Wednesday - Arrival in Perth
My Nationals adventure began early - 5AM early! I had booked an early flight out of Adelaide so in case I did take the dogs with me they would not have any chance of being stuck on the tarmac in the hot sun (one does hear horror stories) and also so I would have a day to settle in before the trials began.
The first drama happened mid-flight when I suddenly realised that Chris, after dropping me off at the airport, had gone straight to work rather than home again as I'd thought he would, and therefore my poor dogs were still shut inside, not having been let out for close to 12 hours. Crossing my legs on their behalf, obviously the first thing I did when I got off the plane was frantic phone call to mum to see if she could pop round and let them out. Phew! Disaster averted.
My taxi driver, although fitting the Indian stereotype, most UN-stereotypically had a GPS!!!! Unfortunately the GPS could not warn us that a tanker had rolled on the main road just near our accommodation, and that we would be stuck in traffic which all had to take the same backstreets. At this point also, my taxi driver (who was actually quite a nice fellow and intrigued by the idea of agility) lost some faith in the GPS and hopped out of the car to retrieve his street directory from the boot and asked me to check where we were and where we were going!! Ah well - I guess no-one's perfect.
Still, I finally arrived in one piece, paid the taxi fare (gulp) and found the cabin I was sharing with Gary and Lee-Anne, who had driven over and already been there a couple of days. We were staying at the Cee and See caravan park which is in Rockingham and directly across from a dog friendly beach. Gary and Lee were already down on the beach with their gorgeous 2yo daughter Chantelle, so I headed right down there after dumping my gear on the cabin doorstep. Here is a view of the ocean that day, and the view from our cabin - as you can see, just beautiful!
Then back home and head off to the grounds to pick up numbers, merchandise and stake out a spot. Sitting in the back of the car with Chantelle I was beset by a constant barrage of questions (“What that?” “What your name?” “What you doing?”) and was quickly amazed at how much a 2yo really does understand and actually a little bit envious of the innocence and amazing imagination of that age – wouldn’t it be nice to be so carefree! (I should also note here that Chatelle was also the only one running and jumping around the cabin enthusiastically at 5.30AM every morning as the rest of us dragged ourselves from bed
We met up with Lee-Anne’s friend Helen and kindly offered us to come back to her boarding kennels for the afternoon, where we relaxed with cool drinks under the gazebo in her beautiful garden. It was just lovely – tall palm trees and green all around, the gazebo itself decked out in fairy lights, so it must look even more lovely lit up at night.
On the way to Helen’s, driving through a relatively new housing development area, we spotted something out of place – a giant, golden monkey man statue! Gary determined that this would make an excellent Facebook profile picture for him, so on the way home we were obliged to stop so he could take photos of it (all the while hoping we were not offending a deeply religious person who would come barrelling out of the house with a shotgun).
We did discover a very nice Chinese shop close by (Gary and I were just a little nervous when we went in to order and there was no-one else in the entire restaurant and a well-dead yabby in their fish tank) but in fact the food was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
By 9PM we were all buggered, and with an early start the next morning we were soon crashed out in bed. Of course, since Chantelle had had a nap during the evening she was considerably more rested, so for the first half hour I was kept well amused by her questions floating up in the dark until she finally drifted off :)
Thursday - First Day of Heats
5.30AM – up and at ‘em! A plus for me was that since Adelaide is 1.5 hours ahead of Perth, the early hour didn’t feel *quite* so early. Rugged up against the early morning cold we piled into the car and sharing the backseat with Chantelle again I watched the first of many viewings of ‘Tinkerbell’, which enthralled Chantelle equally as much the 30th time as it had the first!
At the grounds it was a fresh morning, the ground just touched by dew, the first morning sun just starting to bring some warmth. Our shelter was set up just in front of the novice/excellent agility ring – here are views in each direction.
Everywhere was activity – stewards getting their last minute instructions and judges tweaking the equipment in their rings, people setting up their shelters and crates, exercising dogs and walking courses. Before the trial officially started we gathered at the top of the ground for a general welcome and the judges’ briefings. The excitement and anticipation in the air was palpable – everyone couldn’t wait to get started! Luckily the coffee van rocked up nice and early so hot, caffeinated beverages were readily available to calm (or perhaps further jangle?) everyone’s nerves.
Then it was on! The first dogs were in the ring. Having taken photos at the last two Nationals I was keen this time to get as much video as possible (well, actually I could have gotten more but only realised on the last day that my camera has a ‘long play’ function – d’oh!) Still, I managed to get probably 5-6 hours of footage. I am hoping to get some of it uploaded to YouTube when I have a chance to go through it, which will likely take some weeks.
I saw some truly amazing runs. Masters agility the first day I was lucky enough to get on tape the dog that won the class, Kriszty and her border collie Terra – what an AWESOME run – anyone watching it knew right away that this was going to be the winning run. I was particularly blown away by the speed and accuracy of her contacts – just fantastic. It reminded me of my last trip to Perth, for the 2005 Nationals. I clearly remember all us South Australians coming home after that thinking ‘geez, we really need to improve our contacts!’ I had never seen dogs doing contacts like that before. In particular that year I was truly in awe of Simone and her border collie Raven – her drive and her running contacts became the standard I would try to reach with my own dogs.
The South Australians were putting on a good performance – quite a few clear runs over some great courses. The overall standard was very high – VERY fast dogs, well trained with excellent handlers. It was truly a pleasure to watch. One of the reasons I wanted to video was so I could bring it home and study it – these were some of the top handlers and dogs in Australia so I am sure I will learn a lot by watching them again in detail. It’s one thing to be working through the training yourself, but quite another to see firsthand the finished product you are aiming for.
The day began to heat up (literally) as afternoon approached, and the sun really had some bite to it. Sitting in the shade however was just delightful, and it was very nice to retire to our shelter and relax watching the novice agility dogs. Some great dogs coming up there that I’m sure we will see at future Nationals in the higher classes.
Each day was organised to have an agility/jumping heat in the morning and a game in the afternoons, with all classes to be awarded in separate height categories, no small task for a National but one that the ANWA committee met and then some – helping to shift prizes over from the storage shed I could hardly believe how much great stuff they had.
The whole event had a wonderful atmosphere – everyone was cheerful, the rings ran smoothly and efficiently no doubt in large part to the exceptional performance of the stewards who kept everyone well organised even with multiple dogs running out of order. They were friendly and quick and worked the whole day through with smiles! The competitors too seemed more relaxed, due to the scheduling there was less of a need to race here, there and everywhere even with multiple dogs (or so it appeared from my non-competitor’s perspective anyhow). Everyone was quick to ask everyone else how their dogs were faring and congratulating or commiserating as required, and generally just enjoying a chance to socialise and chat with their fellow agility enthusiasts from interstate. With the Nationals only a two yearly event now, these occasions to catch up with interstate agiliteers are few and far between so everyone was making the most of it!
The day gradually drew to a close, the temperature quickly becoming quite cool after the warm day. As Lee-Anne thought she had not Q’d in any class we headed off home before presentations started, with a reasonable drive to get back to our cabin and another early start the following day. We actually did get home in time to catch Masterchef (my latest TV addiction!) but were in bed not too long after that.
Friday - Second Day of Heats
Up early again – it seems ironic that most of my doggy ‘holidays’ require me to get up considerably earlier than I do for work. What’s up with that??
First good news of the day (apart from a steaming hot cappuccino, mmmmmmmm) was that Lee-Anne’s Toby (Calanais Look At Me) actually HAD Q’d in Excellent Snooker, gaining a leg towards his title and not only that finishing in 4th place! (Below - Toby showing style in SDX through the tyre)
This day also turned out to have nicer weather – just that little bit cooler made a huge difference, with people and dogs enjoying it just that much more. With the first day of competition now behind us everyone had settled in a bit more and there were many excellent performances. Lee-Anne had offered Helen Cassie (Tamaari Eyesasensation) to run in JDM and they managed a great quallie! 13th place at a Nationals is nothing to be sneezed at, especially with Cassie doing it at age 10!
Another bright spot was having a chance to catch up with Ash and meet her puppy Ace – back when Ash was searching for a Coolie breeder I was sworn to secrecy as I received gorgeous puppy photos from various breeders to offer an opinion (which was difficult cos they were ALL gorgeous
Friday also saw the first round of the teams event. SA had a great team in this year, and we were thrilled when they all put in really good performances, ending with two clear rounds and two rounds with just one fault each. We were now well placed coming into the second round for the following day and keeping our fingers crossed our luck would hold out!
This time we did hang around for presentations, after a long day it was pleasant to sit with all the other competitors and watch the dogs and kids chilling out – the dogs were loving the prizes from the second chance box (anyone who missed a Q could put their numbers in to be drawn out for a prize – and true to form WA had SO MANY second-chance prizes that on the final day they literally had to offer a free for all to try and get rid of them!) My new Nationals jacket came in handy, keeping the cold wind off as I sat and cheered with the other South Australians as several of the ‘home team’ went up to collect Q’s and placings. Toby had again done Lee-Anne proud gaining a Q and 5th place.
Then it was time to bundle back into the car again, enjoy watching the first ten minutes of Tinkerbell for the 15th or so time (Chantelle insisted on kicking her feet up and re-starting the DVD at regular intervals) and head home for another early night. Incidentally, I was sleeping in the top bunk (Lee-Anne had wisely removed Chantelle’s mattress from the bottom bunk and placed it next to their own bed, lest the whole structure gave way underneath me!) which is the first time I’d slept in a top bunk bed since... you guessed it... my LAST trip to Perth! Despite the bed being slightly too short for me, apparently having being designed for children, it was actually quite comfortable. Not that it would have made much difference I don’t think, by now we were all so exhausted at the end of each day we were conking out as soon as out heads touched the pillow!
Saturday - Final Day of Heats
Even Chantelle took some encouraging to get out of bed this time. The early starts and long days were starting to tell, but with cups of coffee to fortify us we were once again out the door just after 6.30AM. This day started out overcast and cool, with the possibility of some showers, but after a few initial showers on the drive down the day cleared up beautifully once again.
The morning went well – SA had probably their best day yet, lots of Q’s and several more dogs qualifying for the following day’s finals. Helen took Cassie into JDM again and managed another great run and another Q, andJust a few minutes after that Lee-Anne took her back for JDO and finished off back to back Q’s! I got a lot more great video footage (thanking the stars Chris had bought me the new extended life battery for my camera) and then we settled in the relax for the afternoon as Lee-Anne was not entered in Strategic Pairs.
Before that though, we had the Teams jumping round. SA’s own Michael Vigor was judging and had put together a course with his patented multiple tunnel entrances close together. It was a fast course which caught out a few people, and unfortunately SA’s excellent performance in the agility wasn’t enough to save them in the placings – we finished fourth. Still a great performance considering it was first time in the National team for several of the dogs. Taking out first prize was NSW, followed by VIC and TAS.
Lee and I enjoyed the afternoon, wandering around and watching the teams. As most of the rings were winding down, we took the dogs out to have a run, so they could wind down after three days of high pressure competition. It seemed we weren’t the only ones with this idea, and soon there was a large group of dogs all running and playing together with nary an argument between any of them. It was truly wonderful to see so many dogs running together and just being DOGS. Below are a couple of little videos I shot and some candid photos. As you can see, even when standing still they were poised and ready for action at a moment’s notice!
Presentations were once again an enjoyable evening - Cassie gained an 11th spot in JDM and 17th in JDO, again amidst very high level competition.
On the way home we decided it was pasta for tea tonight, and duly the GPS guided us to the right spot. It turned out to be an EXCEPTIONALLY good decision as in the same block of shops as the pasta place was a LOLLY shop, still open at 7.30PM! (I immediately decided that Perth really was my kinda place). Even better than that, they sold *drool* Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I ADORE peanut butter flavoured things, ESPECIALLY these delicacies. Unfortunately they are somewhat hard to come by in Adelaide apart from specialty stores (though a good friend at work kindly pointed out that they do in fact sell them in a supermarket in North Adelaide – must check that out!!!) The lolly shop also had another favourite of mine, this time of New Zealand origin – ‘Rashuns’. These cheese and bacon flavoured corn snacks are consumed in great quantities every time I visit NZ, so it was a doubly good discovery to see some here in Oz. Even now, I wish I had some of those PBC... mmm... they are soooooo good.... ok, must finish blog entry!!
Sunday - Finals
The final day we didn’t need to be up quite so early, as Lee-Anne did not need to attend any finals we didn’t have to worry about setting ourselves up for the day. She and Gary had decided to make the most of their trip and take Chantelle so see a bit more of Perth, but they kindly dropped me at the grounds on the way so I could watch the finals. Helen had also been nice enough to offer to pick me up if by any chance the day finished before Gary and Lee were back, which I greatly appreciated.
Another warm day – I was determined to get on video all of the finals, though unfortunately it turned out I had one less tape than I thought I had and ran out of room (why oh why didn’t I discover that long play function earlier – argggghhhh!) and had to make the decision not to film JD and JDX apart from the SA dogs (thought I got so caught up in cheering for them that I think I may have missed one or two – sorry guys!) I got everything else though so 6 out of the 8 isn’t too bad. It did get bloody hot standing under the sun. I was very glad to have my hat and suncream, and was actually quite relieved when the morning runs were over so I could get into the shade and sit down – in order to get the best view I had been standing up to video the whole time. One never realises how tiring it is just to stand up until one tries to do it for several hours non-stop! The agility runs saw SA’s Natalie with Halley go clear in ADM, and Danni and Gabby go clear in ADO, both with great runs.
During the lunch break I received more exciting news – an e-mail to say that Susan Garrett would be returning to Australia for workshops in November. I had been waiting in anticipation of this news since attending Lynda Orton-Hill’s workshops in February, and what with being caught up in the excitement of the Nationals, what better time to receive it! I had vowed that when Susan came I would apply for working spots as I have audited the previous two workshops I attended, and feel it’s time I actually throw myself in the deep end!
After lunch we reconvened for the jumping rounds – again SA did us proud, Neville and Rio and Elaine and Cherry both gaining clears in JD, Danni and Gabby clear in JDO. There were also several other ‘so close’ runs from SA competitors – it was edge of your seat stuff! The JDO class was particularly exciting, it being a very fast course with just a few little tricks, each dog coming in and trying to beat the last fastest time. There some absolutely BLITZING runs there.
I should mention also that there was a lovely Aussie running in the Novice finals who did some excellent work and so here he is then, the token Aussie photo :)
Last final of the day was JDM – the best of the best in jumping. Once again it was a race against the clock as several dogs posted fast, clear rounds. There were groans and sighs from the crowd as a bar wobbled, sharp intake of breath and gasps at a last second save by a handler, oohs and aahs as dog and handler worked in perfect unison to make a difficult part of the course look easy. It was like watching a perfectly drilled dance performed at high speed, every movement precise, each half of the team knowing what exactly which move their partner would make next. As the last dog crossed the final bar there were cheers and clapping for the amazing achievement of the ANWA team – it had been a truly great event, fun, superbly well run and exceptional in that it was the first Nationals to offer separate height categories, a feat in itself.
It was a little sad as everyone began to withdraw and pack up their gear – how quickly the four days had passed! As we gathered around before presentations, the ANWA team once again proved they had thought of every little thing, handing round boxes of Cadbury Favourites (which were enthusiastically accepted by all). Then we all headed back up to the top of the grounds for the finals presentations, and for the dinner that the ANWA committee had organised – an excellent idea considering everyone was tired and hungry after a long day, and especially since it was now quite cold with the sun dropping behind the horizon.
I sat in my chair and relaxed, watching a group of Corellas arguing amongst themselves and flapping in the gum trees high above, and reflected on the last few days and how much I had enjoyed it. Much as I would have loved to be running my own dogs, I didn’t regret for a moment my decision not to bring them, nor the decision then to still attend myself. I know they were the right ones. The time will come when my dogs are ready, and they will go out and do me proud, of that I have no doubt, but they will not attempt it until I know they and I are both confident in our abilities.
As the day had taken longer than expected, Gary and Lee-Anne were back before presentations had started, and rather than try to score a lift home with someone else or make them wait, I decided to head off. Thanks to my iPhone, I knew I would have access to the results as soon as they were posted online, so I headed off home.
The following day Gary was going to be up early to head off for a fishing charter, so we were all in bed early again. Because my flight didn’t leave until late afternoon the following day, I knew I could relax and finally have a bit of a sleep in!
Monday - Last Day in Perth
Surprisingly, even with early bird Chantelle we managed to sleep until close to 8AM – pretty late considering we’d been getting up at 5.30! We had a lovely leisurely morning, then packed Chantelle into her stroller and headed off walking along a purpose-built path next to the beach. It was just about 3km walk into Rockingham, and though it was a bit warm it was thoroughly enjoyable to be out strolling in the fresh air, with Chantelle pointing out along the way every single slippery dip (admittedly, I have never seen quite so many in once place!!) and many of the passersby in the opposite direction smiling and calling ‘Good morning’.
We had breakfast in the open air at a nice little cafe, and then wandered down to look at the sculpture show they had on the beach – the theme being to use recycled materials. There were some amazing sculptures there – I particularly liked the huge dinosaur constructed entirely from pieces of old tyres, and both Lee and I really liked the sea-themed one with fish whose scales were made of old sunglass lenses, driftwood and shells. We even put in our votes for the ‘People’s Choice’ award because we were so impressed at the skill of the artists and the great variety in the materials they had chosen. (I was also impressed at the amount of patience some of them must have to work with said materials!) Photos of some of the sculptures below.
Then, as we wandered through Rockingham to find somewhere to check my lottery ticket and see if I was now a millionaire (I wasn’t) we discovered yet another awesome lolly shop, the Sweet Memories Candy Emporium. Even more exciting, they had an EXCELLENT range of Reese's products. It was probably a good thing they only accept cash, because they offer the option for buying an entire CARTON of your chosen goody (admittedly I was tempted). In the end however I settled for some PBC in a dark chocolate variety, which I had never tried before and which were delicious (hardly surprising) and some more of the regular milk chocolate ones, as well as various other chocolatey goodies to be presents for friends and family back home. They really did have a great range of many chocolate bars I had never heard of before. I highly recommend visiting their shop if you are ever in the area, or checking out their website. Below - look at all those REESE'S products!!!
By the time we walked home we were ready for a sit down, and I set to getting my suitcase re-packed to fit the new chocolate additions. Chantelle amused herself with the stickers off my suitcase from the flight in, and I was once again amazed at her imagination. Just a suitcase and some stickers and she was amused for over an hour!
Finally the time was drawing near. My trusty taxi driver had given me his business card after the trip down, and because he had done a pretty decent job on the drive down, and because I was fairly sure he would turn up on time (unlike some other taxi companies I have used in Adelaide!) I gave him a call. True to his word he was there exactly on time and actually remembered me and what I was visiting for, and asked how all the dogs had gone over the weekend.
At the airport, determining that this time I would not be forced to watch a crappy movie during my flight, I spied a bookstore advertising the latest from Candace Bushnell, a prequel to Sex & The City (which, incidentally I haven’t yet read) and picked up a copy. Done! Lucky too because the movie on the way home, whilst it starting out promising, soon proved to be too slow moving for my liking, so I happily absorbed myself in the book.
Despite taking off late, we arrived ahead of schedule and I was home. The Nationals adventure was over. Next time hopefully I will be back competing again, so until then keep an eye for updates on how the dogs are progressing – some day soon I will have to work out how many days left til NSW 2012!!!
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