Will and Rudi had the great honour of representing Scotland at the World Agility Open Championships in Ermelo in the Netherlands. From the opening ceremony, through seven runs, shirt swaps and the closing ceremony, it was an exciting, unforgettable experience.
Appropriately kilted, Will was incredibly proud to have been selected to carry the Saltire and lead his team out at the Opening Ceremony. After the Team Competition on Day 1, Will and Rudi were in action on Day 2. The individual competitions included Pentathlon, Biathlon and Games (Snooker and Gamblers). Will was running as a junior – but competing against all handlers on the same courses. Only at the very end of the championships are the junior results separated out for final junior placings.
WAO Pentathlon
The Pentathlon consists of a maximum of 5 runs. Every pairing runs an agility and jumping course. Results are combined and those finishing high enough get to run a second set of agility and jumping courses. The top 20 from runs three and four get to run in the speedstakes final.
Agility 1 – In the main arena, Will and Rudi combined beautifully to start their first WAO with a clear round!
Jumping 1 – After a super start, a slight miscommunication meant Rudi took an extra jump instead of the weave entry and an elimination occurred. However, the two runs combined meant that the RAW Agility pair had made it through to stage two! The torrential rain meant the film crew were unable to get pictures of this run.
Agility 2 – A very quick course and a high quality field meant Will really had to push hard. A great run with just a missed dog walk contact meant 5 faults.
Jumping 2 – Another very fast course that Will and Rudi had to give a good go resulted in Rudi being pushed into the wrong tunnel on a tricky part of the course giving an elimination. This is where the Pentahlon journey finished for this year!
WAO Biathlon
Every pairing runs a jumping course and the top 40 pairs run off in an Agility final. Running in torrential rain, Will and Rudi had a great run on a challenging course. All was going really well when, unusually, Rudi popped out of the weaves. The 5 faults (and a very high quality field) meant the pair finished just out of the top 40 and did not make the final Agility run off.
WAO Games
This competition consists of a ‘Snooker’ run for every pairing. The top 20 make it through to the ‘Gamblers’ final.
Agility Snooker – gives the handlers the chance to plan their own way around a course. Some obstacles are designated as red and worth one point, the other obstacles and combinations of obstacles are designated as yellow, green, brown, blue and black. Each is worth the equivalent points to the colours in snooker. Dogs have to alternate between red and colours and then complete the end sequence in order. There is a very strict time limit, so handlers have to plan their route according to the speed of their dog to maximise points.
This was the first time Will and Rudi had ever run a Snooker course in competition!
A beautifully judged and handled run (that Rudi loved) meant the team finished in a fantastic 10th place!
In their very first competitive run in Snooker, the pair finished in the top 10 at the World Champs!
Gamblers – another competition where the handlers design their own course. Each piece of equipment is worth a set point value. Handlers gain as many points as possible in 30 seconds, at which point they have to complete a final combination within a set time. There is an ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ combination to choose, one giving more points than the other. Any deviation from the final combination after the whistle gives no ‘gamble’ points. There is also an additional bonus available – in this case by completing all four designated tunnels. Timing and planning are essential before executing that plan to the split second!
Again, this was the first time that the RAW Agility pairing had ever run a Gamblers course in competition…
An astonishing run saw Will and Rudi go for the final bonus tunnel just before the gamble whistle. By the tiniest fraction of a second (so close it was appealed and reviewed) the tunnel entry was too late meaning the bonus and gamble points were missed. This gave the pair 28 points – they were 0.1 of a second away from 58 points and a top 5 finish! (Video to follow)
At the end of such high quality competition, it was time to get swapping shirts to retain some mementos of a fabulous few days. As well as shirt souvenirs from Spain, Norway and Canada, Will also bagged a South Korean shirt:
At the start of the closing ceremony, the junior results were announced. Will and Rudi finished in a very creditable 6th place (and the highest placed British pairing at medium height). The two eliminations in jumping rounds cost them a place on the podium, but they can be very satisfied with some stunning rounds at their first ever WAO.
The Scotland team as a whole were a fantastic team to be a part of – everyone supporting, singing and shouting for teammates throughout. Many thanks to Alan Short as manager for his fantastic leadership, organisation and humour.
The Scottish juniors:
willbacchus.com 