2008 VCOI Winter Walking Field Trial
Ottawa Field Trial Grounds, Eagle, WI
December 6-7, 2008

Once again, Mother Nature provided plenty of interesting twists to the walking field trial that was held at Ottawa Field Trial Grounds on December 6-7, 2008. Let’s just say that VCOI has perfected the art of extreme field trials! Three days prior to the trial, the area had received 8 inches of snow, but after assurances from the Wisconsin DNR that the parking lot would be plowed and the weather forecasts that the worst had passed, chair Jonathan Peck and secretary Michel Berner along with committee members Jim & Linda Busch and Robert Tomczak decided that this trial would indeed go on as planned. The four inches of additional snow accumulation on Friday night was a surprise, though!

A true test of strength for a club is their ability to overcome obstacles at an event without falling apart. In this regard, there is no club stronger than the Vizsla Club of Illinois. The dedication of the volunteers to still get the event started, on time no less, and continue without even a hiccup all weekend, despite the insane amount of snow that was followed by temperatures that dipped down to at least 10 below zero, dominates the majority of field trial clubs out there…of any breed.

Judges Tim Zick, Patrick Vande Hei, Robert Schuster & Jim Couris endured arctic temperatures, sometimes blinding snow, and extreme wind chills. They did it with style, never once complained, and kept things moving along quickly. They did not hesitate when asked to judge, and battled grueling road conditions to get there Saturday morning. A huge thank you goes out to them for allowing us to torture them for two days! Sue Weyer served as our line marshal, and kept things going smoothly for the judges. She had the timing down to a science, and worked her tail off all weekend, outdoors, and did the job as if she had been doing it for years without even a single complaint. Thank you Sue for keeping everyone where they needed to be when they needed to be there!

Mark Johnson and Victor Barger served as our gunners. Linda Busch and Pam Spurgeon catered lunch and George Haines brought the delicious doughnuts. Birds were planted by Andy Weyer, Mike Dalby, Greg Hedien, Phil Rohs, Rodney Albin, Victor Barger, Mark Johnson, Ryan Rice & Joe Duffek. Greg Wegler let us use his two horses, and not only did Greg Hedien donate his old horse Baldy, he also made the trek up to Ottawa twice during the week to check course conditions and picked up the key to the building on Friday so I wouldn’t have to! Without your help, the trial would not have been a success. Jim Gingrich plowed a path to the bathrooms, which we all appreciated! If we missed anyone, both Jon and I sincerely apologize! We actually had so many folks volunteering, without being asked, that it was hard to keep track of who was doing what. I know, what a problem to have, right? I do know that almost every entrant kicked in and helped when needed, and we both greatly appreciated all of the help we received! I have to say that I have been secretary of several events for several different clubs, and this one had the least amount of glitches, even considering all of the curveballs that kept getting rifled at us along the way.

- Submitted by Michel Berner

Without further ado, the placements are as follows:

Vizsla Club of Illinois, Inc Walking Field Trial Placements
12/06/2008 - 12/07/2008

Amateur Gun Dog - Retrieving
Judges: Patrick Vande Hei/Tim Zick - Starters: 14
Points: 1st = 3, 2nd = 1
Conditions: Overcast, snowing, 18 degrees, standing snow approx 9 inches with drifts over 18 inches in spots. Wind approx 15 mph
1 Wegler's Kember Kayla "Kayla" O/Greg Wegler H/Greg Wegler Vizsla/F
2 Gracie's Angel Molly RC "Molly" O/Randy Caldwell H/Randy Caldwell Vizsla/F
3 **withheld**
4 **withheld**

Open Puppy
Judges: Patrick Vande Hei/Tim Zick - Starters: 7
Points: 1st = 1
Conditions: Overcast, snowing, 18 degrees, standing snow approx 10 inches with drifts over 18 inches in spots. Wind approx 20 mph
1 Pepper Jack Kick 'Em Up Angel Cayenne "Cayenne" O/Randy Caldwell H/Randy Caldwell Vizsla/F
2 Wegler's Rebel Ranger "Ranger" O/Greg Wegler H/Greg Wegler Vizsla/M
3 With All Guns Blazing "Gunner" O/Doug & Sara Nishimura H/Doug Nishimura / Rodney Albin Vizsla/M
4 Smokin' JRD "JR" O/Rodney & Anne Albin H/ Rodney Albin Vizsla/M

Open Limited Gun Dog
Judges: Jim Couris/Robert Schuster - Starters: 14
Points: 1st = 3
Conditions Saturday: Overcast, snowing, 15 degrees, standing snow approx 12 inches with drifts over 20 inches in spots. Wind approx 20 mph
Conditions Sunday: Overcast, -10 degrees, standing snow approx 12 inches, drifts over 20 inches, calm.
1 Rampaige "Paige" O/Philip Rohs H/Phil Rohs Vizsla/F
2 NGDC FC AFC Rolling Rock MH CGC "Rock" O/G. Michael Dalby H/Mike Dalby Vizsla/M
3 FC AFC Saginaw Diamond Dan "Danny" O/ Mark N Johnson H/Mark Johnson Vizsla/M
4 Hillbillies Shiloh Holy Man "Deacon" O/Joshua McPherson H/Robert Tomczak Vizsla/M

Open Derby
Judges: Jim Couris/Robert Schuster - Starters: 11
Points: 1st = 2
Conditions: Overcast, +10 degrees, snow same, drifts same, winds same
1 Saginaw CYA Reba "Reba" O/Mark N Johnson H/Mark Johnson Vizsla/F
2 Burr Oak's Quarterback "Rex" O/Jim Gingrich H/Jim Gingrich Vizsla/M
3 Pink Lightning "Pinky" O/Joel & Bonnie Peterson H/Tim May Vizsla/F
4 Tru Miss Grace JH CGC "Gracie" O/George & Mary Haines H/George Haines Vizsla/F

Amateur Limited Gun Dog
Judges: Patrick Vande Hei/Tim Zick - Starters: 14
Points: 1st = 3, 2nd = 1
Conditions: Mostly cloudy with some sun, snow winds and drifts the same
1 Si Cisco "Cisco" O/Linda Busch & Jonathan Peck H/Jonathan Peck Vizsla/M
2 Kick 'Em Up A Shot of JD "Boot" O/Steven Zobel H/Randy Caldwell Vizsla/M
3 Rampaige "Paige" O/Philip Rohs H/Phil Rohs Vizsla/F
4 FC AFC Saginaw Diamond Dan "Danny" O/ Mark N Johnson H/Mark Johnson Vizsla/M