Amanda: Summing Up the Finals

Cell service at the National Finals was difficult. All the elaborate plans for Iphones becoming hot spots were dashed when there was no using cel phones much at all. I apologize for failing to report but communications just seemed impossible.

We got parked at Carbondale among friends. Lucky, because it was tight. Joni Swanke, Robin French, and Barbara Ray were my immediate neighbours and I call that a party. It was.

The handlers meeting at the National Finals is always fun–all the hands converging in one spot from all quarters of the country. Many like minded people who had almost come as far as I had, hopeful, excited. Everyone still has 100 points, at the handler’s meeting. Thirty eight dogs were to b e run per day and I did not run until Wednesday.

The running was predictable difficult. The sheep were a genuine test, even, naive, range yearlings. A flock of beauties. My dogs had been running capably for the last couple of trials on similar range ewes so while comfortable with the work, anxiety for the competition itself, was undeniable. The running was exhausting. I talked about it with Bob Stephens and he commented that he felt “gutted” after his runs, which just about sums it up. On a day that I had two runs, Nursery and Open, Sandra Massie asked if I wanted to go hiking. I said no impolitely. It just took everything out of me.

First cousins, Bridget Strang and Ellen Neislanik, who orchestrated this event, had drawn in some food vendors that were out of this world. We need not have worried about stocking up at the Whole Foods in Denver. The food on the site was fabulous and who ever would have guessed. Croissants of the diverse and delicious variety, great coffee, savoury things that all my discriminating gourmet friends would have loved to taste. The Strang girls had it worked out. The Crafters were good too–a hat guy, a western jeweller. The Carbondale Finals stayed mindful of its western showcase side and made a great job of it. Weather drove an outdoor extravaganza party into the indoor arena. It looked for all the world as though that situation had been planned. There was no hitch to the new setting. Five hundred people must have been fed great food. All local–trout, lamb, corn. The swinging little country band in the corner set a celebratory tone and it just kept up all night. What a party. It looked so easy, one assumes it is part of a well oiled machine that parties a lot and is very good at it.



Anyone reading this probably already knows the story. My open dogs ran well enough to make it into the semis on Saturday. I was negligent with Clive at the shed, failing to watch for the grip that took him out of it. Call me an idiot. Roz, of course ran on in the final. Dorey was the most exciting to run, taking her sheep around the course in the Nursery in good style, twice. To be the US National Nursery Champion. I have run in the finals nearly twenty times and never won it, often with very good young dogs. I would understate it to say it was a thrill. And she can run next year too. Adorable. We celebrated at a great restaurant in Carbondale, with delicious Pinot Noir, from Southern Cal and Oregon.





Sunday was a long anxiety laden day, with Roz drawing up sixteenth of the seventeen runners. When she crossed in her second outrun, it was a grave disappointment, considering I had convinced myself she would not. She normally goes back so well. Every trust betrayed. Things were not all that good afterwards. The sheep were painfully slow and they finally picked up steam in their drive. I made a split second gaff in the shedding ring after pretty much doing it right, that cost me doing it again. While it went OK, even the second time, there was no time to pen. Blow.

Clearing Denver on Sunday night, Mich Ferraro joined me for the ride home. We listened to lots of music. Talked about the runs, the dogs, Mich’s new dog Dennis Gellings’ Jake, running styles, things we admired, things we didn’t admire. It was a long drive. I always feel disoriented for a few days when I get back from such a trip. My dahlias are breathtaking. I can scrape together a few feeble tomatoes for something. I will go back to my office routine. I will apply myself to my dogs, getting them ready for next year’s finals.