3 weekends of agility = 3 tired girls

We did it.  Three weekends in a row of agilitizing.  It's not the first time, and I'm glad it doesn't happen often.  It's fun, but a grueling schedule.  Plus I crew chief'd the last two trials, and that in itself is a workout, rounding up workers for each class, often filling in when no one volunteers.  And last weekend's SMART trial was 3 days. 

We all wish we could just show up and have everything just 'taken care of.'  So we can grab our course maps each morning and take them back and analyze them while we have a cuppajo and brekkies, mark our imagined path on said maps, discuss them with our friends, walk the courses again and again, run our dogs, talk about our runs, chat with our friends about our runs and theirs, check out videos of our runs, have some lunch, check our smartphones, check them again, look at the schedule and see if things are running on time, and most especially, kick it while each course we can't wait to run magically gets built by elves.

But that's not the way trials run.  Things aren't 'just taken care of.'  Not yet, at least.  Not until someone figures out how all that magic can happen so we can just show up and play, without paying more.   That, and remote-controlled jump bars.  Instead, trials happen because of volunteers and hard work ... sometimes really hard work, especially the setting up and tearing down of trials.  And during each class.  It takes a village.  It takes help from everyone.  In-my-humble-but-highly-valued-opinion (IMHBHVO), if you run in a trial, you work in that trial.  Period.  There is no valid reason as to why someone shouldn't pitch in.  It just wouldn't happen without workers.

So, off that tangent, and onto how we did!  It wasn't our best weekend in the books, but it was a good weekend.  The site was gorgeous, the weather was stellar - mostly - and I got to play instead of work on Friday.  Happiness ahead ...

Field of dreams

On Thursday afternoon while most of us were at work, Katrina posted a picture of the field; only one of three trailers full of equipment had arrived at that point.  She works too, but often takes time off to arrange the set up.  She's a true trial warrioress.
 

Are you kidding me?  Sharknado socks??

Also on Thursday, after much deliberation during a break at work at my favorite sock shop in Santa Cruz, I finally decided the BITE ME socks were the best option for running with the Vixenator.
Hoping, of course, that she hasn't learned to read.  Yet.

Awww - even their legs made a heart.

We got up before the gods Friday morning, drove to Monterey, and got ourselves set up for the weekend.  No mat needed, not on grass this plush!  

By my calculations, when Jemima Q'd the Masters Standard class on Friday, she earned her Silver PDCH.  Silver Performance Dog Championship.
That's a lot of qualifying runs! 
I need to take a look at that, and see where it puts her as far as her Lifetime Achievement Awards.

And she won Performance Biathalon on Saturday, and got a Super Q in Pf Snooker on Sunday.

Whattadog.

On Sunday, we had some weather.  As you can see by the Van Gogh-like painting here, there was a big storm heading towards Calfornia.  It arrived Sunday morning in the form of lightning and rolling thunder - for hours - and eventually some rain.  Much needed rain.  And it passed, leaving some serious mugginess in its wake for the rest of the day.  And we prevailed!

And at the very end of the trial, in the very last class on Sunday, 

Vixen laid down a beauty Jumpers with a first place! Girl knows how to call it a wrap.   

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

It took another couple of hours to tear down all three rings, pack them up in the three trailers, and then pack up the last few committee set ups.  A few of us have taken to all pitching in on each other's set up until it's all packed up, leaving the field like we found it, and heading home all at the same time.  It's a good thing. 

Until next time!  Happy Trails and Trials!