For those not familiar with ASFA lure coursing, Field Champion is the first title a hound can earn. There are two basic requirements: placements and points. For placements, you need either two first places (and the dog must actually defeat another dog for the 1st place to count towards a title) or one first place and two second place finishes. The point requirement is 100 points.

I knew Echo was getting close to her Field Champion, but when we started coursing I wasn’t exactly sure how the points worked, so I didn’t keep a record of points earned at each event. But, I had a general idea of how many points each dog had. After the weekend in Moreland, GA I figured she was only a handful of points away. She already had one first place and one second place finish, so the two 1st place finishes she earned in Moreland more than met the placement requirement. After we got home from the weekend, I emailed the ASFA Records Coordinator for her official point total.

Going in to the weekend, she had a total of 68 points. She earned 24 points on Saturday and another 8 on Sunday for an exact total of 100 points!!!! It took her 8 field trials over the course of almost exactly one year and she is now the first hound in our pack to earn her Field Champ!

I am just, BEYOND thrilled! I know lure coursing isn’t about the titles, but this one does mean a lot to me. Her daddy (Grandpa aka Tame Game) burned up the oval track with 81 wins and a ranking on the all time race winners list. But, none of his kids were successful at the track by anyone’s standards. So it’s nice to see one of his kids show that he DID pass his heart for running on to his progeny. Even if it didn’t show on the big oval….it now ‘officially’ shows on the field.

photo courtesy of Uma Rapiti Photography

Congratulations to our amazing little Echo,  now also known as Dana’s Black Ink, FCh. We look forward to many more years of coursing with our special girl.

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