Safe Arrival (Sunday 10th May)
After a journey across England, through the Eurotunnel and up through France and Belgium, Will and Brave arrived at the WAO venue in Ermelo, Netherlands on Sunday evening.
Priorities were to make sure the team colours were clearly on display, Brave had a chance to check out his new surroundings and the Scotland spectator area in the main arena was fully prepared.
Unofficial training in very hot conditions to come on Monday…
Unofficial Training (Monday 12th May)
Right in the middle of a very hot day, the Scotland team had their first unofficial training session. A lovely jumping course where each pair gets two goes.
Will & Brave looked great together with just one mistimed call leading to a refusal near the end. This was Brave’s first run of any kind at this venue on a challenging course. Let’s hope the pair maintain this form:
A shorter agility session followed where the focus was on contacts and specific skills. With a team meeting in between, the day was done.
Official training in the main arena tomorrow!
Photos, Vet check, Official Training (Tuesday 13th May)
A busy day started with team photos in the official kit:
This was followed by the nerve wracking vet check where each dog is looked at to ensure they are fit to compete and are entered at the correct height. It was a great relief that all the Team Scotland dogs came through with absolutely no issues.
The final act of the day was the official training – a very noisy, all height sprint through specific skills in the main arena that is timed down to the split second. This was Brave’s first experience in such an environment and he looked absolutely great!
Tomorrow is the official opening ceremony – it’s getting serious now!
The Opening Ceremony and start of competition (Wednesday 14th May)
The opening ceremony is always a compelling sight as each national team makes their way in waving their flags and decked in team colours.
Before the parade, all the national flags of each competing country are on display:
By the time the Scotland team entered the arena, it was packed with teams from around the world:
At 6’4”, kilted, dyed hair and decked in saltires, Will was not hard to spot in the crowd and Brave was equally prepared:
The afternoon saw the competition proper start with the team event. The RAW pair were not involved at this stage but were there to cheer on the team. Congratulations in particular to Kat Hands, Jennifer Kent and Eilidh Murray for their superb rounds.
Will and Brave start their competition tomorrow with the first two rounds of the pentathlon.
Pentathlon first two rounds (Thursday 15th May)
So the waiting was finally over as Will and Brave got to run in competition at the WAO.
Their first run was the first jumping round in the pentathlon. Brave understandably showed some nerves on the start line, but our pair clicked and put in a lovely first run on a challenging course.
Brave chose the wrong moment to look and bark at Will meaning a missed weave entry, but to get through his first ever run in international competition with just 5 faults is a super start by the RAW youngster:
An alternative view of the same run:
Round 2 of the Pentathlon was an agility round in the main arena – another completely new environment for young Brave to have to deal with.
A really technical but flowing course caught our pair out in a difficult jumping section resulting in an elimination (after Brave had leapt the seesaw early on). The pair completed the course showing some great skills including a fantastic dog walk and a super weave entry – still so much to be proud of:
The results of the first two runs are combined to decide which pairings can progress to rounds 3 and 4 tomorrow. Will & Brave’s first run meant they comfortably progressed to the next stage – quite an achievement for young Brave!
So tomorrow brings the next two runs in pentathlon plus the jumping round of the biathlon – super busy, super exciting!
Biathlon, Pentathlon stages 3 & 4 – if at first you don’t succeed…(Friday 16th May)
What a day for Will and Brave, so, so much to be proud of, a little bit of heartache and an emotional success.
The day started with the Biathlon Jumping round. Will and Brave were amongst the first 10 dogs to attempt the course. Will knew that only the top 35 dogs make it to the second and final round of the Biathlon. At this level of competition, that had to mean take risks to go for a fast clear. There was no point playing this one safe:
The two errors entering the weaves and the missed tyre meant three refusals which equals an elimination. No regrets from our pair as lots of super skills were shown around the course and they left nothing out there.
Their next challenge was part 3 of the pentathlon, another jumping round. A really challenging course that Will and Brave looked so good on. A slight error on the weave was their only mistake until a really tricky tunnel trap caught out Brave who took the wrong one at speed to give another elimination near the end of the course:
This was obviously a big disappointment, but soon after the run, Will was again able to reflect just how much his young spaniel, Brave, had coped with on the most challenging of courses. Plenty of positives and wonderful experiences being racked up.
The final run of the day was part 4 of the pentathlon, another jumping round agility round. The elimination in round 3 meant it was all but certain the RAW pair would not reach the final.
Will was determined to round off the event in the main arena in style. The young partnership did not disappoint on the most challenging (and huge) course so far:
An alternative view:
Will handled every inch of the course beautifully and Brave responded superbly. Will’s relief, Brave’s happiness and the Scotland supporters’ delight was clear at the end of the run.
This run was enough to put our pair into 10th place in a field of 96 of some of the top dogs in the world:
Whilst Will and Brave didn’t make any of the finals at this year’s WAO, they can be delighted with their efforts. The experience that Brave has gained from competing here can’t be measured and will stand him in good stead for the coming year.
It’s not over yet though…
Bonus Sweepstakes and Team Agility (Saturday 17th May)
Will & Brave had the great honour of being asked to represent Scotland in the Team Agility round. It was ‘an absolute beast’ of a course that only 2 dogs out of the 25 running at Brave’s height were able to go clear, and only 5 got round at all. Brave was not one of those but our pair put up a spirited effort on what is possibly the hardest course Brave has ever attempted:
All partnerships that didn’t make it to a final are invited to take part in the Bonus Speedstakes challenge.
In a field of 65 dogs, Will and Brave had an early starting order and made the most of their bonus run with a clear round that even had the judge applauding:
An alternative view:
This was good enough for very creditable 6th place and a positive end to Brave’s first ever international competition.
The standard of agility at this event across all heights and by handlers from so many different countries has been breathtaking and for The RAW pairing of Will and Brave to look fully at home here is a genuine positive. There is so much to look forward to in the coming months and years as Brave matures and gains even more experience.
The pair can now have a well deserved break and watch the finals and take part in tomorrow’s closing ceremony.
Closing Ceremony and Rites of Passage (Sunday 18th May)
And, just like that, another WAO comes to a close. It has been a brilliant experience for Will and Brave. They have grown as a partnership both in terms of experience and skills.
The day started with the team, pentathlon and biathlon finals, all of which provided outstanding entertainment for the spectators with some breathtaking speed and skills on display.
The wonderful tradition of swapping shirts with competitors from around the world reaches its peak today and Will, now an experienced shirt swapper, took full advantage. This is quite a haul that demonstrates the truly world wide nature of this event:
Below Will’s Scotland shirt, on the top row there are shirts from Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Colombia and Brazil. The bottom row features a jacket from China, a hoody and a coat from Canada and a jacket from South Korea.
What an incredible experience, mixing with top agility handlers and dogs from around the globe, our young RAW team have had.
It was then on to the closing ceremony which is another wonderful experience:
The final act is to thank Alan Short, Team Scotland manager, and his super assistants, Eilidh Murray and Rachel Gilmore, for hard work, support and help in the build up to the event and throughout this week.
A huge thanks too to the rest of the Scotland team who have shared laughs and tears in equal measure but have always been there to offer guidance and support whenever it has been needed.
What an honour and a pleasure it has been for Will and Brave to represent Team Scotland at such a fantastic event.
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