First Trial! Pitstop and Slingshot

The first CPE trial that we signed up for was a SpeedWay, which included Slingshot, Pitstop, Pole Position, and Hairpin, hosted by our home club, Medina Swarm. Your club will post the event and then people can sign up for it. CPE is really open to all, and they have a calendar on their website for other trials at other clubs. If this is something you want to explore, the very first thing you have to do is register with the sponsoring organization, in this case, Canine Performance Events. Once you become a member, then you can sign up for trials.

Each trial has a sign-up sheet called a Premium. Within the premium should be everything you need to know about the trial: dates, times, location, information on the ring and host club, rules for the specific trial, general rules from CPE, cost, closing date, and the classes, levels, and rounds that they’ll offer. Plus a lot more information. You fill out the premium and then typically mail it to the person indicated on the premium with your check or credit card information (depending on the club or sponsoring organization) for the fees. You should do this prior to the closing date listed on the premium. Some clubs will take what’s called day of show entries however, they are typically more expensive, and if the trial is filled then you’re out of luck. 

Even with four pages of information, and reading all the rules from the website, I still didn’t know how to fill out the premium 100%. I had to ask, “Do you pay per class no matter how many rounds you sign up for, or do you pay per round?”

You pay per round. I decided to sign up for only four rounds, two each of Slingshot and Pitstop, and my fee was $52 for the day.

When we arrived at the trial that morning, that’s when the learning really began.

1. There’s no need to be nervous. Even the experienced handlers and their dogs mess up sometimes.
2. There’s no need to be nervous. Once you’re in the ring, it’s just you and your dog. Even if you’re messing up, you can’t help but laugh.
3. There’s no need to be nervous. Everyone there has been in your shoes before.
4. There’s no need to be nervous. You and your dog are awesome.

Additionally!

1. The course marshal and/or the trial secretary will gather everyone around before the trial starts and let you know what you need to know for the day.
2. It is your responsibility to make sure that everything for your runs is recorded correctly. If there are any discrepancies, you have to report them prior to the end of the trial. 
3. You earn points for how fast you and your dog are! 
4. You don’t need to know everything before you get there.

Once again, for those of us in the back, or with crippling anxiety. You Don’t Need To Know Everything Before You Get There!

We started with Pitstop, which is an all tunnels course. For this trial, between rounds the tunnels themselves weren’t moved, but the order in which your dog entered them did change. You’re given a few minutes to walk the course prior to the start time. The judge decides how long, and for our host club, it’s pretty lenient, making sure everyone has plenty of time to see the course. Even given that, the trial then runs fast, particularly since each dog is only given a minute to complete the course. We had 10 or 12 dogs or so in the first round, and it was completed in less than 20 minutes. 

Here’s a video of our very first run in Pitstop, narrated by Shane McConnell.

Slingshot is similar to Pitstop, just adding hoops to the tunnel course. Hoops are not raised off the ground, so not jumps. Literally, a hula-hoop attached to the floor. Many handlers use the word “jump” for this, and I was using that in our first trial. But, since then, we’ve started to use the word “through”. As in, go through the hoop. Journey seems to respond to “through” better for the hoops. Also, for these courses, the tunnels and hoops aren’t moved between rounds, but the order that you enter them in does change. There is one other special consideration for Slingshot. There are “lines” added to the floor on certain areas of the course, which adds to the difficulty if you choose. The idea is for you to stay behind one or both lines and direct your dog from a distance. If you successfully do this, you can receive extra points. They call this a multiplier. You do not have to do the multiplier if you don’t want to. 

Here’s a video of one of our Slingshot runs, also narrated by Shane McConnell. 

We didn’t stay for the entire trial, leaving after Slingshot, but for the six rounds we were there for, we were done in less than three hours. We did two rounds of Pitstop, then two rounds of Slingshot. I was so nervous and excited about our first trial. Journey was so excited when we entered the ring, that she just got the zoomies and barely listened. Sigh. So, we didn’t complete any of the courses or received any qualifying times, but I got the experience to know what to expect for next time. We had fun, we laughed, and that’s all that matters.