Top Ten Debate

[debbie]

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after this cut back on top ten opens, i personally think this sport is getting a rich mans sport, as to get anywhere in the top ten points we would have to travell up and down the country, not that this effects me as i do this anyway, i am merely thinking of other people

debbie

 

[Vicky]

How many opens have been cut back? The calendar still looks pretty full to me

 

[JOHNG]

i agree debbie the cut back on opens was to try and help the clubs out by getting more racers to run there dogs at club level,but somehow i dont think it will make much difference,one reason being if you have open class dogs you are not going to run at club level and risk injury(personally i won"t ) 30 year ago at west auckland we had about 60+members only about 15or20 of the members went open racing that left quite a lot left for the handicap racing,that is what i think is the problem today with the clubs, it"s not the amount of opens it"s nobody want"s to keep a club dog. sad but true 8)

 

[Honeybee]

Personally, over the years I think that its the Top 10 Opens that have "killed off" the clubs and forced their closure. Now today a lot of people who own whippets have no choice but to go open racing as their are no Clubs left in their region/area. This was forecasted in the "SPOTLIGHT" Magazine many years ago with so many opens and added prize money it would kill off the clubs and this is exactly what has happened. The damage has now been done and I doubt very much if whippet racing will ever return to say 15/20 years ago when there would be as many at 80/100 dogs at a club meeting. Shame but true.

 

[JOHNG]

just got some old whippet news out , even in 1974 attendences were poor for instance, august edition 1974 hawes open 53 dogs,bristol 30 dogs, silverwood 44dogs,meden valley 26dogs, devon&somerset 43dogs,bwra south yosks aire valley 54 dogs,southampton&district 47 dogs, kiverton park 46 dogs, queensbury sports club 50 dogs , meden valley 21 dogs ,dunston wrc 45 dogs , bloxwich carnival open 38 dogs , december issue hucknall & linby 28 dogs , brierley hill 33 dogs,st ives 21 dogs , mayfly open at whits horse wrc 40 dogs ,stoke on trent 40 dogs , even then the attendances were not any better than they are now,why like i said in my last post not all whippet racers went open racing them days. IMO

 

[rocky]

Fordingbridge members have been told there is no handicap for non peds this year, only for the pedigrees. This is because there are very few non peds that want to use the club for the handicap. They all want open class dogs and do not keep their dogs if not open class. I cannot afford to travel to opens, nor do I want to, even if I did have an open class dog. The sport and fun for me is to go weekly to my club and join a handicap system that goes backwards and forwards.

Our club says if someone is willng to be handicapper, this could happen but how could it when we do not have the handicap dogs.

This for me is the end of the road, no club no racing for me

 

[Vicky]

Thats very sad for you Audrey, is there not even enough dogs to have 1 heat, that wouldn't take much working out. It's a shame the club is losing dogs, is that not just due to the decline in the sport or is it really down to everyone going open racing?

I can't say it's a problem at our club, maybe we just dont take opens too seriously??

Fordingbridge members have been told there is no handicap for non peds this year, only for the pedigrees.  This is because there are very few non peds that want to use the club for the handicap.  They all want open class dogs and do not keep their dogs if not open class.  I cannot afford to travel to opens, nor do I want to, even if I did have an open class dog.  The sport and fun for me is to go weekly to my club and join a handicap system that goes backwards and forwards.Our club says if someone is willng to be handicapper, this could happen but how could it when we do not have the handicap dogs.

This for me is the end of the road, no club no racing for me

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[Honeybee]

In the Midlands very few people went Open Racing - in fact, only those with exceptionally fast dogs. Everybody stayed at Club level, hence the high number of dogs attending. We used to race at Cannock on a Sunday morning and there would be anything between 80 & 100 dogs. There were so many it was only heat winners that went through to the next round. In the Midlands there used to be at least 7 clubs to race at. When you won the "handicap" at one club and had to carry a 3yds handicap you would then go to another club to race. Racing at Club level in those days was like attending an Open meeting of today. I still think that its the Opens that have "killed" off the Clubs.

 

[justright]

just looked in last years Jan w.news just to see what the calendar was like, and there was no calendar WHY when you look in this years its full, then it came to me??? they where getting the old fed out with the help of w. news last year lol

 

[Ash]

[SIZE=11pt]Hello Audrey nice to hear from you, hope you are well and we will see you this sunday.[/SIZE]

 

There are MORE non-peds registering this year than peds at fordingbridge and if the peds are having a handicap why can't the non-peds ???? I am willing to run a handicap if members want it, there are alot of young dogs coming through this year "don't quote me" so a handicap would be greatly appreciated "i would have thought???" I have the format and spreadsheets ready to go and was going to announce this on sunday to see what the members wanted.

Ash.

 

[JOHNG]

just looked in last years Jan w.news just to see what the calendar was like, and there was no calendar WHY when you look in this years its full, then it came to me??? they where getting the old fed out with the help of w. news last year lol

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give it a rest will you all that crap is behind us now i hope :angry:

this post is about the decline in dogs racing at club level and the reasons why.

 

[weathergirls]

THAT IS A RIDICULOUS COMMENT TO MAKE IT WAS PROBABLY MORE LIKELY TO BE BECAUSE DATES AND VENUES HADN,T BEEN SENT IN IN TIME

 

[mutley]

WELL SAID JOHN

 

[Karen-Coral]

Not so sure about 'a rich mans sport'? Maybe a sport for someone with time on their hands?and a few quid spare for diesel-?

Some as we did enjoyed travelling-but a little bored with it all now-Top Ten included-

What kind of competition is it anyway-if even the organisers don't rate it?

Going back to the travelling side-yes it does invlove alot of miles but some seem to forget that the dog/s still need to win their heat/class/open to gain points-

Any silly sod can travel around the country-

Just my thoughts on the matter-

Karen Boyd

 

[debbie]

any silly sod can travel round the country but it does still involve a lot of money

 

[Paws123]

I think the travelings just as good as the racing and meeting up with friends.... esp when debbie drives (w00t) (w00t)

 

[lyd]

i think their is not the amount of dogs running because people have packed in for 1 reason or another.i my self does not race any more because we have no club now .some one has the traps and lure had a couple of runs last year but only 4 dogs .2 are mine and 2 are the lad s with traps and lure.their just is not the dogs now to have handicaps thats why so many clubs have folded ;ie carlisle wigton,penrith,kirby stephen.with out your clubs no open.

 

[weathergirls]

I,M ONE OF THE DAFT SODS LOVE TRAVELLING ROUND WITH OR WITHOUT A DOG TO RACE, I LOVE IT

 

[kipper fluke]

Hi lyd

steve here you will always be more than welcome at Lancaster club as will any of the others who ran at Penrith or Carlisle in fact it wiould be nice to see Colin /Pat and Malcolm again give them all my best also Michelle i will put on here as soon as we start racing again then you can come and visit us wish all those up there a happy new year from all of us here and i look forward to seeing you all again all the best to little Ronie and his family you always made us welcome and i look forward to doing the same for you all in the very near future

Steve-Karen -Harry

 

[lyd]

) hi steve every ones keeping well.i think ronnies only got 1 dog now he gave the rest to pet homes .i have 3 dogs ones 12 years 2 others r 7 now.when i see them all again i will tell them you are asking about them.all the best lyd.