WELCOME to the Official Blog of the 2016 National Amateur, June 18-25 held this year in Stowe, Vermont. This year's Blog is brought to you by the Retriever News and our Official Sponsors Purina and Avery and also Sponsored by Ainley Kennels,Move The Dog,Mountaintop Custom Kennels,YBS Media,Elite Retrievers and Retriever Training Forum. We hope you enjoy these multi-daily updates and please come back often! This year we encourage visitors to participate in the National Amateur discussion located in the comments section of each post. These areas are a great outlet for remote communication and commentary for those unable to attend this year's NARC. Also, please keep an eye out for trivia, surveys and other interactive activities!The Retriever News team consists of Tina Styan, Gwen Jones and Tera Lanczak. We would also like to welcome Pat Burns, of Elite Retrievers this year as a Contributing Sponsor to the blog. Please don't hesitate to share any items of interest or photos that you think the retriever community might be interested in. Send submissions to Tina Styan at: tstyan@theretrievernews.com Subject Line: 2016 NARC Blog. Thanks in advance and enjoy the coverage...
Series 10 is located an hour away from the headquarters in Stowe, VT in the sleepy little mountain town of Cabot. The weather is gorgeous now at 7 am but, it is calling for pleasant temperatures.
A BIG THANK YOU
To: Doug and Cindy Burinton from Lyndonville, VT who donated all the hay bales for the 10th Series Land Quad. We appreciate your generosity!
The 2016 NARC is in the 9th Series, with only the two series left to run the tests are gonna be super tough! The Judges have been in control the entire trial! They have managed their time excellently. This will allow them to put up a test that may take all day long to run! These Judges have done an amazing job testing these dogs and handlers on their retriever skills. The Judges have put up tests that are both challenging and fair.
Today is no exception with the 9th Series Water Quad!!! The 9th Series is being held at Kate Simonds' Stick Pond - directions are in the online training/test site manual.
Take notice of the wind & dog work now in comparison to the first handful of dogs who have run. This am it was as quiet and as still as it could be. The pond had a gorgeous mirrored image of our blue skies.
Good Morning, and Welcome to the continuation of the 7th Series Water Triple. We have 22 dogs left to run the seventh. Then we will stay at the same property for the 8th Series Water Blind, Kent Sweezy Stick Pond … directions in the training/test site manual.
Good Luck To All!
Conditions are a bit more favorable than yesterday afternoon. As the day progressed yesterday it was apparent the wind heavily influenced the test. The test appeared to be doable when the wind was nearly still. When the wind kicked up a little, the dogs were putting up large hunts covering a lot of ground and usually having to be handled to find their birds.
Well we finished the 5th Series yesterday. The 6th Series will be held in the same test site as the 5th Series, Simonds Elmore Ponds property.
This puts the Judges' is a great position to put forth whatever tests they choose. The Judges' have remained in total control from the word go! As they chip away at the number of dog's competing, it is obvious the Judges' have allowed the dogs & handler to eliminate themselves from the competition. The atmosphere around this national has been calm, cool and collected. People who have never met, who came to volunteer are working together like a well-oiled machine.
***A SHOUT OUT ***
to Judy Rasmuson - Chief Marshal & Barb Younglove- Co-Marshal for keeping all us ducks in a row. Not an easy feat as it is like herding cats at times.
***A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT***
to our Traffic Committee, the directional signage has been awesome!!! It has made it easy for the directionally challenged to find all the testing & training sites off of these curvy mountain roads!
There are cool temps & possible rain today. A new set of conditions the dogs have not yet been tested under. This should cover all the bases. Whomever Wins this National will have fully earned the right to be called A CHAMPION!
There have been 8 dogs who have run the 3rd Series after the gun change. 6 of the 8 dogs who have ran have had to Handle. The conditions are continually changing along with the rising humidity that is making it difficult for the dogs find to their birds.
We have had a couple Handles. It appears as thou there is "drag back" bird scent that has built up on the levee, on the path to the Long Retired mark. This is causing the dogs to hang up short of the fall hunting the levee and then disappearing behind the levee with chance to the Handler's to handle and recover quickly.
Yesterday's tests certainly put some squiggles in the Judge's book. This morning we will be on a grassy knoll over-looking a large technical pond. The sun is rising over the mountain to provide a spectacular back drop for Series 3 a Water Triple. The weather is favorable now but, is calling for a scorching hot temperatures in the 90's later this afternoon.
Feel free to scroll thru old posts of yesterday as we added more perspective from Pat Burns and Jamie Woodson. We also add some great shots from Mark Atwater - Up Close Photo. Enjoy the coverage and make sure to share, comment, & participate in our trivia to WIN an array of prizes from our Sponsors.
The Sun is beaming bright and HOT!!! It has warmed up to a sticky 83'F. At timers the breeze is slight or non-existent. The dog's are coming off the line warm and jumping into the kiddy pools we have available for them to cool off.
Pat Burns -
Like most Nationals, we have hit a stretch of bad work. It has been my experience that a longer retired gun often times gets more difficult as more dogs run. Drag back and 80 plus pheasants being shot with feathers drifting onto the line to the long bird all play a role. It appears that the foot scent of the dogs that are hunting behind the longer retired bird are influencing the dogs hunt pattern. In other words, the more the dogs hunt in area the more the other dogs are attracted to hunt there as well. Another factor is definitely the temperatures. The dogs are heating up and that affects their ability to smell and think. It turns out that an earlier number was more favorable on this test.
Here we FINALLY are! The first day of the National Amteur Retriever Championship. Until we get situated at the 1st and 2nd Series, here are the weather conditions.
1. FC-FTCH Handjems Artful Dodger, "Dodger,” LM, Jim Dorobek 2. NAFC-FC Texas Troubador, "Tubb," LM, Martha Russell 3. NFC-AFC Robber's Stray Bullet, "Bullet," LM, Hank McNeil 4. B&D's Chocolate Mariah, "Windy," LF, Don or Bettye Brawley 5. FC-AFC SK's Dirty Little Secret, "Vegas," LF, Betsy Madden 6. Daybreak Second In Command, "Joshua," LM, Bill Landau 7. FC-AFC Texaco's High Tesse, "Star," LF, Alex Abraham 8. AFC Trifecta's Black Gold, "Slick," LF, Lisa Kane 9. FC Utopian Sixteen Hands, "Hunter," LM, Gary Zellner 10. AFC Lucyana's Full Speed Ahead, "Straight," LM, Laura Parrott 11. FC-AFC Aksarben's Black Skyy MH, "Skyy," LM, Alice Woodyard 12. NAFC-FC Hardscrabble Roxie McBunn, "Roxie," LF, Bill Benson 13. AFC Jorja's Tarbaby Tempest, "Tempy," LF, Jake Fredericks 14. FC-CAFC-CFC Jazztime Cut to the Chase, "Chase," LM, Paul Hanson 15. FC-AFC Ragin Eye Of The Storm, "Cane," LM, John Thomas 16. Mac's Sweet Eleanor Rose, "Rosie," LF, Mike McDaniel 17. Road Tripp, "Tripp," LM, Mark Medford 18. FC-AFC Son Of A Preacher Man, "Billy Ray," LM, Duncan Christie 19. FC-AFC Good Idea's Outta Sight, "Stevie," LM, Ken Neil 20. NAFC-FC Dottie Ray's Ivy League, "Ivy," LF, Andy Kahn 21. FC-AFC In The Hunt Farm's Executive Sweet, "Sweet," LF, Linda Bogusky 22. FC Topbrass Linekin's Riptide, "Rip," GM, Cam Clark 23. FC-AFC FWR'S Wood River's Highest Summit, "Denali," LF, Mark Brashear 24. FC-AFC Valtor's Hayseed Kid, "Kid," LM, Breck Howard 25. AFC 3R's Mister Cross Your T's, "Tommy," LM, Fred Kampo 26. FC-AFC Moxie Gunner, "Moxie," LF, Russ Hardy 27. FC-AFC McKinley First Ascender-Hudson, "Hudson," LM, Bill Barstow 28. FC Tremblin Earth's Cosmic Rider, "Tex," LM, Kate Simonds 29. Smoke'N High Heat, "Smoke," LF, Charlene Koeth 30. Bay Blue's Indigo Girl, "Indy," LF, Marv Baumer 31. FC-AFC RMR'S I Have a Dream, "Marti," LF, Joel Harris 32. FC-AFC Mitimat Rock Paper Scissors, "Rocky," LM, Lydia Fekula 33. Dottie McFizz, "Dot," LF, Nancy White 34. Cold Black Jack, "Jack," LM, John Stracka 35. FC-AFC Lil Chin Music, "Lil," LF, Chester Koeth 36. Gunstock's Harbor Houligan, "PJ," LM, Yvonne or Charles Hays 37. FC-AFC Bluenorth's Rock Hard Ten MH, "Ten," LM, Barb Radtke 38. FC-AFC Wight's Goddess of Victory MH, "Nike," LF, Tracy Wight 39. FC-AFC-FTCH Laird's Cynful Wisdom, "Wiley," LF, Chris Parkinson 40. FC-AFC Shelbie's Liberty Bell, "Libby," LF, Chris Byers 41. FC-AFC Good Idea's National Pair, "Dolly," LF, Ken Neil 42. Aragorn XIII, "Aragorn," LM, Julie Cole 43. Holland Cliffs Sweet Inspiration, "Sugar," LF, Alvin Hatcher 44. FC-AFC Bob and Ed's Excellent Adventure, "Chef," LM, Ed Krueger 45. AFC Kirkwood's Ace of Lone Star, "Lexie," LF, Casey Adams 46. FC-AFC Bay Blue's All American Girl, "Libby," LF, John Russell 47. FC Midway Twin City Limits, "Leo," LM, Seth Kelly 48. FC-AFC Bayou Teche Eye On The Ball, "Slider," LM, Lauren Hays 49. FC-AFC Delpond's Aunt Jemima, "Jemma," LF, Mark Menzies 50. FC-AFC Mulligan Off The Rainy "T", "Mully," LM, Randy Spangler 51. Watermark's Ramrod, "Rowdy," LM, Gary Storch 52. FC-AFC FTCH Alexus - Pursuit of Perfection, "Lexi," LF, Lynn Cole-Kimball 53. FC-AFC Cool Fuel, "Nitro," LM, Rich Pingatore 54. AFC Lake Park Diamond In The Ruff, "Ruff," LM, Charles Bearden 55. FC-AFC Hockley Creek's Big Hitter, "Manny," LM, Robby Bickley 56. FC-AFC Sundog's Maximum Pursuit, "Max," LM, Andy Kahn 57. FC Straight to the Heart-Dagger, "Dagger," LM, Johnny Armstrong 58. FC-AFC Choco Lickity-Split, "Choco," LM, Don Brawley 59. FC-AFC Maple Creek's Mattie Mae, "Mattie," LF, David McMahan 60. FC-AFC Good Idea's Have It Your Way, "Whopper," LM, Ken Neil 61. AFC Tucked Away At River's Edge, "Tucker," LM, Alex Abraham 62. NFC-AFC Keeno's Gizmo CC, "Gizmo," LM, Bruce Hall 63. FC-AFC Lock Five's My Mother's Keeper, "Keeper," LF, Jamie Woodson 64. FC-AFC Make It Happen Captain, "Cappy," LM, Gary Zellner 65. AFC Got It Made in the Shade, "Shade," LM, Bobby Smith 66. Backwater Sweet Bay Magnolia, "Bay," LF, Keith Pharr 67. FC Lil Whiskey Girl, "Lily," LF, Judy Despenas 68. FC-AFC Baypoint's Westminster Abbey, "Abbey," LF, Don Fregelette 69. FC-AFC JJ of Red Rock, "JJ," LM, Jim McBee 70. FC-AFC Greenwing Tall Timber, "Krumz," LM, Craig Stonesifer 71. AFC Rawhide's Rowdy Trail Boss, "Rowdy," LM, Tommy Grimes 72. FC-AFC Fresh Squeezed Juice, "Juice," LM, Mark Medford 73. FC-AFC Lubys and Whitewaters Pirates Jewel, "Jewel," LF, Jeffrey Schuett 74. AFC Wood River's Mr Big, "George," LM, Bill Fruehling 75. AFC MS Micro Doodle Dandy, "Micro," LF, Tom Bogusky 76. FC-AFC Indi Go Girl, "Indy," LF, Darlene Houlihan 77. Topbrass Montana Lonesome Dove OS, "Gus," GM, John Robinson 78. FC-AFC B Bumble, "Stinger," LM, Fred Kampo 79. AFC Red Dog's Anything Goes, "Porter," CBRM, Bill Burks 80. FC-AFC Spirit of Denali-Genet, "Genet," LF, Bill Barstow 81. AFC Winneshiek's Wild Wind Scamp, "Scamp," LM, Dave Robertson 82. FC-AFC Coolwater's Hawkeye Legend, "Legend," LM, Alex Washburn 83. Jet Black's Supersonic Boom, "Sonic," LM, Judy Powers 84. FC-AFC Good Idea's Texas Scratch, "Rosie," LF, Ken Neil 85. FC-AFC Chopper's Final Approach, "Billie," LF, Joel Harris 86. Knockout Punch II, "Joe," LM, Jim Cope 87. FC-AFC Leica Sabertooth, "Tiger," LM, Terry Rotschafer 88. FC-AFC Candlewood's Life Is A Highway, "Freeway," LM, John Stracka 89. FC-AFC Ruff Rivers Oasis On The Plains, "Colby," LF, Northrup Larson 90. FC-AFC Freeridin Miss Kitty, "Kitty," LF, Theodore Shih 91. FC-AFC Candlewood's Skyrocket, "Sky," LF, Tommy Parrish 92. FC-AFC-AFTCH Jaybar American Idol, "Reuben," LM, Barbara Younglove 93. FC-AFC Dottie Ray's League Of Her Own, "Dottie," LF, Andy Kahn 94. FC-AFC Contempt of Court, "Ruckus," LM, Susan Bledsoe 95. Red Dog's Ain't Misbehavin', "Zoe," LF, Sydney Gardave 96. Brink's Buster Brown, "Buster," LM, Jeffrey Bandel 97. AFC Lane's Thrilla n Manilla, " Frazier," LM, Michael Robicheaux 98. FC-AFC Watermark's Miss Kali Hart, "Kaylee," LF, Sonya Harrigfeld 99. AFC Trinity's Moose on the Loose, "Lucy," LF, Cindie Little 100. Kirkwood's Blue Grade Lady, "Gracie," LF, Casey Adams 101. FC-AFC Lanes Lets Get Ready To Rumble, "Ali," LM, Bobby Lane 102. FC-AFC Atlastastar, "Rinny," LF, Martha Blank 103. FC-AFC Forry's Charmed One, "Piper," LF, Lynn Budd 104. FC Delpond's Pretty in Pink, "Bella," LF, Mark Menzies 105. FC-AFC Contrails Sky Queen, "Reina," LF, David Opseth 106. FC-AFC Good Idea's Second Wind, "Vapor," LF, Ken Neil 107. FC-AFC Windy City's Mighty Mouse, "Mickey," LM, Charlie Hines 108. FC-AFC Buck IN Bobby, "Bobby," LM, Mary Ahlgren 109. FC-AFC Aran Island's Finnegan, "Finnegan," LM, Pat Martin 110. Chances R Jean Louise Finch, "Scout," LF, John Goossen
