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Nice weather, little wind,
and not one single foot-fault the entire day. Denver seems to have
established a history of that, no foot-faults. While I was not supposed to
be there, with the help of Matt DiAno and Kerry Samet, the stealthy Jeff Hoot
with camera in hand slipped in the back door quietly.
WOMEN’S DIVISION.
Heat (1) had the local girls of Deb Williamson, Becky Mueller, and
Jennifer Brisse trying to stop a California girl, Cindy
DelCorto. They were unable to stop her. By a couple of meters, on a
borrowed dog, Cindy DelCorto and LC move onto the Finals. Heat (2) saw
Cathy Cramer & BONNIE take 4 throws total and edged out Katie Brisse &
GABBY by only one meter. Heat (3) was a strong effort by Kerry Samet &
XANDER, yet they were half a meter short and unable to get past Sherry
Gacke & STITCH. The Last Chance Heat was intense with the lead changing on
almost every thrower. By only one meter and having to use all 3 of their
throws, Kerry Samet & XANDER score for 38 meters to join the Finals.
WOMEN’S FINALS.
Round (1) Cathy Cramer & BONNIE got off to a good start by going 3 for 3
and a 25 meter catch. DelCorto, Samet, and Gacke though
wasted little time in showing Team BONNIE the exit. Round (2) Cindy
DelCorto & LC left themselves exposed on a 34.5 meter catch. It was too
much though for Kerry Samet & XANDER to overcome and they were the next to
feel the axe of elimination. In the Final Round Cindy DelCorto & LC grab
the lead on their first toss, 32 meters. Sherry Gacke & STITCH immediately
seize the lead on their first throw with a 39.5-meter catch. With a miss
on their second toss, it came down to the last throw from Cindy DelCorto &
LC. What a fine effort it was, but the 38.5-meter catch was one meter
short of what they needed. With solid consistent throwing and good timing
all day, Sherry Gacke & STITCH take home the win.
WOMEN’S OPEN DIVISION. Heat (1) She had long enough throws to get the job
done, but Amanda Guth & PISCO suffer the much-feared strikeout. Alycia
Pentencio & ARIES and Kelly Miller & RIO were clearly in the hunt, but it
was Christi C Sexton & BANZAI who passed onto the Finals. Heat (2) came
down to Marie Earle and Pennie Mahon. Bumping up their average throw in
the Final Round by a few meters, Pannie Mahon & GABE let it be know that
Texas has some talent too and they move onto the Finals. Heat (3) Gayle
O’Malley & MOLLY get a 41-meter catch in Round One, but it’s one-meter
short of what’s needed. Then Sierra Lyman lights the place up with a pair
of 55-meter throws. Unfortunately the much-feared strikeout scorches
Sierra Lyman & AWESOME. We have Jane Brunton & RINGO moving onto the
Finals with a catch of 42-meters. The Last Chance Heat looked like it was
going to be Alycia Pentencio & ARIES. When it was done though, by a
comfortable 5-meters, Sierra Lyman & AWESOME move into the Finals.
WOMEN’S OPEN FINALS. Round (1) Catches in the 40+ meter range got them
into the Finals. Then in the Finals Christi C Sexton could only muster a
throw of 34 meters for BANZAI to catch. It was short of what was needed by
half a meter, and Team BANZAI was toast. Round (2) Pennie Mahon & GABE
went 3 for 3 and a best catch of 39-meters. Jane Brunton & RINGO only
needed one throw while Sierra Lyman & AWESOME needed all 3 throws before
they turned Team GABE into toast. In the Final Round Jane Brunton & RINGO
grab the lead on their first throw (41.5-meters), and with a 3 for 3
effort never let go of it. Sierra Lyman & AWESOME went out swinging hard
though, as their last catch was good for 41-meters, but it was not good
enough to keep Jane Brunton & RINGO from another win in the Women’s Open
Division.
MEN’S DIVISION. It was a very large division. in Heat (1) the contenders
were Lou DelCorto & TANK, Darren Pahnke & DYNOMITE, and Russ Green &
MARIAH. The much-feared strike out got Lou DelCorto & TANK in Round (2).
Russ Green & MARIAH in the Final Round score for 57-meters to leave Team
DYNOMITE in the dust. Heat (2) saw Christopher Steele & CHEVY, Mark
Southerland & SKEETER, and Brent Broadstone & GUS giving each other the
business. Team SKEETER went down first and were then followed by Team
CHEVY as Brent Broadstone & GUS ride a 48-meter catch into the Finals. In
Heat (3) the contenders were Ryan Neis & LUNA, Darrel Earle & NANA, and
Doug Dornseif & OLLIE. The much-feared strike out got Team OLLIE, and then
Darrel Earle & NANA just edged out Ryan Neis & LUNA to send Team NANA onto
the Finals. A total of 18 teams went into the Last Chance Heat. Right down
to the last few teams, it took a catch of 51.5-meters for Daniel Faris &
COSMO to move onto the Finals.
MEN’S FINALS. Round (1) the toaster was working overtime as Brent Broadstone & GUS along with Russ Green & MARIAH suffered the much-feared
strikeout. It was Team MARIAH who came out of it still alive. Round (2)
Daniel Faris & COSMO dial up the toaster for extra crispy as the
much-feared strikeout takes them too. In the Final Round Darrel Earle &
NANA grab a commanding lead with their first catch of 58-meters. They had
catches in the 50’s earlier in the day, but all Russ Green & MARIAH could
produce was a 41-meter catch. After many years of almost making it all the
way, Darrel Earle scores his first win with NITRO NANA.
MEN’S OPEN DIVISION.
In Heat (1) QUAD rookies Jason Holland & DASH out
throw everyone in the division. Their very first QUAD experience however
becomes an introduction to the toaster, that’s right, the much-feared
strikeout. Jay Smartz & DURANGO and Chris Sexton & LAIKA then go toe to
toe in the Final Round. Jay Smartz & DURANGO pull off the upset for their
first appearance in the Open Finals. Heat (2) should have been easy for
Andy Busby & LC to advance out of. However, the much-feared strikeout
showed it’s ugly head once again. That left Matt DiAno & MAGGIE and Mark
Brisse & GABBY to decide the heat. For some reason Mark Brisse abandoned
his normal throwing motion and went with the forehand throwing motion, it
didn’t help. Matt DiAno took advantage of it and produced a 57-meter catch
to MAGGIE that sent them to the Finals. Heat (3) Mark Jennings & SKYLER
needed all 3 throws to avoid the much-feared strikeout. Shaun Johnson &
ROYAL gave it a very nice effort, but they too became victims of the
much-feared strikeout. This left James Commuso & JIGGS to deal with “The
Eliminator” (Mark Jennings). Suddenly Team JIGGS went from catches in the
upper 50’s and 60’s to throws in the mid to lower 40’s. It ended with Team
JIGGS also becoming victims of the much-feared strikeout and that sent
“The Eliminator” to the Finals. In the Last Chance Heat Jason Holland &
DASH went up against some serious talent. Their 71-meter catch was too
much for the rest of the field to deal with and that sent Team DASH onto
the Finals.
MEN’S OPEN FINALS. Round (1) Matt DiAno & MAGGIE’s 57-meter catch left
them exposed. The remaining 3 teams used a total of only 4 throws to send
the ice-cold razor sharp steel axe of elimination their way. Round (2)
found the toaster still hungry, and unfortunately for Jason Holland &
DASH, they were unable to get out of its pathway. Team DASH was the last
team of the day to be scorched by the much-feared strikeout. This left Jay
Smartz & DURANGO to deal with “The Eliminator.” The Final Round started
slow with some misses, and then Mark Jennings & SKYLER took the lead on a
62-meter catch. After having won last year’s Men’s Division, Jay Smartz &
DURANGO now stood at the throwing line in position to win the Men’s Open
Division on their last throw. The 56-meter catch they produced was over
6-meters short of what was needed, but what an impressive run they have
had. The day however belonged to “The Eliminator.” Mark Jennings & SKYLER
record their 3rd win in the Men’s Open Division. They now become one of
only 3 teams in striking range of quite possibly the most difficult
achievement in the disc dog sport, The QUAD QUAD (4 wins in the Open
Division).
As this write up was being typed a phone call came in, it was from Chris
Sexton. According to Chris this was LAIKA’s last competition, she is now a
retired pooch. For me personally I find it an incredible honor that
LAIKA’s last competitive throw came in The QUADRUPED. She leaves the
competitive circuit a 3-Time QUAD Champion, and that means there are now
only 2 teams in striking range of The QUAD QUAD.
Jeff
Hoot, Director
The QUADRUPED®
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