About Stakes....
Being able to remember running Stakes when there was just one level, just one line, we got points by each obstacle we got and we all had to try it that way, I have my thoughts and opinions...
I can see what Lisa is saying and can understand her point of view. Please correct me if I have misunderstood: she feels the need to be able to achieve multiple bonus runs in a row at various trials in order to feel that she and her dog are prepared to run in whatever level she feels comfortable. Well, I can certainly understand that point of view. I'd like to be able to do that too. Buuuuut....
There's a huge difference in the distances in a regular trial vs. Starter or even Silver Stakes. Major, massive differences. Getting a Bonus in any weekend trial in Regular is much farther in distance (and difficulty) than any Starter Stakes line or even a Silver Stakes line. So, getting Bonuses regularly, even a few in a row at weekend trials and then entering Starter Stakes really shouldn't be a stretch. It's only a small stretch (maybe) for Silver Stakes. Especially for someone like Lisa, who trains and works her dogs diligently and who can handle so well.
Staying connected to our dogs is always an option simply due to the fact that the Stakes courses are divided into sections with possible points. We can always choose to move out of our "designated" area to help our dog if losing connection may be an issue. By moving back to our "designated" space we can continue to get bonus points. (IOW, all is not lost.) That's a handler's choice and depends on how their dog is running
at the moment or our knowledge of our dogs' strengths or weaknesses. Not every course is going to be "our" kind of course and they shouldn't be. The point of Championships is to challenge ourselves (and our dogs) in order to test us. It shouldn't be easy or a "given". Choosing to cross the line to help our dog, or keep "connection" makes us the
better handler. Does that mean you shouldn't be in whatever class you qualified for? No. You
did qualify for it, you
deserve to be there, you have just chosen to lose a few points for the betterment of your team. You can still show off the amazing things your team can do in other sections of the course.
There's also an issue of number of trials available in different areas in order to try to qualify. For instance, the number of trials in my area (Southern CA) are dwindling. Increasing the number of Bonuses required might actually decrease interest in the program since the opportunities are vanishing.
There is a drawback, that I can see, to requiring entering the class you qualified for....this is on a completely personal level (like Lisa's). The DRI requirement for Super Stakes. My dogs will probably *never* get DRIs over 100 along with a Bonus. It's just our style of running (such as stopped contacts) and my 2 previous dogs just simply weren't that fast.
Were they Super Stakes distance/difficulty contenders - in my opinion, yes. Would I have entered Super Stakes - absolutely. I guess I kind of wish there were something like a Silver Stakes "B" class. For dogs who have either run in Silver Stakes more than once or who have won it but just don't make it into Super Stakes due to the DRI. It might just seem nicer (read: fairer) to not have them competing against first time Silver Stakes folks. It could even be done for the Starter Stakes - for those dogs who have competed in Starter Stakes previously but didn't make it into Silver. That's just a personal thought that the "powers that be" might consider...
I would like to thank the folks at NADAC in giving out placement ribbons for Stakes. When we didn't get them and we didn't have decent runs, it was kind of depressing to go home with *nothing*. So, many thanks for your generosity.
The Bonus Cups are a true gift! Many thanks for those beautiful trophies.
-Kyle
