We have already introduced dogfrisbee, the activity in which a dog catches a frisbee, several times. We focused mainly on various disciplines in which dog owners can compete together with their canine companions at any level. Another such discipline is Dogfrisbee: Super Pro Toss and Fetch. What does it involve and what is the goal? We asked the competitor Martina Bolehovská.
What does the field for this discipline look like?
The field is the same size as for freestyle, which is 40x70 yards. There are lines on the field which determine how many points each team gets. The first line is the starting line, which the player must not touch with his feet when throwing the frisbee. Before each round, both the player and the dog stand behind the starting line. The other lines are 10 yards away from each other. In the centre of the field, there is the point zone. If the dog catches the frisbee inside this zone, the team gains 0.5 points for the throw. If the dog does not touch the ground with either paw when catching the frisbee, the team gets additional 0.5 points.
What does a competition in this discipline involve?
The player first chooses the side of the field from which he will throw the frisbee (depending, for example, on the wind or sun). The team approaches the start line, looks at the referee to see if he is ready to judge another team, and the referee gives them a signal, usually by raising his hand. If you throw the frisbee while the referee was not prepared, he probably will not see where the dog caught the disc, which means he will not be able to judge the throw. As soon as your dog crosses the starting line, your time starts to count down. When the dog catches the frisbee in the 1st zone, which is 10 yards away from the starting line, the team gets no points. If the dog catches the frisbee in the 2nd zone, the team gets 1 point, and 2 points are awarded for catching the frisbee in the 3rd zone, 3 points for the 4th zone and 4 points for the 5th zone. In one throw, a team can get up to 5 points, if the dog has caught the frisbee inside the 5th zone (4 points), jumped when catching the frisbee (0.5 points) and if the frisbee was caught in the bonus zone (0.5 points). The five best throws count towards the total points. Thus, the maximum number of points is 25 points (5×5). In the second round, players enter in the reverse order, i.e. starting from the team that got the least points in the first round.
Can even beginners compete with those who are experienced in this discipline? With professionals?
Beginner teams may compete in Division II category, which is designed for them, but they can also compete in Division I with competitors that have some experience. If a team decides to transfer to Division I, they may not return to Division II. A team has to transfer once they meet the qualification limit for participating in the Czech Championships for this discipline. The limit is 40+ points or exceeding the limit of 30 yards in the sum of both rounds in at least two competitions.
Who assesses the correctness of the competition?
There are three referees and one assistant on the field. The first referee is at the starting line, has a stopwatch in his hand to intervene if the sound engineer fails to turn on the time limit in time. This judge also watches for foot faults. The second referee stands opposite the player and observes whether the frisbee was caught within the bonus zone, and if yes, he raises his hand. The main referee writes down the points and decides in which zone the frisbee was caught. Opposite the main referee is the assistant who helps him determine where the frisbee was caught if it is unclear.
Is time important here?
Time is important in this discipline. 90 seconds start counting down once the dog crosses the starting line. At this time, the team may do any number of throws, but only the five best throws are counted towards total points. In order for the contestants to get a better idea of the time, they hear how much time is left (1 minute, 30 seconds and 10, 9, 8, 7,... 1 are announced). If the frisbee leaves the player's hand before the time is up, the throw counts, even if the dog does not manage to catch the frisbee within the time limit.
Are there any restrictions to dogs? Can they go take a leak during the competition?
Restrictions mainly concern age, as only dogs older than 18 months may compete. If the dog goes outside the field, the team is not disqualified, but the owner must go after the dog to clean up immediately. In addition to the lost time, the team will be deducted points from the performed attempts, the points must not be negative.
Who is the winner of the competition?
The winner is the team that has gained the most points after adding up the points from both rounds (maximum is 50 points). If two or more players have the same score and therefore the order in the first three spots cannot be determined, a throw-in needs to be made. Players draw the order, each has one throw. The team who throws the most points wins and moves to the first place, the other team moves to the next place.
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