20 dogs vied for the National Amateur Championship held at the Flaherty Field Trial Area, Windsor, CT, March 25-26, 2023. The respected, experienced pair of John Stolgitis, from RI and Dave McKay, PA, were the judicial panel.
Hunting began in quest of the national amateur title in the early morning of March 25, 2023 with Super Storm handled by his owner and trainer Thor Kain striking out boldly in search of game. “Fed” (think GOAT tennis star), charged to the front and kept his focus on the search throughout the 60 minutes he was allotted to show his hunting skills. From start to finish “Fed’s” efforts took him to appropriate objectives no matter how nearby or far. Fast over the ground, “Fed” is true to the line of high class dogs from which he descends. He’s quick and light on his feet but still powerful when that is needed. At several points through the hunt there are edges that call to be hunted and they go on for hundreds of yards. “Fed” reached in these places showing his drive, determination and power. At other places there are woody thickets that invite exploration and “Fed” maturely adjusted to hunt these objectives as well. His smart hunting was rewarded 4 times with finds. On each find (including the first find where his bracemate ran in front of him while he was pointing) “Fed” demonstrated the intense style and high-headed pointing style that is a trademark which earlier helped bring him the recognition of US Complete National Amateur Dog of the Year twice.
Going down the stretch “Fed” showed he had plenty of fuel left in his tank and at pickup he was well ahead, going strong and requiring a few minutes to round him up.
Little Miss Margaret delivered a very special performance to be named Champion for owner/handler TIm Cavanaugh. There were several impressive performances among the eighteen other bird dogs featuring multiple finds in this competitive championship. We were especially happy with our Super Storm Cliff who had a four-find performance with Thor handling.