USDAA this past weekend!

This past weekend Gracie and I competed at a USDAA trial about 1.5 hours from our cabin.

Gracie was entered in STD and Snooker on Friday, me in the usual Gamblers and Snooker (hoping for those last few Q's for the big ADCH!).

Usually Gracie is way over the top goofy for her first run of the weekend. But she stayed focused all throughout her STD run. She's got teeter troubles right now and when she gets about two feet up the teeter at a location other than home she won't go any further. So Mum had her go on. She did really great we though, other than the teeter.

I ran Gamblers on Friday and it was a really nice little gamble run. I had really nice speed in the opening. The gamble was a jump to the left to an out curved tunnel, then way out to the teeter and back in to a jump. I ended up 1/10th of a second over time for that run. Oh so close!!! The buzzer was late so we thought we got it originally. Didn't find out till later that we didn't. DANG! Hate when that happens....

Gracie ran her Snooker run and she was doing great, when after the first seven and then a red, she took an unexpected tunnel which was a four, where Mum had planned for them to go back and get another seven.

Mum hasn't ever had that happen with either of us, but she took a sec or so and remembered the judge had just said 1 and then 4, so she knew she needed to get another red in and then a number. So she took Gracie clear across the course to the other red and it worked great! Then finished up the run and whadda ya know, Gracie got a 1st place!

That's three 1st place finishes for Gracie in P1 Snooker and she earned her title, so she moved up to P11 for the rest of the weekend!

Then I ran my snooker, need that SQ baby!!! Only two more for my ADCH.

Lucky me I ran last so Mum was able to play around with her plan. She's been
over-planning my Snooker runs lately, so after seeing what some of the others ran, she had a great plan in place, but I was going to have to be speedy. Got in a seven and two sixes and made it through the 7 in the close in great time! Guess what I got 1st and that much wanted SQ! Woo Hoo!

Lucky 13th Snooker day for me and Gracie!

Saturday was kind of a bust for both of us. I ran Snooker again and back jumped when Mum took her eyes of me just a sec. I was running speedy though! We're proud of that! Then I ran Steeplechase, got in a bobble for no Q.

Gracie ran STD, Jumpers and PII snooker, and had a tough time in all of them, but with some super great moments. She didn't run off too far on any run, that's huge!

Then it was Sunday, I was entered in Grand Prix and Gamblers. Gamblers was first and it was a little tough two jumps out then a hard right turn to the 12 weaves out about 20 feet or so, then back in to the line for a jump. Oh boy, I was doing great!!! Until that 10th pole and I pulled in toward Mum, missed her!!! So no Q again in gamblers, but we'll get there! I've been way, way too close on several of my last gambles, so we're not worried.

I ran GP and did pretty darn good, with a Q and just a little under the placements. Happy there too!

Gracie had a tough time in her two first runs. In STD some real weird activity was going on outside the starters ring and dogs were barking up a storm, which kind of whacked her out. It was so loud, Mum couldn't even think out there!

Gracie was way over the top stressed during and after the run for a while. so Mum worked with her and by the time she ran Snooker P11 Mum was hoping she was good to go. Mum didn't think since she was so stressed before that she would do the 7 weaves, so they did four reds for this run which had all jumps and tunnels numbers 1-6. Just the thing to get Gracie back and over her stress, she loves, tunnels. It worked great!!! They made it all the way through the six in the closing and even got to start half the weaves.

Mum was sending Gracie to the tunnels from about 20 feet away and able to get in good positions. It was pretty and Gracie got a nice 1st place in that run too.

Late in the day Gracie ran her jumpers course but by that time she was exhausted. So they had a little slow speed, mixed in with Gracie's wacky speed. But it wasn't enough to Q. Oh well....

Overall, we were really happy with the weekend! I got a SQ and a GP Q; Gracie got a nice 1st title of her entire life, and some blue ribbons too.

Now all we need is for Mum to pick up a skid steer for sale and make us a real agility yard here on the mountain, BOL! It was so fun to run!!! Can we go next weekend Mum? Can we?