WELCOME to the Official Blog of the 2009 National Amateur Retriever Championship, June 14-20, brought to you by the Retriever News, written by Vickie Lamb, and sponsored by Purina and Avery. We hope you enjoy these multi-daily updates on our prestigious championship event, held this year in Iron Range country around Virginia, Minnesota. Enjoy your stay and come back often!
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
Kudos ...
 ... to #22, "Hook" FC-AFC Barton Creek's O' Mustad, owned by Mike Haring and Loren Morehouse and handled by Loren, is the new 2009 National Amateur Champion. His DOB is 2/2/01 and he's sired by Lean Mac and out of FC A Gust of Control Abe Ility....bred by Mac and Lynne DuBose. Nice Job!
(Photos will come later.)
We Have a New National Amateur Champion!
 #22!!!
Quick Summary...
...Out of seventeen dogs, all but four have handled on at least one bird.
Pard Split the Difference...Handling/Double Handle
 Up the middle, he then went deep and has handled on the left retired...
...was left going up for the right retired and just handled. He's got the bird.
That's all folks!!!
Now, we wait...
Double Handle/John Stouffer is now handling ...
 ...from the hill in the middle to the right retired...
the second handle has come from tight to the left flyer. He's en route to the bird now...still left...Now he has it! Way to finish, John!
Blue Handles from the Middle...
...for the left retired bird ... has the others clean.
Rocky Handles from the Left... Now Double Handle
...for the left bird and now has it and is coming back...
Has recovered the right retired as well, with a handle...congratulations Jim Harvie on finishing two dogs!!
Skeeter handles on the Left Retired...
 ...from in the water on the right side of the peninsula...now has the bird. Way to go Skeeter and Jerald Wilks!
Ruby Double Handles...
 ...first on the left retired, and has now been sent for the right retired mark.
Brooke has three...Now a Handle...
 ....she had a hunt on the delayed flyer, and now has a nice job on the right retired.
She was headed on a string for the left retired but began peeling to the right in the water right of the angling peninsula before the bird. She's now coming home with her fourth and final bird. Congratulations, Michael and Lynne!
Double Handle--Jim Harvie Puts the Horn on Dancer...
 ...as Dancer goes to the left of the left retired...and is now coming in with that bird.
He also handled on the right retired...but he is a finalist! Good job...
Incoming HIGH TIDE!!!! What a spectacular job!
 
Wow! That's the intangible type of performance we sometimes see...it's one of the reasons we love these dogs so much...and why we love this sport.
I'll bet everyone watching had goosebumps...and the hair standing on the back of their necks.
She has put the other retired right in the basket.
Tide Nails the Left Retired...
...Puts it between her front paws.
She's headed home and has one more to get.
Shaq has double-handled...
 ...In this photo if you look hard you can see the relationship between the left middle and the right middle retired birds.
Photo of left two birds....
...so that you can see this from the camera's view...
Shaq is Back...
 ...For his rerun and is off for his long left bird. Uh-oh, tight to the left flyer station and he's now being handled.
Sailor under the arc and left---Handle
 ...When sent for the left retired, Sailor went under the arc of his flyer and then entered the next water and went left and was out of sight. When he reappeared he ran don the second lateral peninsula and Joanne began handling to the bird. All's well that ends well!
Well--no pun intended--take that back. Joanne didn't want to end the show. Once she turned over that last duck to the Judges, she went back with Sailor and assumed position on the mat, took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her as she looked down at her dog.
She was ready for another honor!
Everyone had a good laugh...and especially Joanne.
Kimber is Handling on the Left Bird...
 ...Kimber had a wide delayed flyer on the back side of the second peninsula, but fortunately got it without too much trouble. Then she went over the hill near and left of the right retired and reappeared a bit deep and around quickly to the bird. On the left retired a series of casts was required to get the bird...and Kimber is headed home as a finalist.
Here Kimber comes back with the delayed flyer. That water looks inviting!
No-Bird for Ruby on Left Retired...
...The wind is up and it caught the bird, resulting in a short throw.
Here comes #26, Kimber, with Gary Zellner
Hook Hunts En route to Left bird...
 ...dog #22, "Hook" came up on the leading peninsula that angles right deep into the test and began hunting down the peninsula and then bailed into the water and swam pretty much toward the end, exiting to the left of the bird...Hook is currently swimming back with the bird.
Now, Hook has done nicely on the right retired and is coming in with his last bird; he's nearly back.
Dog #21 told to pickup...
....after attempting to retrieve the right-hand flyer, which was a diving cripple, the Judges requested that Jim pick up his dog and he will receive a rerun.
Dog #15 is handling...
 ...on the left middle retired. Pilot went right of the bird and was cruising deep when Wayne Johnston put the whistle on him.
No-Bird for Shaq, #109, on Delayed Flyer.
...This of course was after he'd picked up the third bird down, which is the right-hand flyer.
We now have #15 on the line.
John Stracka and Shock Do It...
 ...Shock went over the hill and down to the right middle bird third, and then went right and deep and around and down to the left middle retired last to wrap the test.
Drawing Up...Update on drawing...
 Folks, doing a line drawing of this place is a joke...as you will see. I did the best I could working quickly...sorry, and it's not totally to scale.
All birds are drake mallards.
GOT IT! Jimmie has kicked Diamond off for the last bird...
 ...went left of the left bird and worked around to get it...she's headed halfway out to her final bird right now.
In the photo Diamond and Jimmie approach the line...one would wonder, is Jimmie double-jointed?!
Martha and PoGo Are Handling...
...on their last bird of the test, which is in this case, the left middle retired.
It was almost a heartbreaker, as Pogo got deep, but Martha was able to get her back to the bird. FINALIST!
FIRST DOG...
...Has been called to the line.
This is a delayed quad with two retired and two flyers. Photos will be up shortly and I'm working on a very rough line drawing which will be up in a few minutes.
Test Dogs for the Tenth
First test dog is on line...guns are off...
Dog #102 will start...
Callbacks to the Tenth
15, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 34, 68, 71, 80, 85, 95, 102, 105, 106, 109
Last Dog Has Run...
Tide has the roosters...
...Things will be a bit crazy for awhile as we prepare for the tenth and final test.
Please bear with us.
...Thanks!
Right now, Sailor is handling...
 ...on the long bird...
Dog #26 is handling on the left bird...
Handling on the left retired...
 ...Ruby was down on the shore of the channel behind the flyer...
Quite the Channel...
...Loren's dog, as have many, stayed in the channel en route to the long bird, and has 'em all now...
Good on #21...
 ...and #22 is seeking birds now...
Dog #15 has em...
...and #21 is coming up to run...
Cutter is Handling
 ...on the long middle bird...
What a Difference a Night Makes
...there is not a cloud in the sky this morning as we look out at the test. Lorraine and Fannie have run to show today's conditions and they are patiently waiting in the honor box as Jeff Talley and Cutter approach the line.
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