The following year, Alex helped organize the first Frisbee Dog World Championship for flying disc catching dogs and their han- dlers. He and Ashley would go on to win the first three cham- pionships in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Floating Free is a documentary
filmed during the 1977 World Frisbee Championships, showcasing Ashley's skills as a disc dog. The 11-minute short film was nominated for an Academy Award. Also in 1977, Ashley performed at
Super Bowl XI as the pre-game enter- tainment. Later that year, Alex and Ashley were invited to perform at the White House for a young Amy Carter. In the early 1980s, the Frisbee
Dog World Championship contest series was renamed the Ashley Whippet Invitational (AWI) in honor of Ashley. When Ashley Whippet died in
1986 at the age of 13, he was eulo- gized in sports magazines, newspapers and on television.
Ashley Whippet, Floating Free 1973 - 1986
Even though Alex was already grooming three of Ashley's
offspring, Lady Ashley, Ashley Whippet Jr. and Ashley Whippet III, he never again competed with another dog after Ashley. On Saturday, September 21,
2013, the 36th AWI World Championship took place in Tampa at beautiful Curtis Hixon Park. Teams from all over the United States, China, Japan and The Netherlands came out to compete and have a good time. Alex Stein, who currently lives in Stowe, Vermont was a special guest of honor. “In visibility, dogs attract more
attention than humans because they have an explosive energy,” said Alex. “You don’t know their limits. Whenever Ashley would make a tremendous leap in the air to catch the Frisbee we would always hear a roar from the crowd.” U
The dozen or so dogs that make up the Disc-Connected K9s teams are all rescue. Easy Rider’s early life, which included a broken leg, was to say the least, not very easy. But, he came to Disc-Connected K9s with a strong desire to be loved, and needing a job. So, Lawrence put the Border Collie to work, and today he is one of their star performers, a real crowd pleaser. “We consider him to be one of our most blessed gifts in life,” said Lawrence.
Y
The AWI Championships move around the country to be fair to all competitors. A World Qualifier will be coming back to Florida in the spring of 2014. Be sure to check in with The New Barker online events calendar at
www.TheNewBarker.com/Events.htm To learn more about training your
dog in the sport of flying-disc catching, contact your local dog training club. The following Florida facilities also specialize in the sport: Central Florida Dog & Disc Club -
www.CFDiscDogs.com Disc-Connected K9s -
www.K9Frisbee.com Tropicanine Disc Club of South Florida -
www.TropiCanine.org
(Left): Bam Bam competed in the 36th AWI World Championship in Tampa with handler, Chuck Middleton, both from Memphis, Tennessee.
www.TheNewBarker.com Winter ~ 2013 THE NEW BARKER 21
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