NW Agility League

I'm super late in getting this on here, but another agility thing Vegas and I participated in last year was the NW Agility League, hosted by Columbia Agility Team. This is a team event held for 7 weeks during the late fall with a games course and standard course each week. Volunteers design the courses and teams are formed by draw (for at least two members of each team). Teams are four people total and participants can also choose to run FEO. I volunteered myself (like a glutton for punishment) this year to be site leader which meant organizing the paperwork, adding up scores, sending them out to the teams as well as the scorekeeper, and more. All in all, while the concept of league is fun, it turns out to be a lot of work even when you don't volunteer to be site leader. After all, the things that make a trial happen have to happen here, too. The courses must be built, the bars must be set, chute fluffed, score kept, runs timed, and everything judged. But, now we've tried it two years running and at least there were moments.

Week 1

Vegas earned a score of 94 on Standard and 77 on Steeplechase.

Week 2

This week's scores were 95 for Standard and 84 for Snooker Made Easy.

Week 3

Poor Vegas eliminated us on the Standard run this week since she had to go potty. As I learned in a later week, my sons were not always making her go outside to potty after school. Vegas has a strict no nasty weather policy and sometimes would prefer to hold it if you let her than to go out in the weather. The kids don't push it and, well, we paid for it here. Oh well. Lucky Thirteen was interesting as you were to make up your own course but get exactly thirteen obstacles. Our score on this game was 84; I think we managed to get through 11 or 12 before time.

Week 4

This week we had a 75 on Standard and a 57 on the Non-Traditional Gamble. I think we had an off course and/or a knocked bar plus time on Standard.

Week 5

Our scores this week were 75 and 101 and, I must say, this was one of most enjoyable games courses of the entire session. There was definitely some finesse required but it was doable for a Dane!

Week 6

Oh, elimination for elimination, how I detest thee. Okay, but really I disliked my sons not putting Vegas out. Poor girl was having troubles in the weaves and I didn't catch that it was discomfort. Sent her through again and she made them the second time and as we went for the teeter in Standard, she just had to go. Our Almost Fast course was good. I thought we had it but the "judge" called us a fault on the send as I stepped into the box as Vegas exited the tunnel. It was one of those things that, for a fun activity, I don't think it was worth calling - especially considering all the other lackadaisical calls we made, but cest la vie. So our score was only 76.

Week 7

Week 7 was probably Vegas' and my best week of the entire league. We had a score of 100 in Standard and our games course turned out way better than I could have hoped. The box in the center represented the potential to earn double the points numbered on any obstacle if our dog completed them while we were in the box. Basically a giant send game. Vegas ended up working with me really well and I was in the box on 3, 4, 5, 6, and she started 7 which I was really proud of. I did have to leave the box for 7 but was able to stay in it for the rest of the numbered obstacles until #15. Even the weaves on the second time through! We had a great score of 195 and it felt good to see her run so well.

Our team ended up placing in the top 15 for league so we were given a mug. The jury is still out on whether I'll give it a go again this fall, but for $26 it's one of those things that can definitely be worth it to work on areas and issues a team may have.