Linda,
I definitely understand where you are coming from. I have had so many of those lovely runs that are just a second (or less!) over time... for us, Jumpers is the worst... It can be quite frustrating. But, if you were only a second over time, I would think that a Q is definitely in your future! Maybe not every time, but you and your girl *will* get there!
I, too, think that NADAC times are doable... but we would be fooling ourselves if we said that NADAC times aren't tight and don't require a lot of speed, and efficient turns. My Anja, for instance, is not a blazing fast dog, although she will move with some decent speed while on course. But, in an Elite Tunnelers run, for instance, if she takes a turn too wide, or does a head check to see where I am, then we've lost our Q right there. We are that much on the line. We have enough success, though, that it isn't discouraging... but if it was every single run, every time, then, yes, it would be.
For newbies, though, I think the situation is very different, and we shouldn't be so quick to slam someone that might get discouraged if they never, or only rarely, get a Q. As a new competitor, to continually fail to Q could indeed be quite discouraging. Especially if it is consistently because of time. Not everyone knows how to train for speed. And even if you do know some tricks to train for speed, it can be *hard.* Not every trick works for every dog... and even those that do take time. You may be fighting a lot of training inertia to get that dog to change their speed.
People enter trials to test their dogs, yes, but also to prove that their dogs are ready to be tested. They want to have some brags... and there is nothing wrong or pitiable with that. If no one wanted that, we wouldn't have trials... we'd just be running in our back yards or our training clubs or whatever. Let's not disparage people that have competitive goals... or those that chose to trial in a different venue because they can actually achieve something in that venue. I can so easily imagine how sad I would have been, starting out as a new competitor, if *every* time I went to the line with Anja and had a lovely run, I later saw the results and realized we'd been too slow over and over and over again. I'm lucky, and that didn't happen to me... but I've known people that have dogs that Q at the excellent level in AKC and struggle to make Novice NADAC time. This is not unheard of. And if they chose not to trial in NADAC, we shouldn't be so quick to judge or pity them. Conversely, I've known some dogs that are true "NADAC dogs" and do wonderfully on fast, open courses where they can blast away, but have a hell of a time on a tight, technical Masters Jumpers course. We don't pity those dogs and handlers for choosing a venue where they can have fun *and* be successful. It should go both ways.
Best,
Danielle
