Result: National Vizsla Association Championships

Location: Grovespring, Missouri

Post Date: Jul 17, 2024

Submitted By: Chad Chadwell

National Vizsla Amateur Championship (front, l-r): Mike Northwood with Ramblin Rivers Fire Woman and Brian Gingrich with S T's Locked N Loaded. (Back row): Justin Hess, Chad Chadwell, Todd Peterson, Bill Stapleton, Bob Burchett, Sean Anderson, Burton Wice, Rob Tomczak, Andrea Northwood, Forest McPherson, Todd Meyer, Dan Mayer, Josh McPherson, Allison Bell, and Jarrett Bell.

The 2024 National Vizsla Association (NVA) National Championship events were held again at the Sportsmen's Association Grounds near Grovespring, Missouri. These championship grounds boast a continuous three-hour course and are some of the best grounds in the country for showcasing a bird dog.

This year, the start was delayed from Monday, March 11 to Wednesday, March 13, due to the previous championship trial ending on Tuesday. The weather conditions started sunny and dry, although temperatures were quite warm for the dogs in the afternoon. After some brief announcements, the Amateur stake started shortly after 8 a.m.
A huge thank you to our Amateur stake judges, Bob Burchett and Burton Wice, for
stepping in at the 11th hour and judging for us when delays at the start of our event meant our original judges were no longer available. As always, we appreciate Nestle Purina and Garmin's continued support of this trial and the field trial community.

NVA National Amateur Championship Placements
The 2024 National Amateur Champion placement was awarded to Ramblin Rivers Fire Woman ("Cinder"), owned and handled by Bill Stapleton. This year's National Amateur Runner-up Champion is S T's Locked N Loaded ("Remi"), handled by Bill Stapelton and owned by Julie and Jeff Zenas.

The Running
Brace 1 Sawney (Laura Miller) broke away at a good shooting dog pace well forward of his handler. At 12, he had a find with all in order. At approximately 25, Sawney had another point but unfortunately broke with the flushing bird, and his day's run was finished. Wyatt (Vince Tuttle) broke away with his bracemate in the open field on course one. At 32, Wyatt unfortunately broke when the bird was flushed, and his day ended.

Brace 2 Aly (Chad Chadwell) broke away at a very fast pace and disappeared for some time. She appeared to the front at the top of Horse Killer Hill near the fence row. However, at 47, she was seen under a bird, and her day was done. Nova (Bill Stapleton) broke away with Aly but at a slower pace. She handled kindly for her handler. At 13, Nova was not pleasing her handler, and she was picked up.

Brace 3 Shaka (Chad Chadwell) had a point at 5 at the fence row on the other side of the pond past the twin barns, with all in order. Later, she failed to hold on a stop to flush at the top of the hill behind the clubhouse camp, and her day ended. Flame's (Bill Stapleton) day ended quickly when, at 5, she had a breach of manners.

Brace 4 The judges were very pleased with Remi's (Bill Stapleton) run. She ran a good shooting dog pace, was primarily forward, and handled well for her handler. At 7, Remi had a find and exhibited great style and a staunch point through the flush and shot. At 14, she was found on point near the double gates with all in order. Remi's final point was at 31. Remi impressed the judges with her application and style on point and was awarded Runner-up Champion. Eilidh (Laura Miller) unfortunately failed to back at 14, and her handler picked her up.
Brace 5A: Wyatt (Jarrett Bell) hunted hard in the cover and successfully found birds, although his run was a bit erratic at times. Wyatt had an unproductive at 25 and a find at 30 and 44. He finished the hour.

Brace 5 Bugatti (Christi Uhrig) had an unproductive at 20 and another unproductive at 45. His handler chose to pick him up, and Bugatti's day ended.

Brace 6 Cinder (Bill Stapleton) ran at an excellent pace. The judges liked her big casts and her style on point. At 25, Cinder was found staunchly on the left edge before the twin barns. Cinder had another find at 36 and her final point at 50. Cinder finished the hour well forward of her handler and was awarded the Amateur Championship. Oliver (Christi Uhrig) had an unproductive at 6 and a point at 40. He had a stop to flush on a relocation and was picked up.
Brace 7A: Aspen (Dan Mayer) had a breach of manners at 20, and his day ended.

Brace 7 Rudi (Justin Hess) was not pleasing to his handler this day and was picked up.

Brace 8 Sia (Sean Anderson) had a find at 12 at the tree line at Davis Bottoms with all in order. At 28, Sia had another point and another at 31. At 40, Sean chose to pick Sia up. Bolt (Jarrett Bell) broke away at a good pace. He had an NP at 5 and a point at 13 and 20. He had a final find at 25 but unfortunately moved a few steps upon the flush, and his run was ended.

Brace 9 Hatch (Jeff Moody) handled kindly for his handler. He had a point at 5 and again at 12. At 15, Hatch had a breach of manners, and his run was ended. Imre (Sean Anderson) was not pleasing to his handler this day and was picked up at 12.

Brace 10 Willow (Dan Mayer) started with a good pace. However, he failed to show for an extended time, and his handler chose to pull the tracker. Koa (Chad Chadwell) handled kindly for her handler, lacking a bit of confidence in her application. Her handler was not pleased with her run and chose to pick Koa up at the double gates.

Brace 11 Jasper (Mike Northwood). This young dog ran a good race and exhibited good potential for his handler going forward. He had a point at 5 but took some steps while on point, and his run ended. Cooper (Todd Meyer) started at a good shooting dog pace. He had a find at 2 at the edge of a pond and another at 15 with all in order. Cooper made a cast over a hill leading into the Bull pasture and was gone for an extended period. His handler chose to pull the tracker, and Cooper's run ended.

Brace 12 Lefty (Mike Northwood) started with a purpose, but the warm temperatures seemed to affect her run. Her handler chose to pick Lefty up to avoid overstressing the dog in such warm temperatures. (Bye)

Brace 13 Clyde (Mike Northwood) had a back at 12. The warm temperatures seemed to affect his run and his handler chose to end his run. Louie (Todd Meyer) cast off at a fast pace. He was found standing at 15 with all in order and he had an unproductive at 21. Louie moved forward and was lost after the second rock crossing. His handler pulled the tracker, and Louie was picked up after many people assisted Todd in searching for and locating his dog.

Grovespring, Mo., March 11
Judges: Bob Burchett and Burton Wice
NATIONAL VIZSLA NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 25 Vizslas
Winner-RAMBLIN RIVERS FIRE WOMAN, 1665249, female, by Kick Em Up Bullet-Kick Em Up Kimber. Bill Stapleton, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-S T'S LOCKED N LOADED, 1686059, female, by C K Touchdown Guy-Midnight Run's Probable Cause. Jeff Zenas, owner; Bill Stapleton, handler.

National Vizsla Derby Classic
Friday morning saw the start of the National Derby Classic. A huge thank you to our judges, Dennis and Bonnie Hidalgo, for their time in the saddle watching our young derby dogs and for judging our National Championship stake. We are deeply grateful they were able to fit us into their busy field trial calendar. Special thanks also go to Bonnie for reporting both stakes!
All of the placed dogs in this stake were highly commendable and showed the promise of becoming top, national caliber dogs in the near future.
Jasper ran a great race for Mike Northwood; he was consistently forward and ran the edges like a mature dog. Jasper notched three impressive finds, showing intensity, style, and finished manners on all. He was an obvious choice for first.
Rebel, under the guidance of Jarrett Bell, was fast and attractive on the ground. She was braced with the winner, and it was an exciting brace to watch. Rebel carded three finds, showing high class on each, but lacking the finish of the winner. Her race was intelligent but somewhat shorter than her bracemate's. She was highly deserving of second place in this respectable Derby stake.
Wiley, handled by Rob Tomczak, was third; he appeared in the first brace of this stake. He put in a strong and forward effort and scored a good find at 26.

National Derby Classic (front, l-r): Justin Hess with N V Jasper, Allison Bell with L Boks Rebel Yell, and Todd Meyer with Wiley of Hawthorne Ridge. (Back row): Chad Chadwell, Mike Northwood, Sean Anderson, Bonnie Hidalgo, Todd Peterson, Jarrett Bell, Dennis Hidalgo, Vincent Tuttle, and Rob Tomczak.

Judges: Bonnie Hidalgo and Dennis Hidalgo
NATIONAL VIZSLA DERBY CLASSIC - 12 Vizslas
1st-N V JASPER, 1703719, male, by C K Post Route Scout-C K Touchdown Sassy. Mike Northwood, owner and handler.
2d-L BOKS REBEL YELL, unreg., male, by C K Post Route Scout-Boks White Lightning. Jarrett Bell, owner and handler.
3d-WILEY OF HAWTHORNE RIDGE, 1710647, male, by Rudy of Hawthorne Ridge-P R Shilohs Put A Spell On. Dave Wanserski, owner; Rob Tomczak, handler.

NVA National Championship
With the Derby completed and fine weather holding out, the National Championship started immediately after an extended lunch break. B G K's Bolt Action ("Bolt"), owned by Jarrett and Allison Bell and handled by Jarrett Bell, added more initials to his name and was declared the NVA's 2024 National Champion. Last year, Bolt was named the NVA's National Amateur Champion! Testing The Limits ("Bugatti"), handled by Patrick Clark and owned by Christi Uhrig, was named runner-up champion. This was Patrick's and Christi's first time running at the NVA National Championship!

The Running
Remi (Gingrich) and Shaka (Chadwell) were turned loose on Friday afternoon, the first brace of this championship. Remi scored a nice find on the north edge of the Double Gates field at 14, with all in order. Shaka had been showing well forward from the breakaway, but both her handler and scout missed that she was pointed 100 yards further on the same line as Remi, and Shaka was not recovered under judgment. Remi handled her next find at 24, again showing good manners. She suffered a barren stand at 44 but had a successful, mannerly find at 52. Remi showed good ground speed but was indecisive as to which edge to take.

Next, Roscoe (Tomczak) and Barney (Gingrich) were released in Little Vine loop. Roscoe ran an excellent race at desirable range. When point was called for him at 41, he appeared uncertain, but when his handler stepped in, and the birds ran, his intensity increased. His manners were very good. Barney started well, but later in the hour, he was not suiting his handler and was picked up.

Cinder (Stapleton) and Perrin (Clark) broke away in the last brace of the day. Cinder had her first find in the alley below the barns, all in order. She pointed again near the cemetery; when her bracemate came through the cover and pushed the bird out, Cinder stayed mannerly, but Perrin failed to stop and was taken up. A few minutes later, Cinder pointed birds just beyond the cemetery, again showing good manners. Cinder's fourth find was on the edge of Double Gates field at 54, and her fifth was at 57. She warmed into her race as time went on, getting stronger as she went, though she showed some indecision on her choice of edges early in the hour.

Lefty (Northwood) and Aly (Chadwell) ran first thing on Friday morning. They were both well-forward to the rocky creek crossing. A point was called for Lefty on the far right at 12, but Aly took the bird out and was picked up. Lefty continued forward to Davis Bottom, where her handler opted to pick up.

Next, Bugatti (Clark) and Wyatt (Bell) broke away into Davis Bottom. Bugatti notched his first find at 10, showing high intensity. His second find came at 17 in the Island field. Again, his intensity throughout the work was impressive. Bugatti's third find came just before Sycamore bottom at 51; his manners and intensity were excellent. He ran a good forward race and used the edges wisely. His performance earned him the title of Runner-up Champion. Wyatt was not
suiting his handler and was up before the hour elapsed.

Driggs (Clark) and Hatch (Moody) were the final brace on Saturday morning. Hatch had a stop-to-flush early in the hour. Moving into the Bull pasture, he pointed, but no birds were produced. Then Hatch scored a find in Climer's second pasture and a second on the hill before the clubhouse. Both dogs were picked up at the clubhouse gate as they weren't pleasing their handlers.

Zinger (Clark) and Bolt (Bell) kicked off the afternoon braces. Zinger had good finds at 22 and 27 in Davis Bottom, all in order. He ran a predominantly forward race. Bolt pointed a dead bird at 10, and then below the cemetery in Davis Bottom at 19, he scored a beautiful find. At 26, at the far end of Davis, he pointed again. He was class-personified; his manners were excellent.
Bolt's third find came at 50, just beyond Apple Tree Hill. Bolt pointed there with impressive style and decorum. Bolt was consistently forward in pattern; he used his edges well. The overall impression of his race was that it was smooth-flowing and at excellent range. He won this stake by a wide margin.

Oliver (Clark) and Dutch (Gingrich) were the eighth brace of the stake. Oliver pointed birds at 8 in Sycamore, showing an excellent nose. His manners were good. Dutch pointed at 20, on Daugherty Ridge with Oliver honoring. Both dogs showed good behavior on the flush. Oliver suffered an unproductive at 29 on the left line. Dutch was credited with a back. In the bull pasture, Dutch had a good stop-to-flush. Oliver scored a find at 40. Both dogs were well behaved on all bird work but did not have the races of the dogs being carried for placement. Both were picked up at 55.

In the next brace, Scorch (Clark) and Wyatt (Tuttle) broke away into the Clubhouse loop. Scorch carded a nice find at 11 on the hill. He pointed again at 17 with Wyatt backing nicely, but no birds were produced. Near the end of the Clubhouse loop at 21, Scorch pointed a covey with high intensity. He was mannerly for flush and shot. At 36, with Wyatt honoring, Scorch suffered his second barren stand and was up. Wyatt was found on point below the cemetery at 49. He showed good style, intensity, and manners through flush and shot. Unfortunately, at 53, this young dog pushed out a covey to end his performance.

Jasper (Northwood) and Orvis (Clark) were next. Orvis was nicely forward in pattern. Just into Davis Bottom at 20, Orvis pointed but pushed the covey on relocation. Jasper was strong and forward in his race. He pointed in Davis Bottom at 22; relocation was needed, and he did so but then pushed the birds out to end this brace.

Willow (Mayer) and Flame (Gingrich) were next released in the center of Davis Bottom. Flame pointed nicely at 14 and stood the pressure of Willow taking her birds out. Willow was picked up. Flame was forward across Apple Tree Hill and through Little Vine loop. At the end of Little Vine, on the crest of the hill at 37, Flame scored a very nice find. Her third find came at 42, along the ditch; her intensity and manners were excellent. At 45, she was staunch on point again until the bird flushed into her face, and she caught it. Her performance had been highly
pleasing until then.

Rudi (Hess) ran as a bye. Rudi was forward and handled well but was not suiting his handler and was up early.

Aspen (Mayer) and Cooper (Meyer) were the final brace of the trial. Cooper pointed at the end of Climer's, Aspen failed to back. Cooper was mannerly and continued into the Clubhouse loop. He was up before the hour for not besting the leaders.

NATIONAL VIZSLA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 25 Vizslas
Winner-B G K'S BOLT ACTION, 1687408, male, by Briar In My Boot-Huntin With A Lil Swagger. Jarrett Bell, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-TESTING THE LIMITS, 1704218, male, by S Wind Nothin Runs Like Deere-J B's Double Action Ruger. Christi Uhrig, owner; Patrick Clark, handler.

National Vizsla Open Championship (front, l-r): Allison Bell with B G K's Bolt Action and Todd Meyer with Testing The Limits. (Back row): Mike Northwood, Jarrett Bell, Dennis Hidalgo, Justin Hess, Bonnie Hidalgo, Chad Chadwell, Christi Uhrig Chadwell, Sean Anderson, Rob Tomczak, and Patrick Clark.