Training, teamwork required to win Flyball competition By Mark Waslick Special to GOG Flyball demands speed, agility, timing and teamwork. Flyball returns to the Great Outdoor Games, bringing eight teams of four highly trained and motivated canine athletes. The teams race side-by-side on two separate racing lanes and cover more than a 400-foot course in approximately 17 seconds. The four competitors that make up a team race one at a time, clearing four jumps, grabbing a ball in their mouth and returning over the same four jumps along the way before the next teammate takes the course — all the while barking and howling with encouragement. Flyball is a team event that originated on the west coast in the 1970s. The course is 51 feet in length with four jumps and a Flyball Box at the turn around. As each dog hits the box at the turn, it releases a tennis ball into the air — hence the name Flyball. Speed and agility are prized attributes in Flyball, so it's no surprise that Border Collies are featured among the list of competitors. However, terriers and mixed breeds often fill out the ranks. In Flyball, breeding takes a backseat to enthusiasm, energy and drive to compete. In fact, about a third of the dogs competing are rescues from local animal shelters. Each team is made up of six dogs (two are alternates), a handler for each dog, a box loader who is responsible for placing the balls in the Flyball box and a line coach. When two teams compete side-by-side with dogs and handlers running in all directions and encouragement from both teams reaching a fevered pitch, it's easy to assume a group game of fetch has gone bad. But don't mistake the excitement for chaos. To stay at the top of their game, these teams train constantly. Each day, individual team members work with their dogs, building and maintaining stamina with a cross-training regimen that includes swimming and hill work. At least twice a week the dogs and handlers gather for team practice during which the intricacies of strategy, technique and teamwork are emphasized. Flyball becomes a way of life, where sportsmanship, camaraderie and friendship are placed above the winner's podium Handlers are responsible for starting the dogs and gathering them again after they run, all the while urging them on. The common start/finish line pass is critical — called an exchange. Only after any part of the preceding dog's body crosses the finish line can the next dog cross the start line. A nose-to-nose pass at the line is perfect. Since these races are quick — about seventeen seconds — even a small delay in an exchange can be enough to cost the team the race. Even more costly is an early exchange. The dog guilty of crossing the line early must run his leg again. Handlers are responsible for giving their team a clean run. The order in which the dogs run is carefully thought out. The start dog is tireless and competitive to get the team off to a fast start. The number two and three dogs are usually the most experienced and confident — they must maintain their concentration while making a tight pass within the racing lane with the next dog. The anchor position goes to the dog with the greatest desire to win. A deeper strategy among top teams involves finding a small, fast dog. Since hurdle height is set four inches below the shoulder of the smallest dog in a given heat, it is advantageous to enter a small "height dog" to set your team's hurdles as low as possible. There is no mistaking these dogs for anything but trained athletes, they even have their ankles taped to prevent damage to their pads and dew claws, as well as to give them support against impact with the Fly Box. But even among the top teams, these dogs are pets first. Most are attracted to the sport as a way of spending more time with their dogs; the competition just grew from that relationship. Owners value the time they spend with their dogs — the training, traveling and competing, not just the showing up and winning. For many, Flyball becomes a way of life, where sportsmanship, camaraderie and friendship are placed above the winner's podium. That's a good thing, because traveling to the ESPN Great Outdoor Games this summer will be a group project for many of the teams. Defending Champion Rocket Relay from Hamilton, Ontario will arrive via a seven-hour drive in vans. That's relatively easy compared to what Las Vegas's Touch-N-Go travel plans include. They will drive to Los Angeles and then take an all night redeye to New York, all in order to avoid exposing the dogs to the dangers of summer heat. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories