Al's MACH3 JWW Run

Videography and Commentary by my friend Laurie Turner who has been a great friend and an unabashedly enthusiastic supporter since very early in our agility adventures. 

This was our 5th attempt to get the second half of the final Double Q that we needed to earn MACH3.  We actually could have had it a week earlier, because Al had just cleared the second to last jump on a JWW course and the crowd erupted in cheers, but they were a early.  Al turned as he was landing the jump, and I'm mystified why, because even though my handling could have been better, he should have made the final jump.  Instead, he turned toward me on landing and ran past the last jump??!!  The cheers turned to groans of disappointment.  Some people had the opinion that the crowd cheering caused him to pull off the jump, I'm not so sure.  I'll eventually post the video and you can be the judge. 

So after having 4 really good runs where Al would have placed had he qualified, I was determined to get this over with.  So were all our Agility friends, who didn't want "another heartbreaker"!!  I did more handling of Al than I normally would have, and we got through the course and came in Second to a dog that we have beaten many times in the last year.  It was a long course.  Much longer than the judge measured.  I was so exhausted after the Victory Lap that I could hardly breathe!!  If you notice we ran Al's Victory lap with a bunch of rear crosses instead of front crosses.  Al loved the crowd cheering for him and gave it his all.  His Victory lap was faster by 2 Seconds, and would have moved him into First Place from Second.   His Victory Lap was typical of the way he has been running all spring and summer.