Mother and Daughter Share Passion for Agility

Meet Shawna and Finley Richgels.

Shawna Richgels and her daughter, Finley Richgels, are proof that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, the pair began attending agility trials and seminars together shortly after Finley's birth. Calling it an “honor” that her daughter chose to follow in her agility footsteps, Shawna has fully supported Finley’s love for the sport from her first competition at the age of 7, all the way through her recent selection to compete for Team USA at the 2025 International Federation of Cynological Sports (IFCS) World Agility Championship. 

Sharing a love for agility

More than 27 years ago, Shawna and her husband, Pat, began dabbling in agility as a way to stay active together with the Boxers they fostered. Shawna started competing in agility shortly after, earning top awards with the American Boxer Club. The family welcomed their first Border Collie named Crush in 2006, when Finley was 2 years old. It was Crush who opened the door to many opportunities for mother and daughter to win multiple events at the USDAA Cynosport^® World Games over the years. 

In 2014, Shawna decided to take her love for agility to the next level, leaving her job of 23 years in clothing design to open a 30,000-square-foot dog agility training center called Canine Sports Zone in Middleton, Wisconsin. 

Finley credits her success in agility to having a mother who owns an agility training business and the countless hours of support she received as a junior handler. “I have been attending agility trials, seminars and training sessions since I was born,” Finley said. 

What’s ahead for the mother-daughter duo

In 2025, Shawna’s focus is on competing with her two dogs, Pato and Charisma, in the USDAA Veterans Showcase this fall all at Cynosport. To prepare, Shawna regularly trains on international-style skills and courses with her dogs and daughter.

“As Finley is now in college, we enjoy collaborating over FaceTime on the continued physical conditioning and training strategies for our three competing Border Collies,” Shawna said. “Over the years I’ve cherished training with Finley, as she has a keen eye and wonderful way of reading dogs and what they need. Typically, there is at least one side-aching laughter moment per session.”

Finley, who is currently studying radiation technology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, thanks her mom for keeping Joker in shape for her while she’s away. Despite missing her family, Finley has been able to focus on keeping herself fit for competition between classes. 

While the duo may now be separated by over 100 miles while Finley attends college, their bond remains strong as they continue to train and plan for a busy year of competitions ahead.