Fetch Gate Nursery - day two

On day two of this trial, all our dogs were really coming into their own.

Scott on the field of the Fetch Gate Nursery Trial

The confidence they are showing is encouraging. Sometimes, when dogs have this many trials in a row with little training in between, they can get worse rather than better. The only one who had shown a back slide was Tuque. She had been working without a stop and since she had qualified early for the nationals, we had not been running her so that she didn't develop bad habits, but Scott used the first day's trial at FetchGate as a training session. When she didn't stop, he walked away from the post to show her that she had to listen. It was a good lesson and yesterday she was almost back to her old self and had a nice run.
The top run of the class this time was Donnie.

Don on the third leg of the drive

He had a good outrun and made all his gates and pen. He's really starting to look like a pro.
Sleat also had a good run although she's still a little wobbly on her crossdrive but she hung in there for second place.
A dog to watch in next year's nursery is Lori Cunningham's Matt from Pennsylvania. He has a cool head and is doing beautiful outruns for such a young dog.

Fetch Gate Nursery

Cortland, NY - We are at the extraordinarily beautiful Fetch Gate Farm owned by Roger and Heather Millen who are hosting two nursery trials this week. The weather is in the 80s but the class is being held in the evening when the sting of the sun has lessened. The outrun is about 300 yrds up a hill and is a little difficult for the nursery dogs.
The first dog up was Diane Pagel's Sleat. She cast out on her outrun with little difficulty and when she started to come in a little early, she took Scott's redirect on the fly like an experienced dog. She made her fetch panels but then came off line shortly after.

Diane Pagel's Sleat on the fetch

She had a nice drive but with deep turns and almost took a wrong flank at the crossdrive. It looked like her sheep were going to go right into the pen but they don't move off people very well and when Scott moved her up to help push the sheep in, they jumped out and circled the pen once before going in.

Sleat catching tricky sheep at the pen

It was one of the nicest runs Sleat had done and it was good enough for her to win the class! She finally got her last leg towards the nursery finals.
The next run worth mentioning was River's. Although he crossed over on his outrun (he was in good company as many did this) his fetch was good and I was so proud of his drive!

David Titcomb's Kinloch River on the fetch

He kept a nice steady trot going and had some of the tightest turns I have ever seen around panels. He had good control of them at the pen and got down low when they threatened to bust out, and kept them in.

River

Without the crossover he would have won but even with it, he got a second place and his last leg towards the finals!
Tonight we have another nursery and I hope the dogs do just as well. Since they are all going to the finals now, it is good practice for everyone.

Lad's Double Lift

I'd been wanting to get in the Bluegrass Double lift since I started herding. That and the double lift at the Nationals is everyone's ultimate goal (eclipsed only by winning either of those two trials), but when I finally achieved it, I realized I was woefully unprepared. It was a good lesson. I'll be ready next time. I had done some double lifts at smaller trials and I even finished one and got a pen when Bob was a younger dog but that was nothing like this. My first thought was, "Where's Hemp? I need Hemp!" He's a good turnback dog and Lad doesn't like going back - he doesn't even like outruns so you can see why a turnback would not be his favorite thing. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to have to worry about a crossdrive or shed since it was just a formality that I tell him "Look back" before we have to walk off. I have to say, because of my unpreparedness, I didn't enjoy the day as much as I would have liked. Everyone kept saying, "Have fun." Good advice but I couldn't follow it because I was so uneasy. I was, however, keen to participate in the ceremony/parade before I ran. Just the honor of getting to dress up and parade in front of the crowd with my fellow finalists was great.

Lad and I on the left in the parade. Lad is looking for the sheep behind me up the field. A good sign.

That little distraction didn't last long and since we had drawn up 9th, it was soon time to go to the post. The first outrun was to the left. The sheep had been moved closer to the left hand fence but it was the same direction I had sent Lad in the first two rounds so I was pretty sure he could get out clean that way.

Lad and I walking to the post.

I'm not sure he saw the sheep when he left but I knew he'd probably go to the fence anyway and he couldn't miss them then. His outrun was great and for the first time I didn't worry about him stopping. His confidence is really coming around. He always likes to stop short and quietly drift down onto his sheep (I've been told this trait goes all the way back to his great grandpa, Butcher's Mac) and in this case, where he needed to do just that to start his lift at a diagonal line towards his fetch panels, it worked perfectly. He didn't have any problems bringing the ten sheep down and we made our fetch panels without much trouble.

Lad starting his first lift

As he came upon the turn back post located just past the fetch panels, I started setting him up to turn back. Hey, it's worth a try right? I flanked him away to turn the sheep up the hill towards my right because the exhaust was to my left and I knew the sheep would drift that way and Lad would not leave them if he thought they were getting away. Then I flanked him on a big comebye, hit him with a hard down, and told him to "LOOK!" He raised his head and looked at me to ask, "What?". I told him again in my cracked voice, "LOOK BACK!" This time he did but then came right back to his sheep so I flanked him again comebye to try and avoid a crossover and again asked him to look. This time he tried pretty hard to go back but went just far enough that as he started to come back to me he was behind the only large tree in the field. I couldn't see what he was doing. I told him to go back again but I was only guessing as to what he was doing. I was told later that he tried to go back a little further but then started to come back to me.

So close but so far away. He can't see them because they are on a hill and I can't see him because he's behind the tree.

As he came back, I could see he had crossed and I could see he had it in his head to go back to where he found the first set. I guess he figured it worked before so maybe it would work again. I decided to go along with it. He had already lost all his outrun points so there was no reason for me to be stingy with whistles and voice. I couldn't lose anymore than I already had so when he got to the left fence I told him to keep going. He went all the way back to the set out pens and I kept telling him to go comebye. He kept moving and trusting so I kept talking. All the way across the pens and as he passed them, he saw the sheep. I gave him several more comebye flanks to get him to the right side of the sheep so they would lift at an angle to the fetch panels. He lifted good and had a good line to the panels and made them.

Finally he found his second set!

Right after the panels the sheep tried to run to their buddies to the left but they weren't parallel with them so it wasn't time to join yet. Lad did a good job of keeping his second flock on line and not letting them get away until I told him he could go get his first set. I think this is the only thing that got us to 11th place. With the second outrun being gone and the drive was not any good I expected to be at the very bottom of the prize list but I think the good fetches kept us in the middle of the pack.
By this time, Lad was done. The day was cool but his little mind was failing. My plan with the drive had been to keep the pace up to keep the flock together and not let them spread out. There were alot of dogs that were not strong enough to do this but I knew Lad had a nice driving trot and I thought we'd get that going but he had had enough. We struggled just as much as many of the other dogs. Lad wasn't pushing and the sheep kept spreading out so I had to flank him over to put them back together. We lost a few back through the drive gates and I think we had some that didn't get through the crossdrive gates. (I can't remember much except that I was blowing a TON of whistles)

Lad struggling on the crossdrive

After the turn at the crossdrive panels, Lad jumped into the sheep. He never opens his mouth but just sort of chest bumps them but it's enough to get called off. I thought I'd just keep going until the judges called thankyou, but they never did and the sheep got moving better after that.
Meanwhile, in the spectator tent, people told me later that Scott was a mess. I guess he said he was more nervous while I was running (for good reason!) than when he runs. They said he was pacing and switching chairs and just couldn't sit still.

Scott having a panic attack over my run!

So we made it to the shedding ring but our troubles were just beginning. The turnback was Lad's fault but the shedding was entirely my problem. I have always hated the international shed and I don't practice it much. BAD IDEA! I know the theory and I can talk to anyone about how it's done and I've certainly seen a ton of them done correctly but I just don't do many myself. Lad has the concept too because we don't have sorting chutes at home and we have to sort off a set from the flock whenever we go out to work, but that isn't the same thing as picking specific sheep to work. I must say, that as I was walking around the flock, it was interesting to put pressure on a specific sheep and see it move. Our sheep at home are kinda dull and don't respond as well. I knew I wasn't likely to get this shed so I just decided to train myself and puzzle it out. Not really the place to practice in the middle of a double lift at a trial but I had no other option since I wasn't prepared for this. I did manage to get a first cut and hold it but I also had a collared ewe that wanted to rejoin and an uncollared ewe who also wanted to go.

Photographic proof that I got a first cut.

My sloughed sheep weren't in any hurry to walk very far away so when I got greedy about the uncollared ewe who wanted to leave and let her go it backfired. The collared ewe went with her and there wasn't enough space between the flocks for Lad to understand who I wanted him to bring back so I lost her and had a regroup. We did manage to get one more first cut but I was looking for a flow and never could get it and they mercifully called time.
I have learned so much from this experience, mainly that I need more experience. I think it will light a fire under me that will next time leave me more prepared. Now, if I could just get into the double lift at the finals, I promise I'll be more ready!

Bluegrass Finals Update

Sorry I didn't post last night but we went to a congratulatory dinner with the MacRae's who had a clean sweep yesterday. Alasdair and Star showed us all how it should be done (and many of us clearly needed the lesson!) He and Nap were second and his wife Tricia should be very proud of her 3yr old Cap who finished the course and ended up in 3rd.
Lad and I were 11th in the end and although it wasn't a very good run, it was more than I expected to do (since Lad isn't a good outrunner) and we were better than some. I was proud of him for hanging in there because I asked alot of him.
I begged someone to take pictures for me, but we are traveling today and my camera is out of battery so I'll probably not get those up until tomorrow and then I will give a play by play of his run.

LADDIE IS IN!

We stayed in last hole for hours and I didn't think it would hold up but Laddie and I made it into the double lift in 20th hole!(he was 7th for the day which is a few up from last year when he was 10th for the day) Neither he nor I are ready for this (I've done only a couple double lifts and Lad has never done one) and Lad is NOT a good turnback dog but I might be able to bully him back there. We'll see. We drew up 9th in the running order.
A few notables also in the double lift, Alasdair made it in with both Star and Nap. Tricia MacRae got in with her 3yr old Cap dog (I wrote earlier that it was Bear but it was actually Cap). Christine Henry got in with Tweed and Emil Luedecke got in with Spot and won the day. Check out the website for the many other dogs that made it in.

Bluegrass Day Four second update

Poor Laddie. He's not going to get to try his look back again. The sheep have gotten really nice and it never got hot so he's dropping off the leader board. It looks like the same thing that happened last year will happen again. He will probably stay on the leader board until the last couple of hours and then get bumped off. He could only take 3 more hits at 2:30PM and there are several more dogs to go that had good scores the first day and are more than capable of doing it again. So we will be spectating again and rooting Alasdair, Tricia and Christine Henry on.

Bluegrass Day Four first update

None of our young dogs did anything of note on the underclass field. The sheep were really difficult and they all handled themselves well and did what they could.
It is cooler but still humid today. The thunderstorms keep blowing over us with no real rain yet but they keep telling us they are coming.
Lad had a nice run this morning. It was a good time to run and I didn't over handle him. He made all of his panels, had a clean shed and lost some points on his pen when I almost lost them but overall it was nice and he got a 77. So far this is still in the double lift for tomorrow but it's not a sure thing yet.
Scott had a great run with Maid but the judges didn't see it that way. She lifted well and brought the sheep down the fetch line with only a little bit of wobbling. She made all her panels and had one of the nicest drives I've seen all week. Scott called her in on her shed and she held it but it didn't turn and the judges didn't call it. It was odd because many lesser sheds have been called but that is what they decided this time. Scott knew he had lost alot of points so he just took one on the butt and went to the pen where he had a clean pen. They gave him a 76.

Bluegrass Day Three Second Update

Well, Hemp ran in the heat of the day. I had decided going to the post that I was probably not going to finish the run because of it. He's not in good enough shape to run hard in the heat and coming down from Canada, he hasn't acclimated to the humidity. I wet him down before we went to the post and I kept telling myself to let him do most of the work. He had a great outrun again and went really deep to come up on his lift. I let him pick his stop point and let him lift on his own. He would lift and then stop and I would whistle to him to encourage him to keep moving forward but other than one or two flanks he did it on his own. By the time he got to the fetch panels he had them and his pace picked up - hard. From the fetch panels on, the sheep were coming at a dead run up the hill. I flanked Hemp who went square and deep to try and control their speed but they outran him up the hill and were standing against the back fence behind the post when Hemp came up the hill. He lost sight of them and once he had them again we had sheep on the wrong side of the post. I picked them up off the fence (I was happy with how he did that as he usually can get into trouble there. Then we put them the right way around the post. They started down the drive line but they were fighting him and wouldn't line out so he kept having to flank to keep them from running back to the fence. We got close to the drive panels but I could see we were going to miss them because Hemp was getting hot and wasn't stopping as well so I retired the run. I was still very pleased with him and I will certainly make a mental note to have him more fit. He's not in bad shape but in order for our dogs from the north to come down and run in this heat they need to be in top shape. Plus Hemp gets hot in the head easily so all the more reason to have him fitter.
A big thunder/wind storm is blowing in right now and tomorrow is supposed to be stormy. Lad runs 7th so it should be cool no matter what.
Don won the nursery today! And Whiskey was 6th and got a leg.

Bluegrass Day three first update

Scott ran Drift 3rd up this morning. It was cool and foggy but the weather is supposed to heat up today. The sheep were not great but it was possible. Stormy Winter's dog, Roy, almost got them off the top but they ended up beating him on the left side like they have done to so many dogs. (in round one, out of 133 dogs, only 71 dogs got a score) Vergil Holland ran Brooke right before Scott and got a 77. Drift ran out on a really nice outrun and Scott pulled him up just a little short to get a good lift. They lifted but the sheep fought and fought him. Drift felt the need to keep catching the eye of the sheep to shut them down which was nice in that they never did get back to set out (not for lack of trying and they split in 3 different directions many times) but it also prevented any kind of flow. He made his fetch panels but moving the sheep didn't get much easier because of how he had handled them at the top and was still trying to handle them. They ended up being very heavy around the course. He had a nice line to the drive panels and made them but there was alot of wobbling on the crossdrive as Drift kept trying to go high on the sheep to guard against them trying to get back up the field.

Drift turning the crossdrive panels

He made the crossdrive panels but nipped a low hock on the third leg. I'm sure the judges didn't see it from where they were - I couldn't see it- but they must have suspected it and pointed him.

Drift on the third leg of the drive

Drift was getting angry in the shedding ring and repeatedly tried to grip. He did get the shed but it wouldn't have been too high in the points. Time ran out before he could get to the pen due to the slow drive. His final score was a 70.
Hemp runs later, unfortunately in the heat of the day so we will see what we can do.

Bluegrass Day two second update

I'm going to let you read the scores on the Bluegrass website (look at my links panel on the right) because they are getting them up pretty fast in the evenings. Don't forget to hit your refresh button to get the 2009 scores. I'm afraid it isn't good news with Drift. Scott said it was handler error. He pulled him up a little short - which was his original plan to make them lift away from the set out but they lifted a little too much to the right so he had to flank Drift. It started good but the sheep got crazier from there. At one point he had them but Scott hit him with a hard lie down whistle and then the sheep ran to the left. He blew an away whistle to Drift but because of the hard stop, he hesitated on the flank and it was too late. The sheep got back to set out and we thought it was over then but Drift ran them along the set out panels and started them down the left hand fence line. At the fetch panels he got them lifted off the fence and back on line but one sheep had had enough and laid down. Scott brought the two back to her and eventually she stood up but she didn't go in the direction of the two, she wandered back up the field. At one point he sent Drift back to get her and as Drift went back he looked like he wasn't going to flank back to pick the single up but then changed his mind and started to flank out to get her. Unfortunately, because he looked like he wasn't going back, Scott whistled at exactly the time he was going to go back and it screwed up the flank and made the single go even further away. In the mean time the two got over to the right hand fence and Scott had to retire. It just wasn't going to happen.
Other open runs of note: Alasdair and Star got a 95. Stormy Winters retired at the top when his dog had trouble getting them to the fetch panels. It's tough going out there but if you can just get them off the top you have a chance.
Scott runs 3rd tomorrow with Drift and has plans to change some things. He agrees with me that it is difficult to not over handle at the top so he's going to let Drift do more on his own. I run Hemp in the early afternoon. Maid and Lad run on Saturday - Lad is 7th up on Saturday and is our great white hope for the double lift but I wouldn't hold your breath because his handler is likely to screw it up with the pressure!
The great news was on the underclass field. I think the dog we are most proud of was RIVER!! He got third in the nursery (and got a pretty yellow ribbon for his owners) and got his first leg towards the national finals! Whiskey got a second and his first leg towards the finals and he won the Pro-Novice class AND got the overall for Pro-Novice! He won a beautiful tooled leather picture frame engraved with his win and a gorgeous tooled leather photo album with his overall win engraved on it.
I'm hoping Scott will get sheep down the field with Drift in the morning and I can get some pictures on the open field.

Bluegrass Day one First update

Humid! That's what today is! We had some hard rain earlier and I bet it is not much above 70 but it is definitely wet. Tricia MacRae laid one down this morning and got a score in the low 80s with her Bear dog. Most of the runs are doable and the scores are higher but not a ton higher. If the sun is not out then it's quite nice out and the sheep are less cranky but when it comes out from behind the clouds they can be troublesome. We have yet to run into the bad section yet where it is just impossible to bring them down but it's only 2:00 and that is about when they turned yesterday. I'm afraid Hemp got a big DQ but odd as it sounds I'm actually very happy with him. I suspected this might happen and last year when he was in nursery, the first time he saw these sheep he gripped and I chewed him out and the next day he tied for first place. So I'm hoping he will do better on his next run. His outrun was great and I don't think he saw them when he left the post. He went deeper than most dogs are and lifted his sheep bang on. Then I got involved. The one thing I am learning with this dog is less is more. Sometimes the best handling is no handling. He got them about 20 yrds down the fetch line and I tried to help him and we lost them almost back to set out but he got them again and started his lift again and it finally dawned on me that he had it and I should just shut up. So I managed to do that for a little while and he brought them on his own. This is what I was so happy with. I was worried he'd grip at the top or leave a sheep but he didn't let any get around him, even the one that broke off. He got back on line just past the fetch panels but by then he was a little hot in the head from my earlier involvement and I didn't make it much better with too many big flanks. We turned the post and I thought to myself, "Settle this down" so I stopped him behind the post. This is a dicey area and the sheep tried to get around him and he didn't give ground and gripped one under the chin. and was called off. It was right in front of me so I chewed him out and then he helped me exhaust the sheep, properly chastised. Of course, he was only hot 'cause I made him that way so I'm actually really curious to see what he does on the next run. These are the hardest sheep he's ever seen on the biggest course he's ever been on and he's only 3yrs old in his 4th open trial so I'm not concerned. I will be disappointed if we don't get something done on his next run but for now I'm not upset.
Christine Henry ran right after me with Tweed and he showed tons of heart. I was really impressed with him and he got a 71 with no pen.
Emil Luedecke got a high score with his Spot dog. I didn't see it but heard it was an 80.
On the young dog field, Scott did well with Whisk in the nursery and got an 85 - I don't know where it ended up in the end yet but I heard it was at the top. River also did well with a 71 and I was very excited to hear that. I will find out later if he ended up getting a leg.
I believe Sleat retired but I'm not positive on that.
Scott still has a few more before he runs with Drift so I will update you again later.

Bluegrass Day one second update

The sheep are all over the place on the open field. Around 3PM they just got nasty. You will have to look at the scores on the bluegrass website tonight (see my side panel links) but there must have been 10 dogs in a row not get sheep off the top. The sheep would be lifted but then take off to the left as fast as they could. The dogs would dash back to stop them and just as they would get them stopped, two would go one way and one would go the other and run back to set out to jump back in. Unfortunately, this is the time of day that Maid ran. Scott had a plan to stop her 50 yrds short and lift to the right so they couldn't break back, but before Maid was to her sheep they were moved by the set out over to the right and then the set out dog gripped them. It was too late to do anything different with Maid and she lifted them and they broke to the left and just as I said before, they were stopped and then went around her and back into set out. About an hour after Maid ran the sheep got real sweet. They walked off the top and walked around the course and the scores picked up. Way up. It won't be so easy for me to make the double lift with Lad now. It just rained again and is getting muggy so I don't know how the final runs are going to go today. I'm off to dinner so I will give you a new update tomorrow after Hemp runs at about 11AM. These are the top scores as of 5:15 PM when dog number 55 was walking to the post. They are planning to go to dog number 68 tonight and finish tomorrow so these are by no means final...
Open Wednesday 5:15 up to dog number 55:
1. Alasdair MacRae and Nap 94
2. Bob Washer and Clare 80.5
3. Jeanie Vandermere and Jade 78.5
4. Joan Worthington and Sam 72
5. Mike Schragel and Tek 69.5
6. Lary Burch and Dot 68.5
7. Connie Brannen and Trip 67.5

The Nursery class Day one: 53 dogs
1. Alasdair and Fox 81
2. Emil Luedecke and Lad 80
3. Scott Glen and Don 80
4. Alasdair MacRae and Hanna 80
5. Vickey Russel and Devi 79
6. Sharon Wollman and Marti 78
7. Dawn Boyce and Slim 76
8. Linda Tesdhal and Suede 75
9. Claudia Frank and ? 74
10. Rose Anderson and Buzz 70
Scott Glen and Sleat and Whiskey RT

The Pro Novice Class (outrun, fetch, one leg drive and pen) had a tie for first place. Scott and Whiskey and Robin French and Billy.

Scott setting up Whiskey for the run off

The judge was Bruce Fogt and his decision was to do a silent gather. Whisk had a nice outrun, made the fetch panels,

Whiskey making the first fetch panels

then shifted a little to the right to make the novice fetch panels that had been left out for the run off and then continued down the right side of the field until the sheep jumped into the exhaust. Robin's Billy had a good outrun, missed the first fetch panels but made the second and then made a dramatic turn to put the sheep right on the post which was what the judge wanted to see. Congrats to Robin for her first place! She won a beautiful decorated leather picture frame.

Pro Novice day one:
1. Robin French and Bill 75
2. Scott Glen and Whiskey 75
3. Claudia Frank and Wyn 73
4. Chuck Dimit and Cole 73
5. Bob Kelly and Cody 73
6. Scott Glen and Jess 70.5
7. Susan Rhodes and Shep 69
8. Allen Hickenbottom and Mollie 69
9. Andrea DeKennedy and Glen 66.5
10. Lyle Lad and Sid 65

Novice Day one: ( 16 dogs)
1. Todd Layfield and Spot 64.5
2. Jean Barrett and Huca 64
3. Mike Wagner and Joon 50.5
4. Mike Frost and Rush 56.6
5. Susan Garrett and Rafe 49

First Bluegrass update

OK - I have no official information and the info I do have has big holes in it but I thought I'd give one update so people could get a feel for what is going on. The weather is cool so far but it is supposed to heat up. We've had on and off hard rain but it looks like it might be done now and the wind is picking up (not Alberta wind but a wind). So far, the sheep are winning on the open field. Carnage. The outrun is bigger than last year. I heard one person say 40 yrds longer and another person say 80. It looks like 80 to me. Alasdair is leading with Nap with a 94 and I'd be surprised if he was bumped today. I just ran Lad and got a 55.5 which isn't as bad as it sounds but there were some handler errors that were just stupid. For example, I sent him on a comebye outrun but when he stopped at 3 o clock, I whistled away to me. I didn't realize what I'd done until he started back to me and I thought, "Huh... He's never done that before on an outrun." Fortunately, he hadn't gone too far before my brain kicked in and I gave him a comebye, then he looked hesitant a little further on (can't imagine why) so I gave him one more and that was all he needed to finish the outrun. I heard we lost 7. He lifted and they took off to the right. He caught them and got them straightened out but had to re lift at that point and then I was afraid he couldn't do it. It took him a little while, and whistles were not enough. I asked him up once by hollering "Walk Up" and then tried an "Atta boy. Walk up." Which sometimes gets me into trouble because he might grip (or chest bump since Laddie doesn't really grip) but this time it worked and he brought them down the fetch fairly on line but missed his fetch panels at the last minute. Turning the post could be difficult and some sheep wouldn't go around so I kept a pretty big turn and had a decent drive UNTIL - after I made the crossdrive panels. There is a spot that is hard to hear down there (it's down a hill) and I was so happy to make the panels but Lad hesitated on my next flank because of sound (a huge downpour of rain had also started) so I had to blow him several fast ones because the sheep started to go up the field and he caught them but not fast enough and they came back through the panels! We lost one point on the shed (not sure where) and got NO PEN. I lost the fat, speckled, leader around the pen and circled it twice before getting them in one second AFTER they called time. His best moves came when he was exhausting the next dog's sheep after it had hung and drug on a single. Lad held it from going back up the field for a good 3 minutes and exhausted it without the help of the other two who were racing back and forth on the fence line near the spectators.
I saw Norm Close's run with Gwen and it was rough. Tough fetch but they hung in there. I didn't get a score for him yet. Most scores are in the 50s and 60s for those that even got one. Tommy Wilson and Sly had a 60.
Things are easier on the under class field. The big part is the outrun. I only saw a few runs and got no scores yet but Sleat had trouble on her outrun so Scott used the rest of the run to train on her and he said Whiskey was hesitant on his drive.
I'll get some scores up later and I'll try to take some pictures of the underclasses and Scott and Maid who are supposed to run at about 2:30.

Chinquapinwood Trial Stockdog class and Nursery

No fog this morning so we were able to start the Stockdog/Nursery class at 7:30AM. The morning started out overcast but warmed up as the sun came out. The course was the same as open, minus a shed. Tuque was the first of our dogs to run in the first class. Unfortunately, Tuque is not performing as well as she was a few trials ago. That's young dogs. They can't be perfect all the time and since she is already qualified for the nationals, the trick will be to keep her from developing any bad habits. After the Bluegrass, if she still needs it, Scott will get some more training on her to prepare her for the finals. Since the main part of her problem was her stop, Scott decided to pull her from the second class and put River in her place.
Sleat is getting better all the time.

Diane Pagel's Sleat

She had a good outrun lift and fetch and the start of her drive on her cross drive she took a wrong flank and missed her panels.

Sleat on the fetch

However, up until that time she had a nice and controlled drive but ran out of time at the pen. Her final score was a 67.
Don had an off day too. His fetch was a little rough and he made his drive away panels but his crossdrive suffered and his flanks weren't up to par. He also timed out at the pen and only got a 43.
Alasdair MacRae won the class with an 89! (that's out of 90)

Stock Dog Class first round: (36 dogs)
1. Alasdair MacRae and Hanna
2. Emil Luedecke and Lad
3. Vergil Holland and Scott
4. Linda Myer and Gnat
5. Alasdair MacRae and Sara
6. Vickey Russell and Devi

Nursery day one: (21 dogs)
1. Emil Luedecke and Lad
2. Vergil Holland and Scott
3. Alasdair MacRae and Sara
4. Vickey Russell and Devi

On the second run of the stockdog/nursery class the sheep got more difficult but our dogs got better. The sheep had been good this whole trial but they were hot and tired and just wanted to go to the exhaust. They got much harder to push around the drive.
Sleat still didn't get her qualifying leg but she is almost there. Her outrun and lift were good as usual and she pushed on those heavy sheep and only had difficulty right in front of the crossdrive panels. She did make them but it was very wobbly. Her score was a 74.
Donnie moved his sheep alot faster and was taking his flanks better since the sheep weren't leaning on him as much with the quicker pace.

Don on the fetch

This time he got his pen and ended up with a 70.

Don and Scott at the pen

Scott knew that the sheep were going to be difficult for River.It had just gotten too hard for a green young dog. He ran at the end of the class in the heat of the day when the sheep had decided they had enough. So his plan was to use the run to give River some training experience and retire him when it got too much. First we weren't sure how his outrun would go since he didn't run in the previous class with all the other dogs. Scott only had to give him one blow on the whistle and River corrected his outrun and finished it up wonderfully. He continued on and had a great fetch too. Many dogs lost sheep going around the post as they ran back to the set out. River kept his under control and started on the drive. He did a good job of trying to move them up the drive line. They wanted to stop and graze and River kept picking them up and moving them along but right in front of the panels it got too hard and he circled them. Scott helped him straighten them out and then retired and had River bring them back to him. River was pretty proud of himself and we were just as proud of him. He did better than we had expected.

Stockdog Class Second Round: (36 dogs)
1. Jim Swift and Molly
2. Alasdair MacRae and Hanna
3. Emil Luedecke and Lad
4. Mary Thompson and Rio
5. Vergil Holland and Scott
6. Maureen Robinson and Newt
Nursery Class Second Round: (21 dogs)
1. Jim Swift and Molly
2.Emil Luedecke and Lad
3. Vergil Holland and Scott

Chinquapinwood Trial - Day Two Open

The running was incredible today! The open runs just kept getting better. Today we had a shed, pen, and single so the points were out of 110.We could take any two on the shed and any single. The running was delayed an hour this morning by a heavy fog but by 8 AM the first dog was on the course and the day stayed sunny and in the high 60s. Scott was third up with Roo. His run was much better today and his outrun was perfect. The only bad thing that happened was on the crossdrive. The drive was reversed today and the crossdrive was harder to hit than yesterday. Roo made it through, but then brought them back through again. It hurt his points and he ended up in the mid 90s (I didn't write down his exact score)
Laddie ran mid morning. It was starting to warm up so I made sure to wet him down before I ran him. His outrun and lift were good again and his fetch started out right but the sheep were heavy to the left and I had Lad bump them to try and get them back on line. I tried this a few times and before I knew it I was missing the fetch panel. They needed only one hard flank and I just misjudged how much they had changed from yesterday where only small flanks were needed. They had become much heavier. We had a nice drive line but our crossdrive was too high. Almost everyone had to banana the line to make the panel but you could only do that if you were low and I was high so we missed that one. I made very large holes for Lad to come through on both his sheds and we did lose a couple of points on each for them but I wanted to make sure he'd come through. His final score was an 89.
Drift's runs started really nice but he had some difficulties on the drive. He had a really nice line going to the first panel but he flanked too quickly on his own and shot them past the gates. His crossdrive line was too high so he also missed those panels. Both of his sheds were pretty good and his pen was nice. Even with the missed panels he got a 96.
Hemp came to the post loaded for bear. He was full of it and I knew it would be hard to hold him. He had a wobbly fetch and he ran wide around the post which allowed the sheep to start towards the exhaust but he came in and prevented a disaster and had a nice drive. We made both our panels and had a nice shed, pen and single. He ended up with a 97 which unfortunately was one point out of the placings.
In the mean time, both Alasdair MacRae with Nap and Vergil Holland with Dally had laid down some serious runs. They were tied for first with a 107!
Marianna Schreeder had also stepped up with Penny (a Pleat daughter) and had a 106. Scott and Maid were almost last to go and tried for a 107.

Maid

It was a beautiful run but he was one point short of Alasdair and Vergil's runs and ended up tying Marianna instead. The good news was that 3 of the top 4 dogs (Penny, Dally and Maid) were all started in their early training by Scott so we were proud of all of them.

Maid at the crossdrive panels - Yes, those are crossdrive panels

Alasdair and Vergil had a run off for first place. There was not much wrong with either run but Vergil missed the crossdrive panels low when he attempted to make a tight turn and Alasdair made all his panels so he took first place. Well done Alasdair!
It is also worth mentioning that Christine Henry has been running very hot these last two weekends and is often getting more than one dog in the top 10.
They didn't get to the Stockdog/ nursery class today so I will post those scores when they finish tomorrow.

Open Two: (62 dogs to the post) - ties broken
1. Alasdair MacRae and Nap 107
2. Vergil Holland and Dally 107
3. Scott Glen and Maid 106
4. Marianna Schreeder and Penny 106
5. Christine Henry and Tweed 102
6. Alasdair MacRae and Star 101
7. Chris Chambers and Tag 100
8. Mary Thompson and Coal 100
9. Tricia MacRae and Cap 100
10. Christine Henry and Rook 99

Chinquapinwood Trial - Day One Open

Lexington, Kentucky. The first day of Laura and Mike Hanley's Chinquapinwood trial started with the open class. The day was overcast and rainy most of the time but at about 4PM the sun came out. Fortunately, by then the wind had picked up enough to keep it from being too hot. There was alot more humidity this morning but it was starting to dry out by the evening. 62 dogs went to the post for Bob Washer to judge. Vergil Holland's sheep were very cooperative and there were only a few rogues to give the dogs trouble.
Hemp and I were the fifth team to the post and I'm happy to say we are starting to get with each other. He had a good outrun but a wobbly fetch although he did make his panels. His drive away was similar and we got the panel but we were still wobbly. The crossdrive at this trial is very difficult and when you look at the panels you can't tell if they are your drive away panels or your crossdrive panels by the way they are angled. Hemp and I had a little argument on the crossdrive but things started to click right about then and we came to an agreement that angled the sheep through the panels at just about a perfect position. He had one of the few full point pens and when I pulled him through on the shed it looked like he wasn't going to hold it but I gave him a flank as he was coming through and he got in the right position to hold it. His final score was a 92.
Maid ran a little later in the day and looked good the whole way around. She pulled up a little short on her outrun and when Scott blew her over she went hard and fast and caused her lift to be off. She settled after that and walked her sheep nicely around the course, made her pen and got her shed. She finished with a 93.
Roo ran next and had a little trouble with his outrun and came in too early. Scott blew him out and we were afraid the crashing at the top might resurface because of the bad outrun but it didn't! He went deep enough and picked up his sheep well but took a wrong flank on the fetch that caused him to miss his fetch panels.

Roo turning the post

After that he settled down and took the sheep nicely around the driving part of the course. His sheep lapped the pen once before going in but he had a nice shed. His final score was an 85.

Diane Pagel's Delta Bluez Roo

While Lad was waiting to run the sun came out so I quickly wet him down to help him deal with the unfamiliar heat. Amazingly enough, he managed the outrun and lift with no help from me and with full points. He had a slight wobble at the top but settled his sheep and came right on down the fetch line. A nice turn and a little wobble going through the drive gates. His crossdrive was a little low and we had to banana the sheep through the drive gates but then got back on line for the third leg. At the pen, we had the sheep jump out of the mouth but we caught them before they could do too much damage and got them penned. I was a little afraid of the shed since Lad wouldn't come in the second day of the Shaker Village trial so I made sure we had a large gap with plenty of time to come in before I called him in and it worked. Lad tied with Hemp with a 92 but beat him on the outwork. (I know. That's ironic.)
Drift ran almost last and the sheep were getting just a little aware of the exhaust.

Drift on the fetch

He had a nice outrun lift and fetch but things slowed down around the post and he had sheep that were trying to dash around him to escape. After a few minutes of struggling, Drift took a dive at one but didn't grip. Unfortunately, it cost him some points but then he marched the sheep around the course with one of the prettiest drives of the day.

Drift on the third leg of the drive

He got his pen but timed out in the shed and ended up with an 83.
It is a beautiful evening and they are going to run the first 15 dogs of the Stockdog/nursery class tonight before stopping for dinner. Tomorrow they will start again with day two of the open and then finish the first Stockdog/nursery class. I will give the placings of the Stockdog class tomorrow when it is finished. Monday they will do the second Stockdog/nursery class which has 36 dogs in it. Tonight we dine! Laura is known for hospitality and the handlers dinner is always extraordinary for a mere $5.00. Emil Ludeke is making brisket and I hear there will be fresh potato salad and baked beans and a bunch of side dishes with Laura's mother's pies for desert. I must be sure to not be late!

Notice how high the scores were!

Open Day One: (62 dogs) - ties have been broken
1. Alasdair MacRae and Star 96
2. Dee Alleyne and Rook 95
3. Lorna Savage and Zoe 95
4. Alasdair MacRae and Nap 95
5. Scott Glen and Maid 93
6. Dave Murray and Moe 92
7. Vergil Holland and Brooke 92
8. Jennifer Glen and Lad 92
9. Jennifer Glen and Hemp 92
10. Vergil Holland and Dally 91

Movin' On

We've spent the last couple of days enjoying the hospitality of Vergil and Anne Marie Holland just outside of Lexington, Kentucky. The working dogs have had a chance to get some practice time on sheep and the pups, teenage dogs, retired dogs and slacker dogs have had a chance to relax.

Scott discussing trial strategies with, PR Syn, the next generation of Alta-Pete dogs

Tomorrow we go over to the south side of Lexington to Mike and Laura Hanley's farm. Their Chinquapinwood (I dare you to try and pronounce that) trial is starting on Saturday. They are using Vergil Holland's sheep from the Bluegrass flock. Vergil has been giving these sheep a vacation for a week or two so they are not the same sheep that everyone has been practicing on at his farm. I have worked on Vergil's Bluegrass flock in the past and have always found them to be sensible which is a sign of being worked with well trained dogs. Of course, Laura's field is a little tricky so it won't be easy. It is not a wide field and has a slightly sloped crossdrive that makes the panels hard to hit.
This trial is a popular warm up for the Bluegrass so it is no surprise that there are 63 open dogs. The underclasses have been combined into what Laura calls the "stockdog class". This is a full course with no shed that is often called a Pro-Novice in the west and an Open Ranch in the east. It is also a class within a class for nursery so that if you are running nursery your stockdog class run will count for that too.
Although beautiful, this trial is in a holler back in the woods so I'd be very surprised if I had reception to post on the blog. If I can get some results up on Saturday I will, otherwise I will have it posted on Tuesday when we move our campsite over to the Bluegrass trial.

Shaker Village Open Day Two

The morning started out rainy and didn't change much for the rest of the day. Although the sheep were still relatively good, they were done with this game and wanted to go home. At this point, I do too. I'm afraid that although my dogs are running well, we are in a transition of handling and we are not where we need to be to pick up points this year. Sigh. I guess I will be doing all the kennel work at the national finals this year because I won't be running a dog.
Hemp is really trying to work with me with every run. We had a set that became difficult to line out after they had turned the post which caused us to do alot of flanking and stopping. He hung in there and took every move that I asked from him but we were low on our crossdrive.

Hemp on a challenging crossdrive
(photo by Debbie Bailey)

He had a very good shed BUT I screwed us out of 4 points. The judge had declared that her line on the third leg was not the usual line from the corner of the crossdrive panel to the center of the shedding ring. She wanted the line to be about 10 yrds higher than that. So there I am. Watching the line and forgetting that the shedding ring is off to my left. I saw the sheep pass a pile of sawdust and assumed they were in the ring. In front of me. Where the ring wasn't. So I stepped into the imaginary ring and then realized the ring was to my left and they were not in the ring yet. Oh, yeah and then I was going to lose them so I had to flank over and bring them to the center of the ring anyway. In total I lost 4 points for leaving the post early on a perfect shed for that little mishap. The sheep didn't run right in the pen and required a little persuading, it was still a good pen.

Hemp covering sheep
(photo by Debbie Bailey)

Scott and Drift were doing a very nice course until the shed. Unfortunately, they had a missed attempt which hurt their chances of getting in the double lift. Drift has been really good this trial but just hasn't been getting the breaks to get a real good score.
Maid was really laying down a good run and was having an amazing drive until right in front of crossdrive panels. And then... SCOTT MISJUDGED THE PANELS! The judge said they had no points off her drive until then but they lost 5 at that point. A good shed and pen got her an 89
Laddie was the last run of the day. We walked to the post and while I was looking up the field at the setting of the sheep, Lad left on his outrun. I noticed him a quarter of the way up the field looking hesitant. I figured if he wanted to outrun that badly I'd let him go but I thought I'd whistle him on. Before I could whistle, he picked up speed and continued on a perfect outrun. He had a nice lift and his sheep started to run down the field. They were slightly off line on the fetch but we managed to get them back on line and through the panels. We had a much easier time lining them out on the drive and Lad was trotting up the line with a pace and control I had never seen from him until just before the panels, and then he let go. He dropped the pressure and although I started flanking him to get ahold of the sheep again, it was too little, too late on my part and we missed the panels. OK. We got back on line on the crossdrive line and he started back into that nice pace again but just before the panels he stopped and let the sheep go again. I flanked him but again, I wasn't expecting it and was too late in recovering and we missed the panels again. We had a nice line to the shedding ring and an easy opening on the shed but the sheep started to flank around me so as Lad came in, I gave him a flank and instead of flanking on the single, he gathered the whole group. The second time this happened, I retired.

Open Day Two: (52 dogs?)

1. Bob Washer and Clare
2. Christine Henry and Bess
3. Christine Henry and Rook
4. Scott Glen and Maid
5. Paul Tucker and Brock
6. Becky Randolph and Trey
7. Lyle Lad and Tell
8. Linda Tesdahl and Jaffe
9. Robin French and Jet
10. Connie Brannen and Peach

The double lift was for the top 6 combined scores. Scott made it in second overall with Maid and drew up in 5th place. The required course was a first outrun to the right and a turn back to the left. Fetch around the post and go directly into the shedding ring. Shed off any 3 of the 10 sheep and pen them.
Maid had a wonderful first outrun and a good fetch but a flank shortly before the fetch panels goosed the sheep past it and they missed it losing 5 points. She had a perfect turn back and although the sheep were running like mad, they made the fetch panels and joined with their buddies.

Maid on the second lift

They had a pretty easy shed after a short amount of setting up and then moved on to the pen. Oh, the pen!

The evil sheep at the pen

The leader ewe would not, I repeat, would not go in the pen. She lapped it several times and tried desperately to rejoin her buddies that had been sloughed off. Round and round they went until they beat Maid who stopped two before they rejoined but not the first because Scott stopped her before she started to think of gripping. Scott closed the pen and they re shed and this time the sheep were much more amiable and immediately penned. In the end, Mike Hanley and Moss won the whole thing. Mike was the only other one besides Scott to get a pen and Mike's pen was perfect. It ended up being the deciding factor that had him beating Scott by one point.

Open Double Lift: (6 dogs)

1. Mike Hanley and Moss - 98
2. Scott Glen and Maid - 97
3. Paul Tucker and Rick - 88
4. Connie Brannen and Peach - 86
5. Christine Henry and Rook - 84
6. Vergil Holland and Brook - RT

Shaker Village Nursery Day Two

I think the best way to describe Scott's nursery runs yesterday is "improved". All the dogs are getting better. River and Sleat are pushing on harder on their drive and Donnie is looking more experienced each time he goes to the post.
River started the runs and he got to finish his first run ever! He lost several points on his outrun but he's learning how to handle the hills. He left Scott's right side with great confidence but then stopped himself at 3 on the clock. He looked around for a second and then, before Scott could whistle to him, you saw him go "AHA!" and he took off to the top of the hill. He did stop a few more times at about 1 on the clock but like the other young dogs, he was confused by the fact that he had seen the sheep but then when he got above them on the hill, they disappeared into a hollow. Scott helped him over and then he did a nice controlled fetch.

David Titcomb's Kinloch River and Scott on the fetch

They missed the drive away panel but made the crossdrive and got their pen.

Scott and River at the pen

His quite respectable score was a 71.
Sleat is also getting so much better and I'm sure it won't be long until she gets her last nursery leg. She's really looking good on her fetch and driving much stronger. Her score was a 68
Donnie had a difficult set of sheep but handled them like a pro. Scott said it took alot out of him but you couldn't tell on the field. He had to keep a leader in check and a wanderer in line and he did it with style and finished with an 81

Nursery Day Two: (16 dogs)

1. Bob Washer and Spain
2. Scott Glen and Don
3. Linda Tesdahl and Suede

Shaker Village Day Two - Open

I went to a very nice dinner tonight at the Shaker Village dining room so I didn't get the scores for nursery. Sorry! I will post them, along with a nursery description tomorrow morning. Also, I forgot to mention that the judge is Annie O'Toole
As for the open class, it started with rain but it stopped shortly after noon and just stayed overcast with a temperature around 61 for the rest of the day. The sheep are still of good quality, but they have decided they like going up hills (of which there are several dips up and down on the drive lines) and they now KNOW where the exhaust is so things have gotten a little tricky. Scott ran Drift in the late morning and he ran a very good run and hit all his panels. He also had a good shed and pen and finished with a score of 86.
I ran Laddie next and I can breathe a sigh of relief because Lad is back to his old self. In fact, maybe better 'cause he had a clean outrun (Lad is a horrible outrunner). However, I was so afraid of him going back to his bad self of the last trial that I was handling him a little delicately and maybe lost a few points because of it. He made all his panels, perhaps despite me and had a decent shed and pen. His sheep really wanted to go to the exhaust so I panicked a little in the shed ring to try and avoid this. Fortunately, since he was back to normal, he handled my worry without panicking himself. His final score was an 83
Next Scott ran Maid who had an outstanding run.

Scott setting Maid up for her outrun

He did blow her out once on the outrun but the rest of the run was clean. She had a nice shed and held a fairly difficult ewe.

Maid holds her single

These sheep like the pen so if you stay out of their way, you can get a good points without working too hard. She ended up with a 92. - I guess I don't have alot of descriptions for Scott's two runs but there wasn't much bad to say about them. On mine, however...
Hemp ran next. After the problems we'd had at the last trial (him circling the sheep in front of the drive panels - while I got panel panic) we had been working on our drive. He has made big strides and had a very good run and listened to every whistle, even the quiet ones but since we were still training on our new methods, I couldn't go for broke on the run (we are working on control). Therefore, the drive turns and consequently the drive lines were not as good as they could be. He came in nice on the shed but since the sheep like to peel around you, he caught his single a little roughly and I had to yell LIE DOWN before we got a DQ. The pen was again easy and we got an 81.

OPEN Day one: (58 dogs)
1. Christine Henry and Rook
2. Connie Brannen and Peach
3. Scott Glen and Maid
4. Vergil Holland and Brooke
5. Virgil Holland and Dally
6. Mike Hanley and Moss
7. Paul Tucker and Rick
8. Mike Hanley and Streak
9. Lyle Lad and Shep
10. Jim Valley and Lita

Shaker Village Day One

Harrodsburg, Kentucky - The Shaker Village trial is held, obviously, at a Shaker Village. The buildings have been restored and the farm is still going.

Shaker Town's main street

It is very entertaining history but of course, we were here for a dog trial. So we followed a windy road to the back of the working farm to a field behind the barns. It is in a beautiful bowl shape with the sheep set at the top of a fairly steep hill. Apparently the sheep are owned by Anne Keller and come from the Bluegrass open flock. So far they are honest and in good shape. Today's weather was about 70F and overcast most of the day but the thunderstorms have held off so far. They are telling us sprinkles and 61 tomorrow and very cold rain on Sunday. Unfortunately, the usually picturesque green field was brown due to a weed kill but next year it will be green again.
The morning started with the Pro- Novice (outrun about 200 yrds, drive to one panel and pen). We had only one pro-novice and ranch class at this trial but there will be another nursery tomorrow. Terry Shaeffer's Jess was the first of our dogs to go and we were so proud of her. She didn't get the greatest score but it was such an improvement that we were very excited. She had one redirect up the hill but was a little tight at the top and the sheep took off running and she never had a chance to get her fetch panels.

Terry Sheaffer's Alba Jess

The first leg of a drive dipped down a little bit before climbing up to the first drive panel. She had a bobble in front of that panel but made them through.

Jess driving to the panels

Then she had a nice easy pen.
Our second dog to run was Whiskey and with a clean outrun and good balance behind the sheep he managed to snag the second place position.

Pro Novice: (23 dogs) unofficial
1. Claudia Frank and Wyn
2.Scott Glen and Whiskey
3. Robert Kelley and Cody
4. Kate Ash and Midge
5. Lyle Lad and Sid
6. 7. Tie unbroken:
Robin French and Bill
Paule Tucker and Tyne
8.Gayle Garrison and Molly
9. Scott Glen and Jess
10. Cy Peterson and Emma

The Ranch class started just after the Pro Novice. Scott ran Donnie first but didn't get a chance to spot with him. The sheep had been moved another 100 yrds up the field in a hollow of the hill. Unfortunately, Don never found his sheep. Scott also ran Tuque in this class. We weren't sure if she saw the sheep when she went out but she bravely ran up the hill and got up to the very top. Unfortunately, she had gotten too far above the sheep and was confused with the set out pens right there. Scott blew her over but without knowing where the sheep were, she offered to flank back behind the set out. Scott then blew her a recall whistle which brought her down within sight of the sheep but then she got a little hung up on the set out person. One more whistle got her in the right position and then she got back on course. The rest of the run was very good but unfortunately, with all the time and points lost on the outrun she ran out of time on the pen and it really hurt her putting her only into a tie for seventh place.

Ranch: (19 dogs) unofficial
1. Debbie Bailey and Camp
2. Vergil Holland and Scott
3.Ann Lamar and Ty
4.Linda Tesdahl and Suede
5. 6. Tie not broken
Lyle Lad and Gin
Mike Hanley and Shy
7. 8.9.
Ties not broken
Jerry Alleyne and Wink
Scott Glen and Tuque
Denice Rackley and Blu
10. Ann Spearman and Newt

The first nursery class was the last class of the day.
Scott's first dog was Diane Pagel's Sleat. She was very good with a clean outrun and a strong fetch. Her drive was right on line and she made her first panels. Then, shortly before the crossdrive panels in a dip on the field, Sleat took her only wrong flank and messed up her beautiful line, and missed the panel. She was so close to getting her last nursery leg but that flank lost it for her and she ended up in fifth.
The next dog to run was River. The big outrun on the hill fooled River and he never found his sheep.
Finally, Scott ran Don who had a good outrun this time. Overall it was a very nice run and he made all his panels but it was slightly wobbly so the best it got him was fourth place.

Nursery Day One: (16 dogs) unofficial
1. Lyle Lad and Sid
2. Jerry Alleyne and Wink
3. Vergil Holland and Scott
4. Scott Glen and Don
5. Scott Glen and Sleat
6. Linda Tesdahl and Suede
7. Robin French and Bill
8. Claudia Frank and Wyn
9. Dave Murry and Kate
10. Kate Ash and Maddie