2009 AKC National Agility Championship

Friday, March 27, 2008 – Concord, North Carolina

The 13th annual AKC National Agility Championship kicked off Friday morning with an opening ceremony followed by competition in the ISC Jumpers class.
This year's event drew more than 890 dogs from around the country to Concord, NC, just outside of Charlotte.

AKC Agility Field Representative Rich MackIntosh officially started the competition with the singing of the National Anthem. The AKC Director of Agility Andy Hartman welcomed exhibitors and introduced the judges for the 2009 event:

  • Carla Boudrot of Cleveland, Tenn.
  • Jack Cadalso of Albany, NY
  • Beth Godwin of Aurora, Colo.
  • Rachael Long of Rosharon, Texas
  • Kim Reeher of Greensburg, Pa.
  • Melodie Sudick of Saugus, Calif.

He also presented Curt Curtis, Assistant Vice President of AKC Companion Events, and former AKC Director of Agility Sharon Anderson, who retired last year. Hartman recognized Anderson for her 14 years of service and also for making this year's national championship possible. Anderson secured the lovely, spacious Cabarrus Arena & Events Center for the 2009 championship before her retirement.

In the rings Friday morning, handler and dog teams took on the challenging courses in the International Sweepstakes Class' Jumpers With Weaves. In addition, state teams were vying to make the state team finals this afternoon and the chance to earn the title of 2009 State Team Champions. Wisconsin is the defending champion, having won the 2008 title in Tulsa, Okla.

Saturday will start the countdown to the AKC National Champions in each AKC jump height and also will feature a celebrity visitor. Marley, Labrador star of the movie Marley & Me, will help open the competition on Saturday morning and then will greet visitors inside the arena from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Placements in first round ISC Jumpers action Friday morning were:

8-inch

1st - MACH5 Bomar's Beanie Baby - Papillon - Kimberly Sisak
2nd - MACH3 Pal O'Mine Allie - Papillon - Daneke Hedges
3rd - MACH21 Pinpaps Jonquil Skipnlena - Papillon - Robin Kletke
4th - Scarlett Quill MX MXJ - Parson Russell Terrier - Sandra Rogers

12-inch

1st - Plails Catch Me If You Can MX MXJ XF - Shetland Sheepdog - Jeri Prekop
2nd - Taylormade Spectacular Light MX MXJ NF - Shetland Sheepdog - Jean Lavalley
3rd - MACH5 Primavera's Birthday Bash XF - Papillon - Lyndsay Mulligan
4th - MACH6 Whistwin Winter at the Beach OF - Shetland Sheepdog - Barbara Bicksler

14-inch

1st - Plails Race the Wind MX MXJ NF - Shetland Sheepdog - Ann Stocum
2nd - MACH2 Waldenwood It's All in the Mix XF - Shetland Sheepdog - Kate Conn
3rd - MACH3 Crystalove Dare To Tri Chaos - Shetland Sheepdog - Melanie Del Villaggio
4th - NAC MACH3 Strathspey Sapphire Rock-It MXF - Barbara Davis

16-inch

1st - MACH2 Comebye Black Masserati - Border Collie - Anthony Montagano
2nd - NAC MACH3 Sagehill Happily Ever After MXF - Border Collie - Paulena Renee Hope
3rd - HC MACH3 Heelalong Lightning Streak - Border Collie - Maureen Scheall
4th - MACH4 Heath MXF - Border Collie - Terry Le Clair

18-inch

1st - MACH Barecove Blu Lite Special - Shetland Sheepdog - Paulette Swartzendruber
2nd - Sunaire Just Do It MX MXJ - Shetland Sheepdog - Meagan McCarthy
3rd - MACH2 Dylan MXF Dylan - Rat Terrier - Angie Benacquisto
4th - MACH3 Triune's Feelin Hot Hot Hot - Shetland Sheepdog - Karen Holik

20-inch

1st - HobNob Classic Tower of Power CD MX MXJ - Border Collie - Kim Terrill
2nd - Comebye Real Quiet MX MXJ XF - Border Collie - Elise Lynch
3rd - MACH Waldon's Tobias - Border Collie - Lauren Mitchell
4th - MACH Gordons Rampage - Border Collie - Iva McGraw

24-inch

1st - Cap of Doc MX MXJ - Border Collie - Robert Yi
2nd - Comebye Fringe Benefit MX MXJ OF - Border Collie - George Baker
3rd - MACH2 What's The Buzz - Border Collie - Desiree Snelleman
4th - Menace MX MXJ OF - Border Collie - Nancy Gyes

26-inch

1st - MACH Top Gun One - Border Collie - Dudley Fontaine
2nd - MACH Hobnob Cult Classic MXF - Border Collie - Channan Fosty
3rd - MACH2 Peak's Juice - Border Collie - Marcus Topps
4th - MACH Bluefire What Was I Thinkin' XF - Border Collie - Lisa Carroll Ross

The Great Northwest Prevails in 2009 State Team Tournament

The trip to the East Coast proved lucky Friday for the dog-handler teams from the Northwest as they won their first State Team Tournament at the AKC National Agility Championship.

The Northwest team came into the State Tournament Finals in fifth place out of the five qualifying teams and came on strong with clean runs that proved too good for any other contenders to match.

Nearly 900 dogs are entered in the 13th annual National Agility Championship taking place in Concord, N.C., through Sunday. The Northwest States team was comprised of handlers from Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Other state team finalists were Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the defending champion from 2008.

Teams ran International Sweepstakes Class courses on Friday, and the state team finalists were determined by the highest scoring dogs from the day’s competition.

The Northwest States team was represented in the finals by Barb Davis and her Shetland Sheepdog, Rock-It, and her Border Collie, Zesty; Daisy Peel and her Border Collie, Jester, and Robin Kletke and his Papillon, Tigger.

Before the State Team finals, Kletke made the decision to pull Tigger. At age 10½ years, Tigger holds more MACH titles than any other dog in AKC history (MACH21), but Kletke decided the finals were more than the little Papillon needed to run for the day. That meant that Davis and Peel had to turn in three clean runs (without faults) to make the Northwestern States competitive for the team championship. And they did exactly that, turning in three clean flawless runs to take and hold the lead and ultimately be crowned champions.

Both Davis and Peel are former AKC/USA World Team members and they said that training aided them during the finals. "All three of these dogs are very experienced dogs, and Barb and I are very experienced handlers so that helps when the pressure is on," Peel said.

Saturday morning begins the regular AKC Standard and Jumpers With Weaves runs, and the road to the AKC National Agility Championships to be crowned on Sunday evening.

Cumulative winners of the International Sweepstakes Class, both Standard and Jumpers with Weaves, were also crowned Friday afternoon. The first place winners automatically qualify for the World Team Try-outs in early May in Minnesota.

Winners were:

14-inch
1st – NAC MACH3 Strathspey Sapphire Rock-it MXF – Shetland Sheepdog – Barb Davis
2nd – MACH 2 Waldenwood It’s All in the Mix XF – Shetland Sheepdog – Kate Conn
3rd – Topflite’s Galiko Spike-Omite MX MXF OF – Papillon – Anne Timson

18-inch
1st – MACH Bare Cove Blue Lite Special – Shetland Sheepdog – Paulette Swartzendruber
2nd – MACH2 Dylan MXF – Rat Terrier – Angie Benacquisto
3rd – MACH5 Romayne’s Prairie Skye VCD1 TDX XF – Shetland Sheepdog – Alice Michaels

26-inch
1st – MACH Hob Nob Cult Classic MXF – Border Collie – Channan Fosty
2nd – NAC MACH5 Jumpstart Maladjusted Jester XF – Border Collie – Daisy Peel
3rd – MACH4 Hillcrest Zest XF – Barb Davis

Results

Courses – ISC State Team Tournament

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