Tails were wagging all morning at the Riverwalk Pavilion for the Dog-Disc Championship.
The Midwest Disc Dogs Club hosted the local competition, which had 50 canine competitors from throughout the Midwest.
“Playing disc is great, not only are they moving but they have to think because they have to know where the disc is to catch it. As well as it’s a great bonding for you and your dog and you just get to have fun. And the people are great; it’s become a family,” said Stephanie Zdunek, a Naperville resident and the treasurer of Midwest Disc Dogs.
A freestyle portion was first, which had trainers of all ages with their best friends to show off cool Frisbee tricks for 2 minutes. Wisconsin native and first time competitor Missi Roland has a few key reasons why she works well with her border collie Psy.
“Teamwork. You have to be part of the team,” said Roland. “My dog has the talent, I have to catch up and be the good thrower, and then conditioning. Good food, good nutrition. He swims, he runs, he hikes, so he has to stay in good top physical condition.”
Following the freestyle was the toss and catch portion. Trainers would throw a Frisbee for one minute and get points for the distance of the dog’s catch.
And although it was a competition, the dogs and their owners were out there just to have some fun.
“The love of it never changes and now I enjoy watching more of the newer players get more involved and put in more time and practice,” said Vice-President of Midwest Disc Dogs, Rob Wyka. “Most of the dogs in this sport are rescue dogs and that’s pretty cool. For a lot of them this is their second, third, or even forth home so, we just get to watch them grow in the sport and watch the bond with them and their owners grow too.”
Naperville’s next dog-disc competition will be held on Labor Day weekend.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.