What Did You Think of the 2013 WUSV? - Page 1

For those that went...What did you think of the Trial...The location...The venders...The stadium...?

For those that didn't get to go in person...What do you think of the Trial and Dogs...?

Qman..Wish I could have met you and your wife!..

I really enjoyed myself and had never been to an event like this and learned a lot..The stadium was absolutely beautiful !!..Vendors where so/so nothing too exciting IMO... Food venders where way over priced!!..,,The location was not my cup of tea,,lol,,I probably wouldn't go back to Philly..Our hotel definitely needed a whole new renovation and better staff, but their beds where awesome!!...The banquet dinner was chaotic and unorganized,,Food was cold, but tasty...The entertainment was ,,hmmm??? lol,,No comment!!...All and all I will consider traveling to see another WUSV or attend the Nationals..

Also, I would have thought there would have been a lot more spectators!..Not a big turnout compared to the size of the stadium they rented,,


 

My first WUSV so I really have nothing to compare it to.  Stadium was very nice.  I really liked having seats vs bleachers.  Like Ruger said, location was sketchy.  Food was overpriced but normal for stadiums.  I thought there was a decent amount of vendors.  I bought a few things.

I was surprised at the small turnout. Seemed to be mostly competitors and their onterage. Stadium was very nice. Concessions were WAY overpriced. I dont think it was a good idea to have the first impression of the US for many people to be of the slums,though. I had a good time and got to meet a lot of great people.

I went to watch and learn.  It was amazing to watch the competitors prepare, their team helping the competitors prepare, the focus of the participants, and the general buzz.  It was awesome to see such precision and beauty in the work.  

Everything else, for me, was secondary.  The neighbourhood was bad.  However, the area where the hotel was located was no problem.  The stadium was first rate.  The food at the dinners were not too great but I did not go for the food.  I wanted to support the effort, cheer my Canada team, help prepare 3 of my club members, and see old friends.  So for me, the WUSV was a success.  A bit chaotic, but good.  The dinner entertainment was brutal.  I thought it was some kinda joke.  But the German team thought it was crazy fun.  Hell, it was fun!  

I was disappointed a bit.  It was in the US.  I expected more to attend.  There was some spectacular performances.  

We got to see the city a bit and generally, it was a nice city.  Not being American, I could not relate to the fuss over a broken liberty bell.  However, it was cool to see it.

OK, THE PHILLY CHEESE STAKE AT A PLACE CALLED SUNNY'S WAS EXCELLENT.  

I would say, from a spectator's point of view, 2013 WUSV was a success.  

 

It was my first WUSV. I would have thought that there would have been more spectators, but at least you could find good seating. I thought that the food vendors were seriously overpriced, but I guess that is par for the course. I thought that the other vendors offered some cool stuff, and I did some shopping for sure. I stayed at the host hotel and would have liked to have had a refrigerator in my room, but the beds were nice, and the room was clean. Their breakfast however, left a lot to be desired. I have noticed comments about the area, and well, I agree, it was a bit sketchy in some areas. There were some really good dog/handler teams and found myself cheering them all on. I didn't quite understand some of the scores that were given out in the Obedience phase, but then again, I am not a judge. All in all, I had a good time, and think that it was nicely done.

Ruger1...Didn't know you were going or I'd have contacted you and met up...

This was my 2nd WUSV in the U.S....I got to go to the first one in Boston in '98...I missed the one in Kentucky in '08 simply 'cause I was moving from Florida to Michigan...But this time drove from Tennessee to Philly...A long ride but it was very nice to see the best GSD's in the World...It was really cool to see a 14 year old kid show...What an amazing thing to see...

I thought the stadium was absolutely beautiful...but the surrounding area was very second rate at best...We did find a little Italian/Seafood Restaurant that was a little pricey but it had GREAT food...The Crab Cakes were wonderful...

There really weren't too many vendors but the few that were there were good and had good equipment for sale...We didn't get there until Friday (which was the 2nd day of the trial) and the official T-Shirts were already sold out...What a bummer...

Got to see quite a few old friends both from Florida and Germany...Met some new friends and had a very good time...

I too wish the attendance was a little better but for the U.S. it was still pretty good...Don't know if the town could have held anymore people...Not many hotel rooms available...

I was glad to see that the event was run very well and for the most part..."On Time"...

~Bob~

I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia so was excited to have it within an hour drive.  I think hotels maybe just over the Commodore Bridge would have been a better choice.  Hotels near they airport are usually ok, but better can be found a little further away.  It would have been nice if spectators and competitors would have been provided with maps of the city and good places to eat, etc.  I thought the stadium was gorgeous and vending decent.  Food was overpriced, but i know the cost of the stadium was extremely high.  I liked that they had the competitors loaded on the jumbo tron and that through out the day they announced the tracking results as the scores came in.  Was very disappointed that they obedience critiques were not in English.  I thought the staff working the field, getting competitors on and off the field did a great job. Once things were started, it kept going at a good pace.  What i was disappointed about was prior to the competition and how arrival of the Teams and helping them locate places to practice etc was not coordinated.  Being in this sport and in this area, we wold have loved to been able to host a few Teams and give access to our field to use as well as take them out to dinner,etc and show them around.  Since the sequester VF park one of the suggested tracking areas was closed so teams were just showing up at clubs on their own, trying to find a place to practice.  Most ended up at Jim HIll's where Barb and Jim opened up their field and did a great job coordinating limited fields for their use.  I think maybe 12 teams ended up at their place in total.  I am sure there were other clubs that helped some teams too, that I was unaware of, but felt that it could have been handled better.  I cannot imagine being in a different country, trying to prepare for a competition of this magnitude and have to be worried about where I could train, etc.  Plus what a great opportunity it would have been to be able to assist a few world teams and get the opportunity to see them prepare. 

Cheryl

I wonder if there would not have been more spectators had this event not been held immediately following the GSDCA Centennial Celebration held just over the Barry bridge at Dream Park in Jersey. I went to the centennial and would have loved to have stayed for the trial, but it would have involved being away from home for 2 weeks. I live in FL now and that would have been too long for me. Others were in the same boat and had to pick one or the other. I only know of one breeder who attended both, but there may have been more.  There are many GSDCA members who are interested in the sport, they don't only train show dogs .

As far as the hotels, the host hotel for the Centennial was on the Jersey side about 2, 3 miles from the Barry bridge. The hotel looked nice from the outside and from the lobby and there was a nice bar and restaurant, but it was pricer than than the Tinicum Red Roof near the airport on the Pa side. The Red Roof was adequate, was relatively clean, not fancy. Some who stayed at the host hotel in Jersey found roaches in their room and didn't think the rooms were clean enough. There is also the $5.00 bridge toll when going from Jersey to PA.

I stayed at a motel 6 with my friend for the GSDCA centennial.  We were very happy with our room.  The hotel was not beautiful by any means, and needed renovations, but the room was clean, and even though we had to get a smoking room (no non smoking left), it actually didn't smell of smoke at all.

I would have loved to go to the WUSV, but I had an entry in the GSDCA show, and not at the WUSV....couldn't afford to go to both.

As for how few spectators there were, I don't know why anybody is surprised.  This isn't Europe.  IPO just does not have the following here that it has over there.