Show news short 'n sweet...

The Internet has come into its own whether it be in times of crisis such as the spring floods or foot and mouth crisis or just the everyday cut and thrust of agility life. The Net is a fast and efficient way of keeping people informed about the little changes as well as the big ones. We can't be everywhere at once and so we rely on your input (and goodwill) to keep Agilitynet up to date so email us your show news as and when...

Please remind your show secretary to keep sending those updates to us and to include the name of the show, date(s), venue and other relevant details.

 JANUARY 2008

Prestbury Park Date Clarification

Parking at WTCI Show

The car park at the Working Trials  Club of Ireland grounds has been closed for the past week. We don't know if it will be open for next Sunday. If not, people going to the show are advised to park on the road. If people have a number of dogs, it would be wise to bring a cage to put the dogs in, as not to distract the competing dogs.

        Agility Entry Numbers.

Thank you to Marie for compiling the Agility numbers.

Source: Julie Ann Holmes  (28/01/08)

SDOY News

As most of the Scottish Handlers will hopefully know by now, Simon Green will be taking over as Scottish Kennel Club (SKC) Agility Co-ordinator and Agility Competition Manager from Peter Elms. He said, 'I would like to thank Peter for all his hard work in this role and running the shows so successfully over the last few years.'

The SKC May show schedule will be available in early February. In the meantime, the rules for the Scottish Dog of the Year Competition which will be starting afresh in February are below. They are basically the same as last year except that points will be gained preferentially in combined classes rather than graded.

Scottish Dog of the Year Competition.

1. Dogs/handlers must live in Scotland.

2. Points will be gained by dogs eligible to compete at Grades 6 & 7.

3. The points will come from the first combined Agility class (grades 6 & 7) on the schedule of a Scottish show.

4. If there are no combined Agility classes specifically for grades 6 & 7, then it will be the first combined Agility class for which grades 6 & 7 are eligible.

5. If there are no combined classes, then it will be the first graded Agility class specifically for grades 6 & 7.

6. If there are is no specific graded 6 & 7 Agility class then it will be the first graded Agility class for which grades 6 & 7 are eligible

7. Only one class per day, as above.

8. The first 10 dogs in the Large size gain points. Ten points for the first placed dog to one point for the tenth placed dog.

9. The first six dogs in both Medium and Small sizes gain points. Six points to the first placed dog and one point to the sixth placed dog.

10. The top 20 placed large dogs and the top six placed Medium and Small dogs will be invited to compete in the final which is held at the SKC show in August.

11. The start date for 2008 was the 1 January 2008 and the cut-off date will be the closing date for the August Show.

12. Points will be updated ASAP in a list that will be available by clicking on the SKC link on the website http://www.daatc.org.uk/links.php

If anyone has any questions or inquiries about agility at the SKC, please feel free to contact him at simonrgreen@yahoo.com.

Source: Simon Green (28/01/08)

Viking Agility Week 2009

Eight Norwegian canine sport clubs have banded together to invite 'the agility world' to a whole week of summer agility from 12-18 July 2009.  The venue is located on a beautiful island on the south coast of Norway, near Kristiansand, and is perfect for a family summer holiday.

Be sure to reserve week 29 (12-18 July) of 2009 for six long whole days with a minimum of three runs each day. There will be Internationally renown judges

The VAW-09 arranging committee has already started the planning.

 For more info email kirsten.kosinski@getmail.no or rolf_moseid@hotmail.com. Website: http://195.18.158.4:4408/vaw2009/vaw2009.asp

Source: Kirsten Kosinski (28/01/08)

Dordale Camping

Paws on Top Closed

The BAA show Dogs on Top Show scheduled for 1 March is now full.

The Votes Are In!

The agility world has cast its votes and, at The Agility Club 25th Anniversary Awards Celebration, those handlers, dogs, and organisations that have helped to make agility what it is today will be honoured. This unique, one-off event will itself become part of the fabric of agility history. Don't miss it!

Kate Austin said, 'Join us as we celebrate 25 years of Agility and applaud the winners of: Agility Innovation, Best Judge, Best Trainer, Agility Personality, Contribution to Agility, Best Show, Unsung Hero, All Time Handler, Future of Agility, Best Ever Agility Dog, Special Lifetime Contribution Award. Not only that, enjoy a complimentary flute of champagne, before a fabulous 3-course meal, and dance to the top tunes from 25 years ago.'

The Awards Dinner will be held at Stareton Hall, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. located between Coventry and Leamington Spa. Accommodation or caravan parking available on site at Stoneleigh Park – dog friendly site.

The Final date for ticket sales is 9 February, so book yours now by contacting Kate Austin, 1 Mare Lane, Beenhams Heath, Shurlock Row, Berks RG10 0QH  Tel:  01189 320619 or email:  kateaustin@btconnect.com Tickets:  £25 members, £30 non-members.

Source: Kate Austin (24/01/08)

A Message for Show Secretaries

If your show is not listed on the iSS Show Diary, you can input the details via www.ishowservices.com on the front page, even if currently only provisional, be it Kennel Club, UK Agility, EMDAC or independent event.

The Show Diary is sponsored by iShowServices.com and supported by Agilitynet, Agility Eye and the Agility Club (The Voice). It is provided free of charge for both show organisers and competitors and is intended for all to better plan ahead. If fully utilised, all show organisers and competitors will be fully aware of any type of event on any given date.

Source: Kate Austin (23/01/08)

Schedules on Agilitynet

As John Leslie is now working full time in the Working  Trials Department of the Kennel Club he has less time to post show schedules on Agilitynet, so could all show organisers and their technical people please email all show schedules to direct Ellen Rocco direct. Her email address is ellen.rocco@Agilitynet.co.uk.

Thanks.

Source: Ellen Rocco (herself) (23/01/08)

Barnstaple Show is Closed

Barnstaple & District Dog Training Society's limit show on 15 March 2008 is full. The number of large dogs has been increased to 200 and another Judge, Rose Chetwynd, has been added. There will be three rings,  not two as previous planned. This is all to cover a huge increase in the hire of the venue.

Source: Amanda Smith - Secretary B & DDTS (20/01/08)

European Open Qualifying Procedure

The qualifying system for the  2008 European Open has worked out very well and Great Britain will be represented by some excellent dogs from all height categories. In future, it is hoped that selection process should be done and dusted before the end of October, giving handlers more time to plan their time off work and also more time to get their dogs ready for travel.

Existing 2008 English shows holding a Combined G6-7 Agility Class - or those whose who wish to put on such a class - will be invited to designate the class as an E.O. Ranking Event. Competitors would enter these classes as normal, but gain points for the top ten places in much the same way as the Crufts Singles are calculated at present. i.e. 10pts for 1st down to 1pt for 10th.  The top ten places would count regardless of whether rosettes went down to 10th.

These Ranking Events would be for all heights, but not necessarily at the same show. They would be open to all dogs that are eligible for Grade 6/7 regardless of whether they are pedigree or non-pedigree. The Combined  G6-7 Agility Class can be a class that is already a qualifier, e.g.  Crufts Singles, Olympia, or any other sponsored event. This system of selection would be for England.

The number of E.O. Ranking Events ideally would be 15 for Large, 10 for Medium and Small, spread across England in such a way as to reflect the number of handlers in particular areas. A points league table would be regularly updated and sent to all media outlets.

When the Ranking Events have finished, the top 30 Large, 10 Medium, 10 Small, (subject to change) will be invited to the 2009 Selection Day. Reserves would be taken in order from the final list.

The other Home Nations will put suggestions forward for their own areas.

A full list of Shows holding E.O. Ranking Events will be published as soon as possible. It is essential that all Show Managers forward the results of each Ranking Event class to the European Team Manager within two weeks of the show.

Source: John Gilbert, European Team Manager 2008 (19/01/08)

Crufts Heats 2009

The updated list of teams and singles heats qualifying for Crufts 2009 are as follows:-

Crufts 2009 Agility Team Qualifying Events

Crufts 2009 Singles Qualifying Events

Source: Dave Ray  (19/01/08)

EMDAC Traffic Alert

Anyone coming to the EMDAC show at Fiskerton tomorrow needs to be aware that the A617 between Newark and the turn to Fiskerton is currently closed due to flooding and the forecast is for more rain. Diversions have been set up, but please allow yourself extra time to get to the show.

For the latest situation, please check BBC web site for travel news

Source: Paul Sensky (18/01/08)

Dog Vegas March Show Closed

WTCI Judge Change

Rugby Christmas Show Goes On

Contrary to the rumours that are abounding, the Rugby Christmas Show will take place on Saturday, 13 December 2008 – and yes, the car park has been tarmaced!

Source: Maggie Lewis (15/01/08)

Calling all Disabled Handlers with a Sense of Adventure

There has been a good response to call for entry to the 2008 International Mix & Breed Championship Agility Show (IMCA) in Northern Italy, but so far the disabled handlers have been very quiet. 

The Para Agility World Championships (PAWC) competition is to be held in Voghera (close to Milan) on 28-31 August. It is a wonderful opportunity to show off your handling skills and a chance in a lifetime to represent your county in an International Match, meet new people and just enjoy the occasion. The atmosphere of the event is like the friendliest local show you have been to and then a bit more. It is a relaxed holiday with your dog with an emphasis on the relaxed. Three runs in four days is almost horizontal!

In the past, teams from various European countries have participated including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal,  Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom as well as Mexico, Japan, South Africa and United States.

Video of para-agility in Voghera in December 2007

If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch by emailing Richard at perdixcott@uwclub.net.

Source: Richard Partridge  (14/01/08)

C-Side March Show Reminder

Now that clubs are getting back to training after the Christmas break, Val Clark would like to ask that you to inform all your friends, acquaintances and club mates - especially those without a computer or internet access - that the March C-Side Show reached the capped number several  weeks ago. No more entries will be accepted.

In addition, the waiting lists for March and now February has also been closed.

Source: Val Clark (09/01/08)

Crufts Team 2008 Becomes Baton Relay

New rules have been issued by the Kennel Club for the Crufts Team Agility Competition to be run in 2008 for Crufts 2009. It will be run as a team relay with a baton change which should make it a faster and even more exciting event. Up to now the event consisted of four individual runs.

The new rules are as follows:

• This is an Agility competition and must include at least two items of contact equipment. 
• This is a team relay event and a suitable baton should be used which must remain behind the start line at all times.  When the dog/handler returns to the start/finish, there will be a baton change between the handlers. No part of the next dog/handler must be over the start line at the change over; failure to observe this will incur a penalty of twenty faults. 
• These competitions will be scheduled as a combined class for grades 1 to 7 for all height categories. There will be a separate qualifying competition for each height category.
• There will be up to eight separate heats for each height category, (small, medium, large) held at Kennel Club licensed shows, throughout the country.
• The Show Secretary should record the top five placed teams and send the results to the Crufts Office at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show. These results should include the name of the team, handlers, dogs and reserves.
• Each team will consist of 4 dogs, with 4 handlers from the same height category.
• The winners of each heat will be invited to Crufts 2009 to compete in the Small, Medium and Large Finals. In the event that the winning team or club in a heat has already qualified for the final then the highest placed unqualified team in that heat will be invited to the final at Crufts .  Only dogs entered as a reserve at the qualifying event will be permitted to compete in the final should a change of dog be necessary.
• This event is open to Kennel Club Registered Clubs with an interest in agility, all team members must be members of the club at the time of qualifying for the Crufts Teams Final.
• Clubs may only qualify 1 (one) team in each height category for the final at Crufts 2009.
• Once a handler or dog has run for a Kennel Club Registered Club in a Crufts Team Agility event they cannot run for another Kennel Club Registered Club in the Crufts Team Agility event at the same height category during the qualifying year.

Source: The Kennel Club (08/01/08)

Nominate Your Favourite for the the Agility Club Awards

2008 marks two very special anniversaries. It will be 30 years since Peter Meanwell lit up the main ring at Crufts with a team competition similar to show jumping that he'd dreamed up with John Varley. Five years later, this club, the Agility Club came into being, to help bring some order to the many different rules that agility shows were running under, and to enable people throughout the country to get information on shows being held, via the Agility Voice.

The Agiity Club wanted to do something extra special to celebrate these two anniversaries, and so they decided to host the Agility Club Anniversary Awards and Gala Celebration, which will be held at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire on Saturday 16th February 2008.

Elizabeth Morgan, Hon Sec of the Agiity Club said, 'We would like to thank our sponsors: principal sponsor Pedigree, main sponsors Genesis and Eukanuba, and all our category sponsors: Premier Show Jumps, Norton Rosettes, iShowServices and Doggie Solutions.'

The Gala Celebration will be a black tie dinner, followed by award presentations. There are ten categories, for which we are asking for nominations from Agility Club members: for more details follow these links categories and nomination form. If you are not already a member, there has never been a better time to join: as well as a year's subscription to the Agility Voice, members will enjoy discounts on club events, including the Gala Awards. For details of membership, click here.

Committee member and one of the event organisers, Jill Spurr explained 'We wanted to mark next year in a very special way. Having a BAFTA style awards ceremony will give everyone the chance to celebrate all that is good about agility, have a night to remember and hopefully raise a substantial sum of money for charity too.'

The Gala Awards is non-profit making and all profits will be donated to charity on the Gala evening

Source: Elizabeth Morgan (07/01/08)

Fingal Dates

Fingal Dog Club (Republic of Ireland) has informed Agilitynet that it is changing its Agility Show from 7-8 June 2008 to 30-31 August 2008. 

The corresponding dates for 2009 will be 29-30 August.

Source: Diana Collie (07/01/08)

KC Festival 2007 Results Finally Available

The full results for ALL classes at the Kennel Club International Agility Festival 2007 are now available online via the Kennel Club website on  http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/566. Click the link for 'Results from the 2007 International Agility Festival'.

John Leslie at the WTOA Department at the Kennel Club said, ' Many apologies for the long time it has taken to get the last batch of classes up on the results web page. '

You can view Festival results class by class, or else by entering your own name you can view all the results for each of your dogs at the Festival. Why not check to see whether you might have won a place rosette you didn't know about? There are a number of unclaimed rosettes and even a couple of trophies at the Kennel Club which the KC will gladly forward to you if you claim by 31 January. Just email John Leslie at john.leslie -at - thekennelclub.org uk (replacing -at- by the '@' symbol of course) to claim rosettes. Please be sure to give your name, the dog's name and the class number and name, and of course a postal address.

Source: John Leslie (06/01/08)

Plan Ahead for IMCA & PAWC 2008

Now that the Christmas pud has finally been digested, the wrapping paper has been recycled and the dogs have stopped bottom burping after their rich, festive diets, we can settle back and start to plan the next year of Agility. For the more adventurous how about an international competition in Northern Italy?

The 9th IMCA and 7th PAWC 2008 will  take place from 28 -  31 August 2008 at  Voghera, near to Milan. The competition is open to all pedigree and crossbreeds, all sizes and abilities.  Any country can enter up to 15 dogs in the Individual classes and unlimited numbers in the Para-agility.

Join the team
Richard and Sheila Partridge, both of whom competed in Holland in 2006, have agreed to help co-ordinate a team for 2008. Because this event is not supported or sponsored by any official governing body or organisation, it will be necessary for team members to pay their own expenses though from experience Richard and Sheila found the organisation easy and the cost, compared with a similar type of holiday, pretty reasonable.

Most important, it takes about 7 ½ months to get a Pet Passport, so if you want to enter this - or take your dogs abroad this summer for any reason - you need to get the passport process started now.

There is a little more information regarding the event and venue on  http://www.para-agility.nl/INFO%209e%20IMCA%20&%207e%20PAWC%202008.htm. Voghera is right at the top of the map in the centre!

• The rules for IMCA can be found on http://www.para-agility.nl/RULES%20IMCA.htm
• Rules for PAWC (Para-agility) can be found on http://www.para-agility.nl/RULES%20PAWC.NED.htm

If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch by emailing Richard at perdixcott@uwclub.net.

Source: Richard Partridge  (04/01/08)

 FEBRUARY 2008

Woodside Camping

Woodside DTC would like to remind everyone entering their show that camping is full. They are still getting a lot of entries requesting camping and cannot accommodate any more vans.

Source: Allan Brydon (28/02/08)

Hurry for Camping at Hinckley

For those wanting to camp at the Hinckley 50th Anniversary show at the end of May, you'll need to enter the show as soon as possible as spaces are filling up quickly. The show, however, does not close until 24 April.

This year the show is being held at a new venue this year at Victoria Farm, High Cross, Lutterworth.

Source: Yvonne Croxford (26/02/08)

Rugby Agility Weekend Camping

Camping at the Rugby Aglity Weekend in July is now full.

Source: Maggie Lewis (12/02/08)

Camping at Woodside

Camping at Woodside is already oversubscribed, so if you have yet to send an entry, please do not include a camping request. There are sites nearby which do accept dogs. See schedule for number of Biggar Tourist Office.

Susan Mallabar is to send me all the camping forms received to date, numbered in exact order they were received. Please do not contact her and ask if you have been allocated a pitch - I shall be sorting all the forms when I receive them so please wait a week or so until you try and contact me for the info. (01324 617380). Allocations will be made strictly in order of receipt - no favouritism whatsoever I promise! I shall contact those on the overflow list as soon as I know who you are and those at the top of the list will have priority for any additional pitches that come available if someone drops out.

Source: Dawn Gilmour (06/02/08)

Camping at Shrewsbury is Closed

Camping at the Shrewsbury agility show in May is now full.

Source: Rachel Rogers  (06/02/08)

Kennel Club Recognised for Its Contribution to Agility

The Kennel Club has been formally recognised for all its hard work in the field of Agility, by being nominated for two awards at the Agility Club Silver Anniversary Awards.

The Kennel Club's International Agility Festival has been short-listed in the prestigious 'Best Show' category by Agility Voice magazine. The annual show is one of three finalists in the category for the Agility Club Silver Anniversary Awards, with the winner being announced in February. In addition, the Kennel Club has also been nominated in the Contribution to Agility category.

Agility was first introduced at Crufts in 1978, and since then the Kennel Club has continued to promote this popular sport, licensing over 300 shows annually. The International Agility Festival began three years ago and with over 2,000 dogs taking part, the show has really taken off and proved itself a weekend not to be missed.

With over 12,000 entries and 16 competition rings to manage, the show requires significant levels of co-ordination and hard work. Competitors from all over the world make their way to the East of England Showground in Peterborough to attend the event in August each year.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson said, 'This is a fantastic recognition of the achievements of the Kennel Club. So much work goes into the International Agility Festival and we are really pleased to be recognised for this. To be nominated for the festival is great, but to be recognised for our overall contribution to Agility as well just highlights how far the Kennel Club has come in promoting this sport.'

The winners will be announced at the Anniversary Gala and Awards Ceremony which takes place on 16th February at the Stoneleigh Exhibition and Conference Centre, Warwickshire. To find out more about getting into Agility have a look at the Activities & Events section of the Kennel Club website, www.thekennelclub.org.uk.

Source: KC Press Office (05/02/08)

Running Order for Eukanuba Qualifiers at Crufts 2008

Congratulations to all those handlers who have qualified for the Eukanuba events at Crufts this year. The running order is below.

Eukanuba Mini/Maxi Pairs Challenge
Thursday, 6 Marcy 2008 - 13.35

1.  Sharon Brewster                       Upanova Limited Edition
    Sue White                                Tizza Moment of Madness

2.  Barbara Edlin                            Chandling Black Chaser
    Gladys Tombs                           Skipi Beau Bounce

3.  Susie Josty                               Ag. Ch. Spratt Attack
    Nick Josty                                Set The Juice Loose

4.  Kate Lugmayer                         Just Joking
    Cliff Truluck                             Tosari Cache

5.  Dave Alderson                          Steelthorn Rum Truffle
    Bernadette Bay                         Ag.Ch. O'Bay Truly Balanced

6.  Wendy Fassam                         Just Cruising
    Tracey Stiff                             Mr Scrumpy

7.  Angela Gadenne                       Raeanne Hippy Chick with Sirensong
    Debbie Broadhurst                    Heslops Glen

8.  Miranda Frankham                   Chandling Idiots Charger
    Toni Dawkins                           Ag.Ch. Spellcast Made in Heaven

9.  Mandy-Su Sarti                        Tear Around Tilley
    Alan Bray                                 Skys The Limit at Upanova

10.  Carol Wallace                           Tilda The Terrible
     Don Nunn                                 Nothing Down Charlie Brown

11. Vanessa Layton                         Karamugi A Little Bit More
    Mel Doyle                                  Pepsi Fizz of Valgray

12. Angela Gadenne                        Raeanne's Hopeful By Phar For Sirensong
    Lee Broadhurst                         Pilling Light Oak

13. Louise Challis                           Speedy Spud
    Alan Stiff                                 Weircourt Nutmeg

14. Lorraine Drew                          Trio of Valgray
    Keith Williams                          Thunderfox Bryn

15. Diane Raper                             Parkbreck Double Dash
    Eleanor Balchin