Schwaben Trophy – Teamtest

Sunday 2nd of april 2006

We slept well after yesterday’s marathon. Another bright crisp morning. There are 18 teams of three dogs.
The competition is fierce. The best teams of the IWT 2005, excellent Italians, Austrians and Germans. Tough! All we can do is give our best.

Malcolm Stringer – 2 marks and blind very close together, from over water
Finally the thick ice in this lake has melted from two days sunshine. The little lake is surrounded by reed and young trees. At the back a mark is shot to the right, then some 10m to the left the second mark falls and a third shot is not marked but lies another 15m left and deeper. We have to tell the judge beforehand in which order we send what dog for what specific dummy. So close to one another! Piet sends Cher to the right one. Near the dummy she’s out of view, so our nerves increase. But she’s back before we see her at the second dummy and so Luca is sent for the 2nd mark. Just a fine mark. When I send Frodo he seems to go straight, but uses the water and edges to bend towards the marks. I decide to let him go deep enough first and send him then left-out! Did I notice some slight disobedience there? Well, after a bit of good work, it results in a fine retrieve. We get 48/60 points.

Lynn Stringer – 1 mark and 2 blinds
We are allowed to choose our own position and who’s working for what. A mark falls in the middle over the path, then a shot is fired to the far right and the third is soundless to the left. Cher works from our midst on the mark first. To the right Petra sends Luca straight through the long dip between the hills… where it bends it turns to the right and Luca is swiftly out of sight. Petra trusts him and keeps wisely silent. Just at the bend, he needs to go uphill. But Luca searches his grounds systematically his way back and shows very nice work!! The blessing for not whistling! I send Frodo to the dark place deep in the forest in the direction indicated before. He needs to pass a few bunkers and so I have to put him back on track in the forest, before he disappears out of view. I trust my dog – the only thing I can do – and am not disappointed. 57/60 pt.

Roger Tozer – three marks of some sort
When Roger asks us which dog of our team is best, nobody cares to admit that. I’m only prepared to send my dog for that dummy. We do a short walk up and a barely visible mark falls at the right in the valley. Cher picks that nicely. We get on when a shot sounds in front, left from the path, but nothing has been seen. I think it is to the left since I saw something there; Petra stops her dog and hesitates wisely where Luca shows he’s got scent from the right side. Oh foolish me!
After another short walk a mark falls and rolls deep down on my left. Oh, is that supposed to be difficult? Trust Frodo! He needs a slight diversion to get there but this is exactly what he is so good at and he shows it! 58/60 points.

Mark Bettinson – three times the same mark in a walk up
In open field Mark has picked himself a fast test today. At very long range, over a path and another field a mark is thrown. As captain Frodo has to go first. He has marked a lot better than I have and is wisely not listening. The judge comes to his rescue. Next Cher shows her marking ability as sharp as Luca does after her. Full marks: 60/60.

Graham Roberts – walk up on narrow meadow with three marks
Forest left and right. We walk for some ten meters when the first shot is fired ahead and dummy thrown from right just into the forest. Next some 30m deeper a dummy is thrown in the cover at the right, and next another dummy is thrown way to the right, deep in dark forest. The left one is to come in first. Luca shows decent marking. The deeper is next for Frodo. He is slightly off balance since he almost passes the mark and when I interfere he is obviously not listening but gets scent. We have send the next dog as soon as the other dog is on his way back. This way – when you don’t mess it up – the last dog needn’t wait too long and Cher shows her good memory. We get 51/60 points.

Gaby Kuehlem – three marks
We have a walk up on a long meadow near the wood. When ahead a shot sounds a dummy is thrown into the wood. We walk on when we’re warned to look back where a double mark falls far at the back of the meadow. Luca goes for the first mark over bunkers and it takes only a moment to find the dummy. Cher has turned quick enough to mark the far dummy’s well and demonstrates it. When just on her way back I send Frodo. He races out slightly to the right to avoid Cher coming in, but makes it a perfect mark. I am still puzzled that when working fast it takes a point, but that’s a detail. In an ordinary days picking up, you want the job done quick and quiet. Not now? Well, who cares; we get 59/60 points.

It’s still early when we have finished. There is a run off between Italian and German team with one dog of either team. For first and second place?? Diner comes at three o’clock and we enjoy the afternoon sun better now after only half a marathon. When the sheets with results walk in, the tension grows. 4th was the German team, so Italy 3rd. I have no hopes since our near perfection may not have been good enough. When 2nd place is said to be team number 14 with Nel Barendregt my mind is still focussing to find out who that is, when it dawns to me: US!
The German team that won the IWT last year got first again.

It all depends on the nice competitors whether they allow you to score better.

For more info see Schwaben Trophy website.