travelling for flyball

I recently had the opportunity to travel for some amazing out-of-region tournaments. I like to take every chance I get to learn from other trainers and watch other teams so that we (Unorthodogs) can grow as a team. Sometimes experiencing flyball just for the love of the sport -- without the pressure of running your own dogs on your own team - is refreshing and gives you the insight you need to get home and try new things. In October I took Sushi with me to Memphis for the St. Jude Showcase of Dogs hosted by Fetchin Frenzi. I went with our sister-flyball-club Sure Shots and Sushi made her racing debut on their pick-up team. I returned with excellent advice, insight on new and different training techniques, and a whole lot of excitement.

More recently I travelled to Texas to experience the U-Fli Nationals hosted by Hyperflight. Sure Shots were kind enough to let me run Bella and I got to run start with the team and be part of breaking their record for speed - 16.936 - on the B-team! I worked on my pass-calling technique and ran the beautiful mantis-dog Sunshine Rain on the C-team. The championship tournament is flyball unlike I've ever seen before - the teams are so fast, so efficient, so professional. It's wonderful to catch up with old friends that I rarely get to see, and of course get even more training advice from some of the best trainers in the country. And we can't forget quality bonding time with our good friend Randy Kenzie of Dogwood who was judging.
Last year I brought Sushi with me to Nationals, but this year I went without a dog, and returned with 2 puppies -- Danger, who is staying with me, and Savage, who is making waves in Paul's house. My goal for next year -- to convince some of my teammates to make the trip!!