European Open 29-31.07.2022 Belgien 

 

My first course at EO was built by Martin Schoffelmeer.A nice course, where you had to choose between different variants.I decided to do a blind cross between 3 and 4, so that I could take much speed from the start on and gave Dörte a good line to number 4. From Slalom into the tunnel it was clear for me to do that jump in the S-line, since the dog can take the long jump with full speed. From the tunnel to the seesaw, I considered blocking the tunnel, handle  the long jump on the left and do the jump before the seesaw with a „Hinten“. But I decided to do a change after the tunnel. Advantage here was certainly, that I was further ahead. Due to the sloping setting down on the seesaw, this definitely became a source of error. There were also different options to choose. I decided to risk it at the seesaw and do a double blind cross on to the next jump. This gave us a good speed and a good line on to the jump. I was further ahead because of the change and could prepare the line from the wall to the following jump. For the following obstacles there was just one way. Only at the ending you could decide to get the dog out of the tunnel tightly and finish the second to last jump with an S-line. I decided, as the others, to take the speed out of tunnel and send Dörte round at the second to last jump.Dörte and me managed a very good and clean run. I had nothing to say about that. We won the run! A good start!! Unfortunately Max Sprinz had two refusals and Stefanie Simson got a disquaification. Nadine Hartlieb had  a very good clean run too. We ended up in 8th place as a team.

The second team course (Jumping) was build by Marleen Haeneefstingels. A nice and fast course. I decided to do the start on the right hand. The second jump as an Out and not as an “In” in combination with a front cross. I think this was a good decision. Dörte could take a lot of speed into the tunnel. From my point of vie there were not many more options. Only from 14 to 15 I shortly before decided to send Dörte over number 15. I planned to do a blind cross. Too slow. But I pulled through the blind cross between 17 and 28. I am very satisfied with this run too. Dörte was fast, reliable and motivated. I love that! We won this run too. To win runs on such big events is really cool. Nadine and Steffi also had clean runs with good times. Unfortunately Max got a disqualification. We won this Tem Jumping and even the Combination.

Super! So the Small Team reached the Final on Sunday!

Ceed an me opened our EO in Large with a course built by Jari Suomalainen.Our Large Team Jürgen Ketschker with Aislinn, Christian Prinz with Wake and Max Sprinz with Style were highly motivated and determined to do great things 😉 !! A nice Jumping and a perfect start for the competition. There were different options. It was possible to do the whole beginning on the left hand. This would have been fast but risky. You could decide to do the sequence 7-8 with an S-line past the slalom or to curl number  8. I decided to do a blind cross at the beginning, after the long jump, so that Ceed would have a straight lin on to the wall. Ceed and the wall are no friends. We could manage a good, clean run like the others of the team. After all our team ended up on the 2nd place. A very good start. The Agility run was built by Thora Van Der Stock. I liked that course a lot. Fast and imaginative. You could choose between different options at some points. Until jump no. 20 I think there was only the way I chose. I did a rear cross from 11 to 12 because I was not sure how fast I would have been on the sand. I also think according to the line it was better to do it without a change. Unfortunately Ceed had a mistake at the jump and the wall. This really sucks, but it happens quite often. I chose the S-line at jump no. 17. I think this line was better accorfing to the upcoming obstacles. I lead 19-20 on the right had, because I wanted to do a „Hinten“ at jump no. 19. I think I could have done better at that point and connect faster with Ceed. The wall and the last jump I lead on the left hand to get more speed and a better line on to the last jump. Max also had a mistake in this run. Jürgen and Christian had confident clean runs.We ended up on the 3rd place in the Combination and qualified for the final.

The Jumping Individual was built by Martin Schoffelmeer. For me the course was a bit too boring and easy, which is also seen in the large number of clean runs. Unfortunately there were no possibilities to improve the running time and also not many running options. A lot of jumps taken from the outside and no chance to build up some speed. We ended up on the 31st place. No finale! Our second chance was the course by Marleen Haeneefstingels. A really cool course. Fast, inventive and difficult. A lot of ideas and many options. The crux was the way from the dogwalk into the slalom. Here you could consider whether to send the jump to the outside after the dogwalk on the right or the direct line. After a long back and forth I spontaneously decided to risk it all at the dogwalk and lead the jump after that with an „In“. I am not sure if taking the jump from the outside would have been a faster and better line. But it felt much better. I did not want to risk it all because this run was my last chance to reach the final. I made a little mistake after the slalom, this took time. I do not know why I suddenly used both hands. We managed the following obstacles, but the second to last jump was not easy for me, like for soooo many other competitors. Because you had to lead well into the tunnel,  one inevitably was too late for the second so last jump. Ceed ignored my “Out” command and because I got louder, was visible irritated. I reacted quickly and prevented a disqualification. We finished with a clean run but with a significant loss of time. This course was really cool, even watching it was a lot of fun. Due to the high amount of mistakes/ disqulifications we ended on 17th place out of 320 competitors.

There would have been more, but nevertheless, FINAL!!!

The Jumping was built by Thora Van Der Stock. The course was not really difficult, but had a good line and was nice to run. At the beginning I decided to do a change between 2 and 3, so that Dörte had a good line. For the following obstacles were not so many options that made sense. I changed after the slalom. This was more to run for me, but I wanted to keep moving and keep Dörte going with that. The rest of the course was then more or less predetermined in terms of leadership. We managed a good run in which we had good lines. We reached a satisfied 3rd place. I think we let the time slip between obstacles, especially at the end on the last 4 jumps. The Agility run a course by Jari Suomalainen. An interesting course that had its pitfalls. In the beginning I decided to go straight into the S-line from 2 to 3 to take full speed in the running direction. Dörte started with a good pace. We lost a bit in the turn from 6 to 7 and Dörte also allows herself a meter more at the entrance to the slalom. The dogwalk sequence could be run both left and right. Since Dörte is usually quicker on the outside than with an “In”, I decided to grow out in front of the dogwalk in order to lead the following jump as an outside. Unfortunately, I made a blind cross in front of the dogwalk. I know that Dörte likes to drift and bigger  turns, but since she always ran well on the line in previous runs, I thought it could also be good with a blind change. Unfortunately, that was not the case and we lost time again. Then I screw up the change before the seesaw, catastrophe…. Dörte didn’t come out of the tunnel well. I walked backwards trying to catch her and lost the orientation. But the most time we lost at the end. The end wasn’t easy. You had to secure the tunnel a little after the frame and it could happen that you were too late at the second to last  obstacle to give the line to the finish jump. I messed up the whole ending. Too late, bad timing and not pulled through, we reached a well deserved 4th place in this run.

Ein für mich ein ganz besonderes Team, denn von vier Hunden sind drei aus meiner Zucht. Aislinn und Wake sind Vollgeschwister und Ceed ist aus dem zweiten Wurf von Reav und somit ihre Halbschwester. Wir vier hatten uns ganz sicher vorgenommen gut zu sein und ich sagte immer: „Den Titel können wir uns mal holen Jungs.“ Das Finale auf der EO ist immer etwas Besonderes. Ein großer Parcours, welcher in vier Laufwege unterteilt wird. Dieses Jahr leider nicht so spannend wie die letzten Jahre, da die Wege sich sehr ähnlich waren. Wir versuchten die Parcours den jeweiligen Stärken des einzelnen Teams zuzuteilen. Da Max und ich auch im Team Small zusammen starteten  und für das Finale qualifiziert waren entschlossen wir uns, dieselben Wege zu laufen. Somit startete Max als Erstes und legte mit dem ersten fehlfreien Lauf eine gute Basis. Nach dem Pfiff ging es direkt für Jürgen mit Aislinn weiter, wieder ein super fehlerfreier Lauf. Dann kam mein Einsatz. Nervös aber mit Kampfgeist  gelang auch mir mit Ceed ein fehlerfreier Lauf. Unser Team Finale wurde dann noch von  Christian mit Wake mit einem gewohnt souveränen Nuller abgerundet. Unsere Laufzeiten mit 4 Nullern absolut stark und somit haben wir gewonnen!!!!   EUROPAMEISTER TEAM LARGE 2022 !! Richtig cool. Damit holt sich Ceed ihren zweiten großen Titel und macht  gemeinsam mit Ailsinn und Wake ihre Mutter Reav stolz, die in der Vergangenheit ebenfalls 2-mal diesen Titel gewonnen hat. 

Also in this final Max started and began with a shock. Phew but went well again. Steffi ran a nice and calm clean run on 2nd position. Unfortunately, Dörte didn’t remain flawless, she jumped into a frame, mistake!! We stayed clear the rest of the course. It’s a shame, but that’s just bad luck and she’s allowed to make a mistake. Nadine with Pebbles remained flawless. Just unlucky because our time was unbeatable and in medium and also large it was possible to get on the podium with one mistake. Unfortunately only in small it just lasts for the 5th place.

In conclusion, I can say that this EO was one of the best I’ve run so far. Maybe not according to the result but from everything around it. Good organization, great location and a great German group. Also the sociability did not miss out and despite my annoying horse allergy I survived, thanks to the tablet!

I am happy with my dogs. Ceed continues to develop and has done really well. Dörte will soon be 8 and it’s just that the best years were taken away from us by Corona. I’m hoping for a good AWC with both of them and I’ll start preparing for it soon.

The final course was built by Jari Suomalainen. For a final the course could have been a bit more difficult/ exciting from my point of view. The classes Medium/ Large were luckier., especially Medium. Nevertheless the course was good to run. I knew exactly that I had to be fast and hoped for a fast and motivated Dörte, even on the third day. Because I was the defending champion of 2019, I should not have done the Individual runs before. But how do you decide? A situation in which I could only lose, I think. On Friday I thought back and forth whether Dörte would start on Saturday or not. Maybe it would have been good if she could have saved her strength. The other way around, processes and routine are important to her and sign off runs on an EO is kinda weird too. I started as you can see from the videos. We managed a pretty good run but unfortunately not a perfect run. I tried to gain time somehow over the entire run, but at which points…? I ran the slalom to take the speed with me to the next jump and to give Dörte the best possible line in the slalom. The seesaw was fast and good. I think from 12 to 13 (in the tunnel under the dogwalk) we lost a little time. But the turn in front of the catwalk was definitely our vice title 😩. Dörte doesn’t take the turning command seriously, jumps out and has to start from scratch, which was expensive. The rest of the run was then back on track. But unfortunately it wasn’t enough. The winner Angie Benacquisto with Sundae (Border Collie x Parson Rüssel Terrier) is unbeatable for me with Dörte in such a course. But it could have been enough for second place, because we usually leave Bibi far behind. That’s agility and I’ve given up being unhappy with a third place because it’s just stupid! So Dörte and I finished third at this year’s EO. So Dörte now knows all the podiums on the EO. Vice winner 2017, winner 2019 and third place 2022. Good small and above all constant dog.

A speacial team for me because three of four the dogs are from my breed. Aislinn and Wake are full siblings and Ceed is from Reav’s second litter and is therefore their half sister. The four of us had made up our minds to be good and I said them: ”We can get the title guys.” The final at the EO is always something special. A large course, which is divided into four running ways. This year, unfortunately, not as exciting as the last few years, because the ways were very similar. We tried to allocate the courses to the respective strengths of the individual teams. Since Max and I also started together in Team Small and were qualified for the finals, we decided to run the same routes. So Max started first and laid a good basis with the first clean run. After the whistle, Jürgen continued straight away with Aislinn, another super flawless run. Then I started nervously but with fighting spirit I also managed a clear run with Ceed. Our team final was then rounded off by Christian with Wake with the usual sovereign clean run. Our running time with 4 clean runs is absolutely strong and therefore we have won!!!! EUROPEAN CHAMPION TEAM LARGE 2022 !! Really cool. Ceed gets her second big title and together with Ailsinn and Wake makes her mother Reav proud who has also won this title twice in the past.

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3 Comments

  1. Claudette Mo

    Tobi, the Small dog team final video is not shown. Only the Large dog team final, twice.

    • Tobias Wüst

      Thanks Claudette, now it must be correct.

  2. Anne Lise Soleide

    Wow, congratulation with great runs! I was watching at real time. It was so great to now be able to see your analysis of the runs. Thank you!

    Looking forward to AWC 🙂

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