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Welcome to
Finland, to enjoy
Agility & compete in it
The first
steps in Finnish Agility were taken in conjunction with the Finnish
Kennel Club’s (SKL) annual international Winner 1986 conformation
show. In Helsinki Fair Center there was an agility demonstration,
put on by some members of the greater Helsinki area Utility dog
clubs. That demonstration had the same effect similar ones all over
the world have had and continue to have: more and more dog fanciers
were sold to the idea.
The first official trial was held in March
1989 at the Finnish Kennel Club Centennial conformation show. The
real breakthrough came in 1992, when the initial group of the 500
pioneers quickly started to expand to the 10 000 enthusiasts of
today.
Finnish
Agility today
Nowadays tremendous amounts of work are
put toward Agility all over Finland. Over 120 dog clubs participate
in the sport, out of which ca. 30 are agility-specific clubs. To
our knowledge the northernmost training facility lies in Sodankylä,
100 km north of the Arctic Circle.
More and more clubs have their own year-round
indoor facilities, some of which even facilitate official trials.
Finnish Agility competitors, especially the Mini dog/handler teams,
are known all over due to their accomplishments in the FCI-organised
European and World Championships. In the beginning of 2005, our
unofficial census resulted in 3500 active competitors who had 50
000 official starts during 2004. All Finnish Kennel Club regulated
trials abide by the FCI rules. Foreign competitors are very welcome
to participate. Some of the trials in the highest level (III) are
FCI-regulated, where the winners in each category may be awarded
a CACIAg. The obstacles always adhere strictly to the FCI rules.
Beginning in May 2002, the new Midi category (35 to 42 cm) is available
in our national trials. At the same time the jump heights for each
category (MINI, MIDI, MAXI) will be modified to follow the current
FCI rules.
Eligibility
of the dogs and handlers
A handler wishing to compete in Finnish
Agility trials needs a license or trial registration book given
out by his/her national kennel organization, of which (or a subsidiary
of which) the handler also needs to be a member of. The name of
the kennel organization will be asked to be filled in the trial
registration form. With the exception of some trials, all dogs over
18 months of age that are registered with a national kennel organization
are eligible. The registry may be one of purebred dogs only or a
special registry, where crossbreeds are also registered. Each dog
has to have its ID-number either tattooed or microchipped in it.
Tattoo may be inside the earflap or thigh; microchip needs to be
Indexel or Datamars.
Vaccinations
Dogs entering Finland must have been vaccinated
against Rabies and Distemper. The vaccinations must not be given
less than 30 days or over 365 days before crossing the Finnish border.
Vaccination against Leptospira is not mandatory. The vaccination
certificates are also checked at the trials.
For further information you can contact
Mrs. Ritva Herrala of the Finnish Kennel Club,
tel. +358-9-877 30 288,
email: ritva.herrala@kennelliitto.fi
The Finnish
Agility trials
There are annually over 350 official Agility
Trials in Finland. They abide by the FCI rules and are mandated
by the Finnish Kennel Club.
Even during the winter many trials take
place, either in indoor facilities or indoor horseback riding arenas.
It is not uncommon to have up to 4 official trials in an event over
the course of a weekend. Almost all trials offered include all 9
classes, for the categories (MINI, MIDI& MAXI) and levels (I,
II & III).
Usually the trials are run on sand or similar
surface (cutter dust, crushed rubber etc). In sport halls or fields
the surface is often artificial grass. It is very seldom that real
grass is used in outdoor trials.
The average participation fee per dog per
trial is 13 E. If you take part in more trials in the same event
or have more dogs than one, it is quite common to get reduced price
of 10-11 Euro per dog trial.
You cannot help but notice that Finnish
Agility trials run very punctually. To the Finnish trial organizers,
it would almost seem like blasphemy to run late or have any other
major defects in the practical arrangements! This is largely due
to the average participant number of just 100 competitors, who are
divided into 6 (form May 2002 on, 9) classes. Since almost the same
competitors may take part in another trial the same day, the pauses
between classes and trials are kept to a minimum.
After sending in your entry form you receive
a confirmation letter in advance (usually ca. a week before the
event). In addition to advice on getting there, the letter often
includes a precise schedule.
You get to know when you have to be there,
what time you get to walk the course, how many participants there
are in your class and even when the prizes are given out.
Results and
index
Since 1994 the Agility Sports Bulletin
has published almost all the results (under 31 course faults) of
the official trials. In order to make the results easily convertible
(?), the paper developed an innovative formula of recording the
results. All the national trials now use this formula.
The most significant difference to the
FCI results lies in showing the actual time fault. Time fault is
calculated by subtracting the Ideal Time from Course Time. If the
result has a minus in front of it, so be it. If there are no course
faults, the result = real time fault. Often the winner’s result
is ca. -10.
Since the two numbers (actual time fault
and course fault) show all the necessary facts, we think there is
no need to record ideal times, course time and course faults for
each competitor.
The paper publishes annually ca. 20 000
rows of results. The data is used to calculate averages for specific
breeds, clubs or individuals. This would not be possible without
our method of recording the “actual time faults”.
Entering
Finnish Agility trials
In order to take part in a trial, you need
to do two things before the closing date: fill in an entry form
and pay the entry fee.
A receipt or its copy should be included
with your entry fee. Should you have Acrobat Reader software on
your computer, you can print an entry fee in .pdf-format. Link
to Entry Form.
An injured dog or a bitch in heat may not
start in an official trial. The competitor can have the entry fee
refunded, if s/he sends the organizers a certificate signed by a
vet or, in the case of heat, two persons who are not part of his/her
household.
All trials are introduced, with precise
instructions on how and when, in Agility Sports Bulletin ca. 3 months
beforehand.
Information on Finnish
Open & Agirotu Carnival -events or Timanttiset
Agility Ranking point system.
We will be happy to provide you with any
additional information you may need.
Contact us at:
Agility Sports Bulletin
+358-8- 0400-385 690
email: asb-lehti@agility.inet.fi
Translation: Mari Hurskainen
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