News and results...

2013 Final
Dog Vegas Show
26 to 29 July 2013

This year's Final of the Kong Chase the Ace Team was held at the Winterton Agricultural Showground on 29 July 2013 and was judged by Alan Bray.

The results are as follows:

2012

A Finalists Perspective

As the Captain of the Kong Chase the Ace winning team at Dog Vegas show on 27 July 2012, Hannah Grantham was asked if she would write a report on the Final from a competitor's perspective, so here goes... 

In my quest to show that Newton Heath DTC is a great club to be a member of, I decided at the beginning of the year that I wanted to be a part of an agility team so I would be able to compete at various team events throughout the year. As I run Small dogs, it had to be a Small team. All I did was shout out one night at training 'So who wants to be part of a Small team then?’ and three (probably slightly insane) handlers and dogs stepped up to the challenge. And so the Newton Heath Rat Pack was born.  

Hannah Grantham with Boo (Bibbity Bobbity)
Pam Brooker with Titch (Tooralie Mr Titch)
Sally Rhodes with Denzil (Deefor Denzil)
Bob Taylor with Meg (Charnock Morning Mist)

We entered some team events, not really knowing what we were doing but we were having fun. At the Dog Vegas show at Bakewell in May, we surprised ourselves by running four lovely clear rounds in a Chase the Ace Team qualifier, winning the class as the only clear. This obviously qualified us for the Final. 

So, what was it like competing in the Kong Chase the Ace Final? 
We met at the ringside once the course was ready for walking. During this time, we decided on which order to run in. It would be Sally with Denzil up first, then Bob with Meg, followed by me with Boo, then finally Pam with Titch. After collecting our dogs, we returned to the ring to watch the other teams and await our turn in the ring. Up before us were the Small teams - All Four Smalls and Cavits. Although these teams ran really well, there were some eliminations. We knew we had to go for four clear rounds in order to be in with a chance. Sally ran a perfect round with Denzil, followed by another fab run by Bob and Meg. By this time my stomach was doing back flips, It was worse than being in a Championship final and, believe me, I’ve been there, too! Not only do you want to do well for yourself but you don't want to let the others in the team down either.

Thankfully Boo was on form and in a mood for listening to me. We pulled a very good clear out of the bag. After a quick baton change, Pam and Titch were on the course. It was a nail-biting moment as we all know about 'The Last Dog Curse,' but we had no need to worry as, in true Pam and Titch style, they gave us our final clear in 108.255 seconds - a decent time. We had set the bar high. 

Next up was the last Small team Thunder Birds Are Go. They did a lovely run in the time of 115.191 but sadly took 15 faults during their run. It is unbelievably hard to get four dogs round a course one after the other clear.

Now it was onto the Large teams. We knew that those teams could cover the ground faster than our Small dogs, and we could lose our 1st place position. K9 Krackers was up first and they were running really well until they took an elimination. They finished the course in 108.497 with 105 faults. Their time proved that a Large team could knock us off our top spot with a good run. They were only milliseconds off our time. Next up was Live Wires, a Large team from Wyre ATC. We knew this team could win if they went clear. By now my poor nails were getting a bashing. All their dogs and handlers were very experienced, but luck was not on their side. They took 15 faults in a time of 92.118. It was still a very good time. Hats off to them.

Next in the running were Oldies but Goodies who qualified for the final that day, and they put a good run in taking 15 faults in a time of 111.256. They were followed by Chippy's x 4 which was another team to beat our time with 90.959 but they took 10 faults as well.

We now knew that with only two more teams to run we had at least taken 3rd place, and that we could congratulate ourselves for that. We could hold our own in a team competition. Dot and Carry, another Large team, was the next to run. They did a very good round in 116.408, but unfortunately took five faults. We were still leading, but knew we would definitely be taking 2nd if not 1st  place home.

The final team to run was the Medium team Just Agility. This was it - the moment of truth. This team could beat us as we knew it was less likely a pole would drop with a Medium team running. By the halfway stage, they were ahead of our time and were looking set to beat us when their third dog in took the last jump down, giving them five faults. It was at this moment we knew we had won. Well done to Just Agility though with a finishing time of 105.337, beating our time by about three seconds. 

I think the Newton Heath Rat Pack was in shock. We couldn't believe that our Small team had actually won. We did our best and it paid off. We thought we had no chance against the fast Large dog teams but, then again, our sport is about testing accuracy as well as speed. We had done Small dogs proud, proving we could be competitive and we had become the first Kong Chase the Ace Team Champions.

The final placings were: 

Results

Thanks you and congratulations
Finally from me, well done to all teams in the Final. It was great competing against you. You gave us a run for our money, and my nails are now a good inch shorter. Thanks to Dog Vegas for organising these events and a huge thank you to Kong for sponsoring the heats. Without our sponsors, these heats would not be able to go ahead. They are great fun trying to qualify for and even more fun to compete in. 

Hopefully The Rat Pack will be back next year to defend their title, and in March 2013 we will be on the Green Carpet at Crufts after qualifying at Lune Valley, so wish us luck. Not bad for four handlers who wanted to have a bit of a laugh competing as a team.

1. The competition is classified under Kennel Club Regulations as Combined Grades 1 to 7 and Special, and will be held under KC Rules and Show Regulations H & H1 as in force at the date of the competition. Additional rules apply as described below. Competitors entering this competition are deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules.
    

2. All dogs entered in the team (including reserves) must be entered in the show in at least 1 normal height class (i.e. not veterans or any size).
    

3.  All teams must consist of four dogs of the same height classification, handled by four separate handlers. All teams will compete over the same course at the appropriate height of the team of dogs competing.
    

4. Substitute dogs for teams are permitted, provided that (i) the dog(s) is/are already entered in the show, (ii) the dog(s) is/are not already entered in another team in this heat and (iii) alterations are made before the run and recorded on the scribe sheet.
    

5. Dogs may only compete in one team in any given heat. Should one dog be entered in more than one qualifying team across the heats then the first team to have qualified will go through to the final and any subsequent teams will not be eligible (This does not apply to handlers).
    

6. The course must contain two changeover lines, clearly marked with start/finish poles, each with a minimum gate width of 4m. Dogs 1 & 3 start behind line A and finish behind line B. Dogs 2 & 4 start behind line B and finish behind line A. (Handler 1 may use a recall start). The inward and outward courses can be different, but both dogs from behind the same line must run the same course.
    

7. The course each dog is required to negotiate shall contain no less than 14 and no more than 20 obstacles.
    

8. This is a relay event and two suitable batons must be provided. All baton changes must be completed with the handlers and dogs behind the appropriate changeover line. Failure to comply with this, or an incorrect baton change (i.e. throwing or dropping the baton at changeover) will incur a penalty of 50 points on each occasion. Stewards may be appointed by the judge to adjudicate changeovers if required.
    

9. For each dog an elimination on the course incurs a single penalty of 100 points. However, the judge will continue to mark any further faults on the remainder of the course and the faults of any remaining dogs.
    

10. The team with the fastest time and the least faults, wins. The top two teams from each heat qualify for the final (unless the heat is split – see rule 11).
     

11. If the entry for a heat exceeds the KC limit for a judge in a day then the class will be equally and randomly split. The winning team from each part will be regarded as the two qualifying teams from that heat.
     

12. Only the members of an original qualifying team (as specified on the scribe sheet at the time of the run) or the two original named reserves, will be allowed to compete in the final.
     

13. In the event of a team being unavailable for the final, a reserve team will be called from the heat in which the qualifying team qualified.
     

14. Individual trophies and rosettes will be provided for first and second placed teams (in the event of a split heat trophies will go to the first placed teams for each part).

First published 17 August 2012

[bottom.htm]

© Copyright Agilitynet