Tournament Season!

Tournament season is here!

That means it's time for:

The River Runner's annual tournament held in Warman, Saskatchewan on the Mother's Day weekend. Have a team? Come join us!

We offically started our flyball season this last Sunday, sending a small team to Regina for the KAOS tournament. It was ... interesting, to put it mildly.

See this guy?

You can have him. He likes to play by his own rules.

No really, he makes them up. 'Cuz it's more fun to run on the right, even when you're supposed to run on the left. And never EVER let an excited pointer beat you down the lane. Even if you have to miss all the jumps to beat him, you better beat him. Just sayin'.

Other than a few Ben-related problems, the tournament went fairly well. At the very least, we ironed out a few kinks and have a better understanding of where our dogs are at coming into the tournament season. Which is good, because on Easter weekend we're in Lloydminster.

Where we want to get some points. Because this guy:

(has a really horrible box turn...)

Is only 1200 points away from his Flyball Master title. He's been running now for two full years, this year being his third tournament season. So flaky, frustrating, make-your-own-rules bojack or not, the guy can run. You know, maybe you can't have him...

We'll see how he does in Lloyd. He has to catch this guy:

He became a Flyball Master last year. 'Cuz he's awesome like that.

Del: North American Flyball Association's 2008 Region 8 MVP

Born Jan 29, 1997, Del began her training early in obedience, agility and flyball, enjoying success in each arena. A smart little dog with boundless energy and a desire to work, this little red-head loves flyball. Del became one of the founding members of the River Runners flyball club and has been a great ambassador to the sport, at home and away. She has brought many green dogs and handlers through training, to their first titles and beyond. She is a hit at demos and tournaments, attracting many fans, and has been instrumental in helping to grow the sport in our community.

Del is the top ranked miniature pinscher in NAFA, the first to reach FMCH, ONYX and now FGDCH, often 5 points at a time, and she's still playing as enthusiastically as ever. At age 12, she still tries to beat those border collies (or jacks or poodles ...) in the next lane. She can't understand why she's not in every race, but barks her encouragement to teammates at the line and flies to the box and back for her reward when it's finally her turn. A versatile little dog that can run in any position and for any handler, she is a joy to watch and to run. Please join her teammates in celebrating this little firecracker, Del as the 2008 Region 8 MVP.