Starring Amp and Switch...
 Lisa
Jordan first competed in the ParaAgility World Championships in 2018 (?) when it
was held in the UK. She absolutely loved that the experience and went on to win
Gold and Silver in Spain with her collies Dec and Switch. Sadly lockdown mean
that PAWC never happened and so it was lovely to catch up with friends and
familiar faces in Italy. Her are some excerpts from her n'er to be
forgotten personal diary...
Here is my day to day account of my most
amazing adventure in Italy competing in Para World Champs with the Team UK IMCA.
Thursday, 11th August
I collect the Animal Health Certificate (AHC)
for pet travel.
Tuesday,
16th August
I set alarm set for 2:25am to arrive in
Whitstable at 5am to meet the coach. Dog crates are already secured in place
after the coach company removed a line of seats.
The first leg of the journey via Euro Tunnel
Le Shuttle. Dogs' AHC paperwork (passports) checked and then human passports. We
are good to go.
After a few comfort breaks during the long
drive, we arrive in the evening for our stop over in beautiful Beaune (France).
 Wednesday,
17th August
After an early breakfast on Wednesday, it's
back onto the coach for the second leg of the long journey, traveling through
the beautiful wine-country countryside to Italy via Tunnel du Frejus, so many
tolls to go through. On one toll, the coach window got stuck open causing us a
slight delay.
We then did a little detour to purchase raw
dog food, only to find the shop closed. Then when we finally knew we were so
close the the hotel, a sign said no buses.
A short trip around the roundabout to the
nearest fuel station whilst calls were made to the hotel asking how and where do
we park the coach to unload, to find out it was an old sign. This cost us the
vital drivers hours, so forced to do an unscheduled stop for half hour to allow
driving time again.
The hotel is great with a beautiful large
park just across the road. We all unload the luggage and go to check out our
rooms for a much needed zzzz.
Thursday, 18th August
Today is a crazy day.
We arrive in a thunder storm. Hard to find
where to park a huge coach. Set up our soft crates in kennel area. We are lucky
to find a lovely shaded barn area with open side, allowing a nice breeze after
the storm.
-
13:16- 14:16 - vet checks
-
14:49-15:55pm - Practice training
sessions. This has to be calculated, worked out in dog sizes to maximise the
time allowed. Jumping and weaves is on one side, contacts the other side.
Sadly, this is when we find out the surface isn't very nice for the dogs.
Thankfully the Judges agree to change their course plans to accommodate the
surface.
Then some down time with our dogs before the
Opening Ceremony.
Driver's shift hours mean we have to leave
before the end of the dinner, to give him the rest time before early start next
day.
 Friday,
19th August
This is the first day of competition.
My first run is with Switch, my Intermediate
Collie. It's a Jumping class judged by A. Jorge Pires. Sadly, a slip at the
weaves means we pick up a 5r.
Result
My Large dog Amp's run is next with only
four dogs between. I have zero time to get into mindset of how Amp runs. I am
still trying to catch my breath after my previous run. He struggles on the
surface to start with. I just couldn't turn him. I lose him to an off-course
tunnel (E), but the experience was good for both of us.
I'm really grateful to the organisers who
agree to change my running order to give me more room between my dogs on
Saturday and Sunday classes.
Saturday, 20th August
We arrive at the venue 7am. It's Teams day.
First for PAWC is an Agility course,
designed by the lovely Becci Hodson (UK)
With Switch, I decide to take him easy
around the course, allowing him to float on his turns rather than try to turn
tightly. Amp is now a little more experienced on the surface. Both pull out a
clear round.
Results
-
Amp = Gold
-
Switch =
Silver
It has gone midnight and we are still at the
venue with some teams yet to run.
We arrive back at the hotel nearer 1am with
another early start Sunday. Adrenaline plays a big part keeping us all going.
Sunday, 21st August
Today it's another Jumping course for PAWC
competitors.
Switch pulls out another great clear, but
Amp just slips at the weaves for 5 faults.
Results
-
Switch = Gold
-
Amp = Bronze
Sunday evening is overall presentations and
the closing ceremony, plus passing the flag over to next year's hosting country.
 We
had a few UK podium places including my own. I am an emotional wreck to find out
Switch had got overall World Champion. Each time I am lucky enough to step up
onto the podium is something else. Singing to the national anthem is just an
amazing experience. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled to be part of TeamUK.
Aftermath
But the adventure does not end there. We leave our overnight stay early in
hope that we can get an earlier train, and we arrive in plenty of time. We go
through pet reception without any issues and are all booked in when we hear the
news tjat there is a train is stuck in the Tunnel. Initially they they tell us
it will be a four hour delay, but the time just keeps increasing.
We are all exhausted but the dogs are all
brilliant. We feed them in the evening and settle down. As time goes by we start
to worry about worming times.
It is all a bit of a blur, but by now I am
suffering with a kidney stone. A couple of times, I ask Euro Tunnel staff to
help us get across, but it is 12 hours until we are able to board in the small
hours of the next day.
At Whitstable, we all unload our things
including our fixed crates and set off for home.
 With
hindsight, I should have tried to take a nap but somewhere on the way, I hit a
kerb and knacker my tyre and wheel. Lesson learnt. At least the dogs are okay. I
wait for another hour for recovery and am told that the spare wheel isn't fit to
drive on.
I am lucky that the lovely owner of the
house whose drive I pulled into does a ring round and finds out there is a
garage five minutes down the road where they can fit a new tyre. £300 later I
drive home with my hazards on.
Once there, I unload the dogs and van and
grab a couple of hours sleep only to wake up in pain. My friend takes me to A&E
where I am admitted and stay overnight on a drip and morphine. Don't get home
until 3pm the next day.
It's still not sunk in - six runs, five
medals and World Champion. I want my Cloud 9 feeling to last forever, but it
burst with all the drama on the way home. Nevertheless, I am still looking
forward to next year but without the horrendous journey home.
To find out more on how to join us on this
emotional rollercoaster that I for one don't want to ever get off, contact Linda
Croxford.
 Author credit...
Lisa Jordan started the agility game in 1987
and has seen lost of improvement in training methods, equipment and course
design since then.
She proudly runs her own club K.I.S. Dog
Training and is an Agility Club Approved instructor and Kennel Club judge. She
also teaches hoopers and CHW core handling online.
She suffers from three bulging discs in the
lumbar region at L3/4.
Over the years she has shared her life with
lots of different breeds including a Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd, Belgian
Shepherd, Lowchen and a Beardie X Old English Sheepdog. She also has a Working
Cocker who came from the RSPCA having been seized in a puppy farm haul.
First published 4th September 2022
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