Top Ten Nostalgia

SUMMARY: Tika's Top Ten summary

Gee, it was only a few months ago when I was obsessing about getting just another placement or two to get into the USDAA Performance Top Ten. Now we're just out of it; Tika no longer has the speed with her age or the confidence with her hearing issues, I've already conceded that.

Today's mail brought a reminder of former glory: her pin and certs for 2011 Top Ten in three of the four regular classes.

Thereby making me wax nostalgic about her brief but excellent appearances in the Top Ten ranks. We could never manage it at Championship 26", but moving over into Performance 22" at about 8 1/2 years old, her body loved it.

We were never a really astounding team; we did it with consistency, just enough speed to be able to place regularly, and (I like to think) pretty good strategies in the points games. Now, though, the speed isn't there, and the points games (Snooker and Gamblers) have been a disaster for us for the last few months. Still Qing in Standard and Jumpers kinda regularly but not getting the placements.

Herewith some notes about our rapid rise and decline. She's turned out to be such a good girl, for a dog pound reject because she was too crazy for two different "normal" families!

	2009	2010	2011	2012
Gamblers	tied for 12th (Moved to Pf in April; had 29 points, took 30 to be Top Ten)	6th (46 pts; took 37)	2nd (59 pts; took 39)	- (Not even entering gamblers any more; can't get the gambles)
Jumpers	- (Moved to Pf in Oct, for 2 trials only)	4th (53 pts, took 25)	1st (64 pts, took 30)	currently 8th with 13 pts (but we won't get 30ish pts to stay in top 10 )
Snooker	11th (moved to Pf in April; had 29 points, took 30 to be Top Ten)	4th (42 pts, took 31)	12th (had 26 pts, took 27)	- (not even in top 25)
Standard	- (Moved to Pf in July; not in top 25)	4th (48 pts, took 34)	6th (41 pts, took 35)	currently 15th with 13 pts (for sure we won't get mid-30s pts for top ten)