So, before Grace got to compete in the finals for junior showmanship, she had the opportunity to show Mr. Darcy in the breed ring against five other field spaniels (I think all but one had pro handlers on them). The hope here was that Darcy might score an award of merit, which would be a nice feather in his cap. But no—that didn't happen—instead, Darcy and Grace won best of breed against the five dogs! What that meant is that after the juniors competition Grace and Darcy would go into the Sporting Group ring, nationally televised, and compete for Sporting group.
Wow! A junior making it to the group ring. By my count tonight, she was the only one to do so.
In junior showmanship, Grace went in with seven other juniors. She didn't win, but came away with a 3rd place—worth a $4000 scholarship!!! How thrilling for her, and how incredibly proud we are of the two of them!!! Then she immediately moved to the sporting group ring, and I got to watch her compete on the USA network. She did a great job with Darcy (they both must have been beat by then), he moved wonderfully for her, and she nailed the free stack. It's not a surprise that she didn't get pulled (although Jen and I both swore the judge pointed at her before pulling the dog next to her), but she did terrific and what a great experience for a seventeen year old! Madison Square Garden packed full of people watching you show your dog!!
At this point, I've got to thank all Grace's support staff there—Diane, Linda & Laura, Linda, and everyone else who was helping out (I'll get names up eventually). We can't thank you enough—and your love and support of Grace is so dearly appreciated!!
And congratulations to my daughter. What a rock star!!