Contratulations to the Winners of the
2008 Meghan and Dormarth Awards Each year at our Spring USDAA trial, Saguaro Scramblers awards the highest scoring Arizona Masters and Performance dogs special awards of recognition. This year the Meaghan (Masters) Award goes to Karen Gloor and Jam, and the Dormarth (Performance) Award goes to Gail Roper and Keely. The Meaghan Award was instituted in 2000, while this was the first year of the Dormarth Award. Congratulations are in order for both of these fine teams.
2008 Membership Renewal
TPC Citizenship Picnic
A BIG THANKS to all of the club members who participated in todays (5.3.2007) demo for the TPC Citizenship Picnic event. 40 8th graders from Tucson's middle schools were recognized for their community leadership. The agility demonstration was the highlight of the day's activities. Throughout the day the kids, officers, and the command staff who attended complimented our handlers! For many, this was their first taste of agility and you all made a wonderful impression! Thanks again to Nancy and Bob Daliege, Arna Emerick, David Ring, Sheryl Katzen, Cindy Tracy, Karen Blohm-Mangone. — Sue Roeder and Sheryl Nosbish Photos of the Elicia Calhoun Seminar
On April 15, many brave souls tolerated very high winds at the Amphi Wetmore site for two seminars given by Elicia Calhoun. She presented tons of useful theory and foundation (maybe too much for some people?), then put working teams through exercises as a follow-up. Many thanks go to Bruce McClelland of bamphoto and Chrissy Donovan for the photos of the seminar. See if you recognize anyone. Click here to view the photos.
Agility Dog Dictionary
A-frame: a long slinky-like pipe that is fun to run through. AKC: an agility organization that also has beauty contests, though no one knows why. Chute: what your human says when you take the "long slinky-like pipe that is fun to run through" once too often. COME! go immediately to your human as soon as you're finished with the next three obstacles. Contact: what your human says to get you to start your engine and take to the skies. Damnit: a dog title similar to Dr. for humans, or MACH for some dogs: e.g., Dr. Smith, MACH Fifi, and Damnit Rex. Quiet!: means you should cheer on the dog running the course. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, cheer louder for those dogs you don't particularly like, but cheer loudest of all for the dogs that live with you. STAY!: an agility command that means wait until your human turns her back on you, and then quickly take the first few obstacles while she tries to catch up. Table: one of the few shady spots on the course. Teeter: a long slinky-like pipe that is fun to run through. Touch: what your human says to get you to jump over the yellow zone on contact obstacles. Triple: a long slinky-like pipe that is fun to run through. Tunnel: a long slinky-like pipe that you run through anytime you
don't know which obstacle your human wants you to take. Can also be
taken because you prefer it to the obstacle your human wants you to USDAA: a government organization that employs people with really good noses. Their job is to decide if meat should be eaten or rolled in. The 2007 Meaghan Award was awarded to Jeannine Doepke and Jack, her 5-year old Border Collie. The Meaghan Award was instituted in the spring of 2000 and is given each year to the highest scoring Arizona Masters dog at the Saguaro Scramblers spring USDAA trial. The winner is calculated using standard runs only [SCT – (dog’s time + faults)] = highest score wins.
Jack and Jeannine compete in AKC, NADAC and USDAA, and they train with Jumping Chollas Agility Club and Phoenix Flyers in the Phoenix area. They are frequent entrants to our Saguaro Scramblers shows in Tucson.
Meaghan Deer Chaser was an outstanding Miniature Schnauzer owed by long-time Saguaro Scramblers club member, Ray Weick. Ray and Meaghan were an exemplary display of teamwork and sportsmanship. Together they qualified in seven regional Grand Prix events, winning five. They ran in seven National semi-finals and one national final in 1996. In 1996 they were also members of the mini-relay team which placed second. In July 1994 Meaghan and Ray became the first team in Arizona to go MAD and earned their ADCH in 1996. In November 1999 Meaghan was tragically lost in an accident. Previous Winners2000 – Mariah (Border Collie) & Chris Hill — Photos courtesy of bamfoto and Jim Still Unregistered Contestant Crashes
Our NADAC Show — Brings Own Tunnel
Bruce McClelland of bamfoto captured this gopher on the Touch-N-Go course at our December 2005 NADAC show. The critter created unwanted obstacles not shown on the course sheets.
Many thanks go to Sue and Susie, Cheryl/Skye, Nancy/Nali, Janet/Rosie, Carol/Holly/Kinzi, Chrissy/Soldier Boy, Val/Buddy/Duke, Cerise/Sena, and Paul/Rudy. Paul was also able to get us a couple of short spots on Channel 4 news that day. Way to go, Scramblers!!
— Photos courtesy of Janet Luft Jim Still & Salsa(s)
Demonstrate Proper Jumping Technique
No, Jim hasn't cloned Salsa. This bit of digital magic was created with video frame grabs and special "stitching" software to digitally piece the sequence together. Hmmm...seems like someone could make some extra cash doing this!! (Video courtesy of Donna Still) Ed. Note: This photo appeared in the October 2004 issue of Clean Run. Check it out. |
A 14-month old Jack came to her through 
Jeannine says, "I want to thank the Saguaro Scramblers for sponsoring the Meaghan Award. The past winners of the Meaghan Award are all awesome teams that I have looked up to since I started agility. It is quite an honor to be one of the teams that has won the award. Thank you Scramblers."
On May 6th, Sue Roeder and her secretary, Susie Fain, put on an agility demo at Sierra MIddle School in conjunction with the Tucson Police Department and their G.R.E.A.T. program. Scramblers members (see below) designed the courses, brought their own equipment and ran their dogs for the kids, primarily 6th graders. There were approximately 200 spectators for the event. Scramblers ran their dogs, then set up two identical sequences for the kids to race the dogs through the course. This format has always been well-received by the kids, and this was no exception. 
G.R.E.A.T. stands for Gang Resistance Education and Training. It is one of the most comprehensive summer youth programs in the U.S., offering a diversity of educational and recreational programs for Tucson's youth. It is offered through the Tucson Police Department. Our own Sue Roeder is a School Resources Officer for TPD, working with Tucson kids at the grade school level to keep them out of trouble. 
