2009 Chesapeake DockDogs Fun Jump
April 18, 2009

Adamstown MD - A HUGE THANK YOU from the whole club goes toSteve Morgan, AKA "Brigette's Steve", and his son, Jacob, for all their hard work on the dock and the heavy machinery they were able to bring in and operate to build a WORLD CLASS DOCK. Another Thank You goes out to all the club members who helped with the dock. Everything from hammering, cutting, and cleaning up afterward was greatly appreciated to make sure it was safe for the pups who had a GREAT TIME on Saturday competing.

It was great seeing all the new members come out and compete in their first event, even if it wasn't "official". I hope they had as much fun as we did watching their faces as their dogs did their jumps. Of course, seeing all the regulars we haven't seen over the winter was great too! The event was so relaxing that Sharon got to close the Registration Desk and sit down and take pictures of everyone.

Congrats to our brand new teams that made the finals:

Barbara Jacobs & Mack - 4th Place Pro Finals
Tim Zeigler & Lucy - 6th Place Pro Finals
Lorraine "Rainy" Avery & Bella - 7th Place Pro Finals
Allison Allen & Kaya - 10th Place Pro Finals
Kathy Zeigler & Oreo - 4th Place Junior Finals
Ben Lambert & Jacoby - 1st Place Novice Finals

For two Youth Handlers, Lorraine "Rainy" Avery with Bella and Cassie Rutledge with Mishka, this was their first event also. Despite the 8 year age difference they both handled themselves like Pros - Cassie had the biggest grin on her face after Mishka jumped and Rainy told Bella who was boss and made her listen on the dock. Both were overheard asking when the next event was. Zachary Ward decided the trip all the way from Chesapeake VA was well worth it after walking away with the 1st Place Youth Handler Honor and a 2nd Place Pro Finals Finish. When he did the "Zena Bounce" on the dock, he had the crowd going "WOW" as Jake was perpendicular to the water and landed tail tip first.

Some of the "long timer" competitors experienced some great milestones also. For Brigette & Boomer this was a thrilling event. After competing for almost two years they jumped big enough to make it into their first Finals in the Senior Division. Even better, they won 1st Place!! Tanner, with Tracy Williams, showed that without his brother Brody hanging around he could jump! Tanner had major pop off the end of the dock and earned a New Personal Best of 17' 1" and 3rd Place in the Senior Finals. We're thinking she brought in a ringer with that brand new pop!

Mack with Barbara Jacobs set some new records himself. He managed to beat Wonder's record with Cindy Eyler for longest time spent in the water. He also set a new "World Record for Number of Escapes in 1 Year"...in only one event. Mack, we're already working out a plan to catch you quickly at the next event so watch out!

Karen Luciano actually let husband Alex, another new handle, jump with Philo Beddoe for Wave #2 and was shocked when he matched her new Personal Best earned in Wave #1 of 20' 7". Karen & Philo went on to jump another new Person Best in Wave #3 of 20' 7" and finished in 5th Place in the Pro Finals

Bringing back memories of 2008, Twister had Steve handling her again for a regional event. They finished 1st in the Big Air Pro finals and 1st in EV Top Gun, but more importantly, had a great time seeing both new and familiar faces in the 2009 season. Steve is hoping that Youth Handler James will have just as much fun handling Twister at future Chesapeake events.

Everyone, thank you for coming out to the Fun Jump and jumping your best. For everyone who volunteered a special THANK YOU goes out to you. Without volunteers it would not be possible to run an event. We hope to see everyone at the next event. For Club Stats click here and for Complete Event Results here.

MEMBER QUOTES:
"The Event was a Great Time and worth the drive up to be a part of the event for the Day!"

"It was a really fun Day!"

"Thanks for a great day yesterday! We're hooked!"

"To us, this was every bit as good as going to any event."

"Thanks to everyone who made our first visit memorable and I think we will become addicted to the sport!"