CCS Fall Trial 2025 Knocks It Out of the Park!
L-R: Master Course Builder Jody Faulkner, Trial Chair Betsie Bolger, and CCS Equipment Manager Crystal Ragan celebrated Halloween while setting up for CCS Fall Trial 2025!
From setup to teardown and for the two days in between, a good time was had by all at CCS Fall Trial 2025. Despite some brief spells of light rain on Saturday morning, handlers’ and dogs’ spirits remained high; the dogs especially reveled in the unexpectedly cool day! Intrepid AKC Trick Dog evaluators Sydney Burton and Jeanene Lorenzen stuck it out despite the inclement weather and awarded some half a dozen Novice Trick Dog titles.
Sunday dawned cool and clear, then warmed up to what Judge Dave Visniski deemed perfect Texas weather. The day got even brighter when CCS club owner and USDAA founder/CEO Ken Tatsch dropped by to check out the trial proceedings!
Trial Secretary Lisa Jarvis chats with Center for Canine Sports’ owner, USDAA founder and CEO Ken Tatsch, at CCS Fall Trial 2025.
Trial attendees came from as far away as Oklahoma City, including numerous Agility Support Spouses (ASSes) along with a welcome pair of junior handlers (the future of our sport!) plus several USDAA and/or CCS newbies.
Trainer Kathy Ketner (at right) and her OKC students Abigail Motsinger (one of two junior handlers at the trial), Madison Williams, Lucinda Francis, and Cassie Pomeroy competed with Suri, Bunny, Drax, Sassy and Dancer, and Ky and Cammi respectively.
Highlights of the weekend included Jennifer Thomas and Pitch earning their Performance Dog Championship. In addition, Judge’s Choice Awards went to Christie Deen and Dutch (Masters) and Sue Werley and Roscoe (Starters/Avanced).
Happily, professional photographer Melissa Sheehan of True Colors Photography and her protegé, Denise, were on hand to capture the action — and the memories. Their photos will be available soon; we’ll add the link here when pics are ready for viewing.
Many thanks to all of the many volunteers who jumped in to keep CCS Fall Trial 2025 running smoothly: Master Course Builders Brooke Ortale and Jody Faulkner; CCS Equipment Manager (and breakfast provider) Crystal Ragan; Diane and Lizzie Carson; Karen Nicodemus; Madison Williams; Helena Roman; Christie Dean; Sissy Williams; and others (please add your name via a comment if I’ve neglected to mention it here!). Judge Dave Visniski kept the atmosphere lighthearted and the focus on having fun with our dogs; his flowy yet challenging courses were a joy to run. Trial Secretary Lisa Jarvis kept us all up to date on our scores.
And for one more added attraction, Trial Chair Betsie Bolger had Teddy the Dog’s holiday-themed T-shirts, aprons, Christmas stockings, and Christmas ornaments on offer for trial attendees’ shopping pleasure.🛍️
Now we look forward to CCS Spring Trial 2026, coming up next April 25-26; judge will be Kennth Boyd. Hope to see you there!🐾👣