Question About Finals

[Debbie Meier]

My computer is doing weird things, Julie, I read your post, added my reply, then when my screen went back to your post it was longer. The "Regional vs Finals" part was not there when I read it originally. I wonder if the posts are loading slower and putting the signature line in before the entire post is available for viewing.

 

Deb

[Mark Billadeau]

Geri just posted the membership numbers of each district on another board, I was surprised that the membership numbers were as low as they were, quite frankly.

Why does the USBCHA membership list show 847 members compared to the 671 in Geri's list?

 

Mark

[Debbie Meier]

But maybe the larger question is where is the "sport" of sheepdog trialing headed? At least one acknowledged top handler commented to me that the current economy would change the face of trialing.

 

I think that is a really good question.

Deb

[SoloRiver]

Back to Julie P's post about the public popularity (or lack thereof) of sheepdog trialing -- I would have agreed that the average American has very little interest in it -- except that I went to Soldier Hollow last year. What do they get -- 10,000 spectators in one day? And, very surprising to me, everyone vitally interested in what was happening on the field.

 

I don't know that what they're doing at Soldier Hollow can be reliably replicated, but they must be doing something right. What are they doing right?

 

If we could replicate it over and over, would we want to? I am not sure I would want to see what sheepdog trialing would turn into if it were all about big sponsors and big money.

[Pearse]

Back to Julie P's post about the public popularity (or lack thereof) of sheepdog trialing -- I would have agreed that the average American has very little interest in it -- except that I went to Soldier Hollow last year. What do they get -- 10,000 spectators in one day? And, very surprising to me, everyone vitally interested in what was happening on the field.

 

Soldier Hollow is 40 miles from Salt Lake City (less than 1 hour drive) with a population of around 300,000. It's well promoted. There are other activities on site to allow people to take a break from watching the trial.

 

As to everyone being interested, that has been my experience at trials. I was at the Upper Midwest Stockdog Challenge in Jordan MN this past weekend. It is held across the road from the Scott Co. Fair, so people wander over from the fairgrounds knowing nothing about sheep dogs or sheep dog trials. We have found that if someone is on hand to explain what is going on, many of them will spend half the day there and get very into the trial. The subtleties may escape the casual observer, but the basics are simple, easy to understand, and fascinating for many people. A lot of them now come back every year to watch part of the trial.

 

 

I don't know that what they're doing at Soldier Hollow can be reliably replicated, but they must be doing something right. What are they doing right?

 

If we could replicate it over and over, would we want to? I am not sure I would want to see what sheepdog trialing would turn into if it were all about big sponsors and big money.

 

I'm not sure either but there is value in making trials like the National Finals accessible to large numbers of the general public. Take the spay/neuter bill in California. If you have 20,000 people coming to a trial, and they all read in the program how important working stockdogs are to the farmers and ranchers, and saw on the field how extraordinary these dogs are, and then read how mandatory spay neuter would ruin the breed in California and only a few hundred out of that 20,000 contacted their state representatives and expressed an opinion on the bill, you would have done something important.

 

So big money and big sponsors may not be the end. They may be the means to get more than the 600 (or 800) members of the HA to care about working stockdogs.

 

Pearse

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Tess and I had planned on going. She ran very well for me this yr.

 

Just recently, she got Reserve Open dog over a four day trial (combinded Open points over the 4 trials) What is even better is that the Combined Open Winner was her daughter, Katie. She ran very consistant over the four trials.

 

But the heart operation stopped that short. As it is, she is my healing dog during this ordeal and still is a winner in my book. I haven't told her that this is her last competitive year.

 

Diane

[Wendy V]

Okay, I'll jump in.

 

I don't see the point of a regional competition when one can enter a local trial and compete against the same individuals throughout the year. Perhaps in District 1, where the geography is huge and the member numbers large, a regional makes sense and offers something that current trials do not. Frankly, I think there is excellent competition coming from the Bluegrass, Grass Creek, Edgeworth trials and others, at least for the eastern part of the continent, which precludes any reason for a regional competition.

 

As for Julie's "diamond in the rough" argument for not attending this year's Finals due to cost or other personal cuircumstances, of course has merit. Life happens, trialing is a hobby for most of us, and the Finals can take a back seat to other commitments and/or constraints. I don't think that this is particular to this year's Finals, it is an arguement that is applicable to every year's Finals. I might or might not go to the Finals due to the time or expense; if I don't, I certainly would miss not going. Attending would not appreciably change my life, but it would offer me a depth of experience that I would not achieve elsewhere. Whether that experience is worth the personal sacrifice is something that I am still debating. Notice that nowhere in my arguement is the concept of winning the finals addressed. I feel that being able to win or lose is not relavent in the discussion of attending or not. I feel that the experience of participation alone is the deciding factor.

[C Crocker]

Okay, I'll jump in.

 

I don't see the point of a regional competition when one can enter a local trial and compete against the same individuals throughout the year. Perhaps in District 1, where the geography is huge and the member numbers large, a regional makes sense and offers something that current trials do not. Frankly, I think there is excellent competition coming from the Bluegrass, Grass Creek, Edgeworth trials and others, at least for the eastern part of the continent, which precludes any reason for a regional competition.

 

As for Julie's "diamond in the rough" argument not attending this year's Finals due to cost or other personal cuircumstances, of course has merit. Life happens, trialing is a hobby for most of us, and the Finals can take a back seat to other commitments and/or constraints. I don't think that this is particular to this year's Finals, it is an arguement that is applicable to every year's Finals. I might or might not go to the Finals due to the time or expense; if I don't, I certainly would miss not going. Attending would not appreciably change my life, but it would offer me a depth of experience that I would not achieve elsewhere. Whether that experience is worth the personal sacrifice is something that I am still debating. Notice that nowhere in my arguement is the concept of winning the finals addressed. I feel that being able to win or lose is not relavent in the discussion of attending or not. I feel that the experience of participation alone is the deciding factor.

 

 

Wendy,

 

 

A very well written thoughtful post. In my opinion you have a handle on the whole Regional/Finals, whose attending Finals subject, etc.

 

Just my opinion, for what's it's worth, I would rather my dog have to qualify for the Natl's through the multiple ( the USBCHA only counts the top 5 , so it's not much of a trailer race) trials with multiple judges, set out folks, sheep, etc than go to one Regionals with one of the before mentioned, if the Regionals is going to determine who goes to the Natl's. Once you get to the Natl's you expect to get that one chance to make it through the prelims and further. You take as it comes then. A disclaimer--I am basing that thought on years of the same situation in the horse showing world--the time for the one-time trial/show to count is at the big one , not the qualifier. I am no way near being good enough to go the Natl's , but my dog is ( going with someone else) and I hope someday I will get the chance to qualify her and attend the Natl's as an exhibitor!

 

And GOOD LUCK to those competing this year at the Natl's.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn