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Flyball Finals take on new significance

July 14, 2016 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

Flyball DogSunday’s Flyball Finals will be exciting, for sure. But those attending the annual sporting event will feel a particular sense of pride this year. And a poignancy, as well.

“There is no doubt that Flyball has come a long way in The Park,” says Adrià Lebrel, president of the Park Flyball Association (PFA).

“It took years for us to accept it, and that goes for all ball sports. But it’s taken even longer for us to take pride in our abilities in that area. We’ve been far more willing to show reverence toward our athletes who wrestle, tunnel, race, or swim. Our ball athletes have had to work much harder for recognition and that’s a shame,” he says.

But, Lebrel says, it’s a testament to our ability to expand our minds that ball sports have finally gained our respect. And he credits Mammalian Daily Balls columnist and Park sports historian, Bailey, with helping to bring about the change in our attitude.

“Bailey worked hard to build respect for the ball. Before he started writing his column, none of us knew anything about ball history or its importance in the life of Canines and other Animals. He taught us about ourselves, and this year, with his work with the Park Museum on the flyball exhibit (Flyball and the Importance of Balls in the Everyday Life of Park Animals), he’s brought that full circle. We owe him a great deal of thanks.”

Still, come Sunday, we’ll also be feeling some sadness, due to the theft of Bailey’s basketball, which he’d lent to the museum for the duration of the exhibition.

“When he stands up to open the games, we’ll be feeling for him. There’s no doubt about that,” says Lebrel.

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Park Life, Sports Tagged With: athletes, bailey, flyball, Flyball Finals, importance of balls

Flyball Finals attract diverse audience

July 17, 2015 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

Flyball Dog

Today’s Flyball Finals should set a record for attendance organizers say

Today’s Flyball Finals will likely set a record for attendance, the annual event’s organizers tell The Mammalian Daily.

“The sport’s audience has been growing steadily for years, but since it was finally included in the Ball and Stick events of the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games, it’s attracted a much wider audience,” says Adrià Lebrel, president of the Park Flyball Association (PFA).

Mammalian Daily Balls columnist and Park sports historian, Bailey, agrees.

“In the beginning, flyball had a hard time shedding the stigma of being a domestic sport. Many Park Animals associated it with Human entertainment and felt it had little to do with the natural inclinations of Canines. Now that we have a few decades of zoocracy under our belts, we seem to feel freer to enjoy flyball as the activity it is, and not in association with Humans. It is great exercise and great fun and we’re beginning to see more species getting involved with it, and not just as spectators,” he says.

In fact, Bailey says, he has been asked by The Park Museum to co-curate an exhibit dedicated to the sport. The exhibit is slated for the Spring of 2016.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with [Park Museum curator] Dorika Pumi on this. It will be the first sports-related exhibit at the museum and I was, of course, honoured to be asked to participate. Although we are planning to highlight flyball, it will also be a tribute to the enduring relationship between Animals and balls,” he says.

Today’s Flyball Finals began at 3:00 p.m.

Find more information on the Tennis Ball, the ball used in Flyball,  here.

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Sports Tagged With: canines, flyball, tennis balls

Massive crowd greets opening of Park’s Otter Ice Slide

January 6, 2014 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

The opening of The Park’s Otter ice slide was greeted with great enthusiasm this afternoon. The slide was closed last year after a tragic accident left an Otter injured.

An enthusiastic crowd gathered this afternoon to witness the 2014 opening of The Park’s Otter Ice Slide.

The Slide, which is the favourite recreational venue of The Park’s Otter families, operates annually from January 6 until March 13. But today marked the first time it had been open since January 10 of last year, when the Department of Well-Being and Safety shut it down following the accident suffered by Boldizsar Vidra. On January 9, Vidra was injured when his coat got stuck on the Slide’s ice as he was travelling down it at a high speed.

Budget cutbacks and questionable weather purchases were blamed for the dangerous ice conditions on the Slide. Vidra recovered after a long convalescence, but several groups lobbied to keep the Slide closed permanently.

At the opening ceremony this morning, DWBS Director of Public Relations Cornelius Kakapo assured attendees that conditions on the Slide would be watched closely and attended to immediately.

“The Department of Well-Being and Safety takes the welfare of Park Animals very seriously. Any great fluctuations in temperature or anything else that affects the condition of the Slide’s ice will be dealt with in a timely fashion,” he said.

See also: DWBS shuts down Otter Ice Slide following tragic accident
               Otter Ice Slide in jeopardy as victim released from hospital

 

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Park Life

2013 Interspecial Summer Games Official Schedule

September 26, 2013 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

2013 Interspecial Summer Games LOGO

AQUATIC SPORTS
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
Rowing (September 27)
Diving (September 23)
Swimming: Butterfly (September 28)
Swimming: Other Strokes (September 28)

AQUATIC SPORTS
CANINES ONLY
Dog Paddling (September 28)

ARCHERY
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 25

BALL AND STICK EVENTS 
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 24

CHASING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 26

HERDING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 27

GLIDING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 28

GYMNASTICS
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 30

JUMPING SPORTS
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
High Jump: September 29
Short Jump: September 29
Long Jump: September 30
Broad Jump: September 30

LEAF RACING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 30

RETRIEVING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 26

RUNNING SPORTS
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
Racing: September 29
Sprinting: September 30

SACK RACING
OPEN TO MARSUPIAL TEAMS ONLY
All events: October 1

STINGING
OPEN TO INSECT, AQUATIC, REPTILIAN TEAMS ONLY
All events: September 30

TUNNELING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 25

WRESTLING
OPEN TO ALL SPECIES
All events: September 27

In addition to these events, the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games will present a limited number of species-specific events:

EQUESTRIAN ONLY EVENTS: September 30
REPTILIAN ONLY EVENTS: October 1
AMPHIBIAN ONLY EVENTS: September 23
AVIAN ONLY EVENTS: September 28

CLOSING CEREMONIES
October 1, 5:00 pm

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Sports

Excitement, controversy attend opening of Summer Games

September 23, 2013 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

ISG 2013 opening ceremonies

The Park is in a state of heightened anticipation as the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games enter their first day. The opening ceremonies were held yesterday afternoon.

The excitement in The Park was palpable, as the opening ceremonies of the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games began yesterday afternoon.

The ISG Committee was treated to hoots, woofs, brays, and just about as many jeers as cheers as it made its way onto the field. But the response to the procession of athletes was one hundred per cent positive and seemed to leave every Animal in The Park in a festive mood.

“I can’t wait for the events to start,” said Mairéad Gabhar. These are her first Interspecial Summer Games and she had high praise for all the athletes, but “especially the Canines.”

“I have so much respect for them, the way they set aside their differences for the Games,” she said.

Indeed, the Canine athletes were greeted on the field as if they were royalty. And that’s no surprise; until early Saturday morning, no one thought they would see a Canine in these Games. But thanks to the mediation skills of Delwyn Terrier, founding partner of Terrier, Terrier, Wolfhound and Shepherd, the CAA and the ISG Committee agreed to revisit their dispute after the closing ceremonies.

“We were committed and we worked non-stop until we came to an accommodation,” said Terrier, a former athlete himself and an avid sports fan.

Details of the agreement between the two parties have not been released, but rumours posted on the gossip web site headsNtales imply that the next Park swimming competition will include the Dog paddle among the competitive strokes.

Appearing tired but happy at the opening ceremonies, CAA President Alexandre Caniche would not comment on the rumours, but did acknowledge that some progress had been made over the weekend.

“I wouldn’t say it was a win, but I’d say we’ve come closer than we ever have to getting the job done,” he said.

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Park Life, Sports

CAA threatens to boycott Interspecial Summer Games

September 19, 2013 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

2013 Interspecial Summer Games

The Canine Athletic Association is threatening to keep its athletes home from the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games. The Games are scheduled to begin September 22

The Canine Athletic Association is threatening a last-minute boycott of the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games.

“We will pull all our athletes from the Games unless our demands to reinstate the Dog Paddle as a competitive swimming stroke are met,” CAA President Alexandre Caniche advised in a statement released early this morning.

The Dog Paddle has not been used in any official Park swimming competitions since the establishment of zoocracy 31 years ago. The Canine Athletic Association has spent the last seven years fighting to reinstate it as a competitive swimming stroke. Earlier this month, the CAA lost its most recent battle, when the ISG Committee decided against reinstating the stroke in time for the 2013 Games.

Today’s statement is the strongest on record, with Caniche alleging on behalf of the Association that “specism” was a factor in the decision-making. He also called for a full investigation of the ISG Committee members.

If the CAA decides to follow through with its threat, it will have a detrimental effect on the Games, say sports commentators and representatives of the Park Broadcasting Corporation, the official broadcaster of the 2013 Games.

“Canine athletes compete in almost every sport in the Games and they have an avid following both inside and outside The Park. Without Canines in the field and in the water, we will have a much smaller audience and, to be frank, a far less interesting — and fair — competition,” a PBC spokesAnimal told The Mammalian Daily.

Asked in a radio interview this afternoon whether there were dissenters among the Association’s ranks, Caniche demurred, then answered that members “had not been polled recently on specific matters.”

“Our membership has been united in this fight for over seven years and I have no reason to believe that has changed. In any case, all Canine athletes in The Park are required to be members of our Association, so the point is moot. No Canine will be competing in the Summer Games if the CAA calls a boycott,” he said.

The Interspecial Summer Games are scheduled to begin on September 22 and run until October 1.

See also:

CAA renews campaign to “Bring Back the Dog Paddle!”
CAA steps up pressure on Summer Games committee
CAA to ISG: “This is not the Dog paddle we asked for!”

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Sports

CAA to ISG: “This is not the Dog paddle we asked for!”

September 3, 2013 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

This is not the Dog paddle the CAA asked for

It appears that the Canine Athletic Association has lost its bid to reinstate the Dog paddle as a competitive swimming stroke. The ISG 2013 Committee has, however, given the green light to Dog paddling in a canoe across the Tartan Crab Memorial Pond.

The Canine Athletic Association has lost its bid to have the Dog paddle reinstated as a competitive swimming stroke in time for the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games.

In a statement released on Friday, well past the time the ISG 2013 Committee originally said it would announce its decision, the Committee wrote that there had not been enough time to examine all aspects of the issue and to evaluate the consequences of such a “bold decision.”

In an interview this morning on Canine Communications Radio, CAA President Alexandre Caniche called that a “ridiculous excuse.”

“I fail to see what the consequences would be,” he said. “And, truth be told, they’ve had over a year to deliberate. I would hardly call that not enough time. I also take issue with calling the reinstatement of the swimming stroke a ‘bold decision,'” he said.

In addition to the announcement nixing the Dog paddle stroke, the ISG Committee confirmed on Friday that the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games would be the first to include a Canine canoeing event across the Tartan Crab Memorial Pond.

While the CAA has refused to comment officially on that issue, President Caniche had strong words for the ISG Committee members:

“I would ask the Committee a simple question: who is to benefit from keeping the Dog paddle out of the competition? I would cautiously assert that the answer to that question might lead to a place the ISG Committee does not wish us to go.”

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Park Life, Sports

CAA steps up pressure on Summer Games committee

August 4, 2013 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

With less than two months to go before the official opening of the 2013 Interspecial Summer Games, the Canine Athletic Association (CAA) has stepped up pressure on the ISG Committee to reinstate the Dog paddle as a competitive stroke.

In a statement issued this morning, the Association once again asserted that the swimming stroke is an excellent test of aquatic prowess and, as such, should be reinstated immediately.

“Unless the ISG Committee takes swift action on this issue, we will see our amazing athletes sidelined once again. We cannot allow this to happen. Our Canine swimmers have been training for more than six years for these Games and they deserve a chance to compete,” said CAA President Alexandre Caniche.

This is not the first time the CAA has attempted to have the swimming stroke reinstated. But, last year, it embarked on an extensive multi-media campaign to raise awareness of the issue. The year-long campaign featured well-known sports figures and celebrities and the Association even commissioned a new scent, ‘”Soggy Dog,” that helped them raise funds to continue the fight.

“We thought we were getting somewhere with them [the ISG Committee], but now I’m not sure. Time is not on our side,” said Caniche.

The ISG Committee has stated that it will announce its decision on August 15. The Games begin on September 22.

“That’s cutting it pretty close, but until we know, we’ll keep encouraging our Dogs to train as hard as they can,” Caniche said.

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Sports

Let’s Talk Balls! with Bailey: The Tennis Ball

August 9, 2012 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

Bailey Balls Columnist

Today’s ball is the TENNIS ball.

The tennis ball has a long history with Dogs.

Originally employed in the ancient world, cynologists (those who study Dogs) believe that the tennis ball was first used in the hospitality rites that were common among the ancient Canines.

Evidence from Canine epic poetry suggests that the balls were used in the entertainment portion of these rites. Citing lines from The Kyniad, the oldest of these poems, cynologists at the University of West Terrier have supported their belief that the balls were used in a type of “dance” that was performed in front of guests at the end of a meal. In Books VI and VII of the poem, young female Canines toss the ball back and forth, nose to nose, to the sound of string music.

These balls, which were originally terracotta spheres, were covered in vine leaves in order to cushion the blow to the Dogs’ noses. Historians postulate that, as this rite evolved, paddles fashioned from tree branches and fitted with cloth at one end were used to strike the ball. Many years later, the balls were refashioned out of more flexible material.

While this hospitality rite eventually disappeared from use, the dance became a favourite pastime in the years before zoocracy.

Since that time, Dogs everywhere have enjoyed various forms of play with the tennis ball.

Sources: The Kyniad; Daily Life in the Ancient Canine World, Volume 3: Balls; Balls of the Ancient Canine Games; Hospitality Rites and Rituals in the Ancient Canine World; From Sphere to Shining Sphere: A History of Balls Across the Ages; The Canine’s Illustrated Guide to Balls; Ancient Spherophiles and their Influence on History; Follow the Bouncing Ball: How Dogs Introduced Balls to the Human World; The Concept of Play in the Ancient Canine World; Balls: An Appreciation; various newspaper articles and reports.  

Bailey can be reached at bailey@mammaliandaily.com.

This column originally appeared in Issue #118 of The Mammalian Daily.

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Filed Under: Sports

CAA renews campaign to “Bring Back the Dog Paddle!”

July 31, 2012 By Ronan Kanga, TMD Sports Reporter

The Canine Athletic Association has renewed its campaign to reinstate the Dog paddle as a competitive stroke.

In a statement published today, the Association once again asserted that the swimming stroke, which fell out of fashion some years ago, is an excellent test of aquatic prowess and should be reinstated in time for the next Interspecial Summer Games in 2013.

A spokesDog for the CAA said the Association’s renewed efforts will include multimedia coverage featuring well-known Park sports figures as well as celebrities such as Bisbee Bichon and I.S. Chow, stars of Varden Spaniel’s 2009 film, Stuffed Dogs Don’t Shed.

“This will be an all-out sensory assault,” said the spokesDog, who confirmed that radio spots had been scheduled on all Park radio stations, public service announcements will be broadcast on all television stations and advertisements will run in most of The Park’s print media.

“We’ve even commissioned a new scent, ‘Soggy Dog’, which will be available for purchase exclusively at the Reek-O-Rama beginning in September,” he said. Proceeds from the scent will go to supporting Canine athletes who are currently training to swim in the Dog paddle competition at the 2013 Summer Games.

“That’s how sure we are that we will be successful this time around,” said the spokesDog.

The Canine Athletic Association launched its first Dog paddle campaign two years before the 2008 (26 AZ) Interspecial Summer Games. That campaign, however, was not successful.

The 2013 Interspecial Summer Games will take place during the last two weeks of September 2013.

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Filed Under: Breaking News, Park Life, Sports

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