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| # 47 Keeper |
NARC 2017 - Wisconsin Hosts Two American Championships this Week!
- a competitor's perspective
By: Jamie Woodson #47
When I think of Wisconsin... I see images of The Packers, incredible people, yummy cheese, and phenomenal outdoor opportunities! It also happens to be the Retriever Capitol of the Mid-West - maybe the country!
This week, Wisconsin is rolling out the red carpet for two American Championships, the U.S. Golf Open and the National Amateur Retriever Championship.
While most folks are more familiar with golf's U.S. Open, the National Amateur is the pinnacle of the retriever field trial sport.
This one involves four-legged, elite athletes and their human handlers. Families, friends, and retriever fanatics across America are brimming with excitement as all eyes in the retriever field trailing world turn to Mondovi, Wisconsin.
Many are excited because a retriever in their life is competing this week, but thousands more are looking forward to experiencing the retriever community's National Amateur Championship as it unfolds over 10 gut-wrenching tests. Yes, the Badger state is hosting the National Amateur Retriever Championship (NARC) - frequently called the National Amateur!
My husband, Bill, and I have made the journey to Mondovi to experience this event first hand. While we will be volunteering this week, we also have the cosmic gift of having two labradors, Keeper #47 and Baby #61, both qualified and competing here in Wisconsin!
I'm particularly honored that the Retriever News team invited me to blog again from a competitor's viewpoint. Sharing my perspective throughout both the 2016 National Amateur in Stowe, Vermont and the National Open in Texas was a blast. My good friend Pat Burns, of Elite Retriever Training, and I had so much fun sharing our experiences and we are both thrilled to be doing it again!
So, what's the big deal about this Championship? If you are familiar with the sport, you know. For those of you who love your field trial "afflicted" friends but don't really know what all the fuss is about, let me try to put it in perspective for you.
While there are millions...yes, millions, of retrievers across the globe, only 159 retrievers qualified for this Championship and just 138 are competing this week for the title of National Amateur Field Champion.
Qualifying dogs must have an all age win and have acquired 2 additional points during the preceding 12 months. This feat of "Blue and Two" doesn't sound that daunting but there are many superb canine/handler teams who didn't qualify this year - teams that are highly competitive every time they step up on line.
I know there are incredible dog and handler teams that were just so very close to qualifying, but somehow...didn't. I watched first hand how hard our friends Cheryl and Mike worked to qualify. They consistently placed, weekend after weekend, this year. Six second places later and a retriever in the top ten all age points in the country for 2017, and they didn't get their blue. AHHHHH. It's just so hard to qualify!
Who is an amateur? An amateur is defined as "a person who has not earned any part of his or her livelihood for the training of a dog for hunting or field trial competition (in the last two years) and/or from the handling of a dog in field trial competition at any level."
Trust me, we aren't earning ANY money at this sport. Nor are my fellow competitors, btw. We do this because we love the dogs, we love the outdoors, and we are slightly off balance! Truth! Well....unless you count a $3.50 ribbon and maybe a picture frame for placing - but we've got that going for us, which is nice!
(Shout out to my fellow Caddyshack lovers).
Whether it's the National Amateur or the U.S. Open, this week is a promising to be a big one in Badger Country!
I hope you enjoy these musings that Retriever News will be posting this week and welcome your ideas on items to share and National Amateur news to cover. Also, if you are interested in moment to moment updates, you can keep up via the Retriever News Blog at http://2017narc.blogspot.com.
See you in the first series! And, may the wind be with you and your flyers be friendly!
- Jamie Woodson #47
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| Jamie Woodson and # 47 Keeper |
