I have asked myself, what was the best about last weekend? That Lilli got her second Nordic Championship gold in a row…? That Ziv got an individual silver medal on her first Nordic championship..? That I won team gold together with both our girls on the team..? That I was on the team together with three other super skilled, nice and great teammates from Sweden..? That I achieved one of my dream goals sooner than I expected; to get both girls on the podium together..? That I finally got my brain back on track Sunday morning..? Or the perfect conditions with the perfect hall, the perfect surface and the perfect forest to walk the dogs in..? The perfect exciting final course..? The fun and nice company on the whole Swedish team..? Or all other nice people in the other Nordic countries..? Or that we had ”our own” flight captain Dennis Lynge Sørensen right beside us when our plane got technical problems on the ways home…? Or maybe just that I have the best friend in the world, that always supports me and also let me run her one in a million dog..?

I actually don’t know what to pick. I just know that for me it was an unforgettable weekend filled with a confused brain that finally got its shit together, two truly amazing dogs, amazing agility handlers, organisers and judges, good food, pure agility joy, excitement and much more.

Maybe you read my previous posts about that we forgot the dogs on the way to the train, that I added 0,6 sec on Ziv’s time because I forgot that there’s a rule that says you need to start within 15 seconds, I forgot the course, I mixed up my numbers, etc. etc. So, after this confused start of the championship, I had some time to make up for in the individual final. Ziv was on 5th place and Lilli on 2nd place after two runs.

I really liked the final course (videos posted here), technique and speed in a perfect balance. And it was a really tricky start. I made a bit risky choice but I believed that would be the best choice if it worked and Nettan agreed. I also decided (together with Nettan) to run like hell and try to reach a forced blind cross, instead of playing safe with a rear cross in another situation. In general, I felt quite secure with all my choices, even though they included risks. And the most important of all, I was so excited to run this course.

With Ziv I almost lost her in the start sequence, but I was determined to get her back on track. She found the WP entry and then I left her and I ran my fastest to the next situation, with the forced blind cross, and we nailed it. The rest just went with the flow and Ziv was so good. It was a course where you could run all the way so I was quite tired after Ziv’s run….

Two dogs later, it was Lilli’s turn. She was really excited after waiting and watching Ziv and I was also quite excited to get started. And to help my self, I made up a smart strategy I left Lilli on the start line before the judged whistled because then I knew I would not break the start line… and it worked . Lilli managed the opening sequence perfectly, I was a bit more careful not to lose her like I did with Ziv. And the rest went as good as the opening, I kept the flow from Ziv’s run but I was so tired in the end when I needed to run the most. In somehow I got some extra energy that kept my legs going and we crossed the finish line with a clean run. She was the winner of the final run and she was also the overall winner after three runs and on the top of that, Ziv was second! I was so proud and happy!

I’m extra proud of Lilli and me who have now gotten three Swedish Championship gold medals and two Nordic Championship gold medals in a row. I just admire Lilli’s focus, enthusiasm and talent. Lilli is my idol and she’s one in a million dog.

I’m also extra proud of my little feral, charming, funny, loving, coyote Ziv. She was mostly supposed to be my sheepdog when I got her. She has been very special and different to train in agility. She also had a year off because of breathing problems and we still have to deal with those problems. It’s her first year in the Swedish Team and despite all this, she’s performing like a real star. She was even the individual winner of the team agility course What we achieved together last weekend make it to one of the most valuable moments in my agility career.

Thank you, everyone, who was involved in this championship, special thanks to Ville who was in charge of the event. Thank you Zsofi Biro and Anders Virtanen, because of you judges, our sport develop all the time. A special thanks to Zsofi who came all the way from Hungary with her three months old Jozsef and managed this busy weekend without any problems, impressive. Thank you #AptusSverige for providing us with #AptusProSport and #AptusSportX so our dogs can perform at their best, all the time. Thank you #LupusFoderAB and #FourFriendsSverige for supporting our dogs with the best dog food! Thank you Sophie Ericson at #HästochHälsa who keeps our dogs in the best shape. Thank you #SmådjurshälsaniVinslöv for having the best swimming pool for dogs. Thank you team leaders (Per and Nettan) and teammates in the Swedish team. Thank you everyone else around, who’s inspiring, cheering for and supporting us. All this means a lot!

Thank you Nettan (Jeanette Johansson) you are one in a million, as much as Lilli is

#awaytomemisslilli #emenemsziv