NZDAC 2018 – What a Show!

I am on the committee that will be hosting the 2019 NZDAC in Cromwell, and I came to this year’s event with a critical eye, looking out for mistakes that we could learn from to make it even better next year. Aside from the obvious issue of the surface, I have to say that Zone 3 did a phenomenal job with the organisation of the show and Zone 5 has a very tough act to follow!

Here’s my take on what went well and what could be improved on.

The Highlights

• Sleeping in – The show started at 9 each day and although things did get a bit behind schedule on Saturday, they finished pretty much on time the other three days and were even a bit early on Monday. I have to admit that I was sceptical about how late it would finish, but Zone 3’s efficient show management was truly eye-opening. I know I’m not the only member of the 2019 committee who is now reconsidering how many rings you really need to run a DAC.
• The ribbons – I’ve been to a lot of DACs and I don’t think I have ever seen such large, colourful ribbons. I actually found it difficult taking a ribbon photo inside the house because it was too long to fit anywhere!
• The venue – Real loos! Grandstand seating with a good view of the action in all three rings! Undercover parks to keep your best friend out of the sun while you chilled out in the cool indoor air! The facilities were fantastic, and it was great to have everything in such close proximity.
  
• The stalls – there was a great selection of vendors and I had too much fun shopping for dog toys.
• The finals – I saw some great courses and great agility in all of the finals. My personal favourites were watching handlers push themselves to get blind crosses in on the Intermediate and Jumpers A courses, and Joanne Small’s edge-of-the-seat Starters final run with Artie.

The Lowlights

• The surface – I had rosy memories of the two previous shows we’d held indoors at Manfeild (the 2008 NDTA and the 2009 National Dog Show) and I was expecting a surface that would provide enough grip for our best dogs and handlers to really show their stuff. Personally I actually found the slippery footing to my advantage as I was running a bit faster relative to my dog than usual – but it must have been a huge disappointment for those who had travelled a long way and found that their dogs just couldn’t compete.
• The prizegivings – it’s great to try new things, but I don’t think the idea of only having the top three placegetters in each class line up on the podium saved much time, and it was a big disappointment for some who were excited to make it into the ribbons.
• A few inconsiderate competitors – Talking through all the prizegivings (and especially through the chair’s apology about the surface on Monday). Hovering around in front of the call boards and making it difficult for people to get in and out of the rings. And then there were the people who didn’t clean up after their dogs – I was frankly appalled to walk around the arena and see puddles of urine all over the concrete. This kind of the behaviour is incredibly disrespectful both to the venue and the show committee. It could also make it harder to secure a nice venue for future shows – the 2019 committee was asked to provide references from previous NZDAC venues when we booked our grounds.
  

Mixed Reviews

• The courses – there were two in particular that seemed to start a lot of conversation and some griping. One was a Novice which was probably one of the hardest I’ve seen, although not out of touch with other Novices I’ve seen at DACs – there’s definitely a trend towards putting more daunting challenges such as backsides in Novice at the big event. The other was a Senior with no jumping obstacles. I’m not sure if this had already been planned before the problems with the surface came to light. I thought it was a great way to reduce the impact on the dogs and the course was still very much at Senior level – there were 28 clear rounds, compared to 28 and 30 in the other two Seniors.
• The food – the steak and cheese pies were very very good, but the rest was a bit ho-hum and by Monday afternoon the selection was pretty sparse. I ordered the $14 dinner both nights and my meals were pretty good, but I know others on Friday night were undercooked. I would also have liked a bit more variety rather than just the single vendor.
  

All in all, commiserations to Zone 3 for the disappointing issues with the surface, and bravo on a superbly run show!

What was your favourite moment from the NZDAC?