Going for Gold...

A new record was set even before the opening of the FCI Agility World Championships in Dornbirn, Austria. It was to be the first time that 36 nations were ever represented at such an event. One third of the dogs registered were Border Collies (119) followed by 100 Shetland Sheepdogs. In all a total of 61 different breeds were there to contest the title of World Champion. GB Team Manager Steve Croxford wrote this very personal view of the Worlds.

The Kennel Club's decision in May to withdraw major sponsorship from the international agility teams for 2009 meant that for the first time handlers qualifying for Agility Team GB for both the European Open and the World Championship were to self-fund. Some limited financial backing from the Kennel Club was given to provide funds to provide management support and veterinary cover for the both events. Backing from the soon to be folding GB Supporters Club was used to purchase team uniforms was a welcome input of funds and much appreciated by the Team.

Following a successful qualifying day in July, Agility Team GB was fielding an experienced team in all height categories with Jackie Gardner and her Border Collie Tom being the only pairing to have no past experience of either the European Open or the World Championship. Two pre-event training sessions were held in advance of leaving for Austria both held outside on grass which put the team at a slight disadvantage with the World Championships being held indoors on an artificial surface. Most dogs being taken, however, had had experience of competing at Crufts and with the familiarisation session on the eve of the event held at the venue, no real problems were anticipated.

Thursday
The pre-event training session at the venue on the Thursday went well. The  only minor concerns being the odd decision by the organisers not to allow Small and Medium dogs to practice on the table correctly set for their height and a set of advertising hoardings which some dogs mistakenly took to be tunnels!

Fortunately the management team dealt with the table problem by adjusting the practice table in the collecting area - highly illegal, of course, but seen to be a necessity in the circumstances!

The pre-event vet check was notable only for the decision by the official vet to check all the dogs for fleas. I am not sure what the outcome would have been if any had been found.

Friday
This year's event organisers followed on from the precedent set by Finland last year deciding that a World Champion should be crowned on each day of the event. The Friday finale was to be the completion of the Large Team agility event.

This year's judges came to the event with a reputation for setting difficult courses. Despite the best efforts of the team management to second guess what was going to be presented, the level of difficulty on the first day was a bit of a surprise. Both judges had a theme in mind for their courses which were to become a feature of all three days. By the end of the weekend ‘Mr Round-the-Back' and ‘Mr Tunnel-in-a-Straight-Line' were not the most popular people in the building.

As it turned out, the 'Mr Men' judges did us a bit of a favour especially by the end of day one. The last time the GB Large Team was faced with a really difficult course (France 2003) it worked to the team's advantage, and this year was to be no exception.

At the end of the first Jumping round, the Large Team were handily placed 10^th with 20 faults. Although winning the Gold was going to be a long shot, it was clear when Mr Round-the-Back's course was unveiled the teams that could hold their nerve for the final agility runs would be well placed at the end. The team tactic was get round and see what the others can do.

After a tense wait for our turn. The Large Team set off with the helpful instructions 'don't get eliminated' ringing in their ears. Everyone duly performed their allotted task and, to our delight, finished all six runs with only 30 faults, just ahead of Hungary who had completed their runs with a total of 30.63 faults. Yes, it was that close!

It was now down to the Team GB supporters to put the hex on the rest of the teams. Once again they did a great job with only two other teams in the top ten managing to get round the course without an elimination to their name. Of a total of 29 Large teams, only four managed to get through the day without a single elimination to their name.

It may not have been agility as we know it or like it, but we always do well in these circumstances. Congratulations to Lee Windeatt and Bold, Sue Rolfe and Kes and Jackie Gardner and Tom for putting on such a professional performance and bringing home the Bronze.

Saturday
Day 2 started with Agility Team GB in contention for another medal in the Small Team. Sadly our luck was not with us on Mr Tunnel-in-a-Straight-Line's course. An elimination put paid to any hopes of a medal in this event.

Our attention then turned to the Individual medals, starting with the Jumping runs. At the end of the day, following some rather idiosyncratic judging decisions, we had four dogs handily placed for the overall medals. Jackie Gardener with Tom (Border Collie) placed 26^th in Large, Nicola Garrett with Indiana (Shetland Sheepdog) placed 3^rd and Dawn Weaver with Puzzle (Papillion) placed 9^th in Small. Bernadette Bay with Zen (Shetland Sheep Dog) placed 14^th and Natasha Wise with Dizzy (Border Collie) placed 1^st in the Medium. The scene was now set for a very dramatic final day.

Sunday
As a handler at the World Championships, you only get to run one dog unless you are Dawn Weaver and qualify two. As the Team Manager or Coach, you have the misfortune of running all 18 from outside the ring. Try as you might to set yourself aside from the emotions running through the event, it is impossible to stand apart from your team members, win or lose you share their emotions from elation to despair often within a matter of seconds.

As the day drew to a close, we were left with two realistic chances of medals both in the Individual Medium competition. The tension was almost unbearable. We had reached the point in proceedings when every handler and dog in the GB Team that came to the line was in with a chance of winning or getting a medal. The feeling of tension as you wait for your turn to come round is compounded greatly when you are lining up with one of the people you have shared experiences with over a long weekend of agility. And so it was that we stood at the start line watching Bernadette Bay and Zen preparing to compete for the last time at the 2009 event.

Time to celebrate
Natasha Wise and Dizzy were World Champions. How good does that sound - especially after last year when she came so close to winning. Two near perfect rounds from one of the UK's best handlers, and certainly one of the best dogs, if not the best agility dog in the world, handled by one of the nicest people on the planet. It was a privilege to have been there at first hand to witness it - and only four and a half seconds faster than the runner up. Stand up for the Champions. What else can I say?

Upon reflection
A comparison with previous performances tell us this year's team results were on a par with the best we have achieved since Agility Team GB have been competing at the FCI world championships. The competition gets progressively better every year and this means team performances have to rise to meet the challenge. To come away with one medal is great, to achieve two podium finishes is an excellent result.

One aspect of the Team management's role is easy to overlook. One of our objectives in managing the team is try to ensure that everyone feels part of the team's success regardless of their personal results. We win together and lose together. The net result is that team members are very supportive of each other, particularly when individuals in the team don't achieve the targets they set for themselves. This can be very tough on the individual concerned, and whilst it doesn't change the result it helps a lot to receive the support of your fellow team members in this situation. This aspect of the team's management role is probably more important than standing on the podium with the medal winners and is one of the functions we have that receives little publicity.

The Future
Given the limited financial backing, plans to offer a more structured approach to preparation and training for both events had to be shelved this year. However, commercial sponsorship from outside is being actively sought, and it is hoped that the Performance Development Plan proposed and agreed in January 2008 can be revived in time for events in 2010.

PS: Anyone know what happened to the water bottle this year?

Before...
Team Results

After... (Canadian web site)

Individual Results

Photos: Dennis Bay

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