(no subject)

The USDAA show this past weekend was supposed to be outside and I was really looking forward to it. I love to show outside. Unfortunately because of the rain the show site was unusable so it moved inside to Pawsitive Partners. Although I love the atmosphere there and the shows are always a lot of fun, I don't like showing there because the turf is absolutely terrible. Panic slips on it a LOT and I am incredibly careful so we never do very well (heard through the grapevine that they are maybe replacing it, I sure hope so). He probably misses 50% of the weave entries there every time we show. Unfortunately more and more shows around Indy are moving there, I guess it is just cheaper. Anyway, I didn't enter Panic in much (only entering classes we need) but we got a Standard Q and won both rounds of Steeplechase--not that the competition was terribly stiff. We stupidly didn't Q in pairs again. I hate pairs and hate that we will need to enter it again. Stupid pairs.


Here is our Steeplechase Round 2 Run. Yay for layering judges! I liked this judge a lot, his courses were fun and he was a weird (in a good way) and funny guy.

We have an AKC show this weekend. I can't believe I entered two weekends of shows in a row, what was I thinking? I usually need at least one weekend break in between. But I'm hoping to have fun anyway, we barely do any AKC and I think I enjoy it a little more than I think I do.



edit: Do you ever watch videos of yourself running and just think you look like an idiot? I look like an arm-flailing awkward-running person. But I don't FEEL like that when I run! 

Where to go

Upcoming WTT and ripnpaws have got me thinking about things. I will now publicly admit that I am jealous of everyone going to tryouts, especially the people my age. I am excited for them and want them to do well, but yes I am jealous because Panic and I will never be able to go, regardless of our skill level which may or may not be up to par with some people going. I'm not even sure if I would WANT to go--but just the fact that I don't even have the option bothers me. We always want what we can't have, right?

It often leaves me wondering where I should go in this sport. WTT and WC are traditional things that people work towards when they decide that they want to be competitive and reach high levels in agility. It seems to be the pinnacle of dog agility, at least from my experience in the US. It just seems to be something ingrained in the culture of the sport: you are competitive, you want to do well, you aspire to WTT.

Well I am competitive and I want to aspire to higher levels in the sport. So where do I go? Obviously there are a multitude of options besides WTT, and the first step for anyone would be working towards success nationally. I know I am not out of luck when it comes to finding a competitive outlet and striving for success. I still just can't help but feel upset that I can't reach that particular level, especially when I have people that don't know Panic does not have a pedigree tell me that I should think about going to WTT with him. No, I should not think about going to WTT with him because I can't and it would just make me feel annoyed.

All of this is okay though. If that particular events was so ridiculously important to me I obviously would have gotten a dog with a pedigree. But its just agility, and I want to do agility with Panic. I am enjoying the journey with him and I honestly think we can be competitive in the sport regardless of our ability to go to a particular event.

I would love to go to World Team Tryouts one day. I am getting a puppy from a breeder. Those things are not related. I think it will take a special dog to take to tryouts, and having a pedigree does not equal the ability to compete at such a level (or any level for that matter). And I certainly wouldn't put that kind of pressure on a dog that hasn't even been conceived yet!

At this point I will get off my soapbox, because overall this entry doesn't seem to have much of a point. Good luck to everyone competing this weekend, Tori and Rev, Kelsey and Ace, Shelby and Swift, Sarah and Tess, and everyone else that is going that I can't think of. (By the way, is there a list anywhere of competitors? I know there was last year.)