Pairs Freestyle Added to World Championship

2005 Pairs Freestyle World Championship Title Up for Grabs at 2005 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship

In 2004 Skyhoundz and Hyperflite introduced a new demonstration event – Pairs Freestyle – for Skyhoundz Regional Championships. As the name implies, Pairs Freestyle is essentially choreographed Freestyle employing two throwers and one canine.

This event featured two handlers (of any sex or age) competing as a team with up to 10 discs (from any manufacturer per our disc policy) in routines lasting 90 seconds.

A number of teams gave Pairs Freestyle a try last year and several of these teams performed during breaks at the 2004 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship in Atlanta.

To make a long story short, we have decided to honor the requests of a number of Pairs Freestylers and establish a World Pairs Freestyle title that will be in contention at this year’s Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.

The top two scoring teams at each Hyperflite Skyhoundz Regional Championship will receive invitations to compete in Atlanta for the inaugural World Pairs Freestyle Championship title.

At all levels of competition, Pairs Freestyle routines will be judged according to the same PAWZ criteria as regular Freestyle with one exception. An additional Teamwork category will be added and judged on a 1-10 point scale. Teamwork takes into consideration the relationship, choreography, field use, and fluidity of movement of the team during the routine. Pairs Freestyle teams do not compete in a Distance/Accuracy round. We believe strongly that this new Hyperflite Skyhoundz event has the potential to be great fun for competitors and to double the pleasure for the canine team member.

From the judging perspective, Pairs Freestyle routines should feature the substantial involvement of the canine. In other words, the judges will be looking for routines that aren’t merely human Freestyle routines with an occasional throw to the canine team member.

Throwing from human-to-human (without an intervening canine catch) though regarded as a transfer, would potentially impact the various applicable scoring categories. For example, if a transfer is executed cleanly and adds to the routine, it could positively impact a team’s score in the Teamwork category. A miss would have the opposite impact. Although transfers not involving the competing canine certainly could be an interesting and exciting component of a pairs routine, human-to-human throwing interaction should be balanced so as to highlight the significant involvement of the canine. Always, the emphasis will be on the canine.

To all the Paris Freestyle teams that will be competing to win a 2005 Hyperflite Skyhoundz World Pairs Freestyle title, we say, semper fido and good luck!

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