Too hot, too long

The SKC agility and jumpers trials on June 17th were a long and hot affair. With various things influencing the course of the trial day, there was no one reason for the schedule to extend to over 10 hours. The SKC Dog Sports Committee would like to thank for all the feedback received – especially the many ideas for how to make the trial day run smoother. All the feedback is greatly appreciated.

Better, faster, smoother

In an effort to make the next trial day run smoother – and thus ensuring all triallers are enjoying the day and do not have to wait for their turn so long – and amongst other improvements we are putting in place, triallers are asked to spend a little bit of their time to help with simple trial organisation tasks. – e.g. being a ring steward for a class they are not participating in.

Tasks will be allocated to participants considering their participation at the trials and allowing for warm-up and cool-down time after each run, so that performance at the trials will not be affected. Each trialler’s assistance will be for a short  time only, as all triallers are required to help out (thus no one has to do it for long). Assistance schedule will be available latest at the registration desk (when you arrive at the trial venue).

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Registration is open!

Registration for the Aug 5th trials has opened! Early bird fees apply until July 25th, registration closes July 29th. Note that discounts for 2nd, 3rd, etc. dogs of the same handler apply only with early bird fees.

>> Register for the trials; fill out this online form

GREAT NEWS! All registrants will be entitled to a FREE BAG OF ACANA Chicken & Burbank Potatoes dog food (retailing at S$39)! Thanks to our sponsors ACANA! Hurry! SIGN UP NOW! 

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Questions & Answers:

Q: Hold on.. why do I have to help out?

A: A lot of work goes into making an agility trial day run smoothly and for it to be beneficial to triallers. Most of this work is ‘expert work’, i.e. those working, whether paid or volunteering, need to understand their job in order for the trial day to succeed. When help is needed throughout the day, who better to assist than the triallers themselves?

Most of the trial organising is done by the SKC Dog Sports Committee, all triallers themselves. Although all committee members will be working at the trial throughout the day, triallers help is also needed. Asking everyone to help a little will not burden anyone too much, and yet it goes a long way also in preventing increases in trial fees.

Let’s try, together, to make helping out into a positive habit that encourages a caring attitude towards the sport we are all passionate about! Working together to make the trials better is a great opportunity to get to know each other and build a solid agility enthusiasts community in Singapore 🙂

Q: But how can I help out without it affecting my trialling?

A: The assistance asked of triallers is for a short time only, during a time when they are not warming-up, trialling or cooling down. For example, if you have a mini dog competing in novice, you can help set the course for open class after the maxi novice ended, since you have already trialled, and cooled down your dog. The ‘assistance schedule’ will be made according to the registrations.

Q: When will I know when it is my time to assist?

A: The schedule will be made available latest on the trial day. All you need to do is take note of when your help is needed, and come to the judges tent promptly. Arriving late or forgetting about your turn to help might slow down the trial day.

Comments welcome! If you have a question or comment, please e-mail dogsports. agility at skc. org. sg or leave a comment on this post.

Ps. Photos from the June trials are available for viewing in an online gallery. Please contact the photographer for originals.

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