Over 300 of the top dogs and handlers in the Region are expected to descend on Edmonton to compete for Regional honours! This page is for those who are entered in the event to keep them updated on current information. ... See MoreSee Less
Over 300 of the top dogs and handlers in the Region are expected to descend on Edmonton to compete for Regional Honours and a berth to the National Dog Agility Championships at Spruce Meadows in August! This page is for those who are entered in the event to keep them updated on current information. ... See MoreSee Less
# **INPUT NEEDED!!!**
As you probably know, the news has just come out that the AAC will not run a National Championship event in 2021.
Being eternally optimistic, we are still hoping to run a Regional Championship event in 2021, and without Nationals, we feel that it is even more important that the event is a special one, with a sense of prestige.
In order to ensure that we have as much flexibility for the event as possible, we are going to move the date to Sep 3-6, 2021. That is the last long weekend that outdoor events are feasible. That will give 7 more months for vaccinations, and hopefully a reduction of restrictions.
As you may also have heard, the AAC has recently introduced a new type of Regional Championship event called an "OPEN". According to AAC rules, only one "OPEN" event is allowed each year per Region, but the One Level (all Masters level but dogs of any level can enter) events are not limited to only one Province, and are flexible with regard to format.
Since the announcement of the new "OPEN" events, and the news that there would not be a Nationals to qualify for in 2021, it has been suggested that we might change our event to an "OPEN" type Regional Championship.
This would have a number of benefits:
1) It would allow us to limit entries if, at that time, some restrictions are still in place. Obviously, the priority would go to those already entered.
2) It would allow us to open up the event to those from other provinces, if restrictions have been relaxed by Sep, and if more people can congregate safely.
3) It would allow more flexibility in terms of format. For instance, we could include a Pentathlon event to showcase consistency, and a Biathlon event to highlight dogs working at speed. (the event would be over 4 days to allow only 2-3 events per day, even if both Biathlon and Pentathlon were run)
4) It would allow for more flexibility for special 1st prizes/awards etc, like the Top AAC “OPEN” Regional Championship Veteran Dog.
5) "Open" Championship rules also state that ANY QUEUE you get in any of the All Level "Open" classes at would go toward your current titles. Ex if you are in Starters Standard and earn a queue in the One Level Standard class at the "Open", it will go toward your Starters title. (In the same class another dog might be putting a similar queue toward a Masters title).
But there are also advantages to the traditional Regional Championship format:
1) It is a known quantity, everyone knows what to expect in terms of format, scoring, prizes etc
2) It has a history, and is already regarded as one of the Premier/Prestigious AAC events
To help us determine the best way forward, we would like to get the input of the participants, as they are the ones who would be most affected by the decisions made regarding the event.
So if you will please take the time to complete the survey here www.polljunkie.com/poll/nbxxdc/abnwt-regional-aac-championship-event it will help us GREATLY in our decision making.
Thanks!
Seanna and Kirstin ... See MoreSee Less
A huge thanks to John Chandler who made the regionals registration process so great and easy!! Thank you for everything! ... See MoreSee Less
INFORMATION UPDATE!
As many have now heard, the AAC has decided that there will NOT be a National Championship event in Canada in 2021.
We are also in very uncertain times in terms of Covid, and there is a good chance that it will not be better in the Spring when Regionals are scheduled.
BUT, we all do need something to look forward to, and there still some reason for optimism about the possibility of things being a bit better in the fall.
So we DO want to continue to plan for a Championship event, possibly on the Sep long weekend, late enough for many more vaccinations to be distributed.
But there are some options, so we are looking for the best way forward. In order to determine where to go from here, we have decided to ask the folks who are entered in our Regionals in 2021 for their feedback...(NOT IN THE COMMENTS HERE!) :-)
So we will be sending out a Poll next week to ask about a date change to the Sep long weekend, and what their thoughts are about eithor retaining the current Regional event, run in early Sep; or possibly changing it to the AAC's new "Open" type Championships, that would allow some folks from other provinces to play and/or would allow us to limit entries if needed.
There will also be some other questions about format included and a place to respond with comments.
Once we get that feedback, we will make announcements about how we will be moving forward. Hopefully in mid February. The Alberta government has also said that they would be making announcement about summer event rules in February, so that will also be taken into account.
Thank you SO MUCH for your patience as we try to figure this out! ... See MoreSee Less
