Nightcap...

Time spent on the road with long hours in driving and campaigning these dogs is only part of what it takes to produce successful winners in this sport... This is such a fitting photo, taken when nearly everyone was gone from the grounds, that this gal had to share it with y'all... (Also, a winner's story will be added --and remaining photos will be added as well--so please check back and thanks for spending your time with us on this web space.)

Again--huge congratulations to Handler Paul Sletten, Owners Kit & Hunter Johnston & John Stracka, and the number one dog himself, FC-AFC Hunter Runs BooBoo!!!!

Winner Shots...

My favorite--Emotions Run High

Paul and Boo--Taking in congratulatory wishes from all directions

At Winner's Party--Gwen Jones, who was such a great help through the week with our Retriever News work, hams it up with the star of the show--BOO himself.

Winner's Table/Judges--L to R, Chester Koeth, Paul Sletten & Boo, Martha Russell and Larry Calvert

AND THE WINNER IS....

DOG NUMBER 23, Paul Sletten and Boo!

ELEVEN FINALISTS--HERE THEY ARE

L to R, #11-Ty Rorem & Cutter; #19 & #86-Danny Farmer with Tia & Marley; #23-Paul Sletten & Boo; #45-Steve Yozamp & Pete; #47-Dave Rorem & Tie; #52-Ray Voigt & Weezer; #56-Connie Swanson & Sledge; #72-Lynne DuBose & Jerry Lee; #75-Dave Smith & Viggi; and #86-Al Arthur & Pow

This Last Test is in the Books...

... and we regroup for the Award Presentation...

Last Dog Waiting in the Wings--Coming to Line...

Viggi hunted the flyer on the left. He followed that up with an excellent mark on the right flyer and has just scooped up the right retired. Up a bit right and just got the long retired.

Steve Yozamp and Pete... HANDLE

... Good flyer on left. Pete hunted a bit on the right flyer. Went up left on the hill and around hunting and got the long retired and is now handling on the right retired. He has the bird.

Jerry Lee is being sent for go-bird...

... by Lynne DuBose. #72. Got the go-flyer. Hunted on the right flyer back behind gun to the line to the right retired, but this was done quickly and then she got the flyer. She's just had a nice right retired. Nice long retired--Another good National for Lynne, congratulations!

Sledge is Now Running...

... Has the go-bird and just had a hunt on the short flyer... Nice right retired. Nice long retired!

Weezer...

... has two really nice flyers in the books... Short hunt on long retired, and then, Weezer went right and through the trees for the right retired and took a left over to the bird. These dogs are Finalists!

Ty Is Back Up with Cutter...

... Has the first flyer handily. Nice job on the right retired.

Cutter is right up through the field, has reached the wood line. Now, around behind briar patch, she's got it. Nice job.

Will the Real #86 Please Stand Up...

... She's on line.

She's got two flyers clean. Now, she's putting on a fairly large hunt for the long left retired bird, and also is hunting left. She's got it.

Now, she's got the right retired after a short tight hunt. She's a Finalist!

Tie, #47, running now...

... He has two flyers clean. When sent for the right bird he skimmed the back side of the right flyer but then peeled out into the area of the right retired bird and he has that bird now.

And he's just about to get the long left retired. He's hunting in the area around the bird and a bit deep and now he came around from the left and should be on the bird. He is, he's got it.

Down Time

The flyer was quite wide out in the test. The gunning/throw station walked out and then the bird ran. They are out in the deep tree line now after the bird. A dog is out there to assist.

No-Bird for #45

Right-flyer went way wide.

Ali, #25, is up now... PICK UP

...Currently hunting the go-bird flyer. Now, he's handling on it. That was a tough flyer fall.

On the second bird, the right-middle flyer, he went behind the gun and is hunting there. Now, a second handle.

Keep in mind, it's warm today for the first time all week. Each dog in this series has to pick up and deliver all birds to become a finalist. Mark is trying to protect that right now. Update, it was a long handle. He's almost back with his second bird. Mark let him blow a minute before sending him.

He drilled the third bird.  Mark let him blow again.

Sent for the fourth bird. Started handling. Got right of the bird. Started to go deep. The judges had the guns help the dog. He's down in the ditch of water near the line at this time.

Now, he's being loaded into a Mule and they're gone down the road toward the vehicles. He was okay.

#19 is #19, not #86--Just Don't Read the Number

The parking area is a long way from the line. Danny Farmer came to line with #86 first, but had a no-bird. He's got two dogs in this final series, and #19 is the second dog. To run fairly and in order, #86 waits six dogs, but #19 should run in order as well.

The judges elected to run #19 with #86's number on the handler's back.

She's got both flyers at present. Danny has sent her for the long retired bird, which is the 330-yard bird up in left middle position. It appeared she wanted that bird, and she knew where it was--she's got it.

Now, Tia has pretty much drilled the right retired bird--Great Job!

Boo is Running...

... He has three birds. Two small hunts on flyers and a few little loops on the right retired... and now a nice job on the long retired. Way to go!

Next Dog, #11 Gets No-Bird on Right Flyer

Pow Is Off and Running... HANDLE RIGHT RETIRED

#88, owned by Benjy Griffith and handled by Al Arthur.

He's got the go-bird flyer and is having a hunt on the right-middle flyer. Now, he's got it.

Ozzy was en route to the long right retired bird and then broke left deep of the flyer he'd just picked up. Al handled him and he's now picked up the bird.

Currently, he is hunting the long left middle retired bird. This is a dead rooster at 330 yards out. He's got it!

FIRST DOG called to the line... NO BIRD

...It's 1:32 p.m., and the first dog is #86, Marley with Danny Farmer.

No Bird on the Short Flyer

Who Will Strike GOLD?

We're about to find out...

Gallery at the Tenth Series

Tenth Series Handlers Survey the Test

TEST DOGS deliver their help a final time...

Mark Medford and Mollie

Bobby Smith and Pride

Father & Daughter Team in the Final Series...

Here's a cameo photo... and, good luck!

Ty and Dave Rorem

CALLBACKS FOR TENTH

11, 19, 23, 25, 45, 47, 52, 56, 72, 75, 86, 88

DOG #86 STARTS

CELEBRATING 67 MARRIED YEARS TOGETHER...

... Here are two of our sport's finest people. May I present to you Lee and Marjorie Broussard, friends for over three decades... and such wonderful folks. If you don't know them, you're missing out.
(And Lee and Marjie, thanks for sharing the special feelings--you are the best)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Here, Wayne Stupka (far left), Mark Smith, and Lee Jolley look on as Mitch Patterson hugs Marjorie Broussard with his arm around Lee, who is just beside her and behind him--this is following an official announcement recognizing the Broussards and their milestone anniversary.

Such a team!

Connie and Sledge--Last Up

... #56, Sledge, has the flyer. Currently he is splitting the difference between the two birds on the far shore. He is currently hunting around and behind and inside the middle bird and is about to get it. He has it. Sledge is now swimming in a position to land just inside the left bird and is going up, no, turned, and is out to the left bird.

Mark Smith and Ali...

... on line, and Ali, #25, has the flyer.

Then, went almost to the left bird by water, took a hard right and wound up with the middle bird.

On the send for the left bird, he went below the dike out to the tree line, up the hill and then down over to the left bird.

Handle for Inca, #24, and Scott Dewey...

... Inca swam to the far shore and made it back into the flyer, then got the left bird nicely. However, he headed back for the middle bird shaving off his line to the left bird, and Scott is handling now to the middle bird.

Wow Tia...

... #19 and Danny Farmer, what a nice job!

Boo has his Birds...

... Good flyer, time on the dike for the left bird and then up near the gun and hunted before he got it and went nearly straight to the middle bird. 

Here Comes Ty and Cutter...

... #11 to the line.

And they do a nice job, good flyer and then just outside the left bird to it, and similarly for the middle bird. Nice job!

Second Trip to Line, Another No-Bird...

... for #56, Sledge and Connie Swanson.

Pow and Al Arthur...

#88, Pow got the flyer nicely, and then landed just outside the left bird to turn and pick it up. He went just inside the middle bird to get it clean...

Marley had a beacon bird...

... #86, her middle bird landed breast up, shining like a white beacon on the other side of the pond. She got her flyer, and then bailed in the water near the culvert for the left hand bird, paralleled the shore and got out inside that bird and then worked over to it, but the beaming white didn't help Marley. She landed on the far shore left of it, went up the hill a bit, and then came back down into the bird from its outside.

Viggi does it his way...

... He ran down to the flyer and then jumped in for it when about even with it... and then on the left bird, he swam a bit and then got out and ran the dike the rest of the way around to the bird. He's angling very nicely straight into the middle bird right now--has it.

Lynne DuBose on line...

...with Jerry Lee, #72. She has the flyer.

Jerry Lee got the middle bird second by landing just to the right of the left bird and then worked down the shore to the middle bird in quick fashion. Then, she went inside the left bird, looped up the slope a bit and then down to the bird.

Rosa is Handling...

... She has the outside two birds, but when sent for the middle bird, she headed down the middle of the pond, slightly right and at an angle. Dave handled and she's getting close to the bird now. And has it.

Billie is Handling on Flyer...

... Went sent for it, Billie split the difference between it and the middle bird that is on the opposite shore, and began angling across the pond, looking like he would land well deep of the middle bird. Test in progress...

Billie now has the left bird in similar fashion to Weezer's...

And finally, got out just inside the middle bird, up and then down to the bird.

No-bird on #56

on the flyer, for Sledge and Connie Swanson

Weezer has outside, outside... Another nice job

... #52 with Ray Voigt. Got the flyer and then the left bird. For the latter, he got out inside the bird and went down the bank several yards to the area behind the bird, which is falling in a deadfall of branches, and then picked up the bird. Now has the third bird as well.

Dog #47 on line...

... Tie (Dave Rorem) has the flyer and the middle bird. He now has just done very nicely on the left bird. Good job!

First running dog Handled on left retired bird...

... Pete, #45, went to the left and below the embankment of the pond dam and was handled by Steve Yozamp from there.

Here we go--First running dog...

... the guns have just gone off for #45. Test nine is off and running...

Test Dog & First Three Dogs...

... Have just been summoned to the line.

BIG NEWS UPDATE

Fog is still hampering this series.

The judges have just asked Announcer Luther Davis to state that this test will now be adjusted and tweaked due to the delay. Further updates will be forthcoming.

Test Dog--David Didier--FOG

David Didier is graciously running test dog this morning, but the heavy fog has hampered his work. He handled on the long middle bird, which could not be seen.

The photo I put up is of weak fog, but it keeps coming back in like the veritable pea soup version you often hear about.

It's the Day of Reckoning...

... Out of fifteen remaining teams and throughout two more series of marks, one dog will emerge as the 2010 NFC.

You don't think there's a bit of tension... and excitement... and something intangible... in the air? It's all around!

Today is the day. Bring it on.