It's been quite a busy year at Kennet Flyball Club - this season we competed at 13 competitions starting at the Waggytails show at Ardingly in April and finishing at the Odyssey show at Swindon in September.
We brought a total of 20 dogs into foundation competitions this year - for some it was their second season, building up their confidence in the ring, around other people and dogs. For others who had started their flyball journey over the winter, this was their first year experiencing the delights of flyball weekends! We were lucky enough to bring at least one foundation team to all the competitions we entered when a foundation division was being held. We are always really grateful to clubs who are able to host foundation divisions as it's the best opportunity for our pre-open dogs to experience the faster and busier competition environment. And for some, this is the end of their flyball journey as the intensity of action in the ring can just be too much. For others, the competition atmosphere raises the stakes and our focus moves onto refining different parts of the flyball race and teamwork.
Two of our dogs spent the earlier part of the year in foundation teams, but (big!) Luna (the Mali-cross) had her open debut mid-season, whilst Maya debuted at the last competition we entered in September. Alongside our green dogs, our most experienced dog (little!) Luna (the Collie) led the charge - having first competed in open in 2015, her times still continue to impress! Our open teams had varying line-ups throughout the year under 4 different teams (Zingers, Kites, Kestrels, Kingfishers) as we navigated illness, injury, maternity leave, and the usual holiday clashes. Our other open dogs have only been competing since the hiatus brought by Covid - but this meant that we had a lot of Flyball Dog certificates coming through this year - Kizzy (who achieved her points back in 2022 at our September competition), Buzz (at Bandits in May), Bracken (at TVR in June), Jess (at Kennets in July), and Cassi (at Bassets in July). Both Piper and Dory gained their Advanced Flyball Dog points at the end of the season, but not in time to get their certificates, so we will celebrate them in 2024!
Congratulations to all our dogs - and thanks to all the club members for another memorable flyball year. We've welcomed some new beginner dogs into the club in the time since competition season, and we are excited to see them move along their flyball journey next year. We have a small break in training now, but we are all looking forward to getting back into the lanes and rings in 2024.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Here's to 2024 and the joys of flyball to come!