CELEBRATION, Fla. — After the first jump of the semifinals of the Great Outdoor Games inaugural Launch competition, none of the eight dogs competing was ready to give up a medal. Only two of the eight had sprung high enough to snatch the suspended bumper from the air — 6 feet, 8 inches above the water — , but six dogs remained tied for the third spot on the medal stand.

The rules of the Launch state that if there is a tie, the bumper must be lowered or raised until it is broken. In the next round, three of the six potential bronze medalists made clean catches at 6 feet, 6 inches. So again, the bumper was raised, this time to 6 feet, 7 inches.

Black Jack and owner Dave Breem were up first. The 5-year-old black Lab mix came to the stage salivating. Breem told him to "sit" and "stay" as he walked towards the end of the dock, but the dog was unable to keep his rear on the ground and instead rocked back and forth in a crouch position. Each time Breem turned his back, the dog would inch forward. When his owner gave the signal, Black Jack took off and just missed.

Kota, a two-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer handled by David Heinsohn missed next. Just before the final dog jumped, Mike McWilliams pointed to the decoy and told his Labrador Retriever, Koko, to bring it home. She complied, grabbing the bumper and the bronze.

For the Launch finals, the bumper was set at 6 feet, 11 inches, one inch above the world record height. The world record holders, Nestle and handler Angela Jones, were matched against Sly and Ken Butler. Sly had two shots and missed both. On each occasion, Sly circled back under the hanging decoy empty-handed in the water, reaching his neck up toward it in last-ditch efforts for silver.

Meanwhile, Nestle pulled Jones onto stage and ran circles around her. All the Labrador Retriever needed to do was knock one end of the bumper from the binder clip holding it in place. On his second jump, as his teeth scraped the bumper and it remained in place, a communal sigh was heard from the bleachers. But with four clean catches in competition, Nestle and Jones had enough tie-breaker points to become the first ever gold medalists in the Launch competition.

The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 13-17, 2005. Click here for the broadcast schedule.

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