Two Champions

In a private email I was told, “Take it slow and focus on the things that you love about the sport.”  So this is a post about the best thing about the sport, the dogs.  And since I have firsthand knowledge of two special dogs, I’ve decided to write about my dog Casey and Paul Ferlitto’s dog, Cody.  They are both nearing the end of their Flyball careers and have made a big impact on the sport in the southeast. This post could have been named “Two Flyball Ambassadors in a Fledgling Region.”

Over the last 10 years the state of Alabama has been positioned in several different NAFA regions and currently resides in Region 14. Back in 1999 and early 2000 there was only one team in Alabama, Manners in Motion, and all credit needs to go to Barbara Skalka for her vision and support of the sport and for bringing it to Alabama.  The team was later renamed the Birmingham Bandits after the death of Barbara’s dog, Bandit.

I know that there are many such stories throughout the course of Flyball history in North America.  Additionally, there have been many first going back many years ago and the dogs like Onyx, Hobbes and many others are well documented.  You just need only look on the NAFA website to see the Clyde Moore Memorial Hall of Fame dogs and their accomplishments.

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey started their racing careers together on December 2, 2000 in Talladega, Alabama. They were very green dogs back then and only able to muster 38 and 42 points respectively over a two day tournament with a team best time of 25.870 seconds. Their team took last place in division 2 of a two division tournament. However, their next tournament in Tampa, Florida went much better and their team actually had a best time of 23.120 seconds on Sunday, and it was only their third tournament running together. They were off and running after that third tournament racking up points and titles quickly. And being a relatively new area for the sport, they both shared many first titles in our Region and Alabama as you can see by the follow table:

Cody was the voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2005 in Region 14, and that third tournament team also included two other MVP winners, Paige in 2004 and Snap in 2006.

Since tournaments in an upcoming region where far and few, travel was a necessity.

Travels

Over the last 8 years Cody and Casey have traveled and attended many NAFA tournaments, and I know of a few humans that haven’t traveled as much.  Here is list of the States and Cities:

Alabama:
Autaugaville, Bessemer, Calera, Columbiana, Hoover, Huntsville, Irondale, and Talladega

Florida:
Deerfield Beach, Deland, Lakeland, Orlando, Pensacola, Sunrise, Tampa, and West Palm Beach

Georgia:
Athens and Perry

Illinois:
Springfield

Missouri:
St Louis

North Carolina:
Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Yadkinville

South Carolina:
Charleston

Tennessee:
Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville

Texas:
Houston and San Antonio

Era Coming to an End

Both Cody and Casey are still racing but it’s obvious that their careers are winding down.  The State and Region has grown tremendously over the last 8 years, and they have been great Ambassadors for the sport and its growth throughout the southeast. They both still love the game and give everything they have when playing.  They truly are two of the greats in our sport.

Larry

If you have or know of a special dog, and would like to have him or her recognized, please contact us using the Contact form.

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