How Opens Came About

[Trojan]

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"Maybe instead of flooding the calendar with bog standard opens every club could concentrate on just the one open (do away with additionals) do it right, spend more time preparing for it and give more back to the people who are supporting your events."

I feel this comment is slightly below the belt I'm sure that anyone putting on any events whether they are weekends, Top Ten, Additionals or even mere club racing week in week out feel they are doing it right or to the best of their ability or the means that are available to them. As for more time preparing for them lots of us hold full time jobs and have other commitments that unfortunately don't allow us lots and lots of preparation time, but if we are not doing it right or up to standard then maybe we should stand down but if we are not careful instead of encouraging and bettering the sport we may find we will be loosing people who work hard for the sport and do their best to keep it alive.

 

[rodders]

Am I green or what.Why would Chris choose not to accept an advert? The magazine has to pay for itself,and would have thought advertising goes toward this.Expecting the editor to not accept an advert is daft.

I hope your not off colour Karen

PMSL,thanks for the concern Mick

 

[deeva1]

The main reason people are leaving the sport imo is all the nasty people on this site :angry: who can't live with the fact that some peoples dogs are faster then theirs. :angry: Who would want to come into a sport with so many NON sporting people. :rant:

:unsure: I have no idea who you are, but, I will say that there are more GOOD people in the sport than BAD! I notice that you are new member, so, I would ask you to wait until you know folks better, because not everyone is Nasty. Believe me! By the way, Welcome to the world of Whippets! ) :wub:

It looks like your the k9 rookie Dee in this instance :lol:

:wacko: LOOK ON HIS PROFILE- WHAT DOES IT SAY! (w00t)

 

[Vicky]

"Maybe instead of flooding the calendar with bog standard opens every club could concentrate on just the one open (do away with additionals) do it right, spend more time preparing for it and give more back to the people who are supporting your events."
I feel this comment is slightly below the belt I'm sure that anyone putting on any events whether they are weekends, Top Ten, Additionals or even mere club racing week in week out feel they are doing it right or to the best of their ability or the means that are available to them. As for more time preparing for them lots of us hold full time jobs and have other commitments that unfortunately don't allow us lots and lots of preparation time, but if we are not doing it right or up to standard then maybe we should stand down but if we are not careful instead of encouraging and bettering the sport we may find we will be loosing people who work hard for the sport and do their best to keep it alive.

I work full time 7 days a week along with an additional 8 hours a week in another job so am well aware of the lack of spare time, as are others in our club running their own businesses and tied with lots of their own dogs.

We could all bury our heads in the sand and see no room for improvement in the sport and where will whippet racing end up then?

 

[Trojan]

Sorry Vicky dont think i can be called for burying my head in the sand, i would have given up a good few years ago if this had been the case, been racing a while now, running a club for many of them, a club that NEVER ever got big attendances at their opens, which had added prize money at its Top Ten open each year, (added by family), refreshments sorted by the family, track cut by the family at times, but a track that got slagged off for not being of great standard, even though it ran for 40 years so couldnt have been so bad,. Spent 3 years going to meetings in my own time to try and better things, but sadly it was 3 years wasted, as eventually the club folded for other reasons. I appreciate as much as anyone what its like to work, juggle kids and run a club, but did it to the best of 'my' ability and thought i was doing it fairly right - but maybe i'm a bog standard kinda person!!!!

 

[milly]

The main reason people are leaving the sport imo is all the nasty people on this site :angry: who can't live with the fact that some peoples dogs are faster then theirs. :angry: Who would want to come into a sport with so many NON sporting people. :rant:

:unsure: I have no idea who you are, but, I will say that there are more GOOD people in the sport than BAD! I notice that you are new member, so, I would ask you to wait until you know folks better, because not everyone is Nasty. Believe me! By the way, Welcome to the world of Whippets! ) :wub:

It looks like your the k9 rookie Dee in this instance :lol:

:wacko: LOOK ON HIS PROFILE- WHAT DOES IT SAY! (w00t)

It says May 2007, and yours says July 2010 :- your a newby :lol:

 

[hellbound]

"Maybe instead of flooding the calendar with bog standard opens every club could concentrate on just the one open (do away with additionals) do it right, spend more time preparing for it and give more back to the people who are supporting your events."

what do you mean by Bog Standard opens vicky ? for me your weekend is to close to the scottish derby which i consider a very prestigious event so would'nt risk my dogs ' on what you would call a bog standard weekend your words not mine ' i would have love to run at your weekend event but like i have said to you before its to close to scotland. looking at the calendar 11th of june english derby would'nt call this bog standard ? the 18th june I.B.M would'nt call this open bog standard ? 26th june bwra Another Maid bog standard would'nt say so ? onto july fordingbridge weekend another very good weekend of racing everyone having a brill time so would'nt say bog standard at all ! think every club holding the opens put alot of work and time into making them the best they can, weather it be additionals or top ten opens,

 

[GRAHAM PEM]

cant see what the problem is people will alway run there dogs were they want to if a open is badly surported so be it so long as the people that turned up and raced enjoyed there day cant see what the problem is.

 

[rodders]

How sad as whippet racing become,when people feel they have to defend themselves and their club if this is what happens because of a poor turnout at an event,there is something drastically wrong.It has absolutley nothing to do with clubs,opens,states of tracks,payouts or trophies given to winners.It's all about a person choosing to go/or not to an event to run their dog(s).For the record,if your bog standard Karen,we need loads more just like you

 

[sherry]

To further answer Carols questions - Harry Seymoud lived and ran at Wallsend so at his passing a trophy was in rememberance of himStockton for the Red Mills because it is the club of Malcolm Clark, the GB Red Mills Manager.

thankyou very much audrey 4 answering the question i asked on this topic HOW DID THE OPENS COME ABOUT? u have been racing a long time audrey if u dont mind me saying so can i ask do u know how opens came about in the begining and wot was the 1st ever open?? thanks in advance :thumbsup:

 

[rocky]

Ive been doing a bit of research for you Carol.

I didn't actually start racing until 1968 but used to show whippets as a young girl and have found my oldest whippet news for August 1964. It was No. 17 and cost one shilling. There were no sign of opens in that, only challenges and inter club competitions which I remember in my first years.

I do remember going to Sedgebrook, nr. Grantham for one of my first opens and have found an advert for one there Sunder Oct. 3rd 1965

It had 7 weight classes for whippets, 16lb, 18lb, 20lb, 22lb, 2lbm 26lb and 28lb. All together. In my first years also dogs and bitches were together and it was a BIG whippet at 28lb.

Getting back to the first ever open, Two I have found, both on the same day.

1. Open Whippet Handicap Sat. Aug 28th 1965 130 yds to drag lure 21 ins height limit. time trial 10.30 first race 1.15 at

Southmoore sports club entries to G. Mason Easington Lane, Hetton le Hole, Co. Durham.

2. National Whippet DERBY hANDICAP. Dennis Whites Sports and Recreation Foundation

Holmes Chapel Rd. Middlewich, Cheshire 28th Aug. 1965 Open to the world at 30lb

run over 156 yds to lure or rag. Time trials'

Perhaps someone can beat these two Carol. As you can see whippet racing was entirely different.

 

[rocky]

Ive been doing a bit of research for you Carol.

I didn't actually start racing until 1968 but used to show whippets as a young girl and have found my oldest whippet news for August 1964. It was No. 17 and cost one shilling. There were no sign of opens in that, only challenges and inter club competitions which I remember in my first years.

I do remember going to Sedgebrook, nr. Grantham for one of my first opens and have found an advert for one there Sunder Oct. 3rd 1965

It had 7 weight classes for whippets, 16lb, 18lb, 20lb, 22lb, 2lbm 26lb and 28lb. All together. In my first years also dogs and bitches were together and it was a BIG whippet at 28lb.

Getting back to the first ever open, Two I have found, both on the same day.

1. Open Whippet Handicap Sat. Aug 28th 1965 130 yds to drag lure 21 ins height limit. time trial 10.30 first race 1.15 at

Southmoore sports club entries to G. Mason Easington Lane, Hetton le Hole, Co. Durham.

2. National Whippet DERBY hANDICAP. Dennis Whites Sports and Recreation Foundation

Holmes Chapel Rd. Middlewich, Cheshire 28th Aug. 1965 Open to the world at 30lb

run over 156 yds to lure or rag. Time trials'

Perhaps someone can beat these two Carol. As you can see whippet racing was entirely different.

 

[rocky]

Come on some of you older racers. Surely there must be someone other than myself who remembers the early years and the first opens?

 

[JOHNG]

the oldest whippet news i have is may 1964 ( i was'nt racing then )

first ever open held at kirk merrington near spennymoor april 12th 1964

120yds scratch racing was won by dangerman owned by mr martin from murton in a time of 7-75,

r/up smokey boy from preston.

carol a report here says wallsend wrc are looking into the idea of having hurdle racing as it as been a big attraction at other clubs . wonder if it ever got going .

 

[sherry]

hi audrey thanks for that info have only just seen it makes for interseting reading. also thanks to john g so i c scratch racing went as far back as 1964 then??? i thought it was just brought in in the last 20/30years???? no john i dont think we ever had a hurdle race @ wallsend well not as long as ive been racing we havent lol