During my first flyball tournament, I thought that that folks drank coffee all day long out of reusable coffee mugs – until I saw someone get into their cooler. After all, there’s nothing like a few beers during a long, hot day of racing.
U-FLI directly addresses drinking and other intoxicating substances in Section 3.1 of the rule book which states that if, in the opinion or the head judge or the U-FLI representative, a participant is under the influence of drugs or intoxicated, they will be excused from the event and may be subject to further disciplinary action.
While I can’t find a specific mention in the NAFA rule book, section 2(e) of the corporate policies and procedures may address it. The section, which addresses judges says that above all else, the safety and well being of the dogs and exhibitors shall be foremost. In my reading of the above, it looks like both flyball sanctioning bodies have provided a safety net to ensure that those who choose to imbibe do so in a manner that doesn’t put others in an unsafe situation.
A tournament is a bit like a football tailgating party. The temporary EZ-up city that goes up Friday evening, plenty of tasty food that isn’t necessarily good for you, hours of hanging out with teammates and friends; all of it tends to go hand-in-hand with a few beers or a pitcher of margaritas.
But when is it too much? I know that we aren’t racing cars out there but can drinking at tournaments get out of hand?
For me, it would be troublesome if a fellow handler was unsteady, slurring words or other signs of being drunk. If things go ok in a race, it may not matter but we’ve all been in the ring when something bad has happened. I sure hope that handlers in both lanes have reflexes available in case we need them for an interference or crossover. I’d also hate to see a fellow handler fall or cause a handler pile up because someone is drunk enough to be unsteady on their feet.
Has anyone ever experienced a fellow competitor that many have had a few too many?
Do you or your teammates drink during flyball? What’s your personal limit if you do?
Tracy
