Port Allen Agility Trial

Maxie, 6 runs,  3 Q's, 2 1st places, 1 2nd place, 54 MACH points, 6 videos
Lucky Lucy, 6 runs, 0 Q's, 6 videos



L to R:  Pepper, Lucky Lucy, Maxie

Well, I got what I asked for at this trial,  a few Q's.   And a surprise bonus -- some wonderful doggie portraits!

Maxie Q'd all 3 of his Standard runs and NQ'd all 3 of his Jumpers runs!  No QQ's for us this weekend. Oddly, all of his Jumpers runs were 1-3 seconds over course time - that's very odd, because on all of his Standard runs he made good time, 17, 16, and 21 MACH points with 2 1st places and 1 2nd place.  He mostly walked his weaves, though, and back-jumped 1 jump because I mis-cued him.  I held my own, not ever getting lost on course, but he's not yet back to his old self.  Will he ever be? After his last run we visited the on-site chiropractor who popped several vertebrae back into place and I heard a big crack which she said was popping his sternum back into place.  OUCH!  But she did NOT confirm the vet's assessment that he has any compressed disks!

Lucky NQ'd all 6 runs, and never once made course time.  She ran clean twice, but made lots of errors between the other 4 runs.  There were pretty parts to each run, though, and she never once stopped on top of the A-frame to survey the arena and never missed a contact!  I have got to get her into some open-air trials and under-roof matches where she will run fast.  I'm convinced she just hates under-roof agility.  Where are the matches?

Pepper was a superb crate mate the whole weekend, walking on a loose leash, not barking or whining when Maxie left the crate, hardly ever bolting out of the crate, and not even trying to lift his leg on arena posts and other dog's crates as at previous trials.  He is maturing very nicely, encouraging me to begin training him more than casually.

The best thing that happened at this trial is some new photographers that were taking group shots in front of a green screen, then letting you select your background.  First time I've had any of my dogs sit for a professional photograph.  I bought the CD @ $50  (only because they took about 30 pics and gave permission for me to use them any way I want).  I will have lots of fun learning how to extract the photos from the green background and add in my own.  Above is one of many shots taken.  I will be mining this field for individual portraits, for of course trying to pose three dogs at once is difficult, and there are often shots with one dog that looks great while the other two are looking away, etc.  What fun!

Another good thing, my son and his wife Allison, stopped by Friday noon and got to see Maxie's first run, a fast and solid Q.  Here we are at my crate space, with Pepper probing Nathan's ear with his ant-eater tongue.

Another thing, we learned that the Port Allen arena has a wireless mike system, and Wi-Fi, and will make these available to us for future trials.  I don't have to bring our equipment anymore to call the FAST points.  I can stream Librivox files between runs and relax.  I also got tutored a bit by our Trial Secretary on how the runs are scored and score sheets printed out.

Maybe the best thing of all is that John, using up 3 days of his vacation, worked his tail off the whole 4 days, beginning by supervising the new professional movers in loading and offloading of the trailer on Thursday afternoon then helping Nedra and me set up tables and hang signage around the arena, then showing up at the arena by 6:30 every morning, being in the ring at every course change all three days, filling and tamping holes (which a dozen or more competitors thanked him for profusely, or came up to me and praised him to the skies) and being the last to leave every night helping the arena guy with the injured hand water down the dirt, and organizing the equipment for pickup Sunday after the trial was over.  It felt great for me and our dogs to have him near and feel so well supported.  He was my hero.

Unfortunately, our Ring Steward decided to "economize" on volunteer concessions tickets this year, consequently she gave John only 5 $1  tickets per day, not counting Thursday!  Just enough for one small hamburger and fries per day.  As a result, not for the lack of food (because we brought or bought our own) but for the principle demonstrated, we are both less inclined to bust our butts in future.

Upwards and onward!

 

Laminating Machine Finds Me



GBC Heat Seal H-4325 Laminator

Sometimes just when I feel beat down and underappreciated, in this case underfunded by those I'm trying to help the most and unnecessarily overworked by that woeful underfunding, the Goddess rewards me with a fabulous gift - in this case a brand new laminating machine!

Here's how it happened:
Doing my very best to weather'n'wear proof everything in the new Publicity Booth I'm building for my dog club, I found it essential to laminate every single piece of signage, protecting many color photos and newsletters that would otherwise be subject to staining and water damage and almost worthless within a use or two.

I started laminating everything at Kinkos, but even at just $2 a sheet for 8.5"x11", and $4 a sheet for 11"x17", and arranging everything as close together as possible for maximum value per sheet, I quickly ran up an $80 bill!  Almost half my allotted budget!  And I wasn't even finished.  An impossible situation!  Very discouraging!

Has put me way over budget, and out of pocket.

Mercifully, a clubmate came over to see the booth-in-progress and offered to laminate the last 15 pieces for free, using her employer's machine.  I hate mooching off of employers, but I need them QUICK, so last Tuesday I headed across town to her office to get this job finished.  Alas, the first sheet we fed into her barely used, still under warranty laminator got jammed in there and never came out.  Project aborted.

Next day she called the company, they said throw the unit away and they'd send her a new one.  Not worth fixing, they said!  So, she tossed it off to me.  John took it apart, removed the jammed paper, and now it works perfectly fine. So I have a $220 GBC Heat Seal H-4325 Laminator, practically brand new, for free!

Of course, I still don't have any laminating paper, so I shopped around this entire morning and discovered Office Depot prices are outrageous!  Amazon.com has the best prices, so I spent $55 with them and now must wait 5 days for a lifetime supply to arrive (have to order in quantities of 100 sheets/box).  Meanwhile, I need about 15 sheets TODAY if I want to complete my project in time for the booth's debut on September 24th, but my friend is out of the office.  Waiting for mine to come in, I'll be cutting things mighty close.

All this running around, scrimping, saving, canniving, begging, repairing damaged discounted items, just to save my club a few bucks they can well afford to spend, takes much of the fun out of the project and makes me question why I put myself in this situation?


Which is why I think the divine hand graced me with my free laminator -- to lift my spirits and remind me to be ever-joyful. Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  And I just found out, my friend has mailed me the 15 sheets I need.  I should receive them tomorrow by Priority Mail . . . . . another unexpected gift, and I feel so much better!

. . . . . . . Now, dear Goddess, can you also please send me a servicable professional copy machine that enlarges, reduces, does legal size, and multiple pages?  Mine has been broken for months and is unfixable, I can't find another one I can afford that does all I want, and not having it handy really cramps my style. I've made so many free copies for all my friends and clubs for so many years, surely I deserve a free copy machine by now!

Upwards and onward!

Hattiesburg MS Trial - Aug 2011

Maxie 6 runs, 4 Q's (3 XJ, 1 XS), 2 4th places, 1 QQ, 1 TITLE MXJ, 36 MACH points. Videos posted
Lucky 6 runs, 2 Q's (XJ-A, XS-A), 2 3rd places. Videos posted
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 4 runs per day.
Judges:  Jill Roberts, Alan Arthur

Hattiesburg Arena entrance

Having beaten down the bugs problem - (previous post); beaten down the calf problem (Monroe Trial) to where I think I can run again, arranging special permission to crate at ground level (see Trial Site Summary for Hattiesburg), and finding the missing house key so the neighbors can feed my pets, I felt confident heading off to Hattiesburg for a 4 day trial, despite the strange new rattle in my car.

Crating at ground level, in the hall. There
was space for dozens more people.  It was cool and
quiet, and the car was parked just outside.  Arena entrance
is in the distant background of this photo.

Left Baton Rouge Wednesday at 12:30 and arrived at Motel 6 on 49 at 3:15.  Interstate all the way, not much traffic.  Checked in, hung around til 4:30, then drove 8.5 miles back to the arena where I crated in the hall around the back (South) side on the ground floor.  Hung around and helped set up both rings, all of us sweating like pigs because the arena A/C was out of freon and they had to call in emergency maintenance. My eyes were stinging with the fumes of urine, which I was told would clear up when the A/C was fixed.  Mercifully by next morning, it did.

THURSDAY:  Thursday morning, up bright and early, well rested, no stress, made it to the arena way ahead of time, stepped out the car and realized -- I was still wearing my Tom's slip-on shoes (they are so comfortable I forget about my feet).  Tennis shoes were 8.5 miles back at the motel!  On the way back, a terrible car wreck stopped traffic a good long while, which got me back to the arena just in time to walk the Excellent Standard course a few times.  This didn't seem to unnerve me.  However . . . . .

Maxie: Maxie was the 6th dog to run XS.  The course flowed well in 2 beautiful loops with the Table at 11.  I could run the whole thing in my head. Maxie was alert. We were in sync. When I found myself putting him through the weaves a second time, though, it hit me that I was repeating the first loop.  CRAP, I went left instead of right after the table! The humiliation would have been terrible last year.  Now I just told the judge "I'm lost", waved goodbye, and took a few obstacles on the way out.  Maxie made no mistakes, but Mommy didn't Q.  My fault entirely. Later that day, in XJ, we Q'd . . . . . but almost missed the run.  Running 2 dogs now in Excellent, Lucky had just finished his XS run and I heard them calling Maxie for XJ.  I hadn't even walked the course.  The "walkthrough" apparently occurred while I was out pottying Lucky before her run.  Alan Arthur, the judge, invited me to walk the course with the 16" dogs, and offered to set the bars at 8" so Maxie could run first.  How sweet! That worked, Maxie Q'd and got his MXJ title!  This judge was awesome handling scheduling conflicts.

Maxie didn't run as fast as usual, though.  Came in 5th.  That was, I think, because my calf muscle starting aching about half-way through the run, I started limping again, and Maxie could tell.  Afterward I hobbled back to our crate space where I immediately hooked my calf up to my new TENS machine for 30 minutes of electric therapy.  I had to run Lucky on that same course in about an hour.  Would I make it?  A bit of tension building now.

Lucky: Long story short, Lucky Q'd XS-A in her first run, 3rd place.  She was 3 seconds over SCT, (-9 points), but in Excellent A you can score 85 and still Q as long as you have no other faults.  Only 3 out of 11 dogs Q'd.  1st and 2nd place dogs tied, both running a full 20 seconds faster than Lucky!  All the other dogs logged approximately the same time as Lucky, so she's not the only slow dog out there.  On her second run XJ-A, she ran without faults, but so slowly she NQ'd due to being 6 seconds over course time (-18 points).  What am I going to do with her?  She only races hard for tug toys.

Skipped dinner with the club folks.  Went home to ice and electrify my calf, prop up my leg, and watch TV.  Actually, I ended up downloading Thursday's videos, and working on this blog first.  Oddly, my computer won't play back the videos.  Now what's wrong?

FRIDAY: Slept okay, but had a weird dream about "a blog writing it's own blog about what it's like to be somebody's blog - disdain for all the stupid things they write, laughing at their jokes, etc". A blog from the blog's point of view.  HA! Blogs and dogs on the brain!  Got to arena in plenty of time, properly shod, and taking care not to walk around more than necessary, my leg held up.

Lucky: Lucky ran both Standard and Jumpers before Maxie ran at all.  She scratched in XS-A, by popping out of the weaves, and ran 11 seconds over course time. In XJ-A, she Q'd with a 3rd place, score of 91 because of running 3 seconds over SCT (again). 
Maxie: In XS, he scratched -  came off the A-frame fast, took the jump ahead and raced straight for the chute instead of following me left to the table.  It was an easy course and he made good time, but I couldn't call him off of that chute for anything. Bummer!  Usually "Here!"  or "This way!" works, but not this time.  Then he burned up several seconds sniffing the dirt until I hollered "Leave it!" and lunged toward him.  This got his attention and we completed the run without fault.


Everyone crashes after a hard,
noisy day at the arena.
Top to bottom:  Lucky, Maxie, Willow

Later he Q'd in Jumpers, with 5 seconds to spare but 10 seconds slower than the 1st place dog, another Papillon named Lily, from Pensacola, a few years older and far more experienced.  Everybody fusses me for slowing Maxie down, saying I need to run faster, etc. Of course placement is sweet, but Q's are nice too.  Unfortunately, what Maxie really needs are 4 more Standard Q's, more QQ's, and lots more MACH points. Maybe we'll Q tomorrow.
The food served at the trial was so delicious (unlike some trials where hot dogs, mac-n'-cheese, and junk food are standard fare), I got introduced to "Texas Caviar", and brought home my portion of pulled chicken barbeque, put it on sourdough bread with some lettuce, and that along with fresh fruit, was supper.  While I watched videos, everyone else crashed.

SATURDAY:
Maxie QQ'd.  Two beautiful runs, no problems, good time, 2 4th places, missing 1st place in XJ by just 6 seconds, and missing 3rd place in XS by 6 100ths of a second.  I was making a point of running faster, even though my calf pulled on the second to last run, and I ran Maxie's last run with the TENS machine attached to my leg.

Lucky struck out both runs.  In XJ, she balked at a jump for no apparent reason, stopped then walked around it, which screwed with my concentration, I got lost and sent her over the wrong jump, after which we got straight but it was too late.  Also, she ran very slowly.  I was so miffed that I crated her, called her "Bad Girl" and didn't give her any treats for her run.  She understood I was upset, cowered down and didn't budge for a couple of hours, but I doubt she understood it meant "next time, RUN".

VOLUNTEERISM:  After my runs were over, I volunteered as TIMER for EXCELLENT FAST and EXCELLENT NOVICE, where I wouldn't have to walk, timing for the first time.  What a class to start on!  It was fast paced and hard to hear the judge's calls with all the barking dogs and chatty observers right behind us.  One lady stood behind us with her huge black deep-throated non-stop barking lab.  I yelled at her to move away but she didn't hear me.  Someone else heard me and asked her to leave.  After about 5 runs and asking somebody to bring me a course map, I learned the value of each obstacle and so long as the judge made a noise, I was able to tell the scribe what to mark.  It will take a few more times to learn to operate the Timer box.  The judge had to come set the times for each jump height.  A few times the timer started counting on its own (apparently the scribe's metal pen was glinting light across the eye, which the judge finally figured out and set the eye at a different angle).  I had to eyeball the start line between two poles and press the button when the dog's nose crossed the line.  I did the best I could, but the system isn't exactly accurate and nobody seemed real picky about it.  Now that FAST is a titling class, I bet that changes.

Maxie's Ribbons:
Green for Q, White for 4th place, Red and Black
for MXJ (Master Agility Jumpers) Title.

Big darn bummer, Dog Gone Fun doesn't give out rosette ribbons for titles.  Maxie's MXJ titling ribbon is a plain blah double red/black ribbon, no rosette, not much bigger than a Q ribbon.  I'm going to complain to Monica about all of us working so hard and spending so much money all year pursuing titles, then getting such a plain ribbon to show for it. Nedra agreed to let me have an AKC rosette from our club's ribbons, and I'll attach the Mississippi Mavericks ribbon to that for my display case.

I also forgot to pick up one of Maxie's Q ribbons and sticker.  I'll have to snag one next time I'm at a BARK trial.

The meatballs served for trial workers was again delicious.  Swedish meatballs and bread. Fresh veggie platter.  Fresh fruit platter.  Lots of desserts. Yum!

Met up with 6 of our Red Stick gang at Oscars on 98W for a margarita and Mexican dinner.  Everyone was chatty and cheerful.  I was too tired to eat and couldn't wait to get home and snuggle in with my doggies.  In bed by 9:30. We are all wiped out.

SUNDAY: Didn't run, just hung out, shopped at the vendors, took pictures for my Trial Site Summaries, photographed my score sheets, etc.  I awoke at 6:30 (without an alarm this time), packed leisurely, got to the arena around 8:30, and headed home around 11:30.  Stopped at Mandeville Seafood for a dozen crabs for me and a lb. of boiled shrimp for John, and still arrived home by 2:30, unpacked the car, did laundry.  All was done by 4 when John got home.  He had mowed the whole yard.  Looks like a park.  Sweet! Audrey came over for dinner.

Trial Site Summary:  See links.
The arena didn't seem quite so huge this visit.  Guess I'm getting used to big arenas. It makes a world of difference being able to crate on the ground floor, though, and having the car near by.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Every NQ was only one little mistake.  We are so close to getting it right.  Just need to analyze the mistakes.  Are they often the same?

• LUCKY, exceeding course time, walking thru the weaves, stopping in front of a jump where I am attempting a rear cross.  Do box work. Figure out how to get her running faster like she does at home.
• MAXIE, sucking into the tunnel, chute, A-frame or dog walk.  Have to block, pull harder, call "here" or "this way" instead of naming the next obstacle.
• ME, getting lost on course, missing walk-throughs.  Need to learn to handle scheduling conflicts, anticipate how much time I have between runs, etc.  With 2 rings going simultaneously and 2 dogs running, this has become a must.
• When timing or scribing FAST classes, make sure the Course Map is at your table and become familiar with it beforehand.

Used my new Igloo Ice Cube 60 qt. ice chest for the first time.  I got it by trading with Nathan for an older non-wheeled cooler he wanted of mine that allows you to sit on the lid.  He needs the seating for his new boat.

Assessment:  4 blocks of frozen ice (in Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice bottles) did not last 4 days, and lining the bottom of the cooler, did not keep the top tray cool enough.  Need to put ice cubes from the motel over the blocks each day, also put ice in the top tray and refill daily.  If ice is kept in ziplock bags, it shouldn't be messy.  Also learned, anything juicy needs to be in a water-tight container.  When wheeling the cooler around it tilts, and salad dressing got all over everything because the plastic lid I had my salad in wasn't tight-fitting enough.  But I love my cooler.  It has a smaller footprint, wheels easier with the weight right over the wheels, handles better, makes a great coffee table, foot stool or desk.  But you can't sit on the lid!

GOALS:

• Get Lucky running faster like she does in practice.
• Learn to run faster myself.
• Heal my calf.
• Work on Lucky's rear crosses.
• Work on Maxie's "this way" and "here".
• At the next trial:
• 1 XJ-A and 1 XS-A to get Lucky's AX and AXJ titles
• At least 1 more QQ for Maxie and 179 more MACH points by November.
•  3 more XS Q's for Maxie's MX title.
• Find out what's the rule at trials about dogs that won't stop barking?

Upwards and Onward!

Volunteering At Trials - Blog Action Day

Clean Run Magazine had an editorial by Monica Percival in their July 2011 issue called "Help Wanted", about volunteering at trials.  It seems it is getting harder and harder to get volunteers.  Yesterday I emailed Monica in response.  Today, I noticed on the Agility Nerd's blog that he initiated a Dog Agility Blog Action Day, inviting all agility bloggers to discuss volunteering on their blogs so other agility enthusiasts could hear their views.  It's a VERY HOT TOPIC, and bloggers first chance to group discuss! So I'm posting my views here, too, an expanded version of my letter to Monica:

I’ve only been competing for 14 months. I run one dog at 8”, another at 20”, 4 runs per day. One running Excellent B, the other brought up from Novice thru Excellent A this year. I'm not an experienced handler.  Every run is a personal challenge. My only options to volunteer this year have been the FAST classes I don't run, Novice after graduating from that one, Open when I no longer had a dog there. Short, easy stints, however, the entry level classes run at the end of the day, and now that I don’t have to run those, I only hang out to watch Novice and Open runs if one of my club mates/students is coming up through those ranks.  By then I'm exhausted!

Plus, I video the runs of most dogs in my club, plus some other notable teams I follow. Most high level trainers recommend videoing every run and studying them afterwards, which I do.  This is an invaluable training tool and I notice more and more people ring-side with video cameras.  I can't video and volunteer at the same time.

Also, trials are so loud and stressful by nature, so nerve-wracking, I find I need to conserve my energy. Without PA systems to announce what's going on, I have to concentrate hard on not missing my walk-throughs, memorizing my courses, preparing me and my dogs for our runs.  I now tend to avoid people because all it takes is one snide comment, one rude look, to mess with my concentration and set my whole day on edge.

Gate Keeping is my favorite activity but everyone has their own opinion how it should be done, thus volunteering for this job is always a gamble.  The problem, in my opinion, is that there is no standard. Gate-keeping, Timing and Scribing are skills which could be taught in a methodical manner, but everyone is making it up as they go. I don’t like feeling I’ve offended someone at the gate. I certainly don’t want to be responsible for messing up someone’s score.  But where do you learn how to scribe, read the judge’s hand signals, not watch the dog, what to do when in doubt about what you saw the judge do?   And Timing, while easy, requires some knowledge of electronic equipment and the responsibility of not transposing numbers.

Leash Running, Bar Setting, Scribe Sheet Running, and Chute Straightening are easy enough, they could/should be looked upon as opportunities to introduce non-competing volunteers to the sport. Girl Scouts, 4H’ers, volunteer firemen, computer clubs, etc., could set up their promotion tables for free and wear their T-shirts at our trials in exchange for working these easy positions.  Many community service organizations are looking for exposure, and need community service hours.  However, they all require some training. For instance, if you see a divit alongside the weaves, do you leap out between runs to go fill it in, or wait for a bar height change?  Or is course condition strictly the competitor’s responsibility?  Shouldn't every leash runner be taught not to pick up the leash while the dog is still on the start line?  I've filmed several dogs who become distracted watching a stranger make off with their leash.

Since every job is so important, why doesn't each organization put out an e-course on how they want everything done, standardize it, and make it available to their Ring Stewards. Clubs steeped in the old “learn as you go” system would balk at it, but more progressive clubs might gather their helpers for an orientation before the trial and show the video, explain how all the jobs fit together, how every piece matters, make “Bar Setting” seem important. Set a professional standard.  We're not an infant sport any more, operating in a "wild, wild west" manner.  We could even use such training sessions to popularize our sport.

My bottom line, I attend trials to run, hopefully to Q, and earn titles. I have to take care of my business first. Between check-ins, pick up armbands, listen for whistles and judges that don’t project their voices, walk throughs, potty the dogs, potty myself, run, cool down, eat, hydrate, cheer on my club-mates, check and record my scores, file my move-ups, help orient new competitors, take the videos, try to remember new friends names, stay positive, develop a tough hide, don’t take rude comments personally, and learn from others’ handling techniques, I’m mostly stretched all I can stretch.

Not to mention, I spend upwards of $3-500 for a 3-4 day trial, including motel, entry fees, gas, food, etc., and while I’m only attending about 10 trials in 2011, and only within a 4 hour radius of my house, that's still about $4,000. Some of my club mates are trialing every few weeks at much farther distances! Some hold jobs just to pay for their agility addiction. Then there are the classes I attend each week, and the seminars, another $500-1,000 a year. And countless hours of volunteer work for my club. I can’t even imagine the money or the nerves required to trial internationally! Are they expected to volunteer?

Agility is an adrenalin rush, truly addictive, rapidly growing, an explosion happening before our eyes . . . . quickly becoming a business. People are getting more and more serious about Q’ing, everyone I know seems to be adding new dogs to their families – border collies for a greater challenge, mixed breed rescues, etc. Some people run 3-6 dogs a day! And there is a lot of networking going on around the rings. Volunteering is eventually bound to take a back seat with participants who consider themselves "competitors" and "customers", not just folks out socializing and "having fun with their dogs".

For our own club's trials, we rarely lack for volunteers because of our "25 Volunteer Hours per year to qualify for reduced rates on our classes".  Club members who qualify get to take our club's Obedience classes for free all year, and Agility classes at half-price.  Non-qualifying members pay $75/class.  That's an enormous motivator for local people to join our club as well as volunteer at our trials, seminars, and other club activities.

With all that said, I do feel a twinge of guilt about not volunteering. The offer of lunch doesn't tempt me much because I eat light when competing and bring my own food -- V8, grape juice, fruit coctail, Powerade, crackers, chips.  I can sometimes persuade my grandson to set bars if there’s a free lunch ticket, or even a drink ticket, in it for him. I tell him he needs to earn his lunch. When my husband attends any trial with me he helps set courses, and appreciates a hearty lunch.  Other incentives -- run tokens, raffle tickets, reduced RV parking fee, a nearby restaurant or motel coupon -- are all nice!  Being able to choose between them would be nice. This year my husband got drafted as our club's chief course builder when ours had an emergency, and he worked his tail off all weekend from 6 a.m. to close (4 days), without even so much as an offer of a club T-shirt!  I bought him one myself @ $10.  Special incentives for those doing extraordinary things above and beyond the call of duty should be proffered, I think.  Who gives the volunteer Gate Steward or Trial Secretary a prize?  I hope they get to run for free!

But mostly, I thrive on feeling included.  Being invited to an organizational meeting, asked my opinions, assigned tasks or problems to resolve, being actively recruited, actively mentored by people eager to teach me, is what makes me feel good.  Being on the outside looking in, wondering who's calling the shots and why them, where nobody makes eye contact when I offer to help nor asks my name, and frowns when I ask a question, does NOT inspire me.  Every trial, I think, needs a "Happiness Coordinator", someone with exceptional people skills who does nothing but circulate, see if folks need anything, if they're being treated right, smooths out wrinkles, never gives out dirty looks or says ugly things like "Ugh, I don't like small dogs?" or barks orders like "Get this crate out of the walkway" instead of "This isn't a good place for your crate.  Let me help you find a better place."

Bottom line, I think everyone at trials is somewhat stressed.  I don't notice it so much while I'm there, but when I get home and review the videos, I can't believe how much noise there is -- dogs barking, barking, barking, air conditioners whirring, people laughing, clapping, shouting, things clanging around. All the milling too and fro. Elation at Q''s.  Disappointment at NQ's.  It's a nerve wracking environment that takes some getting used to.

If the sport can’t survive without a large team of volunteers, then something must be done to inspire more volunteerism. We certainly don’t want to drive up the costs!  Along those lines, I really do like the idea of breaking up the longer classes into 2 or more height divisions, so the ring workers could sign up to work only half a class, and run their dog in the other half.  It would also help if the Ring Steward wore a special hat, vest or arm band, so you could tell who to talk to about volunteering and scheduling conflicts.  I rarely know who the Ring Steward is.

Sincerely,
Michele Fry

Since writing to Monica, fearing I'd be viewed as a negative nay-sayer, I was most gratified to read all the posts from other agility bloggers (see link above), who shared similar feelings and offered some great suggestions. I had no idea there are so many agility bloggers!

Upwards and onward!

Volunteer Recognition

CCCC 2010 Holiday Banquet

Today was my Cajun Clickers Computer Club's annual Holiday Banquet, where volunteers were honored for their contributions. I brought my Mom's Sweet Potato with Marshmellows Casserole, and there was tons of food and about 50 people. Turns out, I was one of the honored volunteers, being as I built the club's website earlier this year, http://www.clickers.org/, and still maintain it.  It was at last year's Christmas Banquet that I volunteered to build it, which required several meetings with the board and it took 3 months to build, but maintaining it is only about 2-5 hours/month so you can tell by the puzzled look on my face, I didn't really expect to be mentioned. Since I live mostly in the moment, 8 months ago seems way far back in the past. So many other people in this very active club do so much more on a daily basis. I didn't know John was taking a video and it's the only picture, so here is my presentation, given by our outgoing President, Roger Carlyle.

Gifts:  CD with 13 freeware programs, CCCC mouse pad,
box of sticky notes of various shapes and colors.
I also got a picture frame in the drawing.

Many other volunteers received award plaques, and/or were mentioned.

Roger is a gracious person.  He always comes up with gifts to give out at every function, plus he organizes drawings, raffles, and auctions throughout the year.  Here are 3 gifts everyone got at the banquet:



Phil and Michele.  We always have fun together.

I had John take another picture of me with our Educational Director, Phil Chenevert, who received a Lifetime Membership Award.  As soon as I joined, Phil snagged me at the first class I attended and got me busy volunteering.  As you can see by his Sanda hat and long blonde wig, Phil enjoys cutting up, also he's an expert at managing people, and spends countless hours at the clubhouse.  He certainly deserves his award.



Penny being honored by President Roger.

 My other good friend from way back (her son was my student for years), Penny Cano, the club's Membership Coordinator and an instructor, got a Lifetime Membership Award, too. She shies away from photos, but John got a rear view of her receiving her award.  She is very dedicated to the club, and helps a lot of members out with their crashed computers, including me.  She alone has been worth the annual dues!

 As to volunteerism, I've volunteered with lots of clubs whose mission I believed in.  Two years back, I built and now maintain my dog club's website, http://www.lccoc.org/ for which they renew my Clean Run subscription for me every year.  Sweet!  It's a $48/year subscription and the only magazine I have ever read cover to cover every month.

Recognition, even if modest, is nice.  Some clubs are better at it than others.  In my experience, most seem to take their volunteers for granted, expecting services in exchange for . . . . . er, nothing.  I think people volunteer to further a cause, and get paid back in comradery, connections, and the few perks they receive.  In my dog club's and computer club's case, it is largely for the learning which couldn't be purchased at any price if there weren't other club members willing to share their knowledge.

In any case, my feeling is that if members were better engaged from the start, better mentored, better recognized, more appreciated, there would be more volunteers.  While clubs don't generally pay for services, most clubs do have some free perks they can distribute, the biggest one being friendship.

So, it was a very enjoyable day.  I dressed up, and noticed that with me wearing mostly tennis shoes this last year for agility practice, my dress shoes with the 2" heels really hurt my feet.  I can hardly walk in heels any more!

So it's onward and upwards now, in my tennies!