The New England Opener - NEGSDC 2009 Olympics
By Pat Roda, SnowHeron Studios
Ahhhhhh………..spring in New England has arrived - the bright yellow daffodils breaking through the snow, the cheery song of the red-breasted robin playing across the air, the crack of the bats as kids of all ages start the season of baseball, and…………the Olympics? Yes, of course, the Olympics!
The New England German Shepherd Dog Cluster Association held the 12th Annual German Shepherd Dog Conformation Olympics in Boxborough, MA on April 11, 2009. And what a day it was! True to form, the New England spring day opened up cloudy and raw and proceeded to a rain soaked afternoon - but April showers won’t daunt hardy New Englanders! We know it only brings good friends and dog shows together for the kick-off event of the outdoor dog show season. Breeders and owners eagerly compete for Best In Olympics in the hope that tradition continues and the winners complete their Championship within the year.
The New England Cluster Olympics is a collaborative effort by Baystate GSDC and the GSDC of New Hampshire. This conformation match has three judges. All of the judges are in the ring at the same time for each class. As the class gaits, the judges watch from the center of the ring. When it’s time for coming and going and individual exams, each judge goes to a separate corner. Each dog is gaited up to the first corner, and that judge does the individual examination. The dog is then gaited to the second corner and has an individual exam, and then to the third corner for the same. It is a terrific experience for the dogs with three exams by three different people. Even puppies that are brand new to it all seem to have learned what to do by the third corner!
Once all three judges have completed the individual exams they can gait the dogs again. When they are ready to decide their class placements, each judge writes down on a judge’s sheet which entry he or she would give first place, second place, and so on to the last entry in the class. The three individual judging sheets are then given to score keepers to tally. The scorekeepers carefully record each judge’s placement next to the entry’s armband number, and then add each judge’s score to see what the total score is. For example, if Judge #1 decided that an entry with armband #136 should be first place in the class, and Judge #2 and Judge #3 thought the armband #136 should be second place in the class, the total score for entry #136 would be 5 (1+2+2). The judges place each entry, and each entry is given a total score by the scorekeepers. In each class the entry with the lowest score is first place, the next lowest score is second place, etc. Any ties are judged again, and the judges rescore.
This year, the winners are:
Best In Olympics, Best Female & Winner 9-12 Months Best Male & Winner 12-18 Months
#75 Windy Acres All My Luvin # 72 Windy Acres I Did It My Way
Sire: Ch. Windy Acres Hunka Burnn Luv V Jlyn Sire: Ch. Sirius Parks Kojack Bihari
Dam: Ch. Windy Acres Winner Takes All Dam: Ch. Windy Acres My Oh My
Owner: L. Pruett & A. Cassista Owner: L. Pruett & A. Cassista & L. Parkhurst
Winner: 3-5 Months Male Winner: 7-9 Months Male
#70 Brownhills Better Be Worth It # 77 Vom Ragus Caribbean Reef
Sire: Vinnie Sire: Uhan’s Dr. Feel Good
Dam: Brownhills Kysarah Worth It Dam: Von Ragus Here Comes The Sun
Owners: Holly Whitney & E. St.Hillair Owner: Petra Sheeley
Winner: 9-12 Months Male Winner: 3-5 Months Female
# 69 Kysarah’s Askin For Trouble # 142 Lyloak’s Hope Floats
Sire: Ch. Billmars Here Comes Trouble Sire: Ch. Mechanical Bill of Edian
Dam: Ashes Dam: Lyloak’s Cinnamon of Sugar TC HT
Owner: Frank & Liz deBem S & P Roda Owner: Jason Lyle
Winner: 7-9 Months Female Winner: 12-18 Months Female
# 78 Casamoko’s Northern Lights # 147 Farmils Kiowa Flir
Sire: Ch. Kenlyn’s Aires of Hicliff Sire: Ch. Farmils Desert Storm
Dam: Katie’s Kodiak M Shadow Dam: Ch. Farmils Justyn
Owner: Katie Halfen Owner: E. St.Hillair, S. Tolley & C. Farell
Winner: Senior Female
# 148 Vom Ragus Trial By Fire
Sire: Stonehedge's Bock
Dam: Von Ragus Like A Prayer HT
Owner: Hope Daluisio & Nina Despres
Thanks to everyone for making the New England Cluster Association’s Olympics another great success. And in early spring next year, when the sap is running into buckets tapped into the maple trees, when the flowers are beginning to sleepily poke their way out of the muddy ground still patchy with snow, and when the thick winter coats of the furkids are beginning to molt, watch for the New England Cluster Olympics to be just around the corner. We hope to see you all next year!
