Tuesday T-Shirt Tales: FCI Agility World Championships

T-shirt tales? Because every t-shirt tells a story, don't it.
And I have so very many of them. Shirts. And stories. ---- Whaaaaat??

All T-Shirt Tales

SUMMARY: A surprise from a traveling friend

Agility--as you, Dear Reader, likely already know--covers the globe. 

As you might not know, FCI is Fédération Cynologique Internationale (essentially, World Canine Organization), a federation of national kennel clubs (kennel club: like AKC is an organization of breed clubs). Wikipedia notes, "The FCI has members, associates and partners in 98 countries, but some major kennel clubs like the American Kennel Club in the US, The Kennel Club in the UK, and the Canadian Kennel Club in Canada are not members."

FCI puts on its own world championship of dog agility annually, and each club can send a team. "Team" in this case is a little misleading: A country sends a set of three small dogs, a set of three medium dogs, and a set of three large dogs to compete in the team events, plus possibly separate individual small, medium, and large dogs for the individual events. Plus an alternate or two somewhere along the way. And, of course, the coaches.  My first (and on-and-off since) agility instructor has both won as a competitor and served as coach for several years.

Although the AKC isn't a member, they are allowed to compete by invitation. Several friends have competed there and have done well, individually or as part of a 3-dog team, making it to the podium, so of course I often watch the competitions while they're in progress.  The competing AKC teams hold fundraisers to pay for transport and lodging and entry fees for all those people and dogs. This inevitably includes selling team t-shirts, because: T-Shirts! And of course FCI sells shirts, too, as do all the other clubs entered.

Intriguingly, exchanging t-shirts between team members from other countries is A Thing. So maybe you have your own shirt but buy an extra to trade to a team whose shirts you like or whose team member you enjoyed meeting. This extends to supporters, too: all the people who make the trip there to watch their friends and relatives compete.

I've never been and never will go as a competitor. Maybe, someday, if COVID is licked, I might go as a cheerleading friend--maybe.

In 2011, friend Susan traveled to Europe to support the team and to learn from the experience. Before she left, she asked us whether we wanted her to bring something back. I said don't worry about it, go and have fun.

Me (in red) and Susan (also making a vee-sign) and friends on one of several hikes we've done together.
2011. All the dogs are agility dogs. 
(Also friend Lisa, left, a frequent hiking companion. Now, Lisa lives in Oregon and Susan lives in Washington. Leaving me here. How rude!)
Photo courtesy of Ellen C.

Much to my surprise, the next time I saw Susan, she handed me this FCI World Championship t-shirt, which she had brought back for me. So very cool. Nice embroidered logo and everything.  And... that's the true tale for this t-shirt. 

Taking my FCI shirt for a walk in the fresh air in June in this Time of COVID. 
(Mask down for photo only.)

Sporting my FCI shirt for a portrait in my yard with my besties.
August 2017.
Photo courtesy of Sarah H.