Represent your country
IMCA & PAWC 2008 Entries
Planning is well under way for the UK
entry for this IMCA and PAWC competition on 28-31 August 2008. However, there are still places
on the team available. The competition is open to all dogs, pedigree and cross-breeds, all
sizes and all grade, so if you are interested contact Richard or Sheila Partridge. The final
entry has to be in at the end of June.
We will be Ricahrd said, 'We will be
especially ally pleased to hear from disabled handlers who have their own events within the
main competition (PAWC).'
 The
venue is in Northern Italy, close to Milan, on a holiday camp called Cowboys Guest Ranch.
Information about this is on their website
www.cowboys.it . They are offering free camping, just a charge for electricity. Hotel
accommodation can be arranged close by.
Further information about the event is
on
http://www.nazionaleitalianameticci.it/imca-pawc_home_eng.html. If you want further
information on the UK entry, email
perdixcott@uwclub.net.
Please note, if you do not have a
passport for your dog it is too late now to enter this year, but the competition is held
annually in a different country so there is always next year.
Source: Richard Partridge
(28/05/08)
Last Chance to Enter
There
are still some places available for this International competition. Entry is open to all breeds
and cross breeds, and to handlers of all classes. The competition is what we in the good old
days called an Open. There are separate classes for Small, Medium and Large dogs.
This is an
wonderful opportunity to experience International Competition and to meet new agility friends
as well as having a Spanish holiday with something more than just sitting on the beach! We will
be especially pleased to hear from disabled handlers.
The closing date
for entries is 30 June 2007. The entry fee is 40 euros per dog. Dogs must already have
Pet Passports.
If you want more
details please email Richard Partridge , email
perdixcott@uwclub.net.
IMCA & PAWC Update
The website for the
2007 VIII IMCA and VI PAWC
in Girona, Spain is now up and running
on
http://www.imca-pawc.net/. There you will find all the information regarding venue,
classes, rules etc.
The competition
will take place at the Complex Esportiu de Palau (Girona- Spain), in a closed pavilion with a
carpeted surface.
One of the judges
has been named as Relinde Peschier from Holland.
 Reading the
correspondence on Agilitynet regarding selection of non-rescue pedigree dogs for agility with
some interest, particularly when the topic came to International Competitions, Richard
Partridge was reminded of the IMCA and PAWC competitions later this year in Spain. Anyone
wanting to be part of a British team needs to get a move on as it can take an age to do the
necessary paperwork to compete abroad.
I won’t grind my
axe on this except to say that eight years ago an Italian lady decided that it was patently
unjust that only 'posh' dogs could enter Internationals, so, unlike others, she did something
about it. She went off and invented IMCA, or to give it it’s full name, International Mixed
Breeds Championship Agility which was only for mixed breeds.
After a couple of
successful years, the competition was opened to pedigree dogs and the name cleverly changed by
adding a simple little ampersand to International Mixed & Breeds Championship Agility.
 At the same time the Para
Agility World Cup (PAWC) was launched, allowing disabled persons also to enjoy the challenges
and fun of International competition.
To the amazement of its organisers, this event has been almost completely
overlooked by the inventors of Agility, namely us lot in the UK.
Last year my wife
Sheila and I took part in both IMCA and PAWC which were held at Amerfoort, Holland. We had a
wonderful time.
IMCA 2006
I entered our collie-ish in the large class in IMCA. The competition was effectively
an Open. For example, in our class we competed against some 120 other dogs and handlers ranging
in ability and experience from us (Elementary) and three youngsters from Rumania where there
are very few clubs and only a couple of competitions each year to the larger teams from
counties where the popularity is such that they have qualifying competitions. This pitted us
against the top flight handlers from Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy etc. In fact, some of
these were at FCI in Basle, Switzerland.
The set up is
similar to FCI in that each country can enter up to four dogs per class - Small, Medium and
Large - with three plus a reserve in the Team event. All dogs run one Agility course and
one Jumping course plus, if they are entered, the same in the Team Competition. It is not
necessary to enter a full team, as I have said. Last year I was the sole UK entrant in IMCA!
PAWC 2006
Sheila entered our Papillon, Smokey, in the Para-agility competition on account that
she has arthritis in her knees and is quite disadvantaged in her own agility. The Para-agility
entrants have two Agility and one Jumping competition, with different categories according to
the individual disability. All of this is run over four days, which obviously leaves plenty of
time for meeting people, chatting, sightseeing and perhaps even a little sampling of local
brewing and cuisine!
Join us
This year the competition
is to be held in Girona, Spain from 6-9 September 2007. We are planning to go and would
be very interested to hear from anybody else who would care to join us and make up a team.
More information at
www.para-agility.nl.
This may seem a strange link, but the explanation is that in 2006 Susan Rekveld, a disabled
Dutch handler, organised the whole event and all the information is on her web site.
 If you
are interested, please contact me soon and I will try to help as much as possible. Don't
forget however, that even though it is only early February and September seems a long way off,
it can take a long time to set your dog up with the proper pet passports etc. so there is some
immediate urgency.
For more
information, email Richard Patrick on
perdixcott@uwclub.net
From Sandra
Barker...
I have just had a look at the agenda for
the Liaison Council meeting and have notice an item regarding sending a team to the
International Mixed & Breed Championships for Agility.
I remember reading an article a little back regarding cross/mixed
breeds/rescue dogs and pedigrees where it said that only pedigrees could take part in
International competitions. I followed up the articles in Speak Out regarding this issue and am
a little confused. Are competing dogs supposed to be pedigrees only or can non pedigrees be
entered. It is not likely that I will ever be elevated to International Competition but as I
prefer non pedigree dogs it would be nice to know that if ever it did come about then I would
not be penalised for not having a pedigree dog.
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