The NEW Pre-Flight #Flyball Class

{The following article was published previously on "The Flyball Blog" 02/27/2012. It is reprinted here with the author's permission. The Flyball Blog is scheduled for shut down in June, 2012.}

Effective as of November 1, 2011, version 2.2 of the U-FLI Rules and Regulations went into effect. You will find among the changes the addition of a new class of competition: Pre-Flight Singles Class is intended for dogs that are not yet ‘race ready’.

Pre-Flight was created to address the concerns of competitors who wanted a more competitive singles class. Too often, dogs were entered in singles who were not ‘race-ready’ and unable to race head-to-head against an opponent in the opposite lane.

Here is a summary of the rules and conditions governing Pre-Flight Singles:

• Dogs entered in this class will be in two races, four heats each.
• False starts will not be re-run.
• Times will not be recorded.
• No judges are required, however the participant may provide their own ‘judges’ if they desire.
• Gating and or props, of any kind will not be allowed.
• Participant with the competing dog, has the option of allowing another dog in the ring with its’ own handler.
• The warm-up time allowed will be the same as allowed for Singles and Pairs at the event.
• An overall time limit of 10 minutes, to run the 4 heats, for each race will apply.
• Both dogs must have a RUN and be of racing age.
• Handlers can release at any time.
• During a race, the dogs entered in this class may use one or both lanes as the participants choose.
• The competing dog may not be entered in any other class.
• Dogs entered in this class will not earn U-FLI points.
• This class of racing can be offered by the Host club before, during or after regular racing.
• Host club fees paid to U-FLI are based on Singles.
• All other racing rules apply.

My team took advantage of this new class at a tournament held in Michigan last month. None of us knew what to expect but, it turned out to be a very productive learning experience for both dogs and handlers. First, it helped tremendously to work with dogs who have “crossing over” issues. We had the opportunity to set up distractions in the true hyped up environment of a tournament in progress.

Second, dogs that we thought were not “race-ready” demonstrated to us that they could focus on their training and handler even with the distractions. It was delightful to have evidence that we could “up the ante” during training sessions with these dogs. Without Pre-Flight, these dogs would have continued to be held back during training. We also felt that certain dogs would’ve advanced much faster during training if Pre-Flight had been available during their earlier flyball training.

One final thought that we had as a result of trying out this new class is this: Pre-Flight offers a potentially effective tool to prevent dogs from “crossing over” by providing an opportunity for better proofing dogs in training. I think proofing dogs that cross for whatever reason (herding, chasing prey or just want to say “hi”) will create a safer flyball racing environment for everybody.

To review all of the rules, please download a copy of version 2.2 of the
“U-FLI Rules and Regulations” and the companion document “Summary of Changes” available here.

..........Chris

COMMENTS from the original post:

Linda,

I think this new class of racing is also good for dogs who may have competed already but perhaps had never been exposed to a really large tournament or who may have never traveled out of their own area to compete.
For example, one of our dogs (Sam) had already competed successfully in a team at a few tourneys in our home area. However, he had never raced in Singles which also happened to be a tourney we traveled to and it was much larger; literally by 10-fold. Lots more dogs, noise, distractions, etc. Needless to say, he was very distracted at this huge tourney and he did not do well in Singles that time.
The pre-flight scenario would have helped tremendously and made that outting successful.

Mike Keck,

At our (Hyper Flight) February tournament, we offered Pre-Flight. It was a big success. It’s good for the dogs (for all the reasons Chris mentioned), but it’s also good for new handlers. New handlers often lose interest before their dog is ever able to compete, but Pre-Flight allows them to get out in the lanes sooner but in a safe environment. We had people travel to our tournament that probably would not have attended if there was no Pre-Flight class.

Chris,

Thank you, Mike! I hadn’t thought about the “train new handlers” aspect.
I would also like to point out that all fees collected by the host club for offering Pre-Flight, stay with the host club. U-Fli does not benefit financially by offering the class at tournaments. The creation of the class simply allowed host clubs the ability to offer the class while a tournament was ongoing and permission to use the U-Fli lights under tournament conditions.
Seems there is a lot of benefit to the new class. Does anybody see any drawbacks?

Proposed: Title Points Revision for Multibreed Class

Announced on the NAFA Website:

October 6th, 2011 – Multibreed point proposal for a binding delegate vote

Introduction: In an effort to revitalize the Multibreed class, the Board is presenting a proposal for consideration by the delegates that would increase the NAFA title points earned in the Multibreed class. If adopted, the following change would become effective October 1, 2012.

Question for delegate vote: Should NAFA amend the point-count rules for the multibreed class so that each dog on a team that runs with a recorded time less than 24 seconds earns 30 points; from 24 to 27.999 seconds earns 7 points; and from 28 to 31.999 seconds earns 2 points?

Pros: This increase is designed to recognize and reward the comparative difficulty of assembling a multibreed team where every dog running is of a different breed, counting a mix as a single breed. Of all the classes, multibreed perhaps does the most to stimulate interest in flyball because people who have dogs at home can identify with the variety of breeds running and visualize doing so with their own dog.

Cons: This proposal cheapens the points earned by dogs who run with clubs not able to field multibreed teams and makes titles too easy to get. There should be one point system for all.

This is news and the first opportunity for the flyball public to discuss it.

My opinion is that it would have been nice to have some kind of “heads up” before the NAFA Board finalized the wording of the proposal. In the past, the NAFA Board has been presented with proposals to reform the title point system for ALL classes because the times posted by teams today do not even come close to the average times that were posted when the title point system was first adopted by NAFA in the year 1987. Back then, relatively few teams posted under 24 seconds and so it was quite an achievement to do so. Since then, there have several technical developments that totally revolutionized flyball racing. Some of these developments include the EJS (lights), internalized catapult system of box design and the swimmer’s turn. The Board has always rejected proposals that would change the title point system, even proposals that requested the delegates be given the opportunity to vote on them.

So, would it make more sense to reform and rethink the entire title point system FIRST and then look at the Multi-breed class and see if we want to increase points earned in that class?

What other questions and issues or concerns should we be looking at?

…..Chris

The True Cost of The NAFA World Record

Occasionally, I receive a request from someone who has an opinion and wants to write on a topic. I will allow this as a "guest" blogger. Publishing this article does not mean I endorse this view. It means that I believe that everyone has the right to express themselves and they are welcome to use this blog as a platform.

"When you try to determine the cost of something, there are several things to consider.  I‘m going to discuss two of them, the monetary cost and the opportunity cost, as they relate to the new NAFA regular record.  It doesn’t matter which sanctioning body sanctioned the tournament, it’s not a world record, because it’s not the fastest time ever run in competition, but that can be argued in another forum.

There’s no disputing the accomplishment of setting the NAFA record.  It takes a lot of hard work and practice.  It’s what one does in trying to achieve that accomplishment that teaches us about character. 

The monetary costs for attending a tournament are pretty easy to come up with:  gas, lodging, meals, entry fees.  Then there are the monetary costs to the organization because of one team’s behavior.   It’s a monetary cost for one, and an opportunity cost for the other.  It can be argued that the team used it’s member’s positions within NAFA for their own benefit.  If you’re 1,000 miles away, you may not think so, but if you had to race against it at every tournament in your region, you may think differently.  

Liberties were taken with regards to dogs that clearly weren’t ready to compete.  Steps were taken to try and keep them from crossing into the opposing team’s runback area.  Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn’t.  That leads to the next opportunity cost.  The team attempted to gain an advantage by claiming that a member of another team tried to injure one of the dogs that crossed over into the opposing runback area.  Much to their surprise, the disciplinary committee ruled in favor of the accused, but threw the complaining team a bone, by issuing a reprimand for an ‘inappropriate correction’, whatever that is.  The attempt to run-off one of the strongest flyball competitors in region 1 failed.  Coincidentally, a member of the record holding team resigned from the NAFA Bod.  Also around the same time, the complaining team decided to remove itself from a ’hostile environment’, and relocate to an adjoining region. As someone once said, ’if you can’t beat ’em, leave ’em’. 

Now, let’s look at the monetary cost of those opportunity costs.  Region 1 is now an also-ran when it comes to NAFA regions.  It was once one of the strongest, along with Region 2. There has been a decrease in tournaments, from 12 each in 2009 and 2010 to 6 in 2011.  The team’s opportunity cost had a monetary cost for NAFA. By my calculations, there were 213 fewer fees paid to NAFA.  At $25/team, that’s $5325.  I wonder if they’ll be asked to pay it back? 

Congratulations on your NAFA record.  I hope it was worth it."

-Russ Helganz

Is Your Dog a Potential Flyball Candidate?

ANY dog can play flyball. However, not every dog will. There are a few things to consider if you plan to join a flyball team. One of them is the response you get from your dog when you introduce certain elements of the game. Does your dog like tennis balls? A dog that goes nuts when he sees a tennis ball can be a great candidate for flyball training. Does your dog like to chase you when you play with him? The desire to race is called "prey drive" and a dog that is crazy to fetch a tennis ball or to chase and catch you is a dog with the natural talent for flyball. These are the kinds of dogs that flyball teams want to train for flyball.

Another consideration is the size of the dog. A person who has a small dog with prey drive is in high demand by flyball teams because of size. This is because the flyball course consists of a series of jumps that must be jumped by the dogs. Miss a jump and the dog must re-run the course. Jump heights are based on the height of the smallest dog on the team. So, a team that has a small dog on the team has lower jumps, making it easier for of all dogs in the team.

Another factor is the speed of the dog. Flyball is a race and the team that finishes first is the winner. If you have a small dog in the team so that the jumps are low, that helps most dogs.

Flyball Dogs should be intelligent and curious. Fast learners are the dogs most likely to succeed. Dogs who are naturally very lazy and relaxed, can learn flyball but, may not do as well. If you plan to play flyball, it might be better to play with a ball or try to get your dog to chase you and see if they can learn and is eager to learn. If you sign up for flyball classes, you can always borrow a flyball box and see if you can teach your dog the box and if it is reasonable to do so. The best dogs are dogs that love to catch the ball out of the box for fun.

Flyball is very competitive, sometimes very hard but, great fun. There are other dogs, most of them barking wildly and enthusiastically. Racing is often very close to the other teams in the competition. Teams are running at the same time, against each other and parallel to each other. The Flyball candidate must ignore the other dogs and stay motivated to maintain focus on running the race and returning to its handler.

Flyball teams usually practice at least once a week and often when there is a competition to prepare for. A flyball competitor must have the time available to engage in this activity. His fellow team members rely on his presence. A person who is unable to engage in this activity should not become a competitor.

If you and your dog can meet most of the foregoing, it is probably a safe bet that both of you will be welcome additions to any flyball team.

...chris

Flyball Survey

It's my personal belief that the most important function of anyone who serves or seeks a position on the NAFA Board of Directors is to listen to the flyball playing public. While I'm not sure exactly what the public wants NAFA to do for them, I have developed a short 10 question survey that I believe will:

• provide some insight to the needs of NAFA players and
• demonstrate that I can ask good questions when seeking answers to complex issues.

So, please take about two minutes to answer a few simple questions about flyball and NAFA and then we can get on with something REALLY important like, playing with our doggies!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

The Role That "Respect" Has When Organizing a Team

The Twelve Principles of Team Organization

Respect

This is the second in a series about organizing a team.

Organizing a team is NOT limited to the "early" days of a newly registered team or club. "Organizing" is a continuous process that is dynamic, always changing both as the sport of flyball "evolves" and as personnel change on your roster. "Experience" becomes a teacher as strategies and tactics are tried and kept or discarded depending on their success or failure. Every new team captain has a learning curve and everybody wants to know this "secret" of flyball success. How do you keep all the people on your team "happy"? How do you keep people on your team over a long period of time? How do you get them to work together?

The answer is developing a set of principles and sticking with the formula. Some people may disagree with what you consider your principles to be but, that's OK. NAFA doesn't think a team's roster should be set "in stone" and neither should you. Over time, you want to attract the kind of people you get along with and will "work" with you towards a common goal. That's what makes flyball - as a "team" sport - so much fun. Discovering a second family called your team.

"Respect" is as simple as it is important. Respect means that you treat others with the same personal/professional consideration that you expect to receive. Have consideration for their time as well as their thoughts, ideas and property. In short, "respect" is an attitude. It is at the forefront of your behavior and it is priceless when it is received.

When you use respect as a core principle, something magical happens. A lot of things get done because the people on your team will feel "validated". No one wants to be taken for granted, especially those who are "volunteers". When you feel your efforts are appreciated, you tend to give more of yourself in terms of personal efforts. It no longer feels like "work" at all!

It even gets easy to enlist help from "outside" your club. You might need that outside help the first time you host a tournament. Borrowing equipment or securing help judging are just a couple of ways that outside clubs help one another for the greater good of flyball. Banding together to secure a practice facility or combining the costs for renting a venue are another. Showing consideration for the time and efforts of others is how you ensure the future success of your club.

Good Luck and Good Racing!

..........Chris

12 Principles of Team Organization

The Twelve Principles for Successful Team Organization

Ethics

Always make the right, honest ethical choice and encourage others to do the same.

We all know what the "right, honest ethical choice" is in almost every situation. Problem is, there are plenty of people out there who can rationalize making a choice that doesn't necessarily fit the description of "right" or "honest" or "ethical". Primary among these "rationalizations" is the desire to win. Does winning trump the reward for making the right choice? Is winning more important than honesty? What role does ethics play in team dynamics, especially in the sport of flyball?

There is a principle that I live by and that is my "self-respect" is the most important thing I value in life. I am with "myself'" 100% of the time and if I make a choice that does not respect my own sense of what I consider "right" ....does not respect the "whole truth" and therefore represents some portion of "dishonest" ....or compromises in any way my personal ethical standards, then I disrespect myself. And, if I disrespect myself, I cannot expect to receive respect from anybody else. Its that simple.

I've heard any number of arguments that you cannot dictate to others your personal values and beliefs. I believe that to be true. But, that means no one can force me to make a "choice" that is outside of my personal boundaries. I may be pressured and encouraged to abandon those behavioral standards but, it is still a choice that I, alone "own". If I make a "wrong" choice, it still belongs to me.

So, what am I getting at? What do ethics have to do with flyball? Well, flyball is a team sport which means you have to ellicit the cooperation of others in tandem with your own efforts in order to gain any success. For that, it helps to gain the full "trust" of others. When you are a person whose word is trusted, its much easier to gain the full cooperation of others. You are also much more likely to attract the attention of people whose values and standards match your own. In this sense, the cliche holds true: "Birds of a feather, flock together". Like kind seeks out others of "like kind".

Flyball is NOT just about the dogs. It is about people. There is no one closer to you in "flyball" than your teammates and the very first principle that will make or break a team is what kind of ethics are held and practiced by its leadership. So, if you are looking for a team to join, find out what kind of ethical sense is practiced by the team owner or team captain. If you have decided to organize your own team because you cannot find a team that is compatible with your ethics, then I wish you luck! Make sure that as you make it known that you are forming your own team and that you demonstrate and communicate what kind of ethical standards you have and you expect others to have.

People don't like guessing. They want to know where you stand. Consistency will attract people and keep them loyal to you. Very few people actually live their lives over "winning and losing" and if they do, do you need them anyway? Wouldn't you rather build a team that has a reputation for honesty both in their training practices and tournament competition? You can lose as much as you win but, win or lose, there is no substitute for choosing the right, honest and ethical thing.

Good Luck and Good Racing!

............Chris

Web Resources for Flyball Info...

"I want to know more about flyball! Where can I get help?"

This question is on the mind of so many flyballers both new and long time experienced. We devour information like the old-style video game "Pac-Man". I wrote an earlier article about online web resources for flyball. Now, I'd like to update that information and add some new resources.

The first place I would advise new people to begin to research is the North American Flyball Association. NAFA has governed the sport of flyball since its inception in 1984 and it's website at www.flyball.org is filled with all kinds of information from statistics on dogs and teams to a current list of tournament dates and locations. They even have a team locater to help new people find help locally. Another flyball sanctioning organization on the North American continent is the United Flyball League International, which was organized in 2005.


Team or Club Blogs

Just as there are blogs written and maintained by individuals, there are flyball blogs owned by flyball clubs (or teams). It helps to read these because quite often their focus is on training the flyball dog. Every dog is different and I firmly believe that every successful "individual" flyball dog has an entire team behind them.

Northern Borders Flyball Team focuses on aspects of the team itself. It provides the history of the team, location, club roster, dog health & safety, dog treat recipes and many more topics.

Phoenix Flyball is, as it's name implies, about the Phoenix Flyball team. There aren't many posts here but, I like the pictures. It helps to see a lot of flyball pics because, they can tell you how well your dog is learning compared to other trained flyball dogs.

The Cascade Comets are a team in another corner of the United States, known as Washington state. They state clearly in their blog's header that the purpose of their blog is to provide a history of their training techniques and team events. They have good writers posting for them and there is a lot of good information here. Unorthodogs is another team that hails from the Seattle, WA area that is graced by YouTube videos as well as good writing. It is well worth it to check out their arechives!

Leading Edge Flyball is a bilingual blog. The team itself is located near French speaking Quebec province and they blog in both French and English. We wish them well in their efforts to expand flyball to the French speaking Canadians!

Sure Shots Flyball Blog is a hard hitting no-nonsense blog utilizing aggressive techniques. In the archives, "aggressive" training is training that continues while all the distractions of real flyball are taking place. They don't coddle their flyball prospects. They introduce new ideas to their flyball students while action is taking place in the other lane. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of your flyball dog, this is the blog to check out!

MORE Flyball Info...

...is located in the right side column of this blog. There are links to both flyball sites, dog to dog sites, and general interest sites for dog lovers. There are even a few sites located overseas in the United Kingdom. Which goes to show you that, wherever you are in the world, you will find people who love dogs....and, who love people who love dogs! When you can find them, you can usually interest them in flyball.

Until next time,

Good Luck and Good Racing!

DogZworth's Big O 2008 Tournament

NAFA Expanding into French speaking Quebec, Canada

At the November 30, 2007 meeting of the NAFA Board of Directors held in Omaha, Nebraska, The NAFA Executive Director, Sam Ford reported that NAFA was continuing to grow and expand the presence of flyball in areas where it did not exist before. The first NAFA flyball tournament held in the newly created Region 20 was a huge success.

Montreal, Quebec and the surrounding area contains a large French speaking population. Quebec laws requires that items be available in French as well as English. There is a huge involvement in dog sports in the French-Canadian sector and it appears that NAFA needs to translate flyball information into French. At present, the NAFA brochure is available both in English and in French. Awards may soon follow. Translating the NAFA Rules of Racing represent a large financial commitment. NAFA is committed to supporting flyball in Quebec therefore, this exenditure will be necessary.

DogZworth's "Big O" NAFA Flyball Tournament- Nov 29-30, 2008

DogZworth Flyball Team proudly hosted this cutting edge event held at the "Big O" in Montreal, Quebec. Thousands of spectators were in attendence and cheered the many competitors on to the finish line. More information about this hugely successful event is contained on DogZworth website. Testimonials from attendees, pictures and links to important locations and services available in Montreal are included and invaluable if you are planning to attend next year's "Big" event!

Big congratulations to DogZworth for the success of this endeavor. We hope you will be hosting flyball tournaments at the "Big O" for many years to come!

Good Luck and good racing!

Could This Bill Stop Flyball in Michigan?

Over the weekend, I was made aware of a poorly worded legislative bill that has been proposed by Michigan State Senator Alan L. Cropsey. SB 626 is aimed at curbing Greyhound racing but, potentially could have the unintended affect of stopping positive recreational dog sport activities.

Dr. Al Stinson, DVM, lobbies Michigan lawmakers on dog-related bills for several dogclubs and associations. He also sends out periodic legislative alerts via e-mail to interested individuals. He is concerned that this bill, which does not define"dog racing", could end up making flyball (and lure coursing, terrier racing, mushing, and coonhound water racing) illegal in Michigan.

If you would like to be kept informed of dog-related developments on the legislative front, send Dr. Stinson an email at lsfc2@aol.com, and he'll add you to his list.

Sources tell us that Senator Cropsey is aware that bill is fairly broad and could potentially have a negative impact on dog shows, agility events and flyball tournaments. He has promised to work with his colleagues while SB626 is in committee to narrow the language so it applies only to greyhound racing.

SB626 is presented at the bottom of this post. If it alarms you as it does me, then be sure to voice those concerns to Senator Cropsey. He can be reached at:



Alan L. Cropsey
Office Phone: (517) 373-3760
Office Location: S-8 Capitol
E-mail Address: SenACropsey@senate.michigan.gov


SENATE BILL No. 626


June 27, 2007, Introduced by Senator CROPSEY and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Tourism.


A bill to prohibit certain dog races; to prohibit the
simulcasting of certain dog races; and to prescribe penalties.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

Sec. 1. As used in this act:

(a) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation,
limited liability company, association, governmental entity, or
other legal entity.

(b) "Simulcast" means the live transmission into this state of
video or audio signals conveying a dog race held outside this
state.

Sec. 2. A person shall not hold, conduct, or operate dog
racing for public exhibition.

Sec. 3. A person shall not transmit or receive interstate
simulcasting of dog racing for commercial purposes.

Sec. 4. A person who violates this act is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or
a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.

Sec. 5. This act does not preclude prosecution under the
Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.1 to 750.568.