Performance Tournament Top Ten

SUMMARY: OK, something that we're not even close to being competitive in.

There has been a Championship Tournament Top Ten posted on the USDAA site for a few years. Until yesterday, I thought that there was no Performance Tournament Top Ten, because none has ever been posted. But apparently now, according to this USDAA News article, there IS such a thing.

And, unlike the other four top ten categories, Tika is not even close to Top Ten and never will be. The 25th dog on the list has 28 points as of a month and a half ago. Tika has 25 as of two days ago. Dogs who compete in Regionals and the national championships are likely to go wayyy beyond what we'll get, because there are more dogs there, more rounds that count, and therefore more points. So we'll never catch up, so I don't have to worry about it. :-)

Thanks to Ashley, who explained what counts after I couldn't find it in the USDAA rules, here's where Tournament Top Ten points come from:

• Grand Prix in regular competition, both round 1 and round 2 at Regionals, and both semi and finals at Nationals.
• Steeplechase round 2 in regular competition, round 2 at Regionals, and finals at Nationals.
• DAM non-relay classes in regular and Regionals, not nationals.

Top Ten points earned are based on the number of dogs competing in that round (with some exceptions...in a moment) (same numbers apply to Top Ten in regular classes--Standard, Jumpers, Snooker, Gamblers):

• 1 dog: 0 pts
• 2-3 dogs, 1 pt 1st place
• 4-5 dogs, 3 pts 1st, 1 pt 2nd
• 6-10 dogs, 5pts 1st, 3pts 2nd, 1pt 3rd
• 11-20, 7pts/5pts/3pts/1pt
• 21-30, 9pts/7/5/3/1
• and increase like that for every additional 10 dogs.

Exceptions:
Pts for steeplechase at local show and in finals at Nationals are based on
the number of dogs in the previous round (that is, in round 1 at regular show and in semis at Nationals).

This is one reason why 8" performance and 12" championship dogs hate it when there are no other dogs in their class. Doesn't matter whether, for example, they beat the scores or times of all the dogs in the other heights; if they're not directly competing against another dog, they get nuthin'.

And also explains why, in the 22" championship classes, the top 25 dogs currently range from (in Jumpers) 32 to 85 points, while Performance 8" jumpers ranges from 2 to 12 points.