USDAA Trial Coming Up

SUMMARY: More stats for this weekend's Woodland trial than you can shake a jump bar at.

• Driving distance one way: 120 miles (193 km)
• Driving time one way (est.): 2 hrs 5 mins
• Gas cost yesterday: $4.09/gal ($1.08/lit ... did I do that right? By what measure do non-USers buy gas?)
• MUTT MVR's average MPG for the last 3 months: 22.
• Bridge tolls paid using Fastrak: $5 (northbound only)
• Extra miles I could drive to avoid a bridge toll: 30
• Amazing toll that people pulling a trailer will pay starting July 1:  $15 for one axle, $20 for 2. (Guess that's a good reason to buy a gas-guzzling motorhome instead. Stupid.)
• Maximum freeway speed between here and there: 65 MPH (104 KPH) (or 70 the longer  route).
• Maximum if you're pulling a trailer: 55. (Another reason to buy a motorhome instead.)
• Average top speed by personal observation:  70 MPH.
• Average top speed of people pulling trailers by personal observation: 70 MPH.
• Event starting time: 7:45 briefings and walkthroughs; 8:00 first dog on the line.
• Ending time (est): Sat, 5:00; Sun, 3:00
• Set-up time required (canopy & crating, etc., walk the dogs...): 40 minutes.
• Time to set on my alarm clock for Saturday morning: 4:20 a.m.
• Forecast high temperatures: Saturday 99 (37.2 C), Sunday 99-106
• Total runs for the weekend: 945 in 2 rings (this makes it a medium-ish USDAA trial for around here)
• Dogs entered: 138. Includes 67  border collies, 17 australian shepherds, 14 mixed breeds (including one Craussie--yay, Tika!)
• Older dogs competing: One 14-year-old JRT, one 12-year old Cocker, and three 11-year olds (including one Craussie).
• Humans entered: 98.
• Percentage of humans handling two dogs: 25%
• Percentage handling 3 or 4 dogs: 7%
• Most common dog names (2 each): Charlie, Lily, Neo, Pete
• Runs I entered with my dogs: 20 (10 each)
• Entry fees for one dog in all classes:  $144 ($148 C).
• Work I will do all weekend to reduce my entry fees: Score table chief.
• Classes I might not run Tika in: Gamblers (because her Q rate is so low), Grand Prix (because 6 runs/day with her in the heat is now probably too much)
• Qs needed for titles for Tika:
  
  • Standard: 1 for Gold (35 performance Qs); chances this weekend: 2
  • Snooker: 4 for Gold; chances this weekend: 2
  • LAA-Platinum: 53 of any kind; chances this weekend: up to 10 (I sincerely doubt now that we'll get there, or that she'll still be competing at age 12. We'll see how the year winds down...)
• Qs needed for titles for Boost:
  
  • For ADCH (stop me if you've heard this before): one Jumpers and two Snooker Super-Qs; chances this weekend: 2 each
  • Gamblers: 1 for Bronze (15 Qs); chances this weekend: 1
• Where I will sleep: In  MUTT MVR at the fairgrounds.
• What I usually have for breakfast: A banana and a high-protein breakfast bar.
• What I will be hyper aware of this weekend after Elicia Calhoun's disaster (will post more about that eventually):
  
  This, from the "Live to run again" foundation, is on my driver's-side window: