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2013 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship Wrap-Up

 

[Skyhoundz / 2013] Photos of all the Skyhoundz Classic Champions here. If you would like to view photographs of the Skyhoundz Last Chance Qualifier and/or World Championship, Please visit Wayne Ramsay's website here. He has some awesome shots posted this year and more are going up all the time due to the government shutdown.

The 2013 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship was the largest and best-attended canine disc competition in the history of canine disc sports. Several new countries were represented at the 2013 Skyhoundz Worlds Week including, Argentina, China, and Korea.

On the first day of competition, our Skyhoundz DiscDogathon and Xtreme Distance Last Chance Qualifiers together featured more than 340 competitive rounds. Over the course of the five-day event, nearly 1000 rounds of competition took place on four fields, at two venues. Eighteen new World Champions were crowned. Disc dogs ran, collectively, nearly 50 miles, jumped more than 5,000 times to catch flying discs, and wagged their tails enough to wipe the graffiti off of every building in New York City.

Thanks to the efforts of our dedicated volunteer staff and world-class judging crew, things ran like clockwork at our twin venues. Our Camp Jordan venue offered all the room needed to let the big arms rip off some huge throws and world records fell again for the second year in a row.

Our new venue at Coolidge Park was the perfect blend of convenience and comfort, for disc dog teams and spectators alike. Newly-named Director of the Skyhoundz Canine Disc Competition Series — Mr. Ray Lowman — kept things running with military precision. Also lending a hand were a veritable army of volunteers:

Corinne Brewer, Criss Brown, Kurt Brown, Val Buckland, Frank Buckland, Jordan Bybee, Lee Carr, Adam Diehl, Garry Diehl, Mike Dillon, Linda Elmore, George Freeman, Catherine Freeman, David Gosch, Bob Griggs, Melanie Griggs, Mark Jennings, Blake Kilbourne, Candie Kilbourne, Kevin Klass, Alex Lee, Tracy Love, Jeff Love, Ray Lowman, Mike Miller, Frank Montgomery, Nancy Noel, Kathleen O’Neill, Danielle O’Neill, Brandy Oates, Thomas Ovari, Sa Eun Park, Wayne Ramsay, Jason Reigler, Matt Repko, Jackie Rodeffer-Scheetz, Jeff Scheetz, Randy Scoggins, Yukihiro Sekiguchi, Jeff Stanaway, Doreen Suchting, Swanee Swainston, Carolynn Williams, Courtney Williams, Peter Williams, and Sally Zinkhan.

The Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship began with record-setting DiscDogathon and Xtreme Distance last chance qualifiers. Rainy weather on the scheduled DD and XD World Championship day caused us to push back into our free day and move our mixer at Nooga Paws to Wednesday. The next day, under sunny skies that would last the rest of the week, we attacked our DiscDogathon/Xtreme Distance World Championships with vigor. Both events were held at the expansive Camp Jordan Park Ultimate Fields. We had a great turnout of big throwers and top notch DiscDogathon competitors.

When the dust settled, we crowned thirteen Xtreme Distance and DiscDogathon World Champions.

Xtreme Distance World Champions

Classic Plastic (M) - Robert McLeod & Davy

Classic Plastic (W) – Janelle Miller & Karu

Light Plastic (M) – David Gosch & RA-Kin

Light Plastic (W) – Jenelle Miller & Karu

MicroDog (M) – Matt Bilderback & Bazooka

MicroDog (W) – Donna Bradley & Abbey Moose

Unlimited Plastic (M) – Preston Dean & Thrasher

Unlimited Plastic (W) – Deneane Hart & Alex

DiscDogathon World Champions

Bullseye – Frank Buckland & Laddy

Freestyle – Tracy Custer & Bolt

Pairs Distance/Accuracy – Mark Muir/Timothy Geib & Thunder

Spot Landing – Troy Mool & Jazmin

TimeTrial – Elysia Edmondson & Ollie Brighteyes

After competition concluded on Thursday, Skyhoundz World Finalists were treated to a competitor's "Meet and Greet" at the McKamey Animal Center where scores of family, and friends enjoyed fine food and drinks and tours of the most amazing canine adoption facility in the world. The McKamey Animal Center does incredible work but struggles to make ends meet, so, if you are looking for a worthy cause, we hope you'll think of them. McKamey Animal Center — http://www.mckameyanimalcenter.org

On Friday, the Skyhoundz Classic Last Chance Qualifier, or, as some call it, the "Little World Championship," was staged at our new venue in Coolidge Park, on Chattanooga’s North Shore. The SCLCQ is, as the name suggests, the final opportunity for teams to earn invitations to the Skyhoundz Classic World Championship and it was jam packed with talent. Running two fields simultaneously, 225 teams vied for 24 invites. The final invitations to the Skyhoundz Classic World Championship were extended as follows:

MicroDog Division

Matt Bilderback & Bella

Timothy Geib & Auggie

Michelle Thomas & Spencer

Lee Fairchild & JD

Open Division

Lawrence Frederick & Mars Rover

Tracy Custer & Chill

Tracy Custer & Rampage

Lawrence Frederick & Zora

Michele Thomas & Tess

Tako Kakiuchi & Ace

Pairs Freestyle Division

Mackenzie Alexander/Reid Alexander & Case

Reid Alexander/Dennis Alexander & Case

Mackenzie Alexander/Dennis Alexander & Case

Mark Muir/Carla Zinga & Kiro

Sport Division

Scott Jones & Satin

Mark Muir & Kiro

Jackie Rodeffer-Scheetz & Killian

Preston Dean & Thunder

Robert McLeod & Bones

Mark Muir & Teo

On Saturday, the weather was just right as the powerhouses in the Open Division, and the talented youngsters of the Youth Division, thrilled the crowd of spectators. In a Skyhoundz first, Courtney Williams and Cir-El became our first two-time Youth Division World Championship team.

The always hotly-contested Open Division was won, for the first time, by a team (Matteo Gaddoni and Flower) hailing from a country other than the United States (hint – think basil, Brunello, and beautiful artwork).

Here's how the podium looked at the end of the day.

Open Division

1 - Matteo Gaddoni & Flower

2 - Mark Muir & Gipper

3 - Kirby McIlveen & Sketch

Youth Division

1 - Courtney Williams & Cir-El

2 - LylaClare Kosobucki & Elsee

3 - Reid Alexander & Case

The Gathering of Champions Awards Banquet was the first banquet that we have staged off of terra firma. The floating (kind of) Southern Belle River Boat hosted our group of more than 200 disc doggers, family, and friends.

The world's largest disc dog sheet cake, featuring a silhouette instantly recognizable to all, was no match for our hungry banquet attendees! The banquet is always our favorite part of the Worlds and it was fun to “get nautical” at our new venue.

On Sunday, at Coolidge Park, we went with a two-field configuration that contributed to the survival of our judges. The Pairs Freestyle teams blew the crowd away with stellar displays of showmanship and disc handling skills. The MicroDog teams tore it up as well and showed that size doesn’t really matter when paws meet turf. The Sport Division World Championship was hotly contested and held our crowd of spectators until the final disc was snatched from mid-air. And, in another Skyhoundz first, a Sport Division team from Korean won their first World Championship title!

Below are the results from the Skyhoundz MicroDog, Sport, and Pairs Freestyle World Championships.

MicroDog Division

1 - Matt Bilderback & Bella

2 - Frank Montgomery & Chicklet

3 - Lee Fairchild & Gracie

Sport Division

1 - Sang-Jun Han & Bangwool

2 - Chuck Middleton & BamBam

3 - Gary Duke & Bayer

Pairs Freestyle Division

1 - Scot and Angel Koster & Indigo

2 - Lawrence and Jodi Frederick & Jump'n Jaxson

3 - Jim and Michelle Thomas & Spencer

The after-competition party at Outdoor Chattanooga was just a short throw from the competition fields. With delicious food provided by the River Street Deli, and no competition pressure remaining, it was the ideal way to wind down after five amazing days.

Based upon the comments we heard during the week, it was unanimous that the 2013 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship was our best yet. And, you can be sure we will be working hard to make this event even more special in 2014.

Finally, to all those who spent their valuable vacation time to attend the 2013 Skyhoundz World's Week, and support our efforts, please know that were it not for you, the Hyperflite and Skyhoundz organizations wouldn’t exist.

Skyhoundz Classic World Championship Results here.

Skyhoundz DiscDogathon World Championship Results here.

Skyhoundz Xtreme Distance World Championship Results here.

NEWS FLASH! The Skyhoundz Record Book has quite a few new entries here...

Fly High, Bite Hard!