing or banners, sponsored or not, be in good taste for public, family friendly events!
At club-run competitions:
Clothing-The CDD allows competitors to wear any and all sponsor logo-ed hats, shirts, shorts, socks, shoes that they like. Any vests or coats on the dogs may also display a sponsor logo. There are no restrictions here, although competitors may read the rules regarding "Costumes" at website for the national organizers.
Historically, some event organizers have asked that all competitors wear an event t-shirt. If an event with this requirement is taking place under the direct administration of the CDD, it will be up to the national organizer, not the club, to make this known and enforce it.
Tents-branded tents (not banners) are allowed at club-run events. However, in some cases, the club may ask that the tent not be placed immediately next to the field. This would only be in the event that a conflicting sponsor is sponsoring the event, and that is only really possible at the CCC. If there are any questions, check with a club officer.
Banners-Competitors can hang any sponsor banners they like at the back of their tent. If a team wants to put a banner on the front of their tent, they will need to check with the club. The only situation where we might ask that a banner be moved to the rear of a competitor's tent is if a conflicting sponsor is sponsoring the event, and that is only really possible at the CCC. If there are any questions, check with a club officer.
Sponsor announcements-This warrants special mention. If a sponsored competitors would like the club to announce their sponsors as they come on to the field for their round, the announcer MIGHT be able to do this. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT GUARANTEED. With the hectic pace of a CDD event, the large number of competitors, and many people doing more than 1 job, we can tell you that we will try to make the announcement as you take the field. This will be entirely up to the
discretion of the Announcer. The competitor MUST supply this information to the announcer, and please keep it VERY brief. Though we have a little bit of time between competitors, we want to avoid unnecessary delays. Also keep in mind that we often have other important things to announce, and event sponsors are guaranteed PA placements, so the time between competitors may be already taken. But we will give it our best shot!
Individual sponsorship at club demos-
At demos that the club gets, we will need to maintain a professional appearance, and we will ask anyone performing to please wear the provided demo team shirt. Teams participating in demos need to remember that the demo is NOT a place to promote your own individual sponsors, and in some circumstances the club may actually be getting paid and an individual sponsor may be inappropriate. If there are any questions, check with our Demo coordinator Matt DiAno. We do want to say that we believe that performing with the CDD demo team is a great experience, and if you need to cite your experience with the team for the purposes of obtaining sponsorship, please do so!
We hope this serves as a good guide for our sponsored teams. Good luck this season!
