The Masters Leg

The Masters Leg

In May of 1992, a group of winter weary Minnesotans drove South to Bandera, TX to attend the Bexar Region Agility Team's (BRAT) USDAA test. One member of the group, Dan Dege, didn't think he'd get a Masters leg so he brought his own along with him. The Masters Leg fared well during the long trip. The merry group left on Thursday afternoon and drove straight through, arriving in Bandera, Texas, Friday evening before the test. (Dan above right, Judge Jean McKenzie on the picnic table.)

During the trip, Ruth LaBarge's "Spike" wanted a Masters Leg badly, so Dan kindly allowed him to carry the leg all around until he punctured it with a tooth. At that point Dan wanted his Masters Leg back, and as a result Spike nipped Dan's posterior in order to save "his" Masters Leg. All but Dan found this amusing, but Dan did enjoy the retelling of the story!

At the completion of the 1992 BRAT test, Dan offered the Masters Leg to the last dog/handler team to earn their 1st Masters Leg that weekend. It went to Alaina Axford and her PWD Cooper, who were also the first team to earn the AD. Alaina had flown to Texas to compete following a judging assignment in the Pacific Northwest. Now the Masters Leg was hers...to carry with her on her air flight back home to Pennsylvania from Texas!

Since that time the Masters Leg drifted about and hadn't been seen for a good while, at least not by those East of the West Coast. Dan and I talked about the missing Masters leg not long ago and wondered what had become of it. ADCH Annie Mo Bannie & I earned our AD at that trial in Bandera, and I was not only in complete awe of those competing in Masters, I very much enjoyed the infectious enthusiasm during the weekend from that bunch of Yankees that had traveled so far to be with us. Judge Jean MacKenzie brought along a special trophy for the highest scoring All American Starters Dog, which Annie won. Ken Tatsch judged the World Team course which to me was totally awesome! It was certainly a weekend to remember forever.

So back to the present, May 2000. I get a weekend off to run my own dog and Lo and Behold! At the All Colorado Agility Team's (ACAT) trial I spotted the Masters Leg! It was here!

The first sighting of the elusive Masters Leg as it emerged in May of 2000.

The Masters Leg was in good condition and it was covered with the signatures of recipients who had received their First Masters Leg.

It was reported that it had been in Albuquerque, NM since November of 1999, forgotten and left behind. It missed several trials before finally being included in the ACAT trial.

To help the Masters Leg gain confidence after it's winter vacation, Kent Mahan of ACAT, stepped in to assist with its performance and return to the mainstream of Agility.

The Masters Leg was sporting a band-aide over 3 of its toes, and there was evidence of a long ago pedicure complete with nail polish. How nice to see that it had been well cared for!

While talking to the latest recipients of the Masters Leg I was happy to learn that most of the original intent had been kept by those who later earned it. It was still going to the team who earned their first Masters Leg, even though the part about the last team of the trial to earn their Masters Leg had been lost in the years that followed the Bandera test. I don't think the telephone game fares this well.

The latest recipient of THE Masters Leg. Erika & Chase, Australian Shepherd, from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their first Masters Leg was earned on Scot Chamberlain's Master Pairs course at ACAT 5/20/00.

Erika & Chase earned their 1st Masters Leg with Dee Falk and Eisha, a Doberman. Interestingly enough Dee was the previous owner of the Masters Leg. Dee received the Masters Leg from Karen Gloor.

On Sunday Erika presented the Masters Leg to Elizabeth Baker and her Sheltie, Jasmine, who got their first Masters Q in Jumpers.

New Master's Leg Sighting!!! 11/5/00.

The Master's leg was transfered Nov 5, 2000, at the Good Dog Agility held at Canyon State Academy, Queen Creek AZ (near Phoenix). Jim Still. Photo provided by Jim Still.

Congratulations to Andra Williams and her Shetland Sheepdog, Sunshine, on their first Masters Leg! Andra & Sunshine are also from Arizona, so The Master's Leg still resides there.

There is a GP Regional scheduled in Arizona for Jan 2001 if anyone would like to go down and take it back home to their region!

The Masters Leg saga continues... Andra passed off The Masters Leg to Roger Coor and his Papillon, Moso, at the Contact Zonies 12/2-3/00 trial in Phoenix. Congratulations! Andra reports that photos were taken of this memorable occasion and we hope to include them here soon.

New Update: The Masters Leg is Back in California again. Being given to Suzanne Birdsall of Long Beach at the Good Dog Agility Trial this past weekend. It will be taken to Poway January 13-14, 2001 in hopes of a new recipient. Tammy.

Everyone keep an eye out for this special Masters Leg! Please let me know where the next Masters Leg sighting takes place, and attach some photos, too! We don't want to loose track of The Masters Leg now that it has been found again!

It has been sighted! The following exchange was submitted by Karey Krauter.

Hi Katie, one of my fellow Bay Teamers Erika Maurer asked me "where is THE leg?" Her interest in it is that she acquired it herself and passed it on three years ago, documented nicely on your webpage. She remembered that the leg made an appearance at the May 2001 Bay Team trial in Hayward California. I sent out general note asking everyone, and got answers! Entire exchange appended below, keep whatever part you want if any.

/karey

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karey Krauter
> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 3:42 PM
> To: ALL@BAYTEAM.ORG
> Subject: THE masters leg
>
> So now Erika's got me started on this thing :-)
> I'm looking at Katie Greer's
> www.agilityability.com/the_masters_leg.htm
> writeup, wherein she reports that THE masters
> leg was given to Suzanne Birdsall at the Good
> Dog agility trial in Jan-6/7-2001 in Gilbert AZ.
>
> David Robson just called and said he was AT that
> Good Dog trial where Suzanne got THE leg. Katie
> Greer's leg history page said that Suzanne was
> taking THE leg to the San Diego trial the
> following weekend - the reason she didn't (I
> remember this now!) is because that was the year
> San Diego had to cancel their trial due to the
> field being flooded - AFTER several northern
> calif people had already made the 10-hr drive
> down there.
>
> Erika remembers that Suzanne next passed THE leg
> onto someone at the Hayward Bay Team May-5/6-
> 2001 trial (it was GP, fwiw).
>
> If it's still local, we're missing numerous
> opportunities to pass it on to yet the NEXT
> person to earn their very first masters leg
> ever! Where is it?
>
> /karey busybody

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Suzanne Birdsall
> Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 8:51 AM
> To: Krauter, Karey E.
> Subject: RE: THE masters leg
>
> That's the right trial. Boy, you have a good
> memory. I think that Candy - with the hounds,
> had a student that got a first leg that weekend.
> There were several people who got a first leg
> that weekend, all of them I didn't know. I just
> wanted to give it away - didn't see which
> person ended up with the leg.
> Suzanne

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ann Wendland [mailto:ratracejrt@capay.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 7:35 PM
> To: Karey Krauter
> Subject: Re: THE masters leg
>
> Hi Karey,
> Terri Wilson has the leg, and has since moved to
> Montana. I talked to her tonight and she says
> that she will send it back to CA or she will try
> to give it away at the USDAA trial up there is
> Sept.
> Ann Wendland

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kathleen Carlsen
> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 10:12 PM
> To: Karey Krauter
> Subject: Re: THE masters leg
>
> Hi Karey, I was there and I believe it was
> passed on to Terri Wilson, who owned Farli, a
> JRT. Terri used to live in Napa but I think she
> moved to Montana last year. I will try to find
> out for you. Suzanne is a friend of mine but she
> mostly does AKC now so I never get to see her,
> as she lives in Long Beach!
> -Kathy (who only remembers this because it
> involved people with JRTs)
-------------------------------------------------

Hopefully someone will soon be the next recipient of THE Masters Leg! Send a photo to us and a report on the event and we'd be happy to track THE Masters Leg here!