Texas Cherry Bomb, six-year-old setter female topped the field of sixteen dogs in the 2010 Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic. The two-hour grouse dog event was held March 25th and 26th on the famed Marienville grounds in the Allegheny National Forest of western Pennsylvania.

The animated, tricolor setter is owned by Kevin Klein and ably handled by Scott Forman. Cherry Bomb competed in the second brace on combined Loletta courses three and four on the first morning. She ran a mature, easy-handling, forward race punctuated by a triple grouse find late in her second hour. The hallmarks of her performance were her consistency and hunting/handling maturity, gaining her this coveted title. 

Texas Cherry Bomb

Runner-up was five-year-old pointer female, Pal O’ Mine, owned by Chris Mathan and handled by Joe McCarl. Appearing in the first brace, Pal had two grouse pointed in high style complemented by a searching race and particularly strong finish. 

Pal O' Mine

Members of the Black Ash Grouse Dog Club and those who support endurance trials in the grouse woods accept that the entries for this challenging event may never equal those of hour duration stakes. We believe that stamina is a quality that should be sought in all field trial bird dogs. An endurance event evaluates many of the subjective preferences we seek in our dogs today. Does the gait thought to be appealing also prove to be efficient and sustainable? Do the dogs we find exciting to watch have the mental fortitude to respond well to additional stress? Endurable gait, physical and mental strength are necessary to keep dogs focused on the task of hunting for and handling birds with class past the hour mark.

The weather over the two days of running was an improvement over last spring with many more opportunities on grouse. Eleven grouse were pointed, seen or heard flushing wild before lunchtime on Thursday. The first two braces were granted quintessential weather for getting grouse pointed — overcast, in the mid forties to mid fifties with just a slight breeze. That night temperatures dipped below the freezing mark. By Friday morning, the ground was covered in a thin blanket of crunchy snow and birds proved more illusive until later in the morning when the sun came out, causing the conditions to improve. Grouse were seen on all four of the two-hour courses during this Classic.

A small group of able-bodied and enthusiastic club members took on the duties of organizing and running the Classic and accompanying amateur derby stake. They include Russ Richardson (club secretary), Joe McCarl, Shawn Thomas, Brian Ralph and Chris Mathan. Joe McCarl and Russ Richardson took on marshalling duties. Horses were once again supplied by R. B. Powell and were tacked and ready when and where they were needed. Running of the event went smoothly.

On hand to watch the first morning’s two braces were Anna Stubna, editor of The Ruffed Grouse Society’s magazine, and friend, Dan, an avid grouse hunter. She and Dan were impressed with the dogs and birdwork they witnessed and left with a new understanding of the importance of field trials for evaluating bird dogs. Dan remarked that the upland bird hunter was the lucky recipient of the work, time and effort field trialers and breeders of wild bird field trial dogs put into selecting, producing and evaluating their breeding stock. All in attendance enjoyed their visit and appreciated their interest.

We were fortunate to entrust the judging to two highly respected gentlemen. An avid bird hunter for the past 35 years, Frank LaNasa has bred, trained and successfully campaigned his dogs in amateur and open grouse, horseback shooting dog and all-age stakes for over 21 years. His dogs have won wild bird championships on ruffed and sharptail grouse and prairie chickens. He has judged all three circuits from the mid west and prairies to Nevada and south to Mississippi, this year alone, judging the prestigious all-age endurance championship, The Southern, for the second time and the All-America Derby Championship in Illinois. In the grouse woods, he has judged the Minnesota Grouse Dog Championship and the Lakes States Grouse Championship. Frank traveled from Isanti, Minnesota for this assignment. Dave Hawk hails from Athens, Ohio and has been training and campaigning dogs for the past seven years. He is a life-long grouse hunter. He has won with his dogs in horseback, cover dog and other walking shooting dog stakes and amateur championships. His dogs have also won open championships, including the 2007 Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship and R-U in the 2008 Grouse and Woodcock Invitational Championship. He has judged walking and horseback stakes throughout the region, including the Region 4 Walking Shooting Dog Championship and the National Walking Shooting Dog Futurity. Both men were attentive to all the dogs and judged in a positive manner. Their commitment and expertise was appreciated by all.

THE WINNERS AND OTHERS

Texas Cherry Bomb displayed an animated, hard hunting race from the breakaway, selecting prime objectives and wasting no steps — the mark of an intelligent and mature dog — characteristics that are proving essential for winning the Armstrong-Umbel. She was forward at all times, required almost no help from her handler and remained focused on hunting grouse for the two hours. Cherry Bomb was well-mannered backing her bracemate pointing in the thick highbush blueberries at the 35 minute mark. She suffered unproductives at about the half and hour marks, both in likely looking places. Finally, she was rewarded for her efforts when at an hour, 40 minutes, she made a cast into the right side of a cut where her bell went silent. Handler and judge Hawk followed with a grouse heard leaving followed by a shot and two more grouse taking flight. Her style and manners were excellent. The temperature was warming towards the middle of the day and the two hours came to an end on a steep upward sloping hillside where Cherry Bomb’s fatigue was evident. Her overall impressive race and bird work late in the brace kept her on top in the judges’ book. Texas Cherry Bomb was bred by Marc and Scott Forman. She is out of Shady Hills Whirlwind by 4 x CH., 3 x R-U CH. Shady Hill’s Billy.

Texas Cherry Bomb

Pal O' Mine (below)

Pal O’Mine ran in the first brace on Thursday morning. She too showed her maturity by reaching for likely objectives from the beginning and throughout her two hours, spending no time in areas unlikely to hold birds. The white and black female pointer is a small, rugged built dog who moves with speed and animation. She required more handling to keep her to the front and was lateral on a few occasions but always in search of game. Pal was rewarded for her hard hunting early on with a stylish find on two grouse far to the front at 15. She suffered two unproductives, one, unfortunately, a divided find with her bracemate where the grouse was heard leaving only by this reporter. She had a slight lapse at the hour and 35 minute mark where she lost focus and made a backwards cast. Quickly rounded up she was sent on without further incident. The highlight of her race came at the very end of her two hours where, with renewed energy, she reached for a far to the front cut and was hunting enthusiastically when time was called. Pal was bred by Rich Boumeester out of his grouse CH. Boumeester’s Elhew Sas by 4 x CH. Front N’ Center.

Finishing the two hours strong with a particularly impressive race was River’s Edge Bella. Had she pointed a grouse, her strong and consistent race might have put her in contention.

Scott Forman with Texas Cherry Bomb, Chris Mathan with Pal O’ Mine. Marc Forman, Jared and Bob Drew, judge Frank LaNasa, Russ Richardson, judge Dave Hawk, Bob Grassi, Joe McCarl, Joe Cammisa, George Crumlich, and Shawn Thomas. Craig Doherty was taking the photo.

Winner: Texas Cherry Bomb, Scott Forman handler, Kevin Klein, owner
Runner-Up: Pal O‘ Mine, Joe McCarl handler, Chris Mathan, owner

The Black Ash Grouse Dog Club would like to thank judges Frank LaNasa and Dave Hawk for giving so generously of their time and expertise traveling from Minnesota and Ohio, respectively, to look at the dogs competing in the 2010 Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic for grouse dogs. Both are men of great integrity who have been involved with the breeding, developing and handling of field trial dogs for considerable time. Both have a great love of and deep respect for this sport and we were most fortunate to have them.

We would also like to thank Dale Hernden, Kim Sampson, Shawn Wayment, DVM and all those who bought Armstrong caps for their support as well as Strideaway advertising sponsors: Industry Leader’s Fund, Purina, TechMix Inc., Tri-Tronics, DOGS Unlimited, and Marshall Radio Telemetry. Their support of Strideaway allowed us to give a donation to the club for the expenses incurred putting on the Classic. Entry fees alone can not cover the  expenses and generous purse the Classic offers.

Six year old Texas Cherry Bomb, handled by Scott Forman, had a consistent and easy handling forward race. She was attractive moving, hunted hard, applied herself maturely and was rewarded with a triple grouse find in her second hour which she handled beautifully. She ran in the second brace on Thursday. The sun was out and though the temperature was in the low fifties, it felt considerably warmer than earlier in the morning.

Five year old Pal O‘ Mine, handled by Joe McCarl, ran in the first brace on Thursday morning. Two grouse lifted from her lofty stance early in the first hour. She, too, ran a mature race requiring, perhaps, a little more handling. She was given a great opportunity to show a strong finish to her two hours which she took full advantage of by racing to and disappearing in a big cut at the far left edge of the large open bowl we finished in.

Shady Hills Bean, who also ran in the first brace, had three separate, well-mannered grouse finds and finished the two hours handling kindly. The judges felt that her last hour was not as independent as the winners. Dogs that finished the two hours strong included last year’s runner-up, Grouse River Ace and kennel-mate, River’s Edge Bella who put down a particularly impressive two hours of responsive handling and hard hunting. Her attractive, sustainable gait allowed her to finish the two hours effortlessly. Unfortunately she was only rewarded with the remains of a dead grouse. An exciting race was put down by Russ Richardson’s Two Acre Hope, a contender in last year’s Classic. She had a great multiple grouse find towards the end of her first hour but crashed soon after when she self-relocated on her next stand while Russ was flushing. Russ mentioned before the beginning of the brace that he was a little concerned about all the Texas quail hunting she had done this past winter. She gave it her all and was particularly exciting to watch!

As usual, the weather had a lot to do with the numbers of birds that were seen over the two days. Russ has the exact count which I will get from him for the report but the first morning of overcast skies proved the best with eleven grouse seen before noon. On three occasions, three grouse were flushed from the same area for dogs. Only one woodcock was seen on the course flushing behind a grouse that got up wild.

I would personally like to thank all those who put their dogs down for this difficult but rewarding challenge. I took a lot of photographs of the running and will prepare a slide show that will appear on the Photo Gallery page next weekend. 

Thanks to those who judged, helped and ran dogs in the Amateur derby stake that accompanies the Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic. Congrats to the winners!

Winners: Bob Grassi with Titan, George Hetrick with Riley and Steve Swonger with Chip's Charlie Brown. Behind the winners are Brian Ralph, Joe McCarl, judge George Crumlich, Marc Forman, judge Brian Popoleo, Scott Forman, and Mike Cooke.

Date: Thursday, March 25th to conclusion
Place: Allegheny National Forest, Marienville, PA
Judges: Frank LaNasa, Minnesota,
Dave Hawk, Athens, Ohio
Reporter: Chris Mathan
Entry fee: $125
Purse: $1,500 ($2,000 if 26+ entries) split 70/30 if R-U is named.

Companion Stake: Armstrong-Umbel Amateur Derby
Date: Saturday, March 27th
Place: Allegheny National Forest, Marienville, PA
Judges: Craig Peters, one to be announced

2010_Armstrong-Umbel_Classic.pdf

Please come join us for great trial...as competitor or spectator, you'll really enjoy watching our grouse dogs go the distance!

Anyone who would like to lend their support to The Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic through advertising opportunities on this page, please contact us.

Armstrong-Umbel cap art

Armstrong-Umbel caps were so popular last year, we are offering them for sale this year. If you would like a 2010 cap, please let us know by March 1. They are available for $15. All profits will go to support the trial.

The Black Ash Grouse Dog Club is proud to announce the second running of the Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic in March 2010. Heats will be of two-hour duration.

We are proud to have attained the following two judges:

Frank LaNasa has been breeding, training and successfully campaigning his dogs in amateur and open grouse, horseback shooting dog and all-age stakes for over 20 years. His dogs have won wild bird championships including the National Amateur Grouse Championship, the National Amateur and National Open Prairie Chicken Shooting Dog Championships, and the National Amateur Chicken Championship. He has judged all three circuits from the mid west and prairies to Nevada and south to Mississippi, most recently judging the prestigious all-age endurance championship, The Southern, for the second time. In the grouse woods, he has judged the Minnesota Grouse Dog Championship and the Lakes States Grouse Championship. Frank’s home state is Minnesota.

Dave Hawk hails from Southeastern Ohio and has been training and campaigning grouse dogs for the past seven years. He is a life long grouse hunter and has hunted with his own pointing dogs for the past 27 years. He has won with his dogs in horseback, cover dog and other walking shooting dog stakes and amateur championships. His dogs have also won open championships, including the 2007 Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship and R-U in the 2008 Grouse and Woodcock Invitational. He has judged walking and horseback stakes throughout the region, most prominent being the Region 4 Walking Shooting Dog Championship and the National Walking Shooting Dog Futurity.

Last spring’s inaugaral running of the the Armstrong as a two hour classic drew 22 dogs (21 ran). Judges Roger Hoover and Mazie Davis commented on the entry of strong bird dogs — most running well past the hour and a half mark and several finishing the two hours. The Winner and Runner-Up were extremely well-received by all who witnessed their performances. Both were outstanding in their ability to go the distance with strength and purpose. Though birds were at a premium during the running, both dogs hunted objectives, holding the judges and gallery’s excitement for the entire two hours.

Endurance is the ability or strength to continue and maintain a high quality of work despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.

Stamina: physical or moral strength to resist or withstand fatigue or hardship; endurance.

Club members and other supporters of the Armstrong-Umbel feel strongly that endurance is a quality we should seek in all field trial bird dogs. By definition, an endurance event evaluates many of the subjective preferences we seek in our dogs today. Does the gait we think attractive also prove to be efficient and sustainable? Do the dogs we find exciting have the mental fortitude to respond well to additional stress? Both these qualities are necessary to keep dogs focused on the task of hunting for and handling birds with class past the hour mark.

Please see archived postings (Category: Endurance Trials) of excerpts from reports of several of the more exciting early Grand National Grouse Championships which ran as one hour first series, followed by two hour second series.

Report and other details from last years running are archived under Category: Armstrong-Umbel

For anyone wishing to support the Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic, please scroll down to the information on the right side bar on this page.

The Armstrong will be accompanied by the Black Ash Amateur Derby.

Additional details to follow in the American Field ad. Thanks to all who supported the Classic last spring. We look forward to seeing you in March!

Judges, Mazie Davis and Roger Hoover

A year and a half ago, Russ Richardson and Joe McCarl, core members of the Black Ash Grouse Trial Club, began to consider an endurance trial in the grouse woods. On March 28th, on the Marienville grounds nestled in the Allegheny National Forest in west-central Pennsylvania, their vision was realized. Nineteen contenders competed in the grueling two-hour format giving birth to the first Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic.

At the conclusion of the braces on Monday afternoon, the judges requested to see Texas Copper Top and Grouse River Ace for a second time with Stokely’s Ginger B held in reserve.

Wild bird trials are unpredictable by nature. In the spring, mature grouse can be even more elusive than in the fall and that held true over the three days of the trial. Texas Copper Top, six-year-old white and orange setter female, owned by Kevin Klein and handled on this occasion by Marc Forman delivered a performance that fulfilled the high benchmark sought by the creators of this Classic. With owner in attendance, Copper Top held the attention of all who witnessed her scorching two-hour race. Grouse River Ace, three-year-old mostly white pointer male, owned by Bryan Wood and handled by Scott Forman entered the winner’s circle as Runner-Up with a fast paced, exciting two hours, displaying all the qualities required of a true endurance dog. Stokely’s Ginger B, five year old white and orange female, owned by Tony Bly and handled by Marc Forman showed the strength and hard hunting effort that kept her on the judge’s list despite the two unproductives she chalked up near the end of her exciting two hour effort.

Pictured above: Kevin Klein, Joe McCarl, Marc Forman with Texas Copper Top, John Bilideau, judge Mazie Davis, Russ Richardson, Steve Groy, judge Roger Hoover, Joe Cammisa, Scott Forman with Grouse River Ace, Dave Bogle, Bryan Woods, Tony Bly.

Congratulations to Marc, Scott, Kevin and Bryan on a job well done. Thanks to everyone who entered a dog and supported this first two-hour endurance classic. Thanks to our two fine judges and to our many sponsors. The Black Ash Grouse Club could not have put on this prestigious trial without their help. 

Mazie and I will be in Pennsylvania for the duration of the Classic. Good luck to all the participants!

Thanks again to the following for their generous support of the Classic:
Purina
Dogs Unlimited
Industry Leaders Fund
Marshall Radio Telemetry
TechMix Inc.
Tri-Tronics
Davis Kennels
Earl DeCarli
Field Trial Magazine
Hard Driving Kennels
Bill Henke
Dale Hernden
Frank LaNasa
Northwoods Bird Dogs
Kim Sampson
Keystone Setters
Shawn Thomas
Shawn Wayment, DVM.

For anyone who does not subscribe to the American Field, you can find a pdf of the ad that will run in the March 7th issue. Please scroll down the right side of this page to find: recommended reading: articles in pdf format.

The Black Ash Grouse Dog Club is proud to announce the first running of the Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic in March 2009. Heats will be of two-hour duration. The Armstrong-Umbel Classic has been run for over 30 years as an hour classic on ruffed grouse.

Members of the Black Ash Club believe there is an importance to re-establish an endurance stake for grouse dogs. From its inaugural running in 1943 to 1957, the Grand National Grouse Championship ran as one hour qualifying heats and two hour finals thus making it a true measure of stamina for a dog winning the coveted crown.

As we know, many aspects of field trial performance are open to subjective interpretation. Reading through the Grand National and other important grouse championship reports reveal shifts in emphasis over time and from one reporter to another, particularly where a significant change occurred. i.e. the change in length of heats in the Grand National fifty years ago.

Endurance is the ability or strength to continue and maintain a high quality of work despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.

Stamina: physical or moral strength to resist or withstand fatigue or hardship; endurance.

Club members and other supporters of the Armstrong-Umbel feel strongly that endurance is a quality we should seek in all field trial bird dogs. By definition, an endurance event evaluates many of the subjective preferences we seek in our dogs today. Does the gait we think attractive also prove to be efficient and sustainable? Do the dogs we find exciting have the mental fortitude to respond well to additional stress? Both these qualities are necessary to keep dogs focused on the task of hunting for and handling birds with class past the hour mark.

Over the winter months, Strideaway will post excerpts from several of the more exciting early Grand National Grouse Championship win reports.

For anyone wishing more information or to support the Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic, please view the information on the right side bar on this page.

Armstrong-Umbel Endurance Classic (two hour heats)
Date: directly following the Grand National Grouse & Woodcock Invitational
Place: Allegheny National Forest, Marienville, PA
Judges: Roger Hoover, Harold Ray
Reporter: Mazie Davis

Additional details to follow in the American Field ad.