38TH Annual 2024 WWSDA Midwest Championship Sheepdog Trial
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
August 29 - September 2nd, 2024
8am-5pm
Thursday: Open I
Friday: Open I, PN I/Nursery I
Saturday: PN II/Nursery II, Open II
Sunday: Open II
Monday Double Lift Championship**, 9am-3pm
Entry Form: Coming Soon
Location: Badlands Sno-Park, 772 Kinney Rd, Hudson, WI 54016 (Badlands-sno Park)
Judge: Bruce Fogt, Sydney, Ohio
Five days of spectacular stock dog trialing, culminating in a Monday show stopper.... a team-to-team double lift with the top handlers and dogs.
The WWSDA trials have been renamed the 38th Annual WWSDA Midwest Championship Stockdog Trials, but it's still the same great "world-class" field near Hudson, Wisconsin. The top 12 Open teams from all 4 days qualify to run the challenging Double Lift Championship on Monday. The winner of this Double Lift then qualifies for the prestigious 2025 Soldier Hollow Invitational.
One of the primary directives of the WWSDA is to encourage and support Novice handlers and dogs. With that in mind, they realized that the Hudson venue, sheep, and various draws did not create a healthy and successful situation for our Novice dogs and handlers. In 2021 they added a Novice trial co-sponsored by John Wentz - Big Yellow Boots Stockdogs. It was held Memorial Day weekend and included Novice, Ranch, Pro-Novice (no open handlers), and Nursery. It was a great success and we hope to make it an annual event. We strongly encourage Novice handlers to come to the Labor Day Weekend trials, volunteer to scribe, work the pens, man the front gate, and watch the runs. We can learn so much from watching experienced handlers and dogs.
Questions regarding entries should be directed to Jennifer Thompson by email jenniferat@juno.com or cell 507-381-6684 (leave a message if no answer). Other questions regarding the venue, logistics, sheep, etc. can be directed to Jennifer, Claudia (cjmahon@sbcglobal.net), or Susane (shoffman@sheepycorner.com).
Looking for something to do with the family over Labor Day weekend, come on down. Spectators are very welcome to attend any day of this trial. This event is open to the public.
Cost is $10/person. Children 10 & under are free.
Contact:
Claudia Mahon, cjmahon@sbcglobal.net
Susane Hoffman, shoffman@sheepycorner.com
Advertise in the Trial Program
Consider placing and/or soliciting an advertisement in the trial program where it will likely be seen by over 1,000 people in attendance over the 5-day trial. Do you have lamb, mutton, beef, breeding stock, fiber, puppies, herding training, or a facility, or anything else you want to sell? Maybe your employer, veterinarian, farm or feed store, or shearer would like to advertise, or perhaps you'd just like to wish competitors good luck. The program is a professionally printed glossy booklet that is 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches. Color ads are available in three sizes from just $40 for a quarter-page ad to a full-page ad for $140. Ad copy must be submitted by August 1, 2024. Ad Form for details and to sign up coming soon.
Become a Sponsor or Team Sponsor
For $500 you can become a Platinum sponsor. All platinum sponsors receive a full-page color ad in the trial program, 20 trial admission passes, the announcement of your sponsorship several times throughout the 5 days, your name in the trial program as a platinum sponsor, the opportunity to designate your sponsorship for a particular class or the judge, tent, facility or sheep. If you provide us with a vinyl outdoor banner up to 3’ tall by 8’ long, we will display it on the back fence for all to see. In addition, we will have a table for flyers, coupons, samples, etc if you would like to make them available to those in attendance. Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsorships are also available. Please contact Lori Perry at ryzupbc@outlook.com.
Sponsor a dog and handler team for $50. Each dog/handler sponsor receives a 4-day gate pass for one person, listing in the program next to the team you sponsored, a 2024 WWSDA souvenir program, listing on the WWSDA website and Facebook page, listing on the daily run sheets next to your sponsored team, and you get to meet your dog and handler team! You can sponsor as many dogs as you like. You can sponsor in “Memory” of a special pet or handler. Plus these make great gifts too! Please contact Lori Perry at ryzupbc@outlook.com or (906) 367-5975 if you would like to be a sponsor or have any questions. Sponsor Form coming soon.
Volunteers Needed!
Except for a couple of key positions, this trial runs completely on volunteer help, in fact, there are over 140 positions over the 5 days. Please consider volunteering your time. We need scribes, score runners, sheep pen help, gate admission attendants, parking attendants, announcers, a daily judge concierge, set up before the trial, tear down after the trial, and a couple of people with calm capable dogs helping to exhaust for the pro-novice & nursery runs as well as help with the double lift. Most shifts are just 2 - 3 hours and the rest of the day is yours. Free daily admission for that day’s volunteers. Please contact Donna Huntington at goatdonna@gmail.com or (608) 795-2214 if you can help or download the volunteer form.
Attend
Come watch the country's wisest dogs and wiliest handlers compete for the coveted Midwest Sheepdog Championship at Badlands Sno-Park outside of Hudson, WI. Bring a lawn chair and loll on a sun-drenched hillside, watching dogs and handlers compete under time pressure to move sheep through a complicated course. Gather under a big, shady tent, rain or shine. Never been to a sheepdog competition? Don't worry, during the action announcers will explain what's going on, along with the subtleties of communication between dogs, handlers, and sheep. Bring the entire family and friends and make a day of it, cheering for your favorite dogs and groaning as a recalcitrant sheep escapes at the pen at the last second.
Please plan on attending this awesome event and invite friends and neighbors. They'll be glad you did. It's a great family event. Bring your own comfortable chair or sit on the bleachers provided. The trials go on rain or shine but spectators can get out of both under the big top tent. Lunch food and drink will be available for purchase. Here are printable posters which we would appreciate you printing and distributing as you are out and about in your area.