Intro to Agility

[Kamrin]

We did intro at Lisa's ITZ trial this weekend.  I was very happy with the courses and the opportunity to reward my wild boy for working with me.  It was nice to not have to create my own "short course" out of the novice courses.  By the end of each day, my boy and I were working much better as a team.  After another couple trials, I'm hoping for more consistency in our teamwork.  But I see no rush to move up in levels... so please keep offering intro!

Love it!!

[Sara Langston]

Sharon,  Intro sounds like it could be a very good thing to offer and we might like to try it.  However, after this coming weekend, there are no NADAC trials in this area until September.  We will not have an opportunity to see if this new class will work for our trials.  Personally, my next trial, Laughing Dog Agility, is not until late October.  Then, we have one in January and March.  Therefore, I would ask that you not make Intro an "all or nothing" class as of January 1st.  Please give us another agility season to evaluate if this will work for our individual clubs.  The agility season in this area runs from September to May.  Also, I would ask that you keep it so a club can pick a few classes in which to offer Intro or they could offer it at all levels.  The clubs in this area are so small and the manpower in the clubs stretched so thin just to host a trial, the extra work might be accepted better if it involved only a couple of classes instead of all of them. 

I truly would like to offer Intro agility at my trials, but don't want to feel I must offer it for all six classes for all three days.  I would like to try it for a couple of classes and see how it works.  I am confident it will work and probably would be added to all classes, but would just like to try it first. 

We are working really hard to increase the presence of NADAC in the Southeast and feel Intro will be very helpful in this.  However, we do need to consider the extra work it puts on our volunteers and how it will affect the overall running of the trial.  Being able to get more entries is always a good thing. 

I am sure this was discussed somewhere in this thread, but can't seem to find it.  Does the trial software need to be updated to accommodate Intro??  If so, which software products currently have it???  I hate to have to buy and learn to use new software.  VBG

Bottom line, all I am saying is that I would like the opportunity to go to a trial that offers Intro to see how it works and to offer it in a limited basis at one of my trials before I have to offer it in all classes.  Therefore, I would hope you would give us a little more time before it has to be offered in all classes at a trial.  Thanks for everything you do to keep NADAC the BEST venue available.  Your hard work is appreciated. 

Sara Langston   

[Jeannie Biggers]

GotDog? offered in all classes this past weekend.  I got 64 runs that I would not have gotten otherwise PLUS some VERY happy dogs and handlers.  Yep it was a longer day and more work but it was SOOOO worth it to see all those smiles.

GotDog? will always offer Intro in ALL classes from here on out.

Thanks Sharon for helping us find a way to get people excited to come play this great sport AND be successful!

[Sharon Nelson]

We ran intro in Australia this weekend.  A 2 day trial, double run format, 6 classes a day.  Intro was an absolute hit !  It was terrific to see teams who were struggling in Novice level enter Intro and suddenly there was happiness for handlers and dogs !  By the end of the second day the intro dogs were going from strength to strength.  I will continue to offer intro level here...it is a good thing for the sport.  Good on many levels both for the here and now and for the future of agility

And you had many great reports on the success of the introduction of Intro!!!

Good job!

Sharon

[Sharon Nelson]

We did intro at Lisa's ITZ trial this weekend.  I was very happy with the courses and the opportunity to reward my wild boy for working with me.  It was nice to not have to create my own "short course" out of the novice courses.  By the end of each day, my boy and I were working much better as a team.  After another couple trials, I'm hoping for more consistency in our teamwork.  But I see no rush to move up in levels... so please keep offering intro!

Love it!!

Awesome!  Intro is a great step and the perfect match for those new teams.  To be able to run an Intro course and also have a possible Q linked to it really helps those teams get started and feel connected on a real course just for them!

Sharon

[Sharon Nelson]

GotDog? offered in all classes this past weekend.  I got 64 runs that I would not have gotten otherwise PLUS some VERY happy dogs and handlers.  Yep it was a longer day and more work but it was SOOOO worth it to see all those smiles.

GotDog? will always offer Intro in ALL classes from here on out.

Thanks Sharon for helping us find a way to get people excited to come play this great sport AND be successful!

There were many happy teams from GotDog in the Intro classes.  They had a great time and really appreciated that Intro was offered!

Sharon

[Dwayne Bonker]

I am sure this was discussed somewhere in this thread, but can't seem to find it.  Does the trial software need to be updated to accommodate Intro??  If so, which software products currently have it???  I hate to have to buy and learn to use new software.  VBG

Sara Langston

Sara

If I remember correctly, you use Agility Unscrambled or FAST don't you?

Both of these have been upgraded with the Intro Level and there is very little to no additional items you need to worry about when using them. The Intro Level entries and scoring is just like any other level (Novice, Open, or Elite) and it is very easy for one to do!

Dwayne Bonker

[Jean Sather (McCreight)]

I love Intro and I think it's a great addition to trials, both for "first time" and young dogs, and dogs which for any reason can have more fun on shorter, easier courses.

I do think exhibitors should be aware that it does require a bit more course-building, and moving of (sometimes heavy) equipment: contacts, tunnels and tunnel bags.  Course builders would REALLY appreciate help at these times especially.  Even if you can't help lift heavy equipment, you might be able to pick up numbers if needed, or move some hoops off a course.  If you are standing at the gate waiting to walk your course (any course!) and see just a few folks out there struggling to get equipment moved, any ways you can pitch in to help would be appreciated, and will help the trial day move along more quickly and smoothly!!

[Sara Langston]

Dwayne,  I use Trial Genie and I don't think it has been updated.  I will check with the software provider to be sure.  Thanks.

Sara Langston

[Sharon Nelson]

Dwayne,  I use Trial Genie and I don't think it has been updated.  I will check with the software provider to be sure.  Thanks.

Sara Langston

Trial Genie does not support EGC, BA or Intro.

At some point clubs will be required to use either FAST or AU.

Sharon

[Sheila & the Shelties]

Are there any course maps available on the Forum for any Intro classes?  Will Intro classes be added to the maps for the VT lineup?

[Jeanne Allen]

A note about Intro.  Imagine you had been running trials with only Open and Elite levels.  Then we added Novice......... there would be a extra course builds and walk throughs and the courses don't "magically" change from Open to Novice without some effort by the course builders and the judge and the course crew.  It would be 1/3 more work than before!

With Intro, you are adding Intro to the current levels of Novice, Open and Elite.  That means extra walk throughs, course builds and time for the trial.  In most cases you add 1/4 more time to the trial.  You have added a fourth level to each class, and the added time for walk throughs and course builds.  The courses need to change, they are not a matter of just simply "skipping" a few obstacles and calling it Into.  The level gets the same amount of respect as any other level, which also means not having a field of equipment that isn't supposed to be taken by the Intro team.  The Intro teams get their own time at the trial with course builds and walk throughs.

That being said, Intro is a HUGE success!  Some clubs have found the course changes and extra walk throughs to be easy and a great addition and a real thrill to see the up and coming teams starting to get some ring time.  Other clubs have found the course changes to be too long and more work than expected originally.  All clubs ran the same courses.   It was hard on some and easy on others.

But even clubs or judges that felt it took a bit too much time still loved the addition of Intro and we will all work together to try to minimize any difficulties that arise.

I can put even more hours into course design with the sole concern to not cause any course changes for judges or clubs and maybe some clubs can try harder to realize that adding a whole new level is going to add course changes, walk throughs and time to a trial. 

Intro will also add more entries.

If one imagined hosting a trial without Novice.  The trial would be shorter, the courses would have less course builds and walk throughs and much less time involved.  The trial would also have that many less entries.

Intro has pluses and minuses.  I think that some clubs/judges thought that courses wouldn't change and the Intro teams would just run a few of the obstacles already on the course from a previous level.  But Intro is treated with the same respect as Novice, Open and Elite.  They have a course built for them just like the other three levels do.  The courses are challenging and fair for the Intro teams and they don't have to work around obstacles left in the ring that they are not supposed to be taking.

We got reviews from clubs that ran the same courses that all changes were simple and didn't take hardly any time and also that the course changes took too much time.

So the addition of Intro may or may not be a good addition to your trial!  The entries for Intro will continue to grow and grow and clubs will need to consider if those additional runs are worth the addition of added time and work needed to offer a 4th level for each class.

Right now clubs can pick and choose which classes they want to offer an Intro level.  As of January 1st, if Intro is offered then it must be offered in every class or none at all.  So this year is the time to decide on what is best and either build up the Intro "population" in your area or decide that it isn't the best fit for your area and club.

So there are positives and negatives to the addition of a fourth level to the classes.  A lot of fun and/or a lot of work!!

Sharon

Sharon, can I send this to my clubs board?  I am getting some resistance on the Intro Level and this may help the board out (or not). 

On another note, I was one of the Intro Level dogs at the Got Dog? trial last weekend.  Even though Jester is in Novice in other classes, he still is not weaving yet and when I found out there are no weaves, I signed him up for Intro Regular.  His Q rate has not been that great, but he managed to get 3 Q's out of the 4 Regular runs and he also got the Got Dog? Trial Star for Intro!

Since I have been competing in agility for 11 years now, I will admit that on Sunday I did not walk the second round of Intro Regular.  OK, I did look at the reverse of Round 1 when I was walking Round 1.  So when I finished running Round 1, I just went right back to the in gate to run the second round.

I love the Intro Level and can not wait to run in it again!!!  Wait, that will be in 3 days!!! YAHOO!!!!!

[dogrsqr]

I may have missed this, but can we add intro to trials if the premium is already out?

Gina Pizzo

[cheyaut]

I'm excited, the two trials I'm doing in May have added intro I'm entering one of my dogs who is not a serious agility dog... he's too much of a clown who loves to play (and hates to weave), so intro is a good way for me to have some trial fun with him, with a chance of getting a Q on top of the fun we have together And in the other trial, I'm entering my young dog who can really use a shorter course with no weaves and discriminations at this point in her training. Without the intro, I wouldn't be running these two dogs this coming month, so I'm very happy about it! Thanks to Turns 'N' Wraps and Jumping Chollas for adding Intro!

Jessi

[Maureen deHaan]

I offered Intro at my trial (Play~Bow) this weekend - while the classes were small EVERYONE who ran in them loved it!

 I also have to say that one of my students who is a really nervous person about competing and whose dog can also be a little nervous / reactive brained - ran intro this weekend - I was so proud of them both - both members of the team stayed relatively calm and just flew through the course - big positive feedback for that handler!!   I have to also say that the handler has been working on "licking and blinking" with her dog at my urging - she would not release her dog from the start until her dog showed her a ready sign - and yes she was "E" for training once for it taking too long but she hung in there and her dog ran so nicely and therefore the handler relaxed too -- so happy for them!!!

So Intro is not only great for dogs - it is great for people too!