First Live Flash Trials Are a Success
Several titles awarded to delighted competitors.
November 2022
The first live WCRL Rally Flash trial was held in November 2022 and hosted by Products4Pets (Saturday) and Golden Rule School for Dogs (Sunday). There were 52 Level 1 runs over two days. According to judge Gail Vendetti, “This first Flash trial was amazing. Everyone had such positive comments, and I was brought to tears by the thank yous for helping develop this exciting class. I am so passionate about the success of Flash, seeing it all come together, and the excitement and happiness of all the participants was emotional.”
The first perfect score was delivered by a Siberian Husky named Merlin and his partner, Ruth Henningsen. The pair also won High Combined with a score of 419/420. There were three Siberians and a Leonberger who excelled beyond their handlers' wildest dreams. One junior handler also did a fantastic job with three dogs in Flash and earned a Level 1 title.
Oaken, the Leonberger, "is very large (150 pounds). He is now 4.5 years old. He received his regulary Rally Level and Level 2 titles but he really didn't like all the sits and downs and would sometimes become very stubborn in the ring. I retired him from rally until Flash came along this year,” explained handler Tammy Deller. “I took several classes with Oaken, and he seemed to really like the fluid movement and looked happy in the ring. We did our first trial last month, and he was just amazing! On his first run he received a second place, and on the second run he received a third place. Flash has changed my boy's life in the rally ring. He is happy to be working with me, and it feels more like a 'dance' with my boy than an actual obedience course. We are hooked.” (Video below)
Tammy Deller and Oaken
Kathy Murarik, from Lake Hopatcong, N.J., said, “Marty is 7, and what I love about doing Flash is that we are always moving. For a dog that does not like to do downs, this is perfect. We can go at a fast pace and just keep going. It’s as if it was designed with a Siberian in mind. He just loves it and so do I. In one of the three legs, he got a perfect score. That was the first time we have ever earned a perfect score in the three years that we have been doing rally.” (Video below)
Kathy Murarik and Marty
According to Gail, eight new Flash L1 titles were awarded at this inaugural event. “It was an awesome feeling to see all of the hard work that went into the development of Flash become a reality. I’m so very happy to be a part of the great team behind the making of Flash,” Gail said.
Pinning the first Flash Level 1 class
December 2022
At the end of December, Golden Rule hosted again, and this time was its first All-Level Flash Trial with 22 entries in levels 1 to 3. Gail and her dog Shilo became the first team to earn the FL3X Championship Title. Sandi Versprill and Flexi won the Level 2 Flash title. You can view both runs below.
Gail Vendetti and Shilo
Sandi Ver Sprill and Flexi
The rally community is looking forward to more live Flash events in 2023. Learn more about the Rally Flash program.