2006 Disc Dog Season
Hyperflite kicks off the 2006 disc dog season with a full slate of contests including local events in many of the 50 states, seven U.S. regional qualifiers, the DiscDogathon series and finally, the World Championship, held in Atlanta, Georgia this September. In international news, Skyhoundz Qualifiers will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands this spring, with a Canadian qualifier to follow in late summer. Look for more international competitions in 2007.
Just as in previous years, invitations to the World Championship are extended, at each Regional or International Qualifier, to the top four teams in the Open Division; the top four teams in the Sport Division; the top two competitors in the MicroDog Division; and the top two competitors in the Pairs Freestyle Division.
With the rousing success of the “first-ever” Pairs Freestyle World Championship at the 2005 World Championship, competitors from all over the world are hard at work on innovative routines to give defending World Champions Frank Buckland and Shannon Bilheimer a run for their money.
While were on the subject of Pairs Freestyle, Hyperflite has announced that Pairs Freestyle will now be added to the menu of Hyperflite events from which DiscDogathon hosts may select.
The following additional changes to the Hyperflite DiscDogathon™ Series have been announced.
For 2006, each Hyperflite DiscDogathon host will choose from a menu of seven Hyperflite events including: Freestyle, TimeTrial, Extreme Distance, Spot Landing, Bullseye, Boomerang, and Pairs Freestyle. In addition, DiscDogathon host organizations may choose up to three Club Choice events in their discretion.
Bullseye is a fast-paced and updated derivation of the circular distance format in which two discs may be used. Boomerang is essentially Maximum Time Aloft (MTA) for canines. Spot Landing allows the host organization to configure circular scoring zones in different locations on the competition field. TimeTrial is a timed event in which competitors race to make two successful 20-yard catches in the shortest time. Freestyle will be a stand-alone two-minute event with no distance component using the PAWS scoring system. Extreme Distance rewards long distance catches. Pairs Freestyle is freestyle with a team composed of two human throwers and one canine. Each human team member may use up to five discs.
Trophies will be awarded to the top-three finishers in each DiscDogathon event in both Novice and Open Classes.
As in previous years, an essential feature of the DiscDogathon Series is that each DiscDogathon event will be stand-alone: administered and judged by the dog and disc club that hosts the event. The host organization may select from the menu of official events as well as add “club choice” events to best serve the needs of the competitors who will be attending. There are no geographic restrictions, and competitors are free to compete in as many Hyperflite DiscDogathon events as they wish.
For disc dog enthusiasts, 2006 is certainly shaping up to be the “Year of the Dog.” With the smorgasbord of Hyperflite competitions scheduled for the year, “Rover” should have his bowl full. To all canine and human participants in disc dog sports, the Hyperflite family wishes each of you a safe and fun competitive year.