By MELANIE D. HAYES
New Castle will soon be invaded by furry creatures — dozens of pooches wanting to show off their disc-catching and acrobatic skills. And they all want to be named top dog.
The Indy Dog & Disc Club and the Henry County Convention & Visitors Bureau will be hosting the 2006 Hyperflite Skyhoundz Canine Disc North Central Championship from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the New Castle High School football field, 801 Parkview Drive.
Mixed-breed and purebred dogs will compete nose-to-nose by catching Frisbees and putting on shows for the title of regional champion and to earn a spot in the World Championship.
At least 75 dogs will compete from the north central region, which includes Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This region is the largest of the seven in the U.S. and Canada and the majority of the teams are from Indiana, said Amy King, event director for The Indy Dog & Disc Club.
All dogs and owners are invited to compete and don’t need to be a member of the club. Teams can preregister until 5 p.m. today at a cost of $15 for the first event, and $10 for each additional event. Competitors can also register at the championship for $20 for the first event, and $15 for more events.
The events taking place Saturday are the competitions necessary to qualify for the World Championship, which are Sept. 23 and 24 in Atlanta, Ga.
Any dog of any size, breed or age can compete in the championship. There is no breed that stands out as the most common competitor, but herding dogs are one group that seem to participate the most in disc-catching tricks, King said.
“On Saturday we will have freestyle, which is different tricks with dogs,” King said. “You can do a dance with your dog on the field, do different throws, dogs vault off your back, chest, knees. It is really cool. The dance moves in freestyle are a lot of fun to watch.”
Another qualifying category is the pairs. This is just the third year for this category, and the second year the world championship has included it.
“One dog and two handlers work together,” King said. “It’s new and real cool. We have a dog running from one to the other, and they work together in tricks.”
The straight distance/accuracy category has an owner throw out a disc and a dog must run out, catch it and bring it back. The teams try to do as many rounds as they can in 60 seconds, the farther the better from 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards. Dogs that catch the discs in the air get an extra half-point.
The fourth category is for microdogs, where smaller dogs can compete against pooches their own size.
Members of the North Central region won three of the four categories at the World Championship last year. The microdog champ was from Chicago, the distance/accuracy champ is from Ohio, and the freestyle champ — which is considered the overall top dog — is from New Castle.
On Sunday there will be more freestyle demos and competitions, but not those needed to qualify for the world championship. Some of the events include timed-trials, which means a dog must make two successful 20-yard catches as fast as possible, and extreme distance with the farthest throw.
“All the events are wonderful,” said King, who started The Indy Dog & Disc Club with her husband in 2000. “There is a bond that is created with your dog, that you just don’t get in most anything else you can do. We have championships to bring new experiences to club members. It’s a really nice event for the Midwest.”
King invites everyone to either form teams and bring in their dogs to compete, or just stop by to watch the entertaining dog shows.
“It’s just a lot of fun to the watch dogs do really amazing things,” she said. “We have three world champs, and at least two will be there as well as a lot of world finalists. They are just awesome dogs. Come out and see them do amazing feats and great catches.”
For more information on the events or to register a team call (404) 350-9343 or log on to www.skyhoundz.com or www.d-dog.com.
What: 2006 Hyperflite Skyhoundz Canine Disc North Central Championship
When: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: New Castle High School football field, 801 Parkview Drive
Cost: Free to the public. To compete, $15 for first event, $10 for each additional event with preregistration. On-site registration is $20 for first event, $15 for additional ones.
For more information or to register call (404) 350-9343 or log on to www.skyhoundz.com or www.d-dog.com.
