Pat’s Perspective
Day Four of 2019 NARC
“The Bounce Of The Ball”
As we enter the 4th day of this
years National Amateur Championship, I am reflecting on my experiences of past
nationals. There are many factors that
play a role in one’s success at a national.
We are on the 2nd day of the 4th series.
This test will last about a day and a half. Over the course of that time, the conditions can vary greatly. Especially in these earlier series, the time
in which you run can determine your destiny.
The two factors that will affect the test is the changing of wind
direction and lighting conditions. When
you look at the callbacks, you will notice stretches of dogs that are out. As well as consecutive dogs still
playing. These are likely to be determined
by favorable and unfavorable conditions.
The winner of most nationals, is the one that is able to overcome
running a test in unfavorable conditions.
After visiting with some of yesterday’s handlers, the ones that ran in
the afternoon had great difficulty picking out the long retired gunners. When the sun was no longer at your back, the
gunners became backlit. Sometimes a very
subtle wind change can dramatically alter the difficulty level of a test. In every sport, competitors will experience
good and bad breaks. This game is no
exception. Sometimes the outcome comes
down to “the bounce of the ball”.
