March 14, 2011
The Fun of Flyball at the Irvine Winter Games
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Tournament Highlights | Tags: Ballistic Racers, canine athletes, Dog Sports, Flyball, NAFA, north county, Oceanside, San Diego, Southern California |Leave a Comment
by Brian and Joanne Matsumoto
Ballistic Racers Flyball Team had a banner weekend at Irvine this year. January 15th and 16th were much warmer than usual and turned out to be a stellar weekend for our team. We took a first place in our division with our team “Bullet Dogs” on Sunday. It was so exciting to take home first place knowing that all our hard work has been paying off. Our dogs Zippy, Molly, Blast, Cody, Meika, and Herbie had some of the best turns that our team has ever displayed. Zippy and Robin both had their best times ever at this tournament! Zippy broke into the 3’s with a 3.9 second run and Robin had a 4.7 second run on Saturday for his best time ever. Congratulations to Bullet Dogs on their First Place Win!
Even though first place is great, the most exciting racing of the day was with our team “Cyclones”. It was Domino and Slash’s first time racing. Domino’s best time of the day was a 5.3 second run and Slash also had an excellent time with a 5.6 second run. The highlight of the weekend racing was Cyclone’s win by 5 hundredths of a second. Amber and Geneva figured out that if they switched spots we could shorten the passes and win more races. Their hunch paid off superbly, and we tied for third place. In the tiebreaker we lost, but we know we did extremely well for having two new dogs on the team. Congratulations to Dennis, Pooky, Kirin, Slash, Indie, and Domino on their great performance.
Ever since the Winter Games we have been reminiscing about our racing that weekend. We also made a great discovery at the tournament and found a “light tree” for sale. We recently purchased a set and now have our own start lights to use at practice. As usual we had great food, great fun with our dogs, and got really tired! Now we are rested up and ready for another round of racing at Ramona in March, so we can…
GO BALLISTIC!
Click Here For Slideshow
December 23, 2010
Meet the Speed- Molly
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Meet The Speed | Tags: Dog Sports, Flyball, parsons russell, San Diego, Southern California |Leave a Comment
By Amber
Molly is my little Parson Russell Terrier who just loves to run in her flyball races! We adopted Molly when she was 10 weeks old & when she weighed only 4 lbs.. She was the sweetest of her litter and even though she was the runt and had some issues, it was love at first sight. Being a Terrier who is ball obsessed, flyball is the perfect outlet for her and I think doing it together has strengthened our human-dog bond. After almost a year and a half of Flyball training with Brian & Joanne, Molly is now an advanced Flyball dog who is an example for new participants, and (not bragging or anything) has the best swimmer’s turn on the team! Molly has a new little brother who is in puppy training. He is a Border Collie named Slash who so far has been easy to train. We love Flyball! Amber Kolpin, Molly & Slash
December 23, 2010
Meet the Speed- Zippy
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Meet The Speed | Tags: Ballistic Racers, blue merles, border collies, Dog Sports, Flyball, San Diego, Southern California |1 Comment
by Brian and Joanne Matsumoto
Zippy, Zip, or Riptide Zip, is a purebred Blue Merle Border Collie from Contact Point Border Collies in Fillmore California. He is four years old, and obsessed with Flyball. He holds many Flyball Titles including Top Flight I, II, and III in U-FLI and FD, FDX, FDCH, and FDCH –Silver in NAFA. Zippy has been doing flyball for three years and enjoys every minute of action since he has so much energy and drive. He has been in the newspaper and on the News twice for Woofstock.
Zippy is a friendly dog who not only loves flyball, but loves to do agility and go swimming as well. He goes to agility and frequents the Dog Spa in Oceanside each weekend. He really enjoys swimming and chasing after those toys, pushing off the wall, and making a quick turn to do another round of chase. When not doing his activities, Zippy enjoys flying over to Catalina, where he goes on long walks and really great golf cart rides around Avalon.
Due to his quick speed, and love for flyball racing, Zippy holds up to his name.
August 25, 2010
Competitive Canines Can Do
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Captains' Comments, Demos, Special Guests | Tags: Dog Sports, dog training, Flyball, north county, Oceanside, San Diego, Southern California, Union Tribune |Leave a Comment
Ballistic Racers recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Union Tribune. A big hank you to the Union Tribune for taking the time to learn more about us, and the fantastic sport of flyball!
Read Union Tribune Article
January 24, 2010
WOOFSTOCK: A FESTIVAL FOR DOGS AND PEOPLE
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Demos, Tournament and Event Dates | Tags: Balboa Park, border collies, Canine Companions for Independence, cattle dogs, CCI, dog festival, Dog Sports, vizslas, Woofstock |1 Comment
Groovy Event Benefits Canine Companions for Independence
Join the Ballistic Racers Flyball Team when Canine Companions for Independence hosts the sixth annual WOOFSTOCK: A Festival for Dogs & People on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 10:00AM until 3:00PM. The event will be held at the corner of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way in San Diego’s Balboa Park. All proceeds from WOOFSTOCK will benefit Canine Companions, which is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities completely free of charge. This ‘60’s themed festival is open to the public and well-behaved, leashed dogs. There is plenty of free parking. Admission is only $5 and discount coupons are being distributed to local businesses. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available.
The day will begin with the Peace, Love & Walk ‘N Roll fun dog walk at 9:00AM. Walk registration fee (($35 adult, $15 child, $60 family) includes the official WOOFSTOCK tie dye t-shirt, free Festival admission and a sWAG bag filled with great surprises! The walk is approximately 1.3 miles through beautiful Balboa Park and online registration is available at http://www.cci.org/woofstock. Walkers have the opportunity to raise funds for Canine Companions and exciting prizes will be rewarded based on the donations collected. The Top Dog Fundraiser will win a custom painting of their pooch by artist Deirdre O’Byrne!
The WOOFSTOCK Festival begins at 10:00AM. There are plenty of fun activities for the family and Fido! Enjoy demonstrations by amazing canines including assistance dogs, Disc Dogs, search and rescue dogs and our own Ballistic Racers Flyball Team. Compete in contests for Grooviest Costume, Best Trick, Longest Tail, and Biggest and Smallest Paws. Check out the games and activities at the Children’s Fun Zone. Bring your dog to the K9 Playground. Shop at the dozens of vendor booths, bid on unique items in a silent auction and enjoy delicious refreshments.
WOOFSTOCK is the premiere dog festival in San Diego County! Last year, approximately 2,000 people attended.
About WOOFSTOCK:
For more information, visit http://www.cci.org/woofstock or call (760) 901-4300. For sponsorship and vendor inquiries, contact Annie Scott at (760) 901-4306.
About Canine Companions for Independence:
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has five regional training centers across the country, including a local facility in Oceanside. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, training and ongoing follow-up services. For more information, visit http://www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.
November 14, 2009
The Bearded Collie Demo
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Demos | Tags: Ballistic Racers, canine athletes, Dog Sports, Flyball, San Diego |1 Comment
It was a cool windy October 4th day for our second annual Bearded Collie Demo. It took place at the Antique Gas and Steam Museum in Vista, Ca. which offers plenty of room. Most of the Ballistic Racers Flyball Team attended the event which was fun for everyone, especially the dogs. As soon as the Ballistic Racers did the demo, it was time for the Beardies. The Bearded Collie Bunch really got into the action as they tried running their dogs on the Flyball course. Some Beardies did well, while others found the course quite a challenge.
Thanks to the Beardie Bunch for providing such a delicious lunch. There were so many types of food to choose from that we had to try them all. It was another one of our “Great Fun Flyball Days” with the Ballistic Racers Flyball Team. Many thanks to our late flyball team member, Lori Fournier, who made this all possible. Lori and her dog Harlow loved flyball and wanted to share it with all the Beardie Bunch.
Thanks to Lori, the fun lives on!
Brian Matsumoto
Click here to see the slideshow!!
November 8, 2009
What are the Benefits of Flyball?
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Captains' Comments | Tags: Ballistic Racers, canine athletes, Dog Sports, dog training, Flyball, San Diego, Southern California |[2] Comments
by Brian Matsumoto, Team Captain
In flyball your dog will receive great exercise and mental stimulation, and have more fun than ever before. He doesn’t know the difference between practice and a tournament, other than tournaments have unfamiliar dogs and his master is very excited. Your dog is having fun just running the course and pleasing you, not necessarily noticing that he is even racing against another team and another dog. (more…)
October 4, 2009
Super Success at the Saturday Seminar
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Captains' Comments, Special Guests | Tags: Ballistic Racers, canine athletes, Dog Sports, Flyball, Oceanside, Skydance Ranch, Southern California |[2] Comments
By Brian and Joanne Matsumoto
Touch N Go from Las Vegas, the world’s fastest flyball team, came to share their expertise with our team, Ballistic Racers. It was an all day affair at Skydance Ranch in Oceanside, California, on a Saturday which was warmer than usual. With their three trainers and one helper, Touch N Go dealt with many issues. Several landmark accomplishments were met as our dogs made vast improvements. Katy, Nadine, and Stephanie, used their expert techniques to individualize instruction, helping each dog to be the best it could be.
The Ballistic Racers Flyball Team - San Diego 
December 23, 2010
Ballistic Racers Christmas Party
Posted by Brian and Joanne under Captains' Comments, Team Members | Tags: Ballistic Racers, Dog Sports, Flyball, north county, Oceanside, San Diego, Southern California |Leave a Comment
by Brian and Joanne Matsumoto
Thanks to a lot of hard work, preparation, and Miyabi Japanese Steak House, the Ballistic Racers Christmas Party was once again a big success. Over thirty people attended and a Grand prize of a two night stay in Catalina was given away.
The chefs put on a great show while everyone dined on succulent steak, chicken, or seafood. We celebrated five birthdays of Alice, Phyllis, Shay, Su, and Karen. The evening slipped away as we all traded gifts, received gifts, and was topped off with a spectacular slide show from Kelly.
As we enjoyed the birthday cake we congratulated the grand prize winners, Shay and Kevin, who won the two night stay in Avalon. Since they are moving across country, have a new baby, and have not ever been to Catalina, this was the perfect gift.
It’s great to reminisce about how our team started just three years ago with five people and how it now numbers over twenty. We did not imagine that in three years we would have such a large team, so many dogs, and such a huge Christmas Dinner. Flyball is a big part of our lives, and we intend to make it as enjoyable as possible. All of our team members live for our dogs, enjoy the comradary, and try to do our best as we have fun in Flyball Racing.
Have a Merry Christmas, and a
Happy New Year,
Brian, Joanne, Minnie, Vegas, and Zippy
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