Well, I'm still not ready to go through our videos from Regionals last weekend. I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready! And I doubt I'll ever share them, either!
I already posted on Facebook, but for those who didn't see, we had the worst weekend we've ever had. I was so disappointed. I would be lying if I said there weren't tears involved as the weekend unfolded. It wasn't that we didn't win, or place, or qualify. It was that we are WAY better than what we showed. We just chose the worst weekend to have the worst weekend.
My frustration and disappointment was compounded because the trial was poorly run, and some of our runs were eliminated due to time (because our team was out of the running for placement). And also because of time, as soon as you took an off course, you had to leave the ring. Multiple times over the course of the weekend we were eliminated in the first few obstacles. So I couldn't even focus on the positive. Usually after an off course you have the opportunity to run the rest of the course--and sometimes those are even the best runs because you aren't worried anymore, you're just running and trying new things. But, we were whistled and had to leave. So the only thing on my mind were mistakes.
On the positive side, my girl is healthy and happy. I always go back to this, but after we found out about her patellas I didn't know if we would get to play together again. And I didn't know if she'd be able to trial, or hold up during a long weekend. But she did--like a champ. She was raring to go on every run, and had a blast doing it (even when I didn't!)
The positives from the weekend were few and far between, but on the first day we did really well.
Masters Gamblers:
The atmosphere was busy, loud, and crowded. But my crazy baby girl held every single one of her contacts until I released her.
Masters Jumpers:
So proud of this run. Lexi won the class across all 16" dogs--and many, many dogs were eliminated. Check her awesome back side of the jump before the tunnel. Good girlie!
Showing posts with label Trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trial. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Incredipaws Day 2
(Still trying to catch up!)
Masters Gamblers:
Lexi Q: It's hard for me to post this video, because I stepped on the gamble line. I came off and was really mad at myself (not happy) because I didn't think I Qd. The judge didn't say anything. I still feel a little guilty about it. But, I know Lexi would have done it even if i wasn't on the line, so I guess that's a good thing. I was really proud because Jonathan came up with a great plan. First of all, the course is sort of a mirror of itself, so we could "practice" the gamble on the opposite side of the course (which you can see we did twice). And then Jonathan noticed that if the dog came out of the opposite end of the tunnel, they had a straight line out to the jumps, and they couldn't really see the weaves at all.
Bentley: This was too bad, because I really felt like this was something that Bentley is capable of. He was able to get out just fine as he "practiced", but the weaves threw him off since we practice getting out to weaves so often. Oh well.
Masters Snooker:
Lexi Q: Jonathan ran this course and came off discouraged. I think I've mentioned it before, but Lexi only needs Super Qs so he typically goes for riskier plans. During this run I realized that his timing is really off with her. He managed to get her around the course, but there were a lot of miscommunications. I'm sure it's due to the fact that he doesn't run her very often in practice.
Bentley Super Q: And again, Bentley with the Super Q! A really nice run. He is quite fun to run in Snooker :)
Masters Challenge Jumpers:
Lexi: Yikes. This course was tough! I knew it would be, and in fact, I didn't enter it. But, the trial secretary entered us by mistake and since we were helping her all weekend, she gave it to us as a free entry. I asked my trainer and she said we should give it a try. And in all honesty, I wasn't disappointed! We struggled where I thought we would (the weave entry, for example). I was a little surprised that we got the refusal at jump 4, but it happened to a lot of people. Because of the angle, dogs were pushing off to jump 8, or were reading it as a rear to 8, so I held her too far to the left purposefully. Can't be mad about that :) I really liked how we went through 10 through 16. And I saw a ton of dogs go wide around 16 and miss 17. Oh well. It was a good experience!
Bentley: This run was really nice. Even Bentley went wide at 16 to 17 for a refusal. But, the crazy thing? He was 4 seconds over course time. Even if he hadn't missed that jump he wouldn't have Qd, he would have been over course time. Now I know that Bentley isn't the fastest sheltie out there, but he isn't THAT slow. I guess course times are tight for these challenge-type courses. It's a little discouraging, though, because I don't think we could have tightened it up that much.
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: Darn darn darn. One day we'll get it together! Unfortunately we only got half of the run on video, and it was the bad half. The remainder of the run was clean. I'm still really struggling with timing of forward sends. And I peeled off too soon here--definitely my fault.
Bentley: Well, again we had a video camera malfunction and didn't get this taped. Good thing, though, because it was awful!
Steeplechase Finals:
Lexi: I decided to try to use Finals as a testing ground to work on things I might not be as willing to try elsewhere. That's why I threw in the blind. I also tried to push Lexi a bit more, and keep myself moving. I think we did a pretty good job. We got one of the weave entries, but I don't know if my FC was poorly timed, or if Lexi didn't read it correctly (probably me) and she missed the second one.
Bentley: Yay! 1st place!
Masters Gamblers:Lexi Q: It's hard for me to post this video, because I stepped on the gamble line. I came off and was really mad at myself (not happy) because I didn't think I Qd. The judge didn't say anything. I still feel a little guilty about it. But, I know Lexi would have done it even if i wasn't on the line, so I guess that's a good thing. I was really proud because Jonathan came up with a great plan. First of all, the course is sort of a mirror of itself, so we could "practice" the gamble on the opposite side of the course (which you can see we did twice). And then Jonathan noticed that if the dog came out of the opposite end of the tunnel, they had a straight line out to the jumps, and they couldn't really see the weaves at all.
Bentley: This was too bad, because I really felt like this was something that Bentley is capable of. He was able to get out just fine as he "practiced", but the weaves threw him off since we practice getting out to weaves so often. Oh well.
Masters Snooker:
Lexi Q: Jonathan ran this course and came off discouraged. I think I've mentioned it before, but Lexi only needs Super Qs so he typically goes for riskier plans. During this run I realized that his timing is really off with her. He managed to get her around the course, but there were a lot of miscommunications. I'm sure it's due to the fact that he doesn't run her very often in practice.Bentley Super Q: And again, Bentley with the Super Q! A really nice run. He is quite fun to run in Snooker :)
Masters Challenge Jumpers:
Lexi: Yikes. This course was tough! I knew it would be, and in fact, I didn't enter it. But, the trial secretary entered us by mistake and since we were helping her all weekend, she gave it to us as a free entry. I asked my trainer and she said we should give it a try. And in all honesty, I wasn't disappointed! We struggled where I thought we would (the weave entry, for example). I was a little surprised that we got the refusal at jump 4, but it happened to a lot of people. Because of the angle, dogs were pushing off to jump 8, or were reading it as a rear to 8, so I held her too far to the left purposefully. Can't be mad about that :) I really liked how we went through 10 through 16. And I saw a ton of dogs go wide around 16 and miss 17. Oh well. It was a good experience!
Bentley: This run was really nice. Even Bentley went wide at 16 to 17 for a refusal. But, the crazy thing? He was 4 seconds over course time. Even if he hadn't missed that jump he wouldn't have Qd, he would have been over course time. Now I know that Bentley isn't the fastest sheltie out there, but he isn't THAT slow. I guess course times are tight for these challenge-type courses. It's a little discouraging, though, because I don't think we could have tightened it up that much.
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: Darn darn darn. One day we'll get it together! Unfortunately we only got half of the run on video, and it was the bad half. The remainder of the run was clean. I'm still really struggling with timing of forward sends. And I peeled off too soon here--definitely my fault.Bentley: Well, again we had a video camera malfunction and didn't get this taped. Good thing, though, because it was awful!
Steeplechase Finals:
Lexi: I decided to try to use Finals as a testing ground to work on things I might not be as willing to try elsewhere. That's why I threw in the blind. I also tried to push Lexi a bit more, and keep myself moving. I think we did a pretty good job. We got one of the weave entries, but I don't know if my FC was poorly timed, or if Lexi didn't read it correctly (probably me) and she missed the second one.Bentley: Yay! 1st place!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Incredipaws Day 1
(Someday soon I'll post about training and other things...luckily this is our last trial for a month, so we have some time to train and blog in between!)
Masters Gamblers:
Lexi: My RC was too late, and I didn't have any more pushing to do once she got to the jump. In other words, she and I got there at the same time, so I had no where to go to indicate for her to go out.
Bentley: Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Heartbreak! This is the first dogwalk contact he's missed in MONTHS. But, you can feel the energy of the entire place change when Bentley got on the dogwalk, and Jonathan got all amped up, and pushed him too hard. As much of a bummer it was, it proved to me that he DOES have the skills, and that we will get there eventually :)
Masters Standard:
Lexi: How many times is a random thing going to go wrong in Standard? And it seems like every time it's something different! Lexi LOVES tunnels. Never in her entire little life has she ever come out of a tunnel. I think she must have hit the wall or the dogwalk legs (she banks heavily on the sides) and got either weirded out or confused. I got such an amazing, amazing, amazing turn in the pinwheel headed towards the chute that I stopped and told her what a good girl she was (and was consequently out of position) but I didn't care. I was pretty dang excited!
Grand Prix:
Lexi Q: This made my whole weekend! It wasn't a perfect run, and you can see me show too much forward motion into the tunnel (I was worried after the previous run's tunnel incident) and she goes super wide and almost misses the teeter. The judge called a refusal because he was convinced (and so was I!) that she was going to miss. But, he took the refusal away when she climbed on at the last second, and barely put her little toe in the yellow. But my very favorite part was that fast weave entry out of the chute. Good girlie. With this run she earned a first place and another bye!
Bentley: Darn that a-frame! Nice run, otherwise.
Steeplechase:
Lexi Q: Good run. Luckily the judge from this weekend didn't give us a lot of tough weave entries, so that was a plus! We really do need to work doubles at speed, though, because she has dropped a lot of them over the past few trials. Unfortunately, I don't have one at home.
Bentley Q: Tricked into getting the a-frame contacts, Bentley had a nice run! Actually, he beat his sister :)
Masters Gamblers:Lexi: My RC was too late, and I didn't have any more pushing to do once she got to the jump. In other words, she and I got there at the same time, so I had no where to go to indicate for her to go out.
Bentley: Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Heartbreak! This is the first dogwalk contact he's missed in MONTHS. But, you can feel the energy of the entire place change when Bentley got on the dogwalk, and Jonathan got all amped up, and pushed him too hard. As much of a bummer it was, it proved to me that he DOES have the skills, and that we will get there eventually :)
Lexi: How many times is a random thing going to go wrong in Standard? And it seems like every time it's something different! Lexi LOVES tunnels. Never in her entire little life has she ever come out of a tunnel. I think she must have hit the wall or the dogwalk legs (she banks heavily on the sides) and got either weirded out or confused. I got such an amazing, amazing, amazing turn in the pinwheel headed towards the chute that I stopped and told her what a good girl she was (and was consequently out of position) but I didn't care. I was pretty dang excited!
Grand Prix:
Lexi Q: This made my whole weekend! It wasn't a perfect run, and you can see me show too much forward motion into the tunnel (I was worried after the previous run's tunnel incident) and she goes super wide and almost misses the teeter. The judge called a refusal because he was convinced (and so was I!) that she was going to miss. But, he took the refusal away when she climbed on at the last second, and barely put her little toe in the yellow. But my very favorite part was that fast weave entry out of the chute. Good girlie. With this run she earned a first place and another bye!Bentley: Darn that a-frame! Nice run, otherwise.
Steeplechase:Lexi Q: Good run. Luckily the judge from this weekend didn't give us a lot of tough weave entries, so that was a plus! We really do need to work doubles at speed, though, because she has dropped a lot of them over the past few trials. Unfortunately, I don't have one at home.
Bentley Q: Tricked into getting the a-frame contacts, Bentley had a nice run! Actually, he beat his sister :)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Indianapolis: Day 1
I guess being inconsistent just means that we have a lot to learn!
Masters Gamblers:
Umm yeah, this was just too hard for both of our dogs! That jump was SO far away. I thought Lexi might have a chance if I pulled her back and sent her, but I was angled slightly, and didn't pull her back enough. Bentley, well, Jonathan set up for the turn too soon and it wasn't even close! (As a note, notice Lexi's weave entry in this run...nails it).
Lexi:
Bentley:
Masters Standard:
Lexi: I really am not sure why she dropped the first bar. Bad luck, I think. Honestly, I was kind of glad in the end that she dropped that bar because if the weaves had been her only mistake I would have been very sad! Really loved her convergence to the teeter--that is not something she excels at so I was really proud. This is the exact same weave entry as in gamblers, and she didn't hold onto it and did her weird stressy run that she does now when she doesn't think she can stay in the weaves (not sure if you can see it, but she gets into the first pole then runs past). But the mistake pushed me out of my comfort zone and I handled the end as a push, not a cross and it was nice and faster than a cross would have been.
Steeplechase:
Lexi Q:
Knowing her struggles, I love her first weave entry in this run. But, it cements the fact that the entries on her right are harder. Clearly the turn at jump 13 was not our plan. She read my deceleration as a rear cross. And then did her stressy weave pole thing :(
Bentley: Bentley has always had trouble being called off a tunnel entrance for a closer one. He gets set on one and goes for it--no amount of name calling or eye contact makes a difference if he gets locked on.
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: I can't even watch this run I'm so mad at myself about it. Seriously. What an amazing run. But I forgot the course. WHO DOES THAT? Lexi looked stellar!
Bentley: This was definitely Bentley's best run of the weekend (year?!?) He was up in the 5 YPS, which is flying for him. Jonathan had a great mix of getting ahead of him and accelerating with him.
To sum it up:
Things to work on for Lexi:
1. Weave entries at speed.
2. FCs at speed (not allowing her to cut behind me).
Things to work on for Bentley:
1. Distance/Gamble work.
2. A-frames.
3. Opposite entry tunnel sends.
Masters Gamblers:
Umm yeah, this was just too hard for both of our dogs! That jump was SO far away. I thought Lexi might have a chance if I pulled her back and sent her, but I was angled slightly, and didn't pull her back enough. Bentley, well, Jonathan set up for the turn too soon and it wasn't even close! (As a note, notice Lexi's weave entry in this run...nails it).
Lexi:
Bentley:
Masters Standard:
Lexi: I really am not sure why she dropped the first bar. Bad luck, I think. Honestly, I was kind of glad in the end that she dropped that bar because if the weaves had been her only mistake I would have been very sad! Really loved her convergence to the teeter--that is not something she excels at so I was really proud. This is the exact same weave entry as in gamblers, and she didn't hold onto it and did her weird stressy run that she does now when she doesn't think she can stay in the weaves (not sure if you can see it, but she gets into the first pole then runs past). But the mistake pushed me out of my comfort zone and I handled the end as a push, not a cross and it was nice and faster than a cross would have been.
Steeplechase:
Lexi Q:
Knowing her struggles, I love her first weave entry in this run. But, it cements the fact that the entries on her right are harder. Clearly the turn at jump 13 was not our plan. She read my deceleration as a rear cross. And then did her stressy weave pole thing :(
Bentley: Bentley has always had trouble being called off a tunnel entrance for a closer one. He gets set on one and goes for it--no amount of name calling or eye contact makes a difference if he gets locked on.
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: I can't even watch this run I'm so mad at myself about it. Seriously. What an amazing run. But I forgot the course. WHO DOES THAT? Lexi looked stellar!
Bentley: This was definitely Bentley's best run of the weekend (year?!?) He was up in the 5 YPS, which is flying for him. Jonathan had a great mix of getting ahead of him and accelerating with him.
To sum it up:
Things to work on for Lexi:
1. Weave entries at speed.
2. FCs at speed (not allowing her to cut behind me).
Things to work on for Bentley:
1. Distance/Gamble work.
2. A-frames.
3. Opposite entry tunnel sends.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Michigan Again
Not a great showing for us. I don't think the courses were the problem, I just think Lexi and I are still a green team which means we're pretty inconsistent. We have some great weekends, and some not-so great ones. And of course, our hotel was terrible and we got no sleep. So that didn't help.
There was some incredible competition at this trial, and I've never been in a more competitive 16" class. As an example, Bentley ran clean in Steeplechase and came in 11th place! Sure, it wasn't he and Jonathan's best run, but that's saying something.
Masters Gamblers:
Not much to say about these runs. I think 4 dogs total (Championship & Performance, ALL heights) Qd on this course. It was REALLY tough!
Lexi: Naughty, naughty contacts!
Bentley: Clearly, Bentley was feeling a little out of sorts at the beginning of the day. Jonathan's cues weren't very clear, and Bentley wasn't up to snuff, either.
Masters Standard:
Lexi: Our worst run in a while. I knew the weave entry would be tough, and I wasn't pushing enough towards them, but I told her weave early and hoped she would look for them on her own. Nope--I need to help more. Got a pretty nice turn to the table, though :) And then, why did she cut behind me? That was reminescent of the Lexi of old--she was facing sort of behind me, and coming to my right side would have taken more effort, so she just didn't. I guess I could have been more aggressive with my cue, but I have my arm out, and am looking over my shoulder. And then she went SO wide coming out of the tunnel that I wasn't prepared and pushed her back in. And then we were in that vicious cycle! But, we got (and HELD) a lovely dogwalk contact.
Okay, and to focus on the positive. I got AMAZING collection at the end. I stopped and cheered for her and we ran off and got cookies. I don't even care that she dropped the bar. YAYAY!
Grand Prix:
Lexi: Not a bad run considering this course had some similarities to our terrible standard run. I knew the corner to the dogwalk would be hard, and she was pushing her contacts all weekend. I didn't think I could get her to hold the teeter long enough, and I was right. She broke too soon, and I wasn't able to get down and cue the jump and turn, so she peeled off too soon.
Bentley: Bentley wasn't really up to par this weekend. I think he was feeling the after effects of his rough week. He was significantly slower, missed his weaves a couple times, and dropped a few bars. Very unlike him. Still a good run, though.
Steeplechase:
Lexi: I really agonized over whether or not to throw a blind in, but was afraid I wouldn't get there. I sent Lexi to the tunnel and had SO much time. I just stood there waiting for her! But on the positive side, I was standing still and thus got a really nice, tight rear cross. Then I watcher her and forget to get into position for the cross, and was late, and she cut behind me. Same thing out of the weaves. I stood and stared at her after my forward send, and forgot that I was front crossing. Luckily Lexi forgave me! We got a Q, too, which was an added bonus.
Bentley: Jonathan admitted that he got a little lost on course (you can see some very late handling moves!) but Bentley was still clean. I was happy that he got his a-frame contacts, though you can see that they were NOT 2o2os haha! Anyways, poor Bentley was clean, and got a Q, but came in 11th place!
Lexi: Jonathan is SO good at Snooker. He just GETS it, and always comes up with amazing plans. We have had several people compliment him on his approach. I wish I could think like that! Anyways, he had a really great run with Lexi. It was a bummer that she dropped that bar, because the opening was just perfect. He wasn't planning on having her take the back side of 2, but he got turned around, and she dropped the bar.
Lexi: I just love this run of ours. Yes, she drops a bar, but it was the end of the weekend and knowing our trouble with Jumpers, I was so pleased with the remainder of the run. She was really moving, and had the fastest time of the 16" dogs that ran (and as I mentioned, there was some SERIOUS competition!).
Lexi: I was really, actually, running all out in this run. I figured, why not? We didn't have anything to lose, so I thought it would be fun to just run hard. And then Lexi was so excited about that idea, that she broke her a-frame contact! :) And then I didn't push far enough into the weaves (recurring theme: no independent weave entry!), so we had to try those again. And then, I'm a huge jerk. I'm running too fast down the straight away that I don't show enough decel, and Lexi crashes the double. She limped for a second and I was SO worried and felt horrible. Then she realized she was okay, and jumped up and was fine. WHEW. (Don't worry, she went to the chiropractor after this day!)
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There was some incredible competition at this trial, and I've never been in a more competitive 16" class. As an example, Bentley ran clean in Steeplechase and came in 11th place! Sure, it wasn't he and Jonathan's best run, but that's saying something.
Masters Gamblers:
Not much to say about these runs. I think 4 dogs total (Championship & Performance, ALL heights) Qd on this course. It was REALLY tough!Lexi: Naughty, naughty contacts!
Bentley: Clearly, Bentley was feeling a little out of sorts at the beginning of the day. Jonathan's cues weren't very clear, and Bentley wasn't up to snuff, either.
Masters Standard:
Lexi: Our worst run in a while. I knew the weave entry would be tough, and I wasn't pushing enough towards them, but I told her weave early and hoped she would look for them on her own. Nope--I need to help more. Got a pretty nice turn to the table, though :) And then, why did she cut behind me? That was reminescent of the Lexi of old--she was facing sort of behind me, and coming to my right side would have taken more effort, so she just didn't. I guess I could have been more aggressive with my cue, but I have my arm out, and am looking over my shoulder. And then she went SO wide coming out of the tunnel that I wasn't prepared and pushed her back in. And then we were in that vicious cycle! But, we got (and HELD) a lovely dogwalk contact.Okay, and to focus on the positive. I got AMAZING collection at the end. I stopped and cheered for her and we ran off and got cookies. I don't even care that she dropped the bar. YAYAY!
Grand Prix:
Lexi: Not a bad run considering this course had some similarities to our terrible standard run. I knew the corner to the dogwalk would be hard, and she was pushing her contacts all weekend. I didn't think I could get her to hold the teeter long enough, and I was right. She broke too soon, and I wasn't able to get down and cue the jump and turn, so she peeled off too soon.Bentley: Bentley wasn't really up to par this weekend. I think he was feeling the after effects of his rough week. He was significantly slower, missed his weaves a couple times, and dropped a few bars. Very unlike him. Still a good run, though.
Steeplechase:
Lexi: I really agonized over whether or not to throw a blind in, but was afraid I wouldn't get there. I sent Lexi to the tunnel and had SO much time. I just stood there waiting for her! But on the positive side, I was standing still and thus got a really nice, tight rear cross. Then I watcher her and forget to get into position for the cross, and was late, and she cut behind me. Same thing out of the weaves. I stood and stared at her after my forward send, and forgot that I was front crossing. Luckily Lexi forgave me! We got a Q, too, which was an added bonus.Bentley: Jonathan admitted that he got a little lost on course (you can see some very late handling moves!) but Bentley was still clean. I was happy that he got his a-frame contacts, though you can see that they were NOT 2o2os haha! Anyways, poor Bentley was clean, and got a Q, but came in 11th place!
Masters Snooker:
Lexi: Jonathan is SO good at Snooker. He just GETS it, and always comes up with amazing plans. We have had several people compliment him on his approach. I wish I could think like that! Anyways, he had a really great run with Lexi. It was a bummer that she dropped that bar, because the opening was just perfect. He wasn't planning on having her take the back side of 2, but he got turned around, and she dropped the bar.
Bentley: Mr. Reliable! Jonathan didn't walk the course for Bentley (I was actually going to run him), but he decided to just run the course he had planned for Lexi. Maybe not the best plan for him since he's not as fast off the line, but he still Qd!
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: I just love this run of ours. Yes, she drops a bar, but it was the end of the weekend and knowing our trouble with Jumpers, I was so pleased with the remainder of the run. She was really moving, and had the fastest time of the 16" dogs that ran (and as I mentioned, there was some SERIOUS competition!).
Bentley: Yay! Good run, boys!
Steeplechase Finals:
Lexi: I was really, actually, running all out in this run. I figured, why not? We didn't have anything to lose, so I thought it would be fun to just run hard. And then Lexi was so excited about that idea, that she broke her a-frame contact! :) And then I didn't push far enough into the weaves (recurring theme: no independent weave entry!), so we had to try those again. And then, I'm a huge jerk. I'm running too fast down the straight away that I don't show enough decel, and Lexi crashes the double. She limped for a second and I was SO worried and felt horrible. Then she realized she was okay, and jumped up and was fine. WHEW. (Don't worry, she went to the chiropractor after this day!)
Bentley: Another good run for Jonathan and Bentley. I will briefly mention his SERIOUSLY shaped RC at the end. We've been getting on him for class for that, and it's crazy obvious at the end. ;)
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Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Pennsylvania Trial, Day 2
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: Never did I imagine that I would have a dog that would have a harder time with Jumpers than Standard. In fact, I usually like Standard because it feels "easier". I feel like in Standard a lot of time the challenges are equipment-based, whereas the challenges in Jumpers are handling-based. Lexi has decent equipment skills, so typically that isn't the issue.
Anyways, we have only 1 Masters Jumpers Q, from January 2012! I mean, she did have 6 months off during that time period, but still...clearly a weakness of ours.
But that makes the Qs all the much sweeter! This was a really nice run. Of course there are always things to work on, but we held our own. If you watch, she wanted so bad to cut behind me on the serpentine recall to heel, but I held my ground and she came around. Woohoo. And then coming out of the tunnel she almost didn't grab the jump in front of her, but noticed it last minute and went out and grabbed it, saving my butt! I was most concerned about the turn at jump 11 because I knew I would have to trust her and leave her. I could have trusted her and left sooner, but I did trust her and moved downstream, and it was great :) We had the 4th fastest time of every dog at the trial!
Bentley: And Bentley had an amazing run! He was only a couple seconds behind Lexi (which is really MOVING for him), and had a great run. He and Jonathan were definitely on the same wave length, and Jonathan's crosses were really pretty!
Masters Snooker:
Lexi: One of her strengths is her speed--not so much her collection :) so it's a great benefit that we can lead out really far and not lose much time. The opening of this run is a great example. In fact, the entire opening was really super! Then Jonathan didn't work the weave entry, and she didn't know that's where they were going since he'd been pulling her off of things the entire run.
Bentley: Not much to say! Jonathan concentrated so much on Lexi's plan that he didn't leave much time to plan for Bentley. Bentley doesn't have an a-frame contact, so clearly the a-frame wasn't the plan, but he wasn't clear enough.
Masters Standard:
Lexi: There were a few bobbles (and the video cuts out for just a second), but how adorable was it when one of Lexi's back legs slipped off the dogwalk and she put it back on? Baby girl knows her criteria!
Steeplechase Finals:
Yay Bentley! He came in first in finals and we got a little bit of $$--always a perk! Not sure what happened at the weaves or afterwards--I think he was just tired.
Lexi: Never did I imagine that I would have a dog that would have a harder time with Jumpers than Standard. In fact, I usually like Standard because it feels "easier". I feel like in Standard a lot of time the challenges are equipment-based, whereas the challenges in Jumpers are handling-based. Lexi has decent equipment skills, so typically that isn't the issue.Anyways, we have only 1 Masters Jumpers Q, from January 2012! I mean, she did have 6 months off during that time period, but still...clearly a weakness of ours.
But that makes the Qs all the much sweeter! This was a really nice run. Of course there are always things to work on, but we held our own. If you watch, she wanted so bad to cut behind me on the serpentine recall to heel, but I held my ground and she came around. Woohoo. And then coming out of the tunnel she almost didn't grab the jump in front of her, but noticed it last minute and went out and grabbed it, saving my butt! I was most concerned about the turn at jump 11 because I knew I would have to trust her and leave her. I could have trusted her and left sooner, but I did trust her and moved downstream, and it was great :) We had the 4th fastest time of every dog at the trial!
Bentley: And Bentley had an amazing run! He was only a couple seconds behind Lexi (which is really MOVING for him), and had a great run. He and Jonathan were definitely on the same wave length, and Jonathan's crosses were really pretty!
Masters Snooker:
Lexi: One of her strengths is her speed--not so much her collection :) so it's a great benefit that we can lead out really far and not lose much time. The opening of this run is a great example. In fact, the entire opening was really super! Then Jonathan didn't work the weave entry, and she didn't know that's where they were going since he'd been pulling her off of things the entire run.
Bentley: Not much to say! Jonathan concentrated so much on Lexi's plan that he didn't leave much time to plan for Bentley. Bentley doesn't have an a-frame contact, so clearly the a-frame wasn't the plan, but he wasn't clear enough.
Masters Standard:
Lexi: There were a few bobbles (and the video cuts out for just a second), but how adorable was it when one of Lexi's back legs slipped off the dogwalk and she put it back on? Baby girl knows her criteria!Steeplechase Finals:
Yay Bentley! He came in first in finals and we got a little bit of $$--always a perk! Not sure what happened at the weaves or afterwards--I think he was just tired.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Pennsylvania Trial: Day 1
Firstly, have to say, we had a GREAT time at a great facility. It was a bit farther than we like to travel for a weekend (just under 4 hours), but it was well worth it. First of all, it's a 2 ring trial, secondly the facility was top-notch, and third, they were nicely organized and we were done by 3 both days.
Masters Standard:
Lexi: I knew going in that she needed 1 Q for her MAD, but I've been thinking that for a while, and we just couldn't put it all together. This was our weekend! We weren't perfect, and there were a lot of opportunities, but I felt positive about all (well, maybe not one of them...but we'll get there) of our runs!
Anyways, opening was lovely, and then my front cross after the teeter was SO late. I'm lucky that there was nothing around and I was able to regain control. Poor girl needs more information, and faster! And then! Wait for it...Wait for it...I DID A KETSCHKER IN A TRIAL! It's not that they are hard, or anything, but they are new for me, and trying new things is something I struggle with. Anyways, I think it went really well! And I thought it had a purpose (lots of people complaining that these are becoming more popular for no reason). And then. Another first. I TRUSTED MY DOG! I saw the angle of the chute to the weaves and I was worried. That's a tough entry, and I know that Lexi tends to shoot out and go wide. But, I thought I would show lateral motion before she got into the chute, and I said "weave" before she was even in the chute. And she came out looking for the weaves!
She did trip on the way up the dogwalk, but was no worse for wear! And she held her contacts ALL weekend.
Grand Prix:
Lexi: Yeehaw! One of our best runs of the weekend. What an excellent girl! (Got a little worried at first when another sheltie ran onto the course to say hello, but he was friendly). Great turn off of the dogwalk with the backy uppy at the jump--and yes, I STILL celebrate when she collects because it doesn't always happen. And then, I was worried about the weave entry (again, this is the one that is tough for Lexi), but I ran with her and set her line, and she had no issues! And she came in first and got another bye :)
Bentley: Another really nice run for J & Bentley! Of course, you can see Bentley's lovely a-frame, but we'll ignore that part of the run! I am so envious of the forward sends that he is able to get with Bentley. They are always perfectly timed and nicely executed. I think that Bentley's weaves were a bit faster this weekend, as well!
Masters Snooker:
Lexi: Lexi only needs Super Qs, which is a tough spot to be in. There weren't enough 16" dogs in our class, so we had to compete against the 12" dogs. In the 12" dogs were 2 dogs with their ADCHs, and one dog with several WAO medals. Tough crowd! I think that if Jonathan had sent Lexi to the tunnel sooner as he started the close, he could have gotten the 7 points at the end and the Super Q. Oh well, still a really stellar run!
Bentley: Provided nothing goes horribly wrong (see next day's snooker video as an example), snooker is a walk in the park for Jonathan and Bentley! This was their Snooker Champion-Bronze (15 Masters Snooker Qs!)
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: Don't worry, in case I was starting to feel too big for my britches after a very excellent day to this point, Lexi and I had a communication meltdown in jumpers. I feel like it always happens in jumpers. My trainer described jumpers as "highlight handling" and that's definitely the weakest part of our game, so I guess it makes sense that I find it so difficult. Anyways, I'm willing to take full responsibility for our first off course. Showed way too much forward motion. But the next one? Is she mad at me? Do I smell bad? Are we doing gamblers and I don't know it? Anyways, she keeps me humble :)
Bentley: Of course little buddy gets out there and makes it look easy (well, except for that one jump that I'm still not sure how he didn't miss!) With this run he got his Jumpers Champion!
Steeplechase:
Lexi: Silly handling error by me. I waited too long at the tunnel (again, need to trust her!) and then I was pushing out so far at the jump beyond the tunnel that she read it as a rear. Can't blame her for that. Don't know if you can tell, but after I sent her to the tunnel I was running as fast as I could. That's what caused her to drop the bar out of the tunnel--so much acceleration. But I had to do it to get out for the ending. She had a very nice go on at the end!
Bentley: Nicely done! Bentley is so reliable, I just love that about him. I think Jonathan is still trying to figure out the key between acceleration and getting too far ahead, but I think the encouraging him helps, as long as it isn't too distracting.
Masters Gamblers:
Lexi: I thought that Lexi had a chance at turning into the tunnel,
and then I thought if I could pull her out then I could send her back over the
last jump. But, I was so worried about
showing motion that I showed way too much, and she went farther than I
thought. Oh well—she’s definitely got
the distance part down J I just need to work on my directions!
Bentley:…d’oh! So frustrating. It was almost harder knowing how close we
were. Though in all fairness, most
judges would have whistled him for the first attempt as a refusal, so the fact
that we were over time really wasn’t as close as it looked. Still, sucks knowing he was so close. (Remember, he only needs 2 Gamblers Qs for
his ADCH, but it could take an eternity!)
Masters Standard:
Lexi: I knew going in that she needed 1 Q for her MAD, but I've been thinking that for a while, and we just couldn't put it all together. This was our weekend! We weren't perfect, and there were a lot of opportunities, but I felt positive about all (well, maybe not one of them...but we'll get there) of our runs!
Anyways, opening was lovely, and then my front cross after the teeter was SO late. I'm lucky that there was nothing around and I was able to regain control. Poor girl needs more information, and faster! And then! Wait for it...Wait for it...I DID A KETSCHKER IN A TRIAL! It's not that they are hard, or anything, but they are new for me, and trying new things is something I struggle with. Anyways, I think it went really well! And I thought it had a purpose (lots of people complaining that these are becoming more popular for no reason). And then. Another first. I TRUSTED MY DOG! I saw the angle of the chute to the weaves and I was worried. That's a tough entry, and I know that Lexi tends to shoot out and go wide. But, I thought I would show lateral motion before she got into the chute, and I said "weave" before she was even in the chute. And she came out looking for the weaves!
She did trip on the way up the dogwalk, but was no worse for wear! And she held her contacts ALL weekend.
Grand Prix:
Lexi: Yeehaw! One of our best runs of the weekend. What an excellent girl! (Got a little worried at first when another sheltie ran onto the course to say hello, but he was friendly). Great turn off of the dogwalk with the backy uppy at the jump--and yes, I STILL celebrate when she collects because it doesn't always happen. And then, I was worried about the weave entry (again, this is the one that is tough for Lexi), but I ran with her and set her line, and she had no issues! And she came in first and got another bye :)
Bentley: Another really nice run for J & Bentley! Of course, you can see Bentley's lovely a-frame, but we'll ignore that part of the run! I am so envious of the forward sends that he is able to get with Bentley. They are always perfectly timed and nicely executed. I think that Bentley's weaves were a bit faster this weekend, as well!
Masters Snooker:
Lexi: Lexi only needs Super Qs, which is a tough spot to be in. There weren't enough 16" dogs in our class, so we had to compete against the 12" dogs. In the 12" dogs were 2 dogs with their ADCHs, and one dog with several WAO medals. Tough crowd! I think that if Jonathan had sent Lexi to the tunnel sooner as he started the close, he could have gotten the 7 points at the end and the Super Q. Oh well, still a really stellar run!
Bentley: Provided nothing goes horribly wrong (see next day's snooker video as an example), snooker is a walk in the park for Jonathan and Bentley! This was their Snooker Champion-Bronze (15 Masters Snooker Qs!)
Masters Jumpers:
Lexi: Don't worry, in case I was starting to feel too big for my britches after a very excellent day to this point, Lexi and I had a communication meltdown in jumpers. I feel like it always happens in jumpers. My trainer described jumpers as "highlight handling" and that's definitely the weakest part of our game, so I guess it makes sense that I find it so difficult. Anyways, I'm willing to take full responsibility for our first off course. Showed way too much forward motion. But the next one? Is she mad at me? Do I smell bad? Are we doing gamblers and I don't know it? Anyways, she keeps me humble :)
Bentley: Of course little buddy gets out there and makes it look easy (well, except for that one jump that I'm still not sure how he didn't miss!) With this run he got his Jumpers Champion!
Steeplechase:
Lexi: Silly handling error by me. I waited too long at the tunnel (again, need to trust her!) and then I was pushing out so far at the jump beyond the tunnel that she read it as a rear. Can't blame her for that. Don't know if you can tell, but after I sent her to the tunnel I was running as fast as I could. That's what caused her to drop the bar out of the tunnel--so much acceleration. But I had to do it to get out for the ending. She had a very nice go on at the end!
Bentley: Nicely done! Bentley is so reliable, I just love that about him. I think Jonathan is still trying to figure out the key between acceleration and getting too far ahead, but I think the encouraging him helps, as long as it isn't too distracting.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Michigan (Pt. III)
ARGGHHHHH! That is me being annoyed at myself for not working my FC better. Also, why am I standing around so much? I just need to focus on MOVING and trusting my dog. I think I say that all the time, but really struggle with it. I guess it's question of confidence.I still got a wide turn with the backy uppy at the beginning, but without the blind she at least didn't go winging off to another jump. After I send her to the tunnel (9) I just stand and watch her. Why? Who knows!
I was really surprised that my arm motion threw her out over 14 in the pinwheel and she went wide and missed 15. Again, I stood and watcher her. But it's a question of chicken vs. egg. Did she go wide because I was just standing there? Or was I just standing there because I saw her go wide?
Then the end was quite nice--how I collected her out of the tunnel and she ran on ahead of me.
Bentley had a pretty much perfect run. Can't think of any critiques other than I held my breath briefly at jump 16. I think Bentley thought about going around it because Jonathan was ahead of him. I think Jonathan did a really good job this trial of staying ahead and getting front crosses in to keep Bentley motivated. It worked really well, but it is a little frustrating to see Jonathan so far ahead and see Bentley basically at his "top speed". Still, this was a really nice run for both of them. We've discussed that going forward maybe Jonathan shouldn't send him and get ahead of him, but wait for him, and then accelerate away from him. I think that may help Bentley to accelerate as well.
Steeplechase Round 1:
And then, big mistake! I was so surprised that she got right into the weaves that I was much farther ahead of her than I planned. I blind crossed WAY too early and pulled her out. Entirely my fault. Then I had to slowly get her back to the beginning without her taking any of the jumps.
But, even with that, it was a nice run and a Q. I love love loved her rear cross at jump 18.
Jonathan and Bentley had a nice run for Bentley's Tournament Master--Bronze (15 tournament Qs, at least 2 in each event). So proud that we have come so far with our little guy!
If I had to be nitpicky about the run, I would say that he should probably have replaced the rear cross at 9 with a front, and I think he could have saved a second or so heading back into the weaves by asking for a tighter entry. Bentley has the skills, and doesn't need that much room on the approach (unlike Lexi, who needs the space to line up).
Steeplechase Round 2:
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Michigan (Pt. II)
Well, here I go trying to recreate part of the post that I
wrote last night. It will never be the
same!
Masters Standard:
With Lexi, I am kicking myself for this run. First of all, I was so proud of myself for
being brave enough to try a backy uppy to a blind in a trial. We have practiced that in class multiple
times (even in opening sequences) so I thought we had it on lock. I set it up nicely, and stepped back beyond
the plane. I’m not sure if I didn’t move
soon enough so she launched out and away towards the off course, or if she was
determined to take that jump regardless of what I did. I think I should have moved forward right
away towards the teeter, even though I did try to catch her eye before moving
forward.
I did really like how I showed the front cross was coming as
she was getting into the chute. I think
I got a better turn. I can’t remember
which trial it was, but I was having difficulty collecting her out of the chute
for a turn, and I realized it’s because I wasn’t cuing it where she could see
me.
I’m not sure why she went around the table, and I’m a little
worried about it. Maybe I’ve watched
Diana and Miley too many times, but what she does looks like she is
stressing. Maybe I just didn’t tell her
soon enough? Trouble is we don’t
practice the table often. I can practice
it in the house, but that’s not really the same.
Then my lovely little one saved my you-know-what at jump
15. Not sure if you can tell, but the
angle is WAY harder on the course than it showed on paper. I was all discombobulated (and behind),
though, so I didn’t show enough lateral heading towards the dogwalk.
At the end she didn’t get into her 2o2o (which is odd for
her) and then came off, so I didn’t allow her to finish. She tends to rush through her contacts if she
thinks she knows what is next, so I didn’t ask her to finish the course.
(We didn’t enter Bentley in Standard)
Grand Prix:
Another frustrating run for Lexi & I as well as Jonathan
& Bentley. We were so close!
I first walked the course with a lead out, leading out past
2 with Lex on my right the whole time.
But once I got out there, I saw the angle at which she would have to
jump the tire, and I didn’t think that was fair to her. There is a big metal bar at the base of the
tire, and I think it would have made it hard for her to judge the jump/maneuver
it correctly. I think the no lead out
actually worked out well!
Please take note of the weave entry. I think we have seen this about 5 times in
the past couple trials. It’s not a good
thing for us (my FCs are poorly timed, and Lexi doesn’t have the independent
entries), but everyone else, take note and practice!
Anyways, I came over the dogwalk and thought “Oh my gosh!
We’re clean!” And then I remembered the
teeter. The whole time I debated whether
or not I should FC prior to the teeter.
If I didn’t, I knew she’d have to switch leads and that might be hard
for her and she might choose to run past it.
But, I thought if I forced it, I would show too much motion going
forward. Anyways, I saw her come over
the jump really wide so I said her name, and she dropped the bar. Then I was all out of whack and didn’t work
the push to the correct tunnel entry.
And poor, poor Jonathan.
I know he thought he had it in the bag.
The biggest challenges for him were the contacts, which Bentley
miraculously got (although they were naughty).
And then he didn’t work the tunnel entrance. I don’t think any of the other 16”s
qualified, so Jonathan was really bummed.
But it was a great run until the very end!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Michigan Trial (Pt. I)
I am SO mad! I just spent an hour posting about our trial, and everything was lost. I even saved it along and along, and I got kicked out. I came back and everything was gone.
Now it's too late, so you'll just have to read about Gamblers, since that's the only part that saved :(
We went up to Michigan for one day of a trial, and had another tough day. A lot more "almosts"! I decided that I don't like traveling (4 hours one way) for one day of a trial, because then when you don't do awesome, it feels like a waste when you don't get the results you want.
Masters Gamblers:
Lexi and I started off the day with a really great gamblers run. We didn't qualify (it was really hard--the jump was really far from the line and you couldn't get past the weave poles to show any forward motion. The course map is different from the course. The weaves and jump were parallel), but I still felt like we were in sync. And I was able to send her back out to the a-frame, and she went on ahead of me at the end.
Bentley, well, didn't really do so well. For the second trial in a row I couldn't send him to a tunnel right in front of me. So we were whistled before even attempting the gamble. I was pretty bummed and didn't get him in the right mindset, and I couldn't get him out of handler focus and off of my leg. So no, we don't need to see video of that!!
Now it's too late, so you'll just have to read about Gamblers, since that's the only part that saved :(
Masters Gamblers:
Lexi and I started off the day with a really great gamblers run. We didn't qualify (it was really hard--the jump was really far from the line and you couldn't get past the weave poles to show any forward motion. The course map is different from the course. The weaves and jump were parallel), but I still felt like we were in sync. And I was able to send her back out to the a-frame, and she went on ahead of me at the end.
Bentley, well, didn't really do so well. For the second trial in a row I couldn't send him to a tunnel right in front of me. So we were whistled before even attempting the gamble. I was pretty bummed and didn't get him in the right mindset, and I couldn't get him out of handler focus and off of my leg. So no, we don't need to see video of that!!
Monday, January 14, 2013
CPA Trial Results
Q wise, we didn't have a great weekend. It felt a little frustrating because the courses were hard, but I walked them and was pretty confident in most of my plans. But, I didn't execute them correctly so we messed up here and there.
Many people said that the judges' courses were very technical, and that this judge is much more old school. I don't think I know enough about agility (and where it's been) to comment on his style, but I do know that these courses were significantly tougher than what we've seen in our last few trials. Not a complaint--we should be prepared for challenges like this!
I'm not posting all the videos or course maps (do you really need to see the dogs not get through the opening in Snooker?), but I'll try to comment on the ones that I think are relevant.
Masters Gamblers:
Now, I believe that my attitude has changed quite a bit when it comes to gamblers. But, I also know my dogs' limitations. Looking at this gamble, I knew it wasn't likely for either pup. Not only does the dog have to turn away from you, but then there is a discrimination, and a distance component! I really wanted to show this course map because I think it's one of the hardest gambles I've ever seen.
No videos, because it's boring, but Lexi took 1 and 2 then went to the far tunnel beyond jump 2 (I put her in obstacle focus and gave a lot of forward/push cues), so I can't blame her for that! Bentley turned the wrong way after jump 2 and came back to me.
Lexi: After the beginning, I was really pleased with this run. I was a bit disappointed, because we've been working on her recall to heels (foundation) and both times I tried it this weekend she dropped the bar. The one thing that I will say is that in this video I can see her slow down and collect, she just doesn't do it enough. I also feel like I should have moved out of her way faster, and I didn't. I stopped and marked the dropped bar, and that's why she took the off course, but I'm not worried about that. Really loved her RC to the weaves, and FC to the dogwalk. What a good girl!
Masters Pairs Q:
(Bentley not entered) Lexi: Definitely the easiest course, and Lexi's best run of the weekend. We were partnered with a former USA World Team member (no pressure!) but ended up running clean. Was really, really pleased with her turn to the tunnel. Lexi & Mickle's time was the second fastest of all the dogs there! (And there were some very speedy dogs there!) This was her 5th Masters Pairs Q, and therefore her Relay Master title!Grand Prix:
Bentley: This was an ugly one. He missed the weave entry (though TONS of dogs did) and incurred 2 refusals there (Jonathan didn't give him enough space the second approach). Then he missed his a-frame contact. But, good news is that he got the dogwalk contact! So that was a small celebration. Then he got a refusal at the tunnel (totally Jonathan's fault for running away before Bentley was fully committed) so that was an E (3 refusals). The crazy thing is that the course was tough, but didn't seem that bad and it really got a lot of good dogs.Lexi: Didn't really want to share this video, but there were some good things, plus I need to learn from my mistakes so I'm posting it anyway! Bad start when my FC to the weaves was late. But, I'm not sure why this judge called a refusal when Lexi jumped over my leg. Didn't matter because we followed that with a refusal at the weaves, but that was perplexing to me. Then we got off the dogwalk and I thought I set up the serpentine nicely, but clearly not. I left WAY too soon when I should have stood my ground. Darn--that would have been great practice! I really want to set that up and give it another shot. Really nice RC at the end, though!
Masters Gamblers:
Bentley: This course was the heartbreaker. I looked at the gamble and thought "Bentley can do this!" If I could get him in obstacle focus into the tunnel, he would definitely stay straight through that line of jumps. Well, I'm not going to post the video, but for some reason he pulled off the tunnel when I sent him (refusal = NQ), and then the judge whistled right when he came out of the tunnel and he stopped, then ran right to me. Lexi: Kind of an ugly run. My opening plan was a bit odd because I thought she might have been spooked by the teeter in her previous gamblers run so I wanted to practice it. That made the opening a little odd, then she slipped getting into the weaves on the way back. I let her finish because she tried really hard to hang onto them, just slipped in the dirt. Then I didn't line her up properly (bad mom) and she took a nasty tumble on the dogwalk. I was so worried! She seemed fine, so I continued. (Don't worry, she got lasered right away and I put her Back on Track coat on right after this). I didn't think she'd have enough points, but I thought if I could send her to the tunnel from far enough away, and get down stream that she might take the straight line of jumps, and it worked! Somehow she had enough points, and she Qd!
Masters Standard:
(Bentley not entered) Lexi: Another "almost" run that was my fault. Again, I was really pleased with this run because there were some great moments! Just one mistake by me. Lexi came off the a-frame earlier than I anticipated (she pushed me ALL weekend), and I wasn't in position to cue the front cross, so since I was behind I kind of panicked and rushed it, and called her off. Good girl to her, though, because she listened and turned when told! Note the third crappy front cross at the weave poles by me. Seriously need to work on that! So though it was annoying to not Q, knowing that we were really close makes me feel a bit better. Still working through that timing component!Masters Jumpers:
We stuck around for several hours waiting for this run, and for the Snooker run (no video or course map of Snooker--Jonathan messed those up!) and I was really bummed when neither dog did that well. I think we were all tired and a bit cranky at this point. Plus I think the course was really tricky! We didn't end up finishing until 5pm, and had an 8.5 hour drive home!
Bentley: Jonathan opted for the rear cross at jump 6, and just executed too soon. It's hard because Bentley commits really late, and he pulled off the jump. But good for him for keeping going since Bentley didn't make a mistake. After the mistake, you can tell that Jonathan's handling changes. He's moving faster and leaving Bentley to do some of the work. I wish he did that more often. The end was really nice!Lexi: I knew this course would be really hard with Lexi, and really liked how she pulled through in a lot of the tough spots. LOVED her turn at jump 6 as well as the way she got into the tunnel. I struggled with how to handle the tunnel exit, and was afraid that she'd run into me if I picked her up on my right, so I opted for the RC. Mistake. She shot out and since I gave her no direction, took an off course. I also thought about handling on the other side of the tunnel (like Jonathan did), but with Lexi's penchant for rocketing out of tunnels, I thought she would just grab one of the jumps she saw. But then things went downhill. Yes, I cued the FC late after 14, but I'm not sure why she went so far beyond me and then kept going. I think she can tell that I quit, because then she came back and ran behind me. But again, this was a really, really tough course for us and there was some really nice stuff in here!
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