On a beautiful sunny morning, the tenth test, a water triple with one retired gun was set up. The test was run in the same area as test #9, yesterday’s water blind. A slight breeze blew from the west all day.
Bird #1, on the left at 182 yards, was thrown from right to left and retired after the last gun was fired. The line to this bird was a long swim past a large point.
Bird #2, center at 150 yards, was thrown left to right. This was an open water swim to a 20 foot gap between an island and the large point then through the gap, onto the large point and to the bird.
Bird #3, right at 152 yards, was thrown right to left. From the mat the dog went 30 feet to the water, and then swam brushing an island on the right, across open water then past a goose nest, an island and a small bay on the left to the bird on shore.
Competitor #61 was the first to run at 10:30 a.m.
The “Girl Power Gals” waving pom poms and led by cheerleader Howard Sadwin (who donned a multi-colored wig) gleefully cheered all competitors, after each finished running. Male competitors got “hurrah!”, except for one who got “Guy Power”...female handlers got...you guessed it...”GIRL POWER!”. Before the test began, Judge Elois Levasseur decided to don the wig and join the girls for a cheer.
Judges wives, Judy Mottola and Denise Levasseur were at the sound truck announcing the competitor’s names. They had been helping out all week wherever they could, the dinner, the hospitality room, and even drove the quad and planted birds for one test.
The test finished at 2:30 and everyone adjourned to headquarters to await the judges’ decision. The set-up crew dismantled for the last time, “with visions of a shower and bed with a long, long sleep dancing in their heads”.
At headquarters, cocktails and camaraderie was in full swing. The finalists lined up with their dogs for a photo session, and were then called up individually to receive their finalist trophy and gift. Glasses were raised to toast the 2004 Canadian National Retriever Champion:
#17, FTCH AFTCH AFC TNT’S MR. PEABODY PRAIRIEMARSH,
owned by John and Janice Gunn handled by John Gunn
