Tourneys
2006
Messages Posted to Flyballdogs.com
The following are all the 2006 tournament-related messageswe posted to the flyballdogs.com email list.
Note: Since we use/update some of our tourneys web pages each year, a few of the links below go to pages containing information that might only pertain to our upcoming tourneys (instead of our archived tourneys).
- August 16, 2005
Subject: Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys 2006
Have you always wanted to visit Alaska but the opportunity never presented itself? Well, now you have a perfect excuse to go -- flyball! Next June, Alaska Dogs Gone Wild will be hosting Alaska's very first flyball tournament. Don't miss out on this chance to become a part of flyball history by competing in what we believe will be the northernmost tournament ever on the longest day of the year -- summer solstice!
We are still firming up some of the details and are in the process of applying for NAFA sanctioning, but in the meantime, we hope the information listed below will pique your curiosity:
- You'll find information regarding our tournament on our website (which will be frequently updated with additional information).
- We will have two separate two-day tournaments on Wed-Thu, June 21-22, 2006 and Sat-Sun, June 24-25, 2006 at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer, AK, which is approximately 45 minutes outside of Anchorage (the nearest large airport). If necessary, we will use Friday and Monday as make-up days due to rain.
- The racing surface will be grass with >70' of runback in a very scenic location with mountains all around (for photos of the fairgrounds visit the fairgrounds page).
- Camping/RV parking will be available on site.
- There will be one full-time Supervising Judge. In addition, it appears that there will be at least five additional judges in attendance (one of which has Supervising status) from teams who have already expressed strong interest in coming. So, you can be assured that the racing will be fair :)
- There will be 24 hours of civil twilight (i.e., usable light) on June 21 with 19 hours and 22 minutes from sunrise to sunset!!! (Check out the following daylight calendar)
- The average high and low temperatures for Anchorage on June 21 are 63 F (17 C) and 48 F (9 C) -- although it was a scorching 72 F (22 C) on June 21this year. The dogs will love the cooler temps! You can find more weather and climate information here.
It's never too early to begin planning your trip! Please email me ( ) if you have any questions. Otherwise, I'll post additional announcements as we update our website in the coming weeks.
Curtis
- September 15, 2005
Subject: Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys -- Fun things to do!!!
Now that you've had some time to think about attending our Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys next June, let me sweeten the pot by providing an extensive list of fun things to do while you're here. The list will hopefully provide additional incentive for you to take the vacation of a lifetime…(as if the fame you will receive for participating in Alaska's very first flyball tournament is not enough <grin>!).
We've just posted the following webpage, which contains so many suggested activities that you'll need to take several trips to Alaska to fully satisfy your wanderlust.
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/fun.html
You'll notice lots of great opportunities for sightseeing, hiking, scenic drives, and various other tourist-related options. Alaska's playground of mountains, glaciers, and wildlife awaits you! With sufficient prodding, some members in our group may even share their favorite fishing spots with you. Also, don't forget that you'll have 24 hours of visible light during your stay with 19 hours and 22 minutes from sunrise to sunset on the summer solstice (June 21). So, why even take time out to sleep :)
We'll post additional updates to our website soon. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Curtis
- September 17, 2005
Subject: Driving to Alaska
I would like to share some statistics about driving to Alaska (at the risk of divulging my fondness for numbers):
First, lots of people drive to Alaska each year:
- During the summer of 2001, an estimated 72,900 visitors came to Alaska driving their personal vehicles (Table 4-2 of report 1 -- see below).
Furthermore, those who drove were undeterred by their experience. On the contrary, they would recommend Alaska to others:
- On a scale of 1 (=very unlikely) to 7 (=very likely), 94% of highway-arrival respondents gave ratings of >=5 regarding the likelihood that they would recommend Alaska as a vacation destination, with 73.2% responding that they would *very likely* recommend Alaska (Table 48 of report 2 -- see below).
And those who drove planned to come back themselves:
- 60% of highway-arrival respondents gave ratings of >=5 when asked about the likelihood that they would be vacationing in Alaska again (Table 50 of report 2 -- see below).
Not only is Alaska breathtaking to see, but there are many other equally interesting and scenic points along the Alaska Highway (e.g., Kluane Lake, YT, Liard Hot Springs, BC). My wife, Stacy, and I have driven to/from Alaska numerous times. Stacy even rode her bike from WA to AK. We never get tired of the scenery in our beautiful corner of the world!
If you want to take a great vacation AND play flyball, Alaska is the place to go. It'll definitely be worth the trip!
Curtis
References:
1.) Alaska
Visitor Arrivals and Profile Summer 2001 (pdf)
2.) Alaska
Visitor Expenditures and Opinions Summer 2001 (pdf)
- October 9, 2005
Subject: Alaska B4UDIE
Come participate in our Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys before it's too late!
Curtis
- December 13, 2005
Subject: Updates! -- Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys
We've updated our website with lots of new information to share regarding our tournaments next June (when we'll be getting 19 hours and 22 minutes from sunrise to sunset rather than the measly 5 hours 33 minutes we're getting right now!). Specifically, we added:
1.) An entry form for our tournaments.
ADGW
2006 entry form (pdf format)
Tourney
2006 entry form (html format)
2.) A tournament flyer to download and distribute as you see fit...please :)
Tourney flyer (pdf)
3.) A list of pet-friendly lodging options.
4.) Information on camping/RV parking (both on-site and in surrounding areas).
Since Alaska is a very popular vacation spot in June, we recommend that you make your reservations early.
Also, please keep in mind that the sooner your team(s) commit to attending, the more likely additional teams will also attend, which will make the tourneys even more enjoyable for everyone involved. And remember, there will be only *ONE* first flyball tournament in Alaska!
Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to hear from you soon!
Curtis
P.S. We're also finalizing the details for a 1-day glacier/wildlife boat tour that will include a group discount and likely take place after the tournaments on Tuesday, June 27...(more on that later!!!)
Subject: Alaska glacier/wildlife boat tour
This message is for those of you who are planning to participate in our Summer Solstice Tournaments in June. I am in the process of organizing a glacier/wildlife boat tour that will take place on the Tuesday after our tourneys (June 27, 2006). Many of our team members have taken this tour and highly recommend it. Please let me know how many folks on your team are interested. I need to start the wheels rolling on group reservations since summer tours fill up very quickly. Here are some of the details.
Boat tour
---------
- Departs from Seward, which is ~125 miles (2.5 hour drive) from Anchorage and ~165 miles (3.2 hour drive) from the tourney site in Palmer
- Ventures to portions of Kenai Fjords National Park
- Duration is 6 hours (11:30 AM - 5:30 PM)
- Cost is $119 + taxes/fees for adults, $59.50 for children (2-11) -- take off 10-15% depending on how many flyball folks decide to participate
- Includes a lunch provided on the boat
- Includes a visit to a calving tidewater glacier (either Holgate
Glacier or Aialik Glacier -- use http://images.google.com/
to Google these glaciers for some awesome photos!)
- Wildlife
viewing includes the possibility of seeing humpback whales, killer whales, sea otters, sea lions, puffins, porpoises, and many other critters!
Train
ride as an alternative to driving (round trip from Anchorage to Seward)
---------------------------------------
- A breathtakingly beautiful ride from Anchorage to Seward (6:45-11:05
AM) and back (6:00-10:15 PM)
- $103 for adults, $52 for children (2-11) -- take off 10% if >20 people participate
- Transportation is provided from the train depot to the boat harbor
Please let me know how many people on your team are seriously considering the boat tour, as well as WHICH of the following options each person would prefer:
1.) The
glacier/wildlife boat tour only
2.) The glacier/wildlife boat tour *AND* the train ride combined
After I get a better idea of how many people might participate, I'll send additional information regarding exactly how much money will be required and when I would need it in hand.
Thanks,
Curtis
P.S. Very soon, we plan to post a webpage with several recommended pet boarding and/or daycare options in our area.
- January 12, 2006
Subject: Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys - Archived Messages
Are you thinking about coming to our tourneys, but you've unfortunately deleted some of the tourney-related messages I've posted to the list? Well, I have good news! Our webmaster (aka my wonderful wife, Stacy) has created a webpage containing each of my previous posts. You can access the archived messages by either clicking on the associated link on our Additional Tournament Information page:
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/info.html
or by going directly to the following URL:
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/2006/messages.html
As always, let me know if you have any questions or if you need help with your travel plans to Alaska.
Curtis
- February 8, 2006
Subject: Boarding/daycare info for Alaska Tourneys
Hello potential Alaska Tourney boarding/daycare users,
We've updated our tourney website with a page that lists several recommended boarding/daycare options for your pets.
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/boarding.html
We especially recommend Arctic Tails for many reasons:
1.) It's
a high quality facility that many of our members use on a regular basis.
2.) Arctic Tails is offering generous discounts for tourney participants.
3.) It's owned and run by Vickie Young, who's a member of our flyball
team. Our group also has two additional members who work there.
4.) On the day of our glacier/wildlife tour, Vickie has agreed to accommodate
those folks who would like to either drop off their dogs early in the
morning before hopping on the train (or driving) to Seward and/or pick-up
their dogs after getting back in Anchorage late in the evening. Contact
Vickie for further details:
.
Although there are numerous other boarding/daycare facilities for pets in the Anchorage and Palmer areas, our group feels most comfortable recommending those facilities listed on our website.
Curtis
- March 7, 2006
Subject: Travel suggestions: Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys
We put together a webpage of travel suggestions. It includes suggestions for all participants, recommendations if you plan to do much driving or plan to travel via ferry, and information on border crossings. Check it out!
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/travel.html
Hope it's helpful!
Curtis
- March 9, 2006
Subject: Another Alaska sales pitch!
Even though the reasons for coming to our Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys (June 21-22, 24-25) are far too numerous to list, I'd like to share a few:
1.) You will be a part of flyball history by competing in Alaska's *VERY FIRST* flyball tournament!
2.) You will get the satisfaction of helping Alaska Dogs Gone Wild get flyball started in Alaska. Many people up here are very excited about the tourneys!
3.) Alaska is an awesome vacation spot with lots of fun things to do!...(see link below)
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/fun.html
4.) We have made arrangements for a group excursion that includes an incredibly scenic round-trip ride on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward together with a 6-hour glacier/wildlife boat tour (see link below).
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/2006/messages.html#tour
5.) We will have several extraordinary officials here for our tourneys, including:
Brian Fay: A highly respected Supervising Judge who is also on the NAFA Board of Directors, Chair of the Judges/Education Committee, and an all-around great person (as many of you already know).
Keri Girard Fay: Arguably NAFA's best line judge <grin>!
Geoff Brown: A Head Judge from DogGoneFast (in NC) who, over the last few years, has probably worked more Region 9 tournaments than any other judge has.
Amanda Brown: Team Captain of DogGoneFast and Regional Director for Region 9.
Check out the following webpage to read previously posted tourney-related announcements -- many of which contain additional incentives for coming to Alaska.
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/messages.html
Please contact me if you need further convincing. I can be very persuasive :)
Curtis
- March 10, 2006
Subject: Want to go to Alaska, but shorthanded...
If you have enough dogs, but you're shorthanded on people, please consider coming up for our tourneys anyway. We have *LOTS* of folks in our group who are *EXTREEEEEEEEMELY* eager to compete and would love the opportunity to run a dog and/or boxload.
Curtis
- March 20, 2006
Subject: Happy Vernal Equinox from Alaska!
That's right, today is the first day of spring!
Here are some interesting facts:
1.) Today at 9:26 AM Alaska time, the center of the sun was directly over the equator.
2.) Everywhere on earth today gets 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night (neglecting the effects of refraction, topography, and the size of the sun)...hence the equi- in equinox. :)
3.) From now until September 22 at 8:03 PM Alaska Time (i.e., the autumnal equinox), those of us in the Anchorage, Alaska area will receive more daylight than all locations south of us, culminating with 19 hours 22 minutes from sunrise to sunset on June 21, which is the summer solstice. Oh!...and that reminds me:
OUR SOLSTICE TOURNEYS ARE ONLY THREE MONTHS AWAY!!! For more information on Alaska's very first flyball tournaments, please visit:
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/
Thank you for your attention :)
Curtis
- April 21, 2006
Subject: Update on Alaska glacier/wildlife tour
I have great news! We're getting a 20% group discount on the glacier/wildlife boat tour and a 10% discount on the Alaska Railroad, which means associated costs are:
$109.71_boat + $92.70_train = $202.41_total US
Kids ages 2-11 get an additional 50% off.
Thus far, nearly all the tourney-related tour participants have opted for both the boat tour and the train ride, but feel free to choose just the glacier/wildlife tour if you'd rather drive to and from the departure point.
For all the details related to our group tour, please check out the following webpage.
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/tour.html
If you haven't done so already, please let me know if you plan to participate. We've reserved more tour spots than are currently claimed, and if necessary, we can always add more reservations; however, the likelihood of doing so dwindles as the summer tourist season quickly approaches.
Our group has put down a deposit for the reserved spots, so if you plan to participate, we'd greatly appreciate it if you could reimburse us with your payment. Please make checks payable to Curtis Smith (see address listed below). Your money is 100% refundable if you cancel before May 13.
For those of you still thinking about participating in our tourneys and/or taking the glacier/wildlife tour, it's not too late to join the fun up here! Our tourneys close on May 10.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Curtis
Please
send checks to:
Curtis Smith
17533 Meadow Creek Drive
Eagle River, AK 99577
- May 8, 2006
Subject: Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys: Closing May 10!
Numerous teams have talked about coming to ourtourneys, but only a few have committed to the mighty trek northward. If you are one of the teams still "sitting on the fence," *PLEASE* take the plunge...you won't regret it!
Even though our winter frost line has yet to melt, and flurries were in the air this morning, I can assure you that a hot time will be had by all participants. The sun doesn't set here until 10:23 PM tonight, so things will be warming up quickly over the next few weeks.
During our tourneys, we expect temperatures to be in the 60s F (on average), which is quite comfortable. Your dogs will love it! The excitement of being in Alaska and the cooler temps are optimal for new personal best times.
Our tourneys close May 10 and racing starts on June 21 (summer solstice!). An entry form and *LOTS* of additional information are available on the following webpage:
http://flyballdogs.com/alaska/tourney/
Alaska beckons! Heed the call of the wild!
Curtis
- July 2, 2006
Subject: Thanks from Alaska!
Holy flyball in the North Batman!...we had *SO* much fun hosting Alaska's very first flyball tournaments. Many, many, many thanks to DogGoneFast (Raleigh, NC) and Good2Go (Regina, SK) for being crazy enough to participate. We thoroughly enjoyed the company, the sage advice, and the help training our members as line and box judges. Thanks also to both teams for their kinds words posted on their blogs (see URLs below).
A special thanks to Amanda and Geoff Brown of DGF for introducing my wife (Stacy) and me to flyball, and for taking us under their wings back in 2002. Two years later, as we were about to move back to Alaska, DGF promised to come to our first tournament. Thank you for keeping your word!
As for the Good2Go folks, they took an enormous gamble by coming to our tourneys, since they had no idea if we knew what we were doing up here. Thanks for taking the plunge! We only had five lineups compete in our tourneys, and since a minimum of four are required in order for anyone to earn points, Good2Go truly saved the day by coming up with two lineups.
I also want to thank Brian Fay for judging our tourneys, which took time out of his busy work schedule and lots of money out of his own pocket. We couldn't have asked for a better judge to make sure flyball got off to a great start here in the Last Frontier. It was also a pleasure to have his wife Keri Fay up here as a guest handler for several DGF and G2G dogs.
Thanks also to NAFA for helping subsidize Brian's trip. There's no way we could have afforded to host these tourneys without the assistance.
Our tourneys were also made possible through a generous sponsorship by Vickie Young, a member of Alaska Dogs Gone Wild who owns Arctic Tails--Alaska's Premier Pet Care Facility. I can personally vouch for Vickie as an exceptional pet care provider in case any of you happen to find yourselves in need of such services while touring Alaska.
Of course, I also want to thank all of my teammates. Everyone did an incredible job both as hosts and as participants, which is especially admirable since all but three of us had never been to or competed in a flyball tournament before. Most importantly, though, the experience has brought us closer together as a team. Some of our dogs even earned a few titles (6 FDs and 5 FDXs). An especially noteworthy title went to Linda Kreft's dog Timber (formerly of Ballistics) who earned her ONYX, which was a very special and emotional moment for us.
Thank you once again to everyone who helped make Alaska's first flyball tourneys a huge success! For those of you who missed out on these tournaments, please think about coming to our Summer Solstice Tourneys 2007. It's not too early to begin planning your flyball trip of a lifetime!
Curtis
P.S. For some additional details associated with our tourneys, please check out the following blogs courtesy of Amanda Brown (DogGoneFast) and Darcey Sare (Good2Go).
DGF: http://doggonefast.blogspot.com/
G2G: http://good2goflyball.blogspot.com/