Sunday, February 16, 2014, Mather Regional Park – another “wonderful day in the neighborhood.” The first track was laid at 6:45 am with a layer of light ground fog that made track laying a little challenging. When the fog burned off about 45 minutes later, we had clear skies, a slight wind and a mid-60’s high. Due to the recent rains the fields have begun to turn green with an overlay of old, dried vegetation. The overnight rain made perfect conditions for tracking!
The draw for running order was held at 7:00 am, and the first team was in the field and ready to go at 7:15. The test progressed smoothly throughout the morning, and we were back to test headquarters by around 10:30 am with five new TD dogs. WAHOO!!
The five handler/dog teams that passed did outstanding jobs. Congratulations to the following teams:
- Track #1 – Dee Dee Anderson and Golden Retriever, DD’s River of Dreams TD!
- Track #2 – Margot McKereghan and Border Collie , Lucy XV TD
- Track #5 – Mary Severson and German Shepherd Dog, Vreddy Von Sontausen TD
- Track #6 – Dee Dee Anderson and Golden Retriever, DD’s Dancing in the Moonlight TD
- Track #7 – Jan Davis and Border Collie, Abby TD!
The three teams that didn’t pass today performed well but ran into difficulties that brought the dreaded whistle. They are sure to earn their titles soon.
Our judges this weekend were Bob Rollins and Meg Azevedo. They were a highly efficient judging team that plotted tracks in record time on Saturday. (The workers love that quality in judges.) The tracks were fair and representative of what TD tracks should be. They were pleasant and respectful of both workers and handlers.
A TD test wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers who come out and support the sport. Thank you so much to the following workers:
Test Secretary – Lisa Kretner
Chief Tracklayer – Jean Schafer
Hospitality – Lisa Kretner, Pam Flanagan and Anne Campbell
Tracklayers: Randi Knutson, Mary Roseberry, Colton Meyer and Bob Sleppy
Driver: Sharon Prassa
Submitted by Jean Schafer