My first experience at the FCI World Championships.. by guest blogger Rachel

I want to share the experiences of this years FCI Agility World Championships from some of the handlers and coaching team. So over the next few days I'll be posting blogs that give you their perspectives from this exciting world championships.

My first guest blogger is Rachal Ward who ran her young dog Nimbus in the small team competition....

My journey to the FCI World Championship felt to me like one small step for mankind (all those experienced handlers) and one super massive leap for myself and little Nimbus.

After trying out with my 11” pocket rocket in 2017 and being selected for the Development Programme, I aspired to be picked to represent our country. What else could I be hoping for as the outcome of the process?  But as the team selection started, I started to wonder, what I had got myself into?  Having only been actually doing agility for 5 years I had aspirations, but maybe it was all too early on in my agility “career”. 

So, I decided to try as hard as possible and just enjoy the experience and take as much out of it as I could, I did learn some very valuable lessons.  One of which was to stop giving 110% because it all goes wrong.  Learning to “rein it in” was my take away.

Once we had completed the squad days I didn’t feel disappointed but I left with the feeling that I wasn’t going to be picked to represent Team GB at the World’s or the EO’s, so, imagine my surprise & delight when Mark asked if I would join him at both events!

I couldn’t breathe, I wanted to scream and cry all at the same time!

For me, the biggest challenge (and most worrying part) was finding the funding to take us to both of the competitions.  This was the part unfortunately I spent the most time focussing on.

After returning from the EO’s I was blown away with how we handled the long drive, the killer heat and the nerves.  All these factors I didn’t consider when I had aspirations to join Agility Team GB.

So, more determined than ever, I embarked on a mission to get Nimbus used to astro, as we had never run on this surface before.

Before we knew it I was off to Sweden.  The travel is glossed over when you think about competing for your country.  It is long, tiring and stressful.  But so, so worth it!  But, you must not be under prepared for every aspect.  Plan, plan, plan every detail.  If you plan to share the journey with someone, plan the itinerary of the whole trip, agree on how you are getting back & forth from the venue etc. as well as the actual route from the UK so that you can focus on the task in hand.

Stepping out on the carpet suddenly became worrying at the last minute when Nimbus decided that it was all too much and just laid on the floor and submitted.  I had wondered that she might find the whole thing too much. No one can describe how you feel, how electric the atmosphere is until you have to do it, even spectating in the arena is not enough. The emotion that you feel when you step out in the arena cannot be replicated until you do it.  What to do with my nervous Nimby? 

10 seconds and the dog before me will leave the ring and my routine will have gone to pot because my dog has gone on strike.  I did the only thing I know that makes Nimbus focus on something else, which was to shout “CATS!!!”.  I must have looked and sounded bonkers!  Right before I put her down I am meowing!  Then we were off, running so fast...

Those 36 seconds flew by and I tried so hard to keep Nimbus on track and …. we did a CLEAR!  Oh my word, it felt & still feels like the most important and meaningful clear I have ever done. That, and being part of an amazing team of small handlers and the wider team (everyone was so supportive) was amazing!  

Newbie no more, I had run for my country at the FCI World Championships!!  Unfortunately our 2nd run had a hiccup and we got the dreaded elimination.

Returning from the Worlds (literally as we drove back) I was planning the route to Finland for the 2019 World's and Holland for the EO’s.  It was unlike any adrenalin rush I have had before. Like a drug, I want to experience it again and we will try our best to prove we still deserve a place on the team.