Windy City K9 Classic Soars to new heights!
September 5, 2009, Naperville, Illinois
When the dust cleared in Colorado in August of 2009, we had seen the biggest UFO event ever. The thought that another event might top this was beyond our thinking. And yet, in Naperville, on Labor Day weekend, the UFO topped itself. With help from over 100 of its good friends!
The action went on all day, but the performances were legendary! With the World Championships looming the next day, one might have expected the top teams to hold back a little. Not a chance. It was an incredible display of dog and disc that may never be repeated. The unbelievable numbers of teams competing were only eclipsed by the amazing feats that the dogs were pulling off.
The Novice and Intermediate divisions took place on the second field. While the freestylers rocked out to their tunes, the Novices stuck to the basics. In the end, the Champs emerged, and the long trip from Colorado proved worth it as Kellie Hanson and Cooper took home the gold.
The Intermediate division saw a few Open teams playing with second (or third, or even 4th) dogs there. But the local team of Paul Haidinyak and Rocket weren't about to let interlopers steal the glory! Score one for the Windy City club!
The Open division can be thought of as 3 different events; the Open Freestyle, the Open Throw & Catch, and the Overall. Winning all 3 is quite a feat, but it has been done before. To do so against 80 teams would be unthinkable. It nearly happened!
In Open Freestyle, so many teams were hitting their routines, there was simply no room for mediocrity. To even make the cut to the top 10, a team needed to have a score of over 35 points! Unreal! When the awards were eventually handed out after the long day, Tracy Custer and Racoon Jack-no strangers to winning-had topped the other teams to win it.
In Open Throw & Catch, the number of teams was even higher. 98 teams ran at least 1 round of T&C, and the scores were again intimidating. For many events, scoring a 15 would guarantee a win. In Naperville, it wouldn't event get you into the top 10. When the grass clippings settled, a familiar name was handed the top prize: Tracy Custer and..Courage? That's right! Tracy won the second event with a different dog! Straight from science fiction, it must be!
Finally, the Open Overall division. With huge numbers of teams competing, a team that hoped to win couldn't have any weaknesses. A low Freestyle score could not be made up with a high T&C score. A team simply had to have 3 great rounds. This, of course, would take a great team.
At a break midway through the day, there was a special ceremony to honor and induct Chuck Middleton into the Ashley Whippet Hall of Fame. With many teams, this overwhelming honor might have thrown them for a loop-pushing them off their game. But not Chuck. He demonstrated both creativity and discipline to bring his amazing pup Bling Bling to the top, and secure the bragging rights as the winner of the biggest UFO Major EVER.
How long will it be until this record is broken again? Socal? Houston? 2010?
We hope you will be there to see!