Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Voices of the Whos!


Improvement, that is always the name of the game isn't it?

This blogging event (Improving Agility Organizations) is our opportunity as a community to gather together to be the 'Whos' in 'Whoville' and provide feedback to agility organizations on how they are doing, what we like, and where we would like to see improvement.   If everyone uses their voice on the same day might be heard in more circles than just our own.

Horton Hears a Who (tvfirstlook.com)


I participate in several venues and all of them have great things about them and all of them have things that well...they could improve.  True about everything in life isn't it? 

If I had Kenneth Tatsch's (USDAA) ear today, the couple of things that I would say to him:

  • I love USDAA.  For me it is a great balance between having challenges that are interesting to me and course that are fun for the dogs to run (running! most interests them!).
  • In our area USDAA trials are mostly outdoors, fairly relaxed and casual events.  I love that!
  • It would be helpful to know qualifying criteria ahead of time.  Announcing criteria for National events (Cynosport, IFCS Continental) BEFORE the qualifying period has begun is really important to me.   For me,  I have to plan in advance where I will travel in order to qualify for things.  It is not possible for me to decide at the last moment to go on the road to a trial in order to qualify.  Are they purposely biasing their events?
  • Ken, you have a wonderful opportunity to get more small dogs to join USDAA.  Just give them a jump height that is fair for them.**
  • At Cynosport you should consider loading results onto a website.  Large monitors just don't cut it.  It is very hard to see your results gathered around monitors with 120 of fellow competitors.  It is really fun to obsess about my dogs results relative to my competitors.  Your affecting my ability to obsess.  BTW, the monitors never scroll at the speed that you want :)

P.S.
Actually if I had to pick a favorite venue that isn't really a venue it would be AKC's world team tryouts.  The people are friendly, the courses are amazing (fun for dogs and humans), and extremely well run!