Daring to dream of a championship

posted 07:36 AM 05/14
Link this article here.

There's such a sense of satisfaction in achieving a goal. Every step, every effort put toward that goal brings a happy dance in my heart.

I've been doing agility with my corgi, Rosie, for many years, and competing with her for four years. Things didn't always go perfectly every run, but I kept training and trialing — getting better in time. There were weekends when things fell apart and we didn't qualify in any runs, but we kept going to trials. I remembered to enjoy being with Rosie, working with my little teammate.

I should explain a wee bit about agility trials: Dogs run obstacle courses off leash and directed by their handler, who is running along with them. Events are timed and there is a judge who makes sure the dog performs the obstacles correctly and in the right order. Faults are called for knocking bars off the jumps, not doing the obstacle properly, or doing the obstacles out of order.

When the dog and handler complete the course without faults and within the specified time, they earn a "Q" or qualifying run. Earn a certain number of Qs and you earn a title; rack up enough Qs and you earn a championship title.

About 18 months ago, things started clicking for Rosie and me; we were doing really well. I set my sights on a championship title. It's something that not everyone can achieve but I felt we could. I didn't want to become so ultra-competitive that I forgot to enjoy the journey and have fun with my dog.

It took some traveling and a lot of support from my family, but it was worth it. I got to meet so many wonderful people — other dog lovers who enjoy the challenge of agility — and made so many new friends. I also got myself into much better shape to be able to keep running with Rosie.

This past weekend was the culmination of all of our work when Rosie and I reached our goal and earned our championship. What a sweet moment of victory. What made it wonderful was being surrounded by my family and friends as we ran that last qualifying run. It was such fun being awarded a HUGE ribbon and taking a victory lap around the course amid the cheers of the crowd. (Video: Watch Rosie's championship run)

One of the best parts was that I not only achieved my goal, but inspired so many of my fellow competitors to aim high as well. You see, I'm not an exceptional handler, just someone who dared to dream and believed I could get there step by step.

Don't worry, this isn't the end of the road for Rosie and me. There are other higher-level titles we can work toward. But the best part will be just running my dog and enjoying the company of friends who love their dogs as much as I love mine.

— Karen Crist, features copy editor

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