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#1
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NADAC Agility gripe... (LONG)
Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this
club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend to debut Cala on contact equipment in the "real" world. Walk into the building (one I trial in several times a year) and immediately see that the ring is poorly prepared, full of big, loose, hard clods on top of the surface. Now granted, this is something the building maintenance did, but if it was my trial I would have either a) demanded that the building people fix it, and/or b) brought in rakes and raked the worst of it off the surface. The club did neither, resulting in a lot of handler falls and dog slips, including at least one sprained ankle. I also noticed that the metal stock gates usually encircling the arena were gone, and that the club had made a very half-hearted attempt to put some flags around a couple of sides of each ring. Sorry, but I think rings should be, well, RINGS. There should be something marking all 4 sides. Why didn't the club buy more flagging or bring in snowfence or something? Almost all of the jumps were substandard. Old PVC jumps set on bases so that the uprights could (and did) tilt back and forth (most were loose), some with jump cups broken off. Organization wasn't just "relaxed," it was almost nil. The club ran completely out of Q ribbons the first day. (Hello? Check your supply before the trial?) Volunteers were solicited the last minute and there was a scramble and yelling sometimes "We need a timer for XXX, will somebody please come time?". Sunday's run order was changed. When I came in Sunday and realized the Novice Jumpers course was being walked I went to the secretary's table and asked the co-chair about it, only to be snarled at that the run order was RIGHT THERE on the table and I should have read it yesterday. So I looked where she pointed, and sure enough, saw the change. Instead of running all the Regular then all the Jumpers, they were going to run both Elite Regular rounds, then both Novice Jumpers rounds, then Open, etc. So I walked my course then took the girls out for a good romp, thinking I had loads of time. Next thing I know my friend is outside screaming at me that they want Cala--they were starting Novice Jumpers. WHAT??!!?? Turns out they changed their mind AGAIN and were running only one Elite round, then one Jumpers round. And Cala was the first Novice Jumpers dog. So I had to come back to the building at a dead run, dash to the ring, snatch my dog's collar off, and start my run. Gack. I HATE that. So next round, after Elite, the ring crew was yelling for people to get there and get ready, so I was SURE to be there waiting with Cala. Meanwhile, the judge decides to tweak, and pace the first Open Regular course! So we waited, and waited, and waited--almost a half hour. All I can say is that Cala has a certain limit on her wait time. The run was not pretty. The other thing that struck me was how many of the dogs there had few to no manners or control. Dogs were being allowed to bark hysterically all day in their crates, dogs were being allowed to rush up to strange dogs, lots and lots of crate charging, etc. I was struck by how, with many fewer dogs, there was a lot more chaos and aggression than I ever see even at much larger AKC trials. There are things I like about NADAC, namely the open courses (though frankly, our courses were quite AKC-like, and our Novice Regular runs yesterday were considerably harder and twistier than most AKC Novice courses I've seen.) And I don't mind a relaxed atmosphere, but the sloppiness makes me nuts. |
#2
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"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. |
#3
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"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. |
#4
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"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. |
#5
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"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. |
#6
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Sionnach wrote: "Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. No, it wasn't a fundraiser. I think maybe I've been to too many trials by this club, and the suggestion has been made that I email Sharon. I may. |
#7
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Sionnach wrote: "Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. No, it wasn't a fundraiser. I think maybe I've been to too many trials by this club, and the suggestion has been made that I email Sharon. I may. |
#8
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Sionnach wrote: "Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. No, it wasn't a fundraiser. I think maybe I've been to too many trials by this club, and the suggestion has been made that I email Sharon. I may. |
#9
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Sionnach wrote: "Robin Nuttall" wrote in message news:sYB7c.58148$_w.912191@attbi_s53... Okay guys, am I the only person who gets irked with NADAC? Maybe this club and this trial was an exception, and I know that NADAC prides itself on a more "relaxed" atmosphere, but to me there's a difference between relaxed and sloppy. I went to a trial this past weekend snipped description of badly run trial Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. That is NOT the way that any respectable NADAC club in my area (and I'm including five states in the term "area"- MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ) would run a trial- and it's the sort of trial that most NADAC competitors in my area would avoid a second time around. OTOH, if what you went to was one of the NADAC fund-raisers, basic research on the NADAC list- including recent posts about the upcoming fundraisers in PA- would have told you that the fund-raisers don't run like normal trials. No, it wasn't a fundraiser. I think maybe I've been to too many trials by this club, and the suggestion has been made that I email Sharon. I may. |
#10
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"Sionnach" wrote: Robin, you don't have a NADAC gripe- you have a sloppy club gripe. Oh yes- and your comments about the behaviour of the dogs in their crates is also NOT AT ALL a NADAC issue, nor is it a norm at a NADAC trial. I've been competing in NADAC for more than seven years; I do 1-4 NADAC trials a month, 9-10 months of the year, in six different states (MD, PA, VA, DE, NJ, NC)- and I have NEVER encountered the sort of total chaos you're describing. I've encountered a few clubs who didn't quite have a handle on organization (all but one of them were AKC-oriented clubs doing NADAC for the first time), but I have NEVER gone to a trial where out-of-control dogs were tolerated in the way you describe. |
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