Super WHAT?!

The impossible has happened. I was the biggest naysayer of them all, saying that Secret would never get a Super Q. I was wrong. Let's clarify one point, though -- It's not that I ever felt she was incapable of winning her class. She has done that a few times. It's just that EVERY SINGLE TIME we ran P3 Snooker we were combined with the P16 dogs. I actually thought we were destined for the same fate yesterday, but apparently someone titled and moved up from Saturday to Sunday because suddenly we had the magic number of 7 dogs in our class. Our own SQ(s?)! Not combined or based on the P16 class at all!

As it turns out, though, even if we would have been combined we would have still gotten the SQ under the new rules -- because Secret's score of 50 beat even the 1st place P16 dog! Their highest-scoring dog had 49 points. Holy cow! Way to go, Secret!

Our day started a bit before 5 a.m., which was really more like 6 a.m. thanks to the time change that I hate with a passion -- but it was to our advantage yesterday, I guess. We hit the road just after 6:00 and arrived at Canine Sports Zone around 8:10. I hadn't been worried about getting there early because the day started with the second round of Biathlon (I would have liked to run fancy jumpers, but it was an all or none deal, so...). Kizzy needed to be measured, so I found the judge after the class was done and promptly got chastised for not being there before the trial "when all the measuring happens." Really? There are 460 runs and you expect me to worry about getting to the trial before it starts when I won't be running for another hour? Whatever, the judge was nice enough to measure her --- and gave her a measurement of 13"! This judge was a CMJ, even. Not that it matters because it's all under 14", but 13" is definitely the lowest we've measured her at.

Secret's Jumpers run was our first run. The run order suited us well and gave us plenty of time to warm up and get psyched up, so Secret was in a very good mood. She put in a great run on this course for 4th place. She saved my butt when I got out of position on the 9-11 sequence to the tunnel. She could have easily pulled off the tunnel but she was a good girl and followed my verbal directions.

Kizzy's Jumpers run was up next. What a great USDAA debut for the crazy dog! I elected to do a running start all day after removing her harness while holding her. Historically we disconnect when I take things off over her head, so I figured I'd just avoid it and not bother with any stays -- and they weren't needed anyhow. We had another sloppy "rear cross" at the start, but after that it was great! She was beat (barely) by a dog who runs in the Masters level at AKC, so not too shabby.

Secret's Snooker run followed -- I drew out our path on the course map. I'm pretty sure nobody else did this configuration, but I thought it worked nicely. We had one  very close call when Secret started to go for the #3 tunnel on the way to our second red, but we saved it. There was one person M22 that went for and got all 7s, and maybe one other person who had 7-7-6, which surprised me. Usually people around here seem to go for broke for the points, but that wasn't the case at all and the Masters people in particular seemed to be avoiding the a-frame like the plague. Secret was just great on this course and opened up nicely in all of those wide open spots. Good girl! I can't even begin to describe how it felt when I saw the Super Q posted in the results.  :o)  Pretty sure I did a quadruple-take.

On Kizzy's map I drew the path she actually took. My plan varied slightly in that I was going to go to the tunnel under the a-frame after the last red. She went wide behind me and took the jump, so I was like, "Well, I guess we're taking the a-frame!" I had avoided that in my plan just in case she got called on the contact, but she was good. I wasn't sure about the out-tunnel under the a-frame in the closing, but it was far enough out that it wasn't an issue. I turned her to the inside after 6 and she refused the a-frame. Then refused the a-frame again. ?  She might have refused it once more before she finally went up and the buzzer went off. So we finished with 1-4, 1-6, 1-7, and 20 in the close for a Q!

Secret's Pairs run was next. In my confirmation I had a partner, but not on the gate sheet, so I ended up with an accommodating dog. This was a good thing, though, because I E'd the run with a bad turn from the jump to the teeter (we were the second half, the squares). Secret went wide and took the off course jump. Stupid handler. It was Secret's only NQ of the day.

Up next was Grand Prix. Secret had been kind of "meh" during the Pairs run and I wasn't sure how much she had left in her, but she was ready to go for this one! Her weaves still weren't as fast as they've been lately, but she opened up nicely in the other parts -- especially that line from the weaves to the tunnel! She ended up with a Q and 4th place.

It was getting so late and I was seriously contemplating leaving before Standard. I knew Kizzy's brain was going to be fried and it was Secret's 5th run -- but she'd run so well in Grand Prix that I figured we may as well stick around. And so many dogs had scratched Standard that I didn't think it would be THAT long until Kizzy's run.

Secret did a great job and took 2nd in her class.

There probably isn't much point in posting Kizzy's Standard course map because we only made it to obstacle 5, but it was a good start.  :o)  She did her weaves (on the second try)! Then she bounced off the table and lost her ever-loving mind. She started to do her crazy little Klee Kai "you can't catch me" dance in circles around the table, and then eventually she just said adios and took off for the exit. Yup, she was done. It was almost 8:00 p.m., who can blame her? It was a good effort. Didn't get to any of the contacts, but oh well...

We got home just before 10:00 p.m. It was a LONG day -- but very fun! I'm glad that we were able to give USDAA a shot again. I'm not sure when we'll get to play again, but hopefully soon. We have AKC coming up for our next few trials. We'll get Secret's MACH out of the way and then who knows, maybe she can get that PDCH after all!