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2021 ESAA National Information![]() |
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Two Agility Trials In One
Chapter 1, Section 2 of the revised AKC agility rules, adopted January 1,
2010, states An AKC-recognized specialty club may offer a single breed
specialty agility trial in conjunction with another club’s all-breed
trial, sharing the same date, show site, equipment and judges. Specialty
trial participants shall be excluded from competing in the adjoining
all-breed trial. Both agility trials may be run together; however, each
club is required to maintain separate event records.
English Setters took advantage of this provision in the agility rules at
our National Specialty, held in November 2012, to have an agility trial
for English Setters Only co-located with an All-Breed agility trial.
Offering Time To Beat and all levels of Standard and Jumpers With Weaves
on Saturday and just Standard and JWW on Sunday, we had 39 runs on
Saturday and 27 runs on Sunday.
Fixed Expenses added up to more than $8,000, including rent for the venue,
rent for the equipment, rent for the truck to move the equipment, the
judge, the trial secretary, ribbons, trophies, and AKC application and
recording fees. If we had had only English Setters in the trial, the cost
per run would have been over $120. If we had only been able to use income
from English Setter entries, ESAA would have lost about $6,500 on the
trial. How many specialty or parent clubs would be willing to sustain that
kind of loss in order to offer agility at their National or regional
specialty?
The all-breed trials came to the rescue. By having the all-breed trials,
we were able to break even. With a more favorable date, we might have made
a healthy profit.
We chose to have the English Setters Only trials in conjunction with
all-breed trials, rather than simply host an all-breed trial that English
Setters could enter, so that English Setters could compete only with each
other for class placements. This meant that every English Setter with a
qualifying run got a placement and a trophy. Cost of holding two trials
for English Setters only in addition to the All-Breed trials, $200 in
additional application fees; the joy of English Setters placing at their
National Agility Trial: priceless.
The trial secretary set up two catalogs, one for English Setters and the
other for all breeds. The other breeds ran the courses at each jump height
first and their scores were recorded, and then all the English Setters in
their various jump heights ran the courses, and their scores were recorded
in their catalog. The spotlight was on English Setters while everyone
cheered us on.
This format might benefit other parent or specialty clubs whose
participation in agility might be so small that an agility trial for that
breed only would be unaffordable. Another club must lend their name as
sponsor to the all-breed trials, since AKC will not allow the specialty
club to sponsor two trials the same day.
Setting up the premium under this format was a challenge. You can look at
our premium at www.esaanational.com under Agility Trials. Our trial
secretary checked all the ins and outs of how to do this, and she might be
available to work your trial. Our judge and AKC were very helpful and
supportive. We encourage you to try it; you just might like it.