WDA'S REDICULOUS QUALIFICATION PLAN! - Page 11

Oh come on, get off of yourself! I am the payer idjit.

I'm pulling for every competitor/dog that represents the U.S. both WDA and UScA.

Think I'll leave the details to the competitors and organizations.


 

For all Bubba's saying that people won't be happy about the
way it's being done, isn't he the only one on here constantly
protesting about it ?  As Rik says, leave it to the organisations
and the competitors to sort it for themselves,  I'm sure if anyone
actively involved thought it was unfair they could announce that
on their own behalf.

If Wallace wanted to throw a tantrum maybe he should have waited until the GSDCA-WDA announced their qualifier team.  Please read the original post by Wallace Payne which started this thread and that was entirely based on supposition and rumors.  There was no announcement from the GSDCA-WDA about their qualifiers but it was an internal discussion which Wallace inserted himself into.  The entire 270 flunk test fails the smell test if you look at it from a realistic viewpoint about the best competitors representing the USA at the WUSV.  Wallace had a hissy fit about GSDCA-WDA internal policy and I responded with observations that included that the USCA has done and continues to do a lot of unsportsmanlike and insulting things to the GSDCA-WDA membership without any signs of remorse so save the honor and integrity talk until the USCA shows some toward the GSDCA-WDA.  Hopefully there will need to be no further discussion of this subject as the GSDCA-WDA will pick their 10 qualifiers as they see fit in 2014 which by the way is what the USCA is already doing without any input from the GSDCA-WDA.
 

I agree, I hope there is no more discussion on either of the agendas.

A question for Charles Finley, how should the best competitors be selected? If each organization gets to send 10 to the qualifier, how do you select the 10 best if you don't base it on performance? There is a qualification time or distance for the Olympic trials and then a performance required to make the Olympic team to represent the US. The best are determined by performance at those trials on specific dates. Only the qualifiers and top performers get to represent the US in the Olympics. The best are selected by performance based upon the rules of the USOC. So, how would you suggest the best be selected to represent the US in the Olympics of dog sport?

The thread was started as a tongue lashing of the GSDCA-WDA for PLANNING (please read the thread beginning) to do something that they did not in fact do.  The short answer is that the USCA should continue to pick their 10 WUSV qualifier team members however they choose.  I see no evidence that they consulted the GSDCA-WDA on how they should select their USCA WUSV qualifier team.  The GSDCA-WDA should likewise pick their 10 WUSV qualifier team members however they choose.  Since the stated goal is to put the best team on the field for the USA  at the time of the WUSV itself the qualifier is the selection tool closest to the WUSV and the scores there most reflective of the preparedness of dog/handler teams for the WUSV.  I can not think of any reason to exclude a handler/dog team that made a 250 in March if the GSDCA-WDA membership decides that team is one of the best ten for the GSDCA-WDA in August for the qualifier.  Both a score of 250 or 270 are below the high performance threshold required for a chance at winning individual honors and almost the entire USA WUSV team needs to have a high level of performance to win 1st team honors.  A score in March has little chance of predicting performance in August .. either the 250 or the 270 performer could be much better or no better or even worse.  A higher performance in a March trial could be negated by injuries or illness of the dog, the handler, or both such that practice time was diminished and physical abilities lessened.  Put the best 10 from both the USCA and GSDCA-WDA on the qualifier field based on current conditions at the time of the qualifier.  The best mentally prepared and physically fit competitors win through and represent the USA at the WUSV as participants or alternates.   Both the USCA and the GSDCA-WDA are WUSV members and have the common goal in this case to put the best team on the field for the WUSV but the manner in which they decide who is their best is totally an internal decision based on the will of the membership and their elected leaders.

IPO is but one sport in the dog sport universe .. not the Olympics.

• Agility
• Bikejoring
• Cani cross
• Caniteering
• Carting
• Competition obedience
• Conformation showing
• Catchball (a variation on flyball)
• Disc dog
• Dock jumping
• Dog hiking, pack hiking
• Dog scootering
• Earthdog trials
• Field trials
• Flyball
• French Ring sport
• Greyhound racing

• Greyhound jockey

• Hare coursing
• Herding or stock dog
• Hunting
• Hound trailing
• Junior showmanship
• Jack Russell hurdle racing
• Lure coursing
• Dog mushing
• Musical canine freestyle, canine dressage, heelwork to music]]
• Nose work
• Obedience training
• Protection sports (including Schutzhund, Service Dogs Of America and French Ring sport)
• Rally obedience
• Retrieving trials
• Schutzhund
• Scootering
• Sheepdog trials (or herding)
• Sighthound disc sport
• Sighthound racing (including Greyhound and Whippet racing, coursing, and lure coursing)
• Skijoring
• Skip dog
• Sled dog racing
• Dog surfing
• Terrier racing
• Tracking trials (see also Tracking (dog))
• Treibball
• Water work/Water rescue
• Weight pulling
• Dachshund racing (or Wiener racing)
• Wheelchair mushing

The WUSV is the Olympics of IPO! That's the sport we are discussing but that's neither here nor there, the question is how do you determine the best 10 to go to the qualifier? What standard or benchmark would you use to determine the best 10 teams. Is it off of name recognition or past performances or something more arbitrary???

I already addressed that question .. The USCA picks their 10 however they want and the GSDCA-WDA does the same.  The best each organization has to compete picked as close to the qualifier as possible.  How they pick their contestants is each organizations choice based on what the membership and the elected leaders choose.  If the WUSV has a suggested mechanism for choosing contestants for the qualifier follow their directions .. it's the WUSV's party.