More trial report, this trial really got me thinking, didn't it?

I know, all you non-agility friends are wondering, what the heck? She is obsessing about this trial! Well, it taught me a lot, so it's worth obsessing, I think.
I am posting the standard course from Sunday here. I think you can click on it and it will come up larger.

Here's my take on it -

The course. The trouble. Was 13, 14, 15. Little dogs were ending up jumping big and landing behind the handlers after 14. Folks were sending into the tunnel and quickly getting themselves to the landing side of 14. It caused the dogs to come out of the tunnel WAY wide, then taking 14 too big and wide, even though the handlers were facing the dogs and feet were facing 15, whatever..........., the dogs were taking 14 without collection and landing behind the handlers regardless. Colby NQ'ed because she missed 15 all together. She came SHOOTING out of the tunnel, then came too fast at 14 landing behind me and I never got her head in time for 15 so we just ran past it and kept going. Those who picked up dogs from the tunnel and ran with them, then front crossed after 14 somewhere between 14 and 15 giving the dogs the room they needed were fine, but very few little dog handlers did that and I think only 3 Q'ed out of 20+ dogs in 12". Most of the big dog people did that and the dogs did land wide after 14, but it was simply not a big deal. They then set themselves up just fine for 15. It was SO interesting! Plenty of big dogs Q'ed.

Mary and Bug were perhaps the only ones who did that section really well and tight, but Mary did give Bug plenty of room after 14, but Bug just handled it fine and turned really tight. It was lovely!! I think Bug jumps 16".

Helen basically leaned over 14, faced off Diva and MADE her collect over 14, jumping essentially into Helen, but it did work - OK. Not pretty, but it worked. As we saw later, she really didn't have to do that, plenty of big dogs, given the space they needed after 14 handled it just fine. Go figure?

I think what happened at 14, 15, 16 was us little dog people thought our small dogs should be able to turn really tight over 14, I mean, really they SHOULD, right? But, coming out of that tunnel, seeing a WHOLE ROOM full of options, they were not making a sharp right turn out of it and going wide, then that made them wide over 14. And really, there was no reason to assume they should take all that tight. Had we just let them do it and not worried about tightening it up, they would have been fine. The big dog people knew they HAD to allow their dogs the room to land over 14 and gave them the room they needed and off they went, no biggie. So interesting!

The opening was a buggar for many, but not as interesting. Typical tire issues, then discrimination from 6 to 7 some dogs were taking the tunnel. SOME folks turned away, back crossed 6 and had the dogs turn right towards the wall, but really that didn't work well for many. Kept them off the tunnel if they did it right, but some flicked to the off course tunnel (13).

It was really a fascinating course! Roscoe ran it clean, but he was down that day, slow and accurate, which really isn't what I want. He was having a melt-down run and it may have been clean, but it wasn't what I want from him. At this point I am happier with an NQ, but fast and happy, than a Q with down and slow.