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2021 national Derby championship interview

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Retriever News asked the Chairman and Chief Marshal of this year’s National Derby Championship to share some thoughts about the Championship in general and their goals for this year’s event.

**REMINDER: Entries close Monday October 4, 2021**

Mike Lardy is the Chief Marshal and Betsy Broyd is the Chairman for the 2021 National Derby Championship.

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Retriever News: Betsy, you ran the Derby National in 2017, which was the inaugural year. What was your experience there?

Betsy: In short, it was a fantastic experience and it was also the FIRST Derby I had ever run, and the first time I ran my young dog! It was a year of firsts, for the NRDC and for me as a handler and finalist.

Retriever News: Now you recently ran your first National Amateur Championship in 2021. Would you say the National Derby Championship gave you the bug to compete at the National level?

Betsy: It absolutely gave me the bug to compete and with the same dog in both Championships it has been very special to me! I am convinced I wouldn’t be here today if not for the positive experience I had in 2017 at the first NRDC. The atmosphere in Sedalia, coupled with the support of the retriever community at the event, convinced me that my choice to run the competition was not only the right one, but gave me the chance to really experience the sport at a high level. The NRDC and NARC events are similar in format with the exception of course that the Derby does not run blinds. The National Derby is a very fast moving head-to-head competition.

Retriever News: Mike you hosted the first formative meeting for the NRDC , do you feel the championship is meeting its goals?

Mike: One of the principal goals was to allow people to compete at a national level who hadn't been in the sport forever and to allow people that didn’t have time or resources to campaign 20 weekends for the High Point Derby Award to showcase their dogs. Most anyone can find a week for the championship! Yes it’s meeting its goals and also I believe the championship has introduced as many new people to the “National” experience as there are people attending the National Amateur Championship. To me that’s potentially a profound contribution to the sport – where else do we introduce so many new people to sports potential?

Retriever News: Mike as you were involved with some of the early discussions, even before the founding board of directors was formed, what were the early concerns for the event?

Mike: We had a difficult balance to strike when discussing the initial event policies. We wanted it to be a venue for the most talented dogs in the country without turning it into a simple showcase for professionally trained and handled dogs. It seems like we've struck the right balance. I was pretty reluctant to embrace the whole concept, but I had to respect the dedication, attention to detail and goals that John Russell and the founding Board of Directors initially brought to the table.

Retriever News: What was your reluctance based on?

Mike: Honestly, I thought it might be a good idea, but not for my dogs. The idea of sending a young dog to an eight or 10 series event conjured up images of head-swinging, creeping and cheating. I thought that would just be a bad idea in general.

Retriever News: So, in other words, the careful training we put into our young dogs, when they are at a formative age, might be “un-done” by attending an event such as this?

Mike: Absolutely. I've seen young dog training become undone by just running a couple of Derbies before they were fully prepared. However, as I've become more involved on the 2021 Board of the NRDC, I've been so impressed by the Board’s emphasis on making our event more about the evaluation of natural marking ability, to the greatest degree possible. And that means it can't be a cheating single contest, or a series of tight configurations, with a bunch of close flyers that would discourage bird watching and encourage creeping.

Retriever News: Mike, As young dogs are so proficient and training methods improved, do you fear that the NRDC championship will get more challenging, leading to the issues you just mentioned, and if so how can that be avoided?

Mike: Well, we do have the luxury at the NRDC championship of running 10 series. That gives the judges lots of opportunities to evaluate marking, without creating tests that tend to lead to epic failures. The need to set-up tests with technical concepts is reduced, from that of a weekend Derby, run perhaps under the time constraints of a four series test.

Retriever News: Betsy, what was the best part of the National Derby Championship you ran and how do you think you can create that again this year?

Betsy: The best thing I came away from the 2017 NRDC with was confidence in my dog’s ability to mark. As a novice handler with limited experience running a Derby, I really didn’t understand complicated concepts, but I really didn’t have to. My job was at the line. I think that participants should experience what I did – straightforward marking tests that didn’t require lots of strategy, but rather, allowed a dog to show what it could do. Working with my dog on the mat to ensure steadiness, as well as good bird-watching mechanics became the focus. My dog was responsible for the rest. I’d like for this year’s competitors to come and run great tests that allow each part of the dog and handler team to do their job, in order to succeed.

Retriever News: Mike, as Chief Marshal do you have insights into what you believe should be considerations for tests at the Derby championship?

Mike: If I had a dog who was qualified, I would be very confident that this event will do nothing to inhibit the dogs long- term development. I would encourage everyone to run it. The other nice thing at the National Derby Championship is the fact that there is plenty of time (and grounds) for training at the conclusion of judging each day. It's easy to give your dog a little reminder about sitting still and watching the birds as well as have the chance to burn off some of that young dog excess energy.

Retriever News: Betsy was that your experience, that you had time to train if you needed it?

Betsy: Yes, most days were designed to have 2 tests per day. I believe there was one day where we may have run 3 series, because of weather concerns. It was great to be able to get in a little training some afternoons.

Retriever News: Mike what has you most excited about the job of Chief Marshal?

Mike: The great judges we have lined up for this year: Missy Bell from California, Richard Dresser from Ontario, Canada and Robby Bickley from Texas, each of whom have experience running young dogs and judging young dogs. I guess our job is to help them create the kind of experience Betsy had. I recently listened to Missy Bell comment during a judges’ webinar that one of the principal goals of a minor stake judge should be to “not undo the training” of those young dogs.

Retriever News: Mike, in your opinion, does a triple retrieve, or a retired gun, have a place in a NRDC later series?

Mike: Well, I think triples, and doubles with retired guns, especially the latter, have a place in evaluating natural marking ability, but the national Derby club wisely restricted those kinds of tests to later series so that we wouldn't eliminate inexperienced young dogs.

Retriever News: Mike any final thoughts about the coming event?

Mike: Folks considering entering the 2021 National Derby event should also keep in mind we’ve got fantastic grounds for the Championship with a generous and cooperative owner – Bob Hayden. Bob’s beautiful grounds are reasonably accessible from all parts of the country. Traveling to either coast would certainly not work for this event. Making it easy to qualify is essential for maintaining young dog development as an extensive Derby campaign could undo your dog’s good habits. Hey, we name a High Point Open dog and there is a National Championship with one winner – there’s room for both at the Derby level. Birthdates make it complicated, but I can see where eventually breeders may choose to time their litters for this event, and the club’s emphasis on natural marking ability versus training helps the younger dogs that run.

Retriever News: Betsy So what’s in store for participants and volunteers who come to Sedalia for the October event?

Betsy: We are planning to have a traditional General Meeting followed by a Cocktail party. Plus a Workers’ party and Winners party. There will also be a great raffle and silent auction, so you don’t have to go home empty handed! This is always a great time to visit with other competitors and catch up with old friends! At the end of the 10th series, we will have a champagne toast to the winner and the finalists, right at the tenth series site. This a your chance to salute the winner, the finalists, and to say thanks to all the volunteers who help make this 2021 event possible. We are certainly looking forward to some social gatherings after more than a year of cancelled events!​