Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Can't Touch This (14.923)

This wouldn't be a very good flyball blog if I didn't talk about Touch N Go breaking the U-FLI record again. They ran a 14.923 on Sunday in California Utah (!).

Holy crap, right?! I'm always thrilled to look up at the digital display and see 16's or 17's when I race.

(One time we did run just three dogs because of a flag and looked up to see 14's on the display, and did a happy dance pretending that we broke the record. What a trip it would be to look up there and see that time for real.)

Touch N Go did it with four borderstaffies: Chef, Urgent, Warrant, and Reflex (7 1/2 year-old height dog).


Here are the stats from the run, quoted directly from TNG's Facebook page (thanks for permission to use this stuff, guys):
  • "Chef 3.633 (remove start time of .073 for a line to line time of 3.560)"
  • "Warrant 3.762 (remove 2 feet of passing error for a line to line time of 3.696)"
  • "Reflex 3.843 (remove 2 feet of passing error for a line to line time of 3.777)"
  • "Urgent 3.685 (remove 2 feet of passing error for a line to line time of 3.619)"
"Actual time run was 14.923 and the line to line time was 14.652."

Here's a link to the video on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1419629257159&ref=mf

A few things that come to mind as I write this post:

Touch N Go is a very talented and dedicated group of people.

Regardless of your politics, you have to admit that it's an incredible feat to run a 14.92. Although there is a ton of training behind it, there's also an extra magical component of synergy. It's not just about having fast dogs and great handlers -- all the planets have to align for all four dogs to be running in tip-top form with a good start and tight passes, all in the same heat.

It takes so much work to compete at this level of flyball. Several practices a week, consistent training methods, teamwork, discipline. It takes great boxloaders and pass callers and in some cases great handlers willing to run somebody else's great dog with the same amount of attention and enthusiasm that they would give to their own dog. There's no just-going-through-the-motions when you run a 14.92.


Borderstaffies rock.

There is something really special about borderstaffies. Almost every one I've met has a happy biddable temperament packaged in an incredibly powerful body...they were truly born to play flyball.

Here are TNG's four borderstaffies from the 14.92 run:






(P.S.: My borderstaffy, Punk, is Warrant's littermate. :))


Records aren't celebrated like they used to be.

It's sort of disheartening to me that records like this aren't celebrated like they used to be. Remember the old days on the flyball list when Spring Loaded was breaking records, and everybody was talking about it?

Is it that politics have gotten in the way now? Is it that things have become very regionalized and we don't really notice what happens over in California if we're on the east coast?


Why hasn't anybody in NAFA set a new record now that the jump heights are lowered?

NAFA lowered the jump heights by an inch a couple of years ago, and I haven't heard anything about anybody really threatening to break the NAFA record, which was set by Spring Loaded back in 2005 (a 15.22).

2005?? Really? Nobody has been able to beat that in almost 5 years? With lowered jump heights, new training methods and equipment, and the ultimate secret weapon -- borderstaffies??

8 comments:

Kate said...

I'll just leave it at BORDERSTAFFIES RULE and it is SUPER impressive, no matter your political opinion, that they continue to beat their own record! Props to TNG!!!

Laura said...

Rock on Borderstaffies!

Andy McBride said...

They are some fast dogs over any height. What height do they have to run anyway? I don't see they mentioned that.

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

I just looked it up on U-FLI's site and Reflex jumps 8".

Cynthia said...

FWIW - this took place in Utah, not California:)

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

Thank you! I just fixed it up in the post. :)

Judy said...

I agree with you. It is a shame that there isn't any bragging going on about this record and the one they set previously. When SL was setting records it was all over the flyball list. This is quite an accomplishment no matter what organization it is with. BIG CONGRATS to TNG. Can't wait for the next one ;) To bad that politics is getting in the way of such a great accomplishment.

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