Gamblers Course?

[stephenb]

My wife is entered in her first Gamblers trial this weekend but we have never seen one run. I have read the rules and have a fair idea of how it is supposed to go but would like a copy of a typical novice course to look at. Can someone post a copy or a link?

[Vickie]

Hi Stephen,

I'm not sure there is a "typical" gamblers course. Every one I have run & seen has been quite different. We are starting in Excellent next week, so it'll be interesting to see how much the difficulty increases. Novice gamble times are quite generous & the distance is not too great for most teams. I will have a look around, I may have saved some of the handouts I have been given, but am not sure it will help much.

My best advice is to plan a course & try to stick to it as much as possible. I tend not to do back to back obstacles b/c I find it disrupts our flow. I generally try to pick a loop between Weaves, DW & AFame & try to do it twice & hope to end at teh start of the gamble.

Vickie

Edited June 27, 2007 by Vickie

[stephenb]

Hi Stephen,

I'm not sure there is a "typical" gamblers course. Every one I have run & seen has been quite different. We are starting in Excellent next week, so it'll be interesting to see how much the difficulty increases. Novice gamble times are quite generous & the distance is not too great for most teams. I will have a look around, I may have saved some of the handouts I have been given, but am not sure it will help much.

My best advice is to plan a course & try to stick to it as much as possible. I tend not to do back to back obstacles b/c I find it disrupts our flow. I generally try to pick a loop between Weaves, DW & AFame & try to do it twice & hope to end at teh start of the gamble.

Vickie

Thanks for the reply. From reading the rules it is not clear if the setup has the gamble obstacles amongst the PAP obstacles or in a seperate area and if the gamble obstacles tend to be in a flowing pattern while the PAP obstacles are not.

The trial has been cancelled because the field is apparently still ankle deep in water and not expected to be useable by the weekend.

[poodlefan]

The gamble obstacles are always over to one side and usually delineated from the others by a rope or line that you cannot cross to make the gamble. It is a clear sequence that is more or less a straight line in Novice (and a tunnel is often the first or second one to get some flow) but the complexity and angles of the gamble increase up the levels as the distance you have to keep between you and the obstacles increases.

In Novice gamblers the gamble tends to be a tunnel and jumps. I've also had contact obstacles. Up the levels, you'll get weavers and more requirement to have the dog work away and out from you.

Edited for clarity.

Edited June 28, 2007 by poodlefan

[stephenb]

The gamble obstacles are always over to one side and usually delineated from the others by a rope or line that you cannot cross to make the gamble. It is a clear sequence that is more or less a straight line in Novice (and a tunnel is often the first or second one to get some flow) but the complexity and angles of the gamble increase up the levels as the distance you have to keep between you and the obstacles increases.

In Novice gamblers the gamble tends to be a tunnel and jumps. I've also had contact obstacles. Up the levels, you'll get weavers and more requirement to have the dog work away and out from you.

Edited for clarity.

Thanks for the info. We might set up a practice course tonight and give it a go.

[kelpiechick]

Not sure what state you're in Stephen, but in Victoria there is a big difference in courses between judges - and I have had weave poles twice in Novice gamblers. (set of 4) The gamble is not always over to one side either - had one in novice that was in the centre from memory and also one in excellent.

Most judges will set the opening sequence so that you can plan a nice flowing course for your dog - my favourite are the ones where you can almost run a 'speed circle' around the outside, then turn around and come back again before heading into the centre to get closer to the gamble.

I tend to plan my course by looking at what sequences my dog can perform fastest - and then choosing either contacts or weaves- whichever one fits in best with my planned sequences. (although I would certainly choose both if at all possible.) This works for me most of the time - I had 2 first places in Novice and also got first place in my first run in excellent a few weeks ago. I think you have to work to the strength of your dog rather than just trying to get the obstacles that are worth the most points at all costs.

From what I have seen a lot of people actually waste time trying to get all the contacts and weaves in when they could have, for example, performed 3 or 4 bars just as quickly as the dog walk. When you perform the gamble, there is usually an obstacle before the 1st gamble obstacle that lines up perfectly with it and it is usually worthwhile taking a bit of extra time to take this one first as it gives you a better 'flow' into the gamble, and therefore more speed.

Going from novice to excellent was not difficult to get the extra points required due to seesaw inclusion, but the gamble was way harder - you actually had to send your dog away from you for the first 3 obstacles with nowhere to move, rather than running parallel like in novice - jump jump tunnel (slight discrimination) then turn and run parallel - A frame, spread. (the gamble was an inverted L shape) Think it was a fluke that we got it, but we'll take it !!!!

Hope your wife enjoys her run when she finally gets it - gamblers is my favourite game!

Also good luck in excellent Vickie - from looking at Trim on the videos you have posted I'm sure she'll 'kick ass'