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What is Flyball?
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The Quick History of Flyball--
Flyball is
a team sport for dogs that was invented in California in the late 70's.
Legend has it that Herbert Wagner first showed it on the Johnny Carson
Show to millions of Americans. Soon afterwards dog trainers and dog clubs
were making and using Flyball Boxes. In the early 80's the sport became
so popular that the North American Flyball
Association (NAFA) was formed. Today NAFA and the BFA
(British Flyball Association) are the worldwide authorities for Flyball.
To
read NRE's history click here.
Today Tournaments
are held across the U.S. and Canada and around the world. These tournaments
are normally hosted by local teams. Tournaments are usually
organized in either a double elimination or round robin format. Double
elimination is usually best of 3 or best of 5 heats. Round robin
is usually best 3 out of 5 and the first team to win 3 heats receives 1
point towards their standing in the tournament. Flyball
teams are so involved they have been known to travel up to 10hrs. and more
to attend a tournament. To see some our latest
tournament results click here.
How the Sport is Played--
A Typical Lane Setup-
Flyball
is a relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of a starting
line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The first hurdle is 6 feet
from the start line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle for a 51
foot overall length.
The
dogs jump the hurdles and steps on a spring loaded box that shoots out
a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over
the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes.
The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat.
Each dog complies points from each heat to achieve titles.
Click
Here for a video clip of a normal race. Thanks to Mary
Mynaugh of No Speed Limit for the clip.
Flyball
Titles--
On every run or heat in a race,
each dog earns points toward titles depending on how well the team does.
Points are accumulated on the following scale:
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Team Runs of Less Than 32 sec. - Each
Dog Recieves 1 point
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Team Runs of Less Than 28 sec. - Each
Dog Recieves 5 points
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Team Runs of Less Than 24 sec. - Each
Dog Recieves 25 points
Here is a Table of the Titles available, their abbreviation,
the points required and what is awarded for each:
| Abbr |
Title |
Points |
Award Type |
| FD |
Flyball Dog |
20 |
Certificate |
| FDX |
Flyball Dog Excellent |
100 |
Certificate |
| FDCh |
Flyball Dog Champion |
500 |
Certificate |
| FM |
Flyball Master |
5000 |
Pin |
| FMX |
Flyball Master Excellent |
10000 |
Pin |
| FMCh |
Flyball Master Champion |
15000 |
Pin |
| ONYX |
ONYX Award |
20000 |
Plaque |
| FGDCh |
Flyball Grand Champion |
30000 |
Plaque |
More Information?--
For more information about the New
River Express, or flyball classes in the New River Valley, contact Lynda
Oleksuk at akitainu@bev.net
or by phone at 552-K9K9 (552-5959) and leave a message. Thanks!
Comments
Welcomed and Encouraged
NRE Web Master