NGSPA Nationals Qualifications Changes

[Wagonmaster]

The qualifications for the NGSPA National Championship (All Age) were discussed and changed at the Board of Trustees meeting. The existing requirements were kept. In addition, dogs can qualify with any American Field hour championship win. Also, a dog with a first place win in an NGSPA sanctioned half hour all age stake will also be qualified for life.

[Casper]

Thats good news! Thanks John

[original mngsp]

John

They sound like good changes that should bring a larger entry and make the championship even more competetive.

[Brittguy]

about how large of an entry do you usually have in the open and amateur national.

[Wagonmaster]

The numbers for the Open and Amateur Shooting Dog are usually 30-40 for the NAFC and 50-60 for the OSDC. However, the change in qualifications affects the National Championship, which is the All Age stake. That has ranged around 20+ dogs the last few years. All three are hour stakes.

As far as the competitiveness is concerned, there are not alot of all age dogs around. However there are always a few young AA dogs that are just tearing it up in a given year, but are not yet qualified, and the thought was to give them an easier chance to qualify.

[DGFavor]

Qualifying dogs so far hasn't been the problem - pretty sure I've got two dogs qualified for the Nat'l Ch. sitting here right now. (yikes, saying that'll jinx my dogs forever!! ). Personally, I just have zero interest in going to those grounds. I was fine with the qualifications as they were - didn't realize they were up for change. Hopefully, the change will be a positive for the stake providing more than just numbers.

Was there any discussion John of moving to a different venue? I know a little sharptail infested ranch in SE Idaho that'd be glad to host.

[Wagonmaster]

I will move there Doug. The Nationals are probably going to stay in an area accessible by people from both sides of the country for the foreseeable future. And on grounds that no one trains on.

[TrueBlu Shorthairs]

Nothing wrong with the grounds if they would allow birddog people to at least guide in the cutting of the fields and/or thoroughly hay all of the fields. Two years ago, I vowed to never go back, they cut strange checkerboard type quadrants in the fields and left most of the hay 4 feet tall. If a dog made a good move, it often took him laterally so far he couldn't see or hear his handler, causing him to go more off course. Handlers couldn't see dogs due to the height of the grass. Big going dogs that did move forward got lost as they just ran the cuts until they got lost some random direction. If they would cut the property fully, create edges on each side of the fields, make it flow as it should, it would be just fine. Last, and probably more of a problem, only the Larry and his crew can plant birds. They are planted in a way the birds end up deep in the woods for most of the day and with a property so huge, birdwork is at a premium. I remember a year when the only dogs with finds, had one on or near the road. That is not rewarding good dogs for their efforts by any means.

[DGFavor]

That just sounds like too much of a crapshoot to me Blake - that's a long ways to go with just a hope and prayer. For a breed Nat'l Ch., I'd hope for a little bit better grounds - I think a wild bird venue would be the way to go and is doable if the masses were agreeable. Ain't gonna happen.

[Dave Quindt]

Doug wrote:

- I think a wild bird venue would be the way to go and is doable if the masses were agreeable.

Doug,

Do you know of a wild bird venue that could handle 4 stakes with roughly 100 braces in a row?

Wild bird nationals are great in theory, but tough in reality. If we split up the stakes and ran them in different locations you could make it work; problem is we don't have enough dogs & people in the game to support that.

I'm not sure Eureka is a real option as I believe the AF stipulates that championships have 3 courses minimum. It's the reason why the pointer boys won't/can't run at Eureka; the grounds just are not big enough and they won't run in a circle for a week like we will.

Yours in logistical planning,
Dave

[DGFavor]

Yah, I was just referring to the Nat'l Ch - All Age deal.

Seems to me they'll run upwards of 100 dogs in some prairie trials with the stakes combined. I know the Dominion gets 50 -60 dog entries, the Doc Hawthorne about the same - usually they're run with a large companion derby and sometimes a SD stake as well. So I imagine it can be done. Won't happen, just a little fantasizing!!