Soldier Hollow Day One

September 4-7, 2009 Midway, Utah: If you click on the link to the right of the page, you can go to the web page and get all the scores. The day started nice and cool but by midday it was blazing hot. Lad was first to the post. He saw the sheep and started nice on his outrun to the left but disappeared in one of the dips. I started to think I should be seeing him again, when I realized he was crossing over. I redirected him but never really got him to commit to the outrun. He needed a couple more redirects to get him over the top and he lifted nicely. Shortly after that it all went to pot. He let his sheep split and they ran to my right. He made a couple of half hearted attempts to stop them but didn't work hard enough and 2 got away back to set out. I was not happy with Lad. Many people made excuses for him and said the sheep were set too much to the right but the bottom line is he should have covered. It was a nice and cool time to run and he wasted it.
Hemp ran about noon, and it was hot. I wet him down and tried to keep his mind cool before I sent them. I don't think he knew where the sheep were before he left but I gave him one redirect shortly after I sent him. He disappeared where Laddie did and I thought "this isn't going to happen again". I whistled him down, even tho I couldn't see him, and then redirected him to the left. I saw nothing for a few seconds but then I saw him come out of the dip on a nice bend. He finished his outrun nicely and started his lift. The fetch was on and off the line, we made the panels and came down the field. He sliced his flank on the turn around the post and we lost one ewe off by herself while the other 4 ran up the drive line. I knew Hemp wouldn't go for the single correctly so I sent him to stop the 4 and waited for the single to catch up. Then we started on the drive line. He did a nice job with that even through the "Bermuda Triangle" - the area from halfway up the drive to midway through the crossdrive. That is where the sheep get tricky and the dogs don't hear. Hemp made those panels and we tried to make up some time on the crossdrive but we got a little low and I caught the sheep just before they were going to pass the panels low. Hemp and I had to work a little to understand what we both wanted but made the crossdrive panels. He put them on a nice third leg of the drive and got them to the shedding ring. I thought I needed to help him make the sheep stand still but they kept running. Scott told me I shouldn't have gotten so involved with the sheep and I will remember that on the next run. I guess I was causing the running. I took a cheap shed on the butts of the sheep (Scott gave me a wrist slapping for that one) and headed to the pen, which I didn't make - there were only about 6 pens today. We got a 60 for our efforts. Good for that time of day but not good enough for the finals qualification (top 5 each day go to the finals)
If it was possible, it was even hotter when Maid ran. We thought she'd probably get cranky and eat a sheep but she was actually pretty good. She needed a couple redirects on her outrun but lifted really quietly and started them on a good line. Everything was going great and she was right ready to make the fetch panels when Scott flanked her and hit her with a hard down. I'm sure you can figure out what happened next! She did a nice turn back and started back up the hill for her other set of sheep.

Maid on her way to the fetch panels, shortly before the turnback!

Scott got her stopped and back on the sheep shortly but they missed the panel. They moved on to the post and the drive away which went nicely.

Maid makes her drive away panels

The crossdrive got messy tho. She kept all her sheep on line but they split into 3 leaders and 2 laggers. The two groups got separated by almost 20 yards at one point but Maid never came between the two groups and once she got the leaders stopped she went back and moved the slow ones along. She had a nice shed but no pen and got a 67.

Maid on her way to the shedding ring

Still not good enough for the finals.
Our good friend Faansie Basson and his nice Jill were in the lead most of the day with an 83 until the very last run when he was tied by Linda Tesdahl and Jaff who took the lead based on outwork. A few other notables: Amanda Milliken gripped at the pen. Bev Lambert and Hemp stalled on the drive. Jo Anne Zoerb and Brynn looked good and got the pen and a place in the finals. Red Oliver's dog gripped and rode a sheep at the top and Norm Close and Gwen got a pen with a 70.
Scott runs Drift late tomorrow and I will try again with Lad in the late afternoon.
Day One Finals Qualifiers:
1. Linda Tesdahl and Jaff 83
2. Faansie Basson and Jill 83
3. Bill Berhow and Pete 78
4. Ron Burkey and Hank 76
5. Jo Anne Zoerb and Brynn 76