Launch practice begins
Friday morning was the first chance for 12 dogs to practice The Launch, one of five new events at ESPN's sixth annual Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge.
Unlike Big Air, which measures distance, The Launch measures the height of a canine athlete's jump. The dogs leap and try to snatch a plastic toy, called a "dummy," from a predetermined height.
Tom Dropik says he developed the event in Burnsville, Minn., to help his dog, Tucker, train for Big Air, and the team can't wait to compete. The Launch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
"Progressing it all the way to the Great Outdoor Games is just fabulous," Dropik said. "We're just so excited." Tucker, a 9-year-old black Labrador retriever, is competing in his fourth Games. In 2001, he won the bronze medal in Big Air.
Hendrix locks up top seed in Archery
Randy Hendrix of Clemmons, N.C., shot the day's top score to secure the No. 1 seed in the Archery qualifier Friday afternoon at the Games, setting him up to repeat his 2004 gold medal in Saturday's finals at Disney's Wide World of SportsŪ Complex.
Hendrix's top score of 36 was matched by Randy Ulmer of Cave Creek, Ariz., but Hendrix won the No. 1 seed by shooting a faster time in the "Speed Challenge," in which archers race to break four 3-inch disks at 20 yards. Hendrix shot his disks in 18.83 seconds, the day's second-fastest time behind Tim Gillingham of Orem, Utah, who took the fifth seed while shooting the Speed Challenge in 18.32 seconds.
Capturing the third seed was Rod White of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, with a score of 34, and winning the fourth seed was Jerry Decker of Dalton, Pa., with a 33.
Hendrix already owns three gold medals and one bronze in Archery at the Games, while Ulmer owns two silvers and one bronze. White won a bronze at the 2001 Games. Between them, Ulmer and Hendrix own seven of the 15 medals awarded in previous Games.
Wayne Endicott of Springfield, Ore., the 2004 silver medalist, had a sub-par round, dropping to the bottom seed in the 16-archery field. He will face Hendrix in the first round of finals Saturday at noon.
Archery Seeds for Saturday's Finals (Scores)
1. Randy Hendrix, Clemmons, N.C. (36)
2. Randy Ulmer, Cave Creek, Ariz. (36)
3. Rod White, Mount Pleasant, Iowa (34)
4. Jerry Decker, Dalton, Pa. (33)
5. Tim Gillingham, Orem, Utah (30)
6. Mark Wagner, Des Moines, Iowa (29)
7. Keith Brown, Greensboro, N.C. (29)
8. Darren Collins, Galena, Kan. (28)
9. Cindy Decker, Dalton, Pa. (28)
10. Mike Slinkard, John Day, Ore. (27)
11. Brad Gohlke, Houston, Texas (19)
12. Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala. (18)
13. Ginger Hopwood, Marietta, Ga. (18)
14. Karen Demaris, La Pine, Ore. (13)
15. Josh Deering, Maple City, Mich. (9)
16. Wayne Endicott, Springfield, Ore. (6)
Winner's bliss
"It was great competition and it's nice to get a win over such a field of such super fast dogs. It was DeCaff's first big win and a perfect place for that to happen. This kind of competition is why I travel so far to be here."
Susan Garrett of Alberta, Canada, winner of the Small Agility competition with her dog DeCaff, talking about the quality of competition at the Great Outdoor Games.
The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 13-17, 2005. Click here for the broadcast schedule.
