2024 NGSPA Shooting Dog Invitationals

By: Keith Richardson and Ray Larrondo (Amateur)

The 2024 NGSPA Open and Amateur Shooting Dog Invitationals

The Standard is Set

The 2024 editions were the 12^th Open Shooting Dog Invitational and the 9^th Amateur Shooting Dog Invitational for the National German Shorthaired Pointer Association. This year the weather during the Open was quite cold with some windy periods with really low wind chills. The Amateur was a bit warmer, but still cold.

For the new reader we should recap the format for the Shooting Dog Invitationals:

Only the TOP 12 point earning dogs are invited to the Invitational each year for both the Open Shooting Dog and the Amateur Shooting Dog events. The format of the trial is like no other and requires three days of running an hour each day to win. Day one the dogs are drawn randomly. On the second day, the dogs are braced so the dogs running in the morning of day one run in the afternoon of day two. The objective is that no dog has the same brace mate or runs on the same course. The third day the judges call back their top dogs to run again for an hour. The trial is designed to test the bird ability, bid-ability, range and the endurance of the best of our breed. After the third day of running, a Champion is named.

These Invitationals have always been run at the Smith Farm in Gentry, MO. The grounds consist of three one-hour courses covering rolling crop land and dense stands of woods which make for some beautiful lines for the dogs to run. The challenging courses reveal the strengths and weaknesses of every dog. We seeded the courses with 1,000 quail during the six days of running, and every dog had multiple finds throughout the Championship.

We were saddened to learn that Larry Smith was diagnosed in 2023 with a rare form of brain cancer and passed early in 2024. The writer was blessed at our 2023 Invitationals when Larry shared the peace that God had given him during this trial and his faith that when it was over he would be welcomed into the hands of Jesus. His incredible contribution to the NGSPA Shooting Dog Invitationals was only a small part of his total contribution to our sport, and we were happy to learn that Larry was honored by the Field Trial Community by his election to the Field Trial Hall of Fame to be held in Grand Junction, Tennessee in February, 2025.

Linda Smith shared Larry’s love of dogs, horses and our sport, and we enjoyed spending time with her as she shared her beautiful farm and facilities with us throughout our events. She even loaded up a group of her lady friends in her Polaris and zipped along introducing them to the wonderful sport we all love.

A huge Thank You goes out to all our sponsors that helped make this trial what it is. Greg Blair and Purina were incredibly supportive, paying half of both Ross Young Oil Paintings, Dog Food for the Champion and auction. Also huge thanks to Sport Dog and Jim Morehouse for their many years of support by donating product. We are extremely grateful for the support of Garmin and Patrick Bowman for their contributions of product. We consider the very talented wildlife artist, Ross Young, to be a sponsor because he charges us less for his fine work.

There are a lot of people to thank to make this trial one of the hallmark events in the NGSPA. A huge thanks goes out to Keith and Bobbi Richardson for all their generosity and support, for not just the Invitationals, but everything they do for our sport. Their Executive Assistant, Brittiny Haberkorn is a huge help behind the scene. Triple J is the wrangler and he always brings some high quality horses for the judges and people to ride. A big thank you to Joe Frauendienst, property manager for the Richardsons, who got up in the early morning hours every day to plant birds again this year. He did an excellent job with many multi-bird finds in spots that showcased the work of a good bird-dog. Jon Small again donated his time to handle dog wagon duties. Thanks to all that spent time with marshal duties: Tommy Smith, Steve Auxier, Kirk Swanson and Rich Robertson, Jr. Donna Gladstone and her niece Wendy cooked breakfast and lunch for us each day. Linda Smith cleaned rooms for the judges. Brandon Blum stepped up to handle the running of the ASDI when Keith Richardson had to leave after the Open. Becky Dynkiewitz and Dan DiMambro did excellent jobs with the administrative duties.

Not only did Charmayne Hughes prepare wonderful dinners, but she hosted us in a private room at Hughes Bar X in Albany, MO. The gentlemen wear coats and ties while the ladies wear nice dresses or suit-pants for the nightly festivities. We enjoy appetizers, an open bar and some fine wines from Keith Richardson’s wine cellar. For the fourth year, Malloy Gamebirds, provided the best flying and strongest birds we have seen at any NGSPA Championship.

2024 NGSPA 12^th OPEN SHOOTING DOG INVITATIONAL

The Top 12 Dogs

1. Llano’s Game On Greta  “Greta”. Owned by Chad & Natalie Inderman. Handled by Josh Nieman. – Defending Champion.
2. Stoney Hill’s Pinnacle Dee  “Dee” . Owned by Kirk & Larry Loftin. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with 1,776 points.
3. Uodibar’s Robbi Jo  “Robbi” . Owned by Sherri Tangsrud. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with 1,058 points.          
4. Autry’s Natural Chromoly Steel  ”Molly”. Owned by Heath & Allison Autry. Handled by Josh Nieman – with 990 points.
5. Quijano’s WD Forty “Rusty” . Owned by David Quijano. Handled by Josh Nieman – with 684 points.
6. Prairie Wind That Was Then This Is Now  “Nova”. Owned by Keith & Bobbi Richardson. Handled by Rich Robertson Jr. –  with 678 points.
7. Right Stuff’s Rock N Roll  “Rock”. Owned by William Padovano. Handled by Dan DiMambro – with 622 points.
8. BDK’s Dirty Harry  “Harry” . Owned by Mark Wasserman. Handled by Josh Nieman – with 610 points.
9. Perfections Huckleberry  “Huck” . Owned by Jon & Jess Hann. Handled by Jon Hann – with 588 points.
10. Macke’s Jim Bob  “Jim” . Owned by Abe & Katelyn Macke. Handled by Dan DiMambro – with 508 points.
11. Snowy River’s Strut’n N Cuttin  “Spur” . Owned by Chase & Mark Verdoorn. Handled by Chase Verdoorn – with 484 points.
12. Hi-N’s Secret Society  “Stella”. Owned by Hank Lewis. Handled by Hank Lewis –  with 484 points.

THE JUDGES. The 2024 Open Shooting Dog Invitational was honored to have two very experienced and knowledgeable men in the judge’s saddles. Tom Griffin and Mick Cheshire. Tom has judged our Invitationals before and Mick has judged our Nationals. They were both very focused on the dogs and in harmony concerning the qualities they were looking for in a Champion.

THE RUNNING

The Champion – Stoney Hill’s Pinnacle Dee “Dee”

Dee had three days with first rate performances, and she got stronger each day. On Day 1 her only hole was an absence, offset by a strong finish. Day 2 was consistently strong with no holes. Day 3 was outstanding with her last 20 minutes the best of the trial as she took the biggest and most difficult edges with birds at the end. Dee had the best three day performance of any dog. On the ground she was fast, always to the front, never coming from behind.  She proved she was a top-class bird dog having 17 finds in her three days running without an error and with eye catching style: head up and tipped back, tail 12:00 high and total demeanor staunch and intense. She worked well with Kirk who simply talked to her with no harsh words or handling. Handler and dog both painted a pretty picture. Sherri did an excellent job scouting and the three of them worked well together as the winning team.

Other Memorable Performances

Llano’s Game on Greta, “Greta”, had a total of 10 finds during her three days. Throughout she demonstrated good ground speed as she ran with a long, powerful stride and she was eye-catching on point with great style and intensity. She had absences the first two days but showed to the front and finished strong. On Day 3 she was braced with the Champion and her race was a bit less strong as shown by her three backs. Her finish was not as strong as Dee’s.

Quijano’s WD Forty “Rusty”, had seven finds and two backs on Day 1. He had good ground speed and was staunch on point. His seven finds prevented him from showing the range and power that was seen on Day 2, when he had one of the best runs of the day. He made big shooting dog moves and his finds were impressive. Day 3 was a bit like the first day because his 8 finds prevented him from showing his range and power. Rusty was always to the front and finished strongly.

Snowy River’s Strut’n N Cuttin ,“Spur”. Spur had 13 finds over the three days, 4 backs and 3NPs. Spur, Chase and Mark (scout) were an excellent team as all three worked together effortlessly. Spur had a strong Day 1 with his only blemish being a back-cast. On Day 2 Spur had an impressive breakaway adding to a solid performance. On Day 3 he lacked the power of the Champion. Spur’s bird work was flawless and eye-catching. He required no hacking and stayed in the “money-hole” at 10 to 2. Whether he was pointing or backing he maintained the same staunch posture with no letdown.

JUDGE’S COMMENTS

The judges liked our redesigned course for the Call Back. Since all dogs ran the same course they were able to better compare one to the other regarding application and run. They commented that there were two young dogs run by Dan that “had a great future”: Right Stuff’s Rock N Roll “Rock” and Macke’s Jim Bob “Jim” They also commented that it was a shame to have lost Autry’s Natural Chromoly Steel ”Molly” on Day 2.

2024 NGSPA 9^th AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG INVITATIONAL

The Top 12 Dogs

1. BMB’s Madison Ave  “Madison” . Owned by Brandon & Jennifer Blum. Handled by Brandon Blum – Defending Champion.            

• Uodibar’s Robbi Jo  “Robbi” . Owned by Sherri Tangsrud. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with 2,198 points.

• MSR’s Kiss My Lily  “Lily”. Owned by James & Sarah Messer. Handled by James Messer –  with 1,434 points.

• Hi-Tailyn Skye  “Skye”. Owned by Scott Bodenstab. Handled by Scott Bodenstab – with 1,103 points.

• Stoney Hill’s Pinnacle Dee  “Dee”. Owned by Kirk & Larry Loftin. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with 948 points.                                          

• Autry’s Natural Chromoly Steel  “Molly”. Owned by Heath & Allison Autry. Handled by Heath Autry –  with 650 points.

• Uodibar’s Lover Boy  “Blue”. Owned by Sherri Tangsrud. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with 508 points.  

• Sunny Fields Warchief  “Thrall”. Owned by Art Terstage. Handled by Art Terstage – with 460 points.

• Highwater’s Lex Luther  “Luther”. Owned by Blake Rizzo. Handled by Blake Rizzo – with 396 points.                                                               

1. Macke’s Jim Bob  “Jim”. Owned by Abe & Katelyn Macke. Handled by Abe Macke – with 396 points.                                                                    

1. Hi-N’s Curtain Call  “Charlie”. Owned by Hanke Lewis. Handled by Hank Lewis – with 280 points.

1. Hi-N’s Allison Miranda  “Allie”. Owned by Kirk & Larry Loftin. Handled by Kirk Loftin – with  272 points.                                 

THE JUDGES

Our judges for the 2024 NGSPA Amateur Shooting Dog Invitational were Ray Larrondo and Steve Auxier. Ray has trained and handled his own GSPs with an impressive record of wins, and he has done a lot of judging of NGSPA and American Field events. Steve comes from the “pointer world” and has also trained and competed his dogs successfully. He has done a lot of judging of American Field events as well as a number of NGSPA Championships. Those of us who have made it to our Shooting Dog Invitationals know him well. He has been marshalling them for many years. Both men are well known and respected for their knowledge and integrity. Both men kindly volunteered to help at the last minute when we lost a pair of judges.

Field Trial Chairman

I want to commend Brandon Blum for stepping up to assume the responsibilities of field trial chairman at the last minute. It is a challenging responsibility, and Brandon did an outstanding job.

THE RUNNING

ASDI Day 1:

Brace 1-

Harlie (Messer) – Had a difficult time consistently running the edge which resulted in lack of bird work. Had a back at twenty-two minutes.

Blue (Loftin) – Really strong running, flowed well around the edges, good bird dog with five finds in last thirty minutes. Nice deep find at time but consistently lacked style.

Brace 2-

Lily (Messer)- Good flow around the edges with easy handle. Had multiple finds with good style, but had a tough time getting birds accurately pointed, which resulted in bumping birds during relocations.

Allie (Loftin)- Strong but erratic ground race. Several finds but was flagging a number of times. Handled game well, and had good honest backs.

Brace 3-

Thrall (Terstage)- Nice powerful ground race with good application. Multiple finds with a couple of nonproductives and a back. Lacked style of other dogs. A little erratic at times.

Jim (Macke) – Strong on the ground with decent moves at times. Had a hard time getting birds accurately pointed, resulted in bumped birds, lacked intensity, had one back. Handler elected to pick up.

Brace 4-

Madison (Blum) – Good on the edges with very easy handle and impressive application. A few good pieces of bird work with eye-catching style, but a couple with extended flushes resulting in self-relocations.

Dee (Loftin) – Very strong on the ground, with nice application once settled in. Good bird dog with great style and intensity. Several good finds with birds accurately pointed and one nonproductive. Out of touch with handler much of the first thirty minutes.

Brace 5 –

Robbi (Loftin) – Really good application, with a nice flow. Nine finds throughout the hour with one nonproductive. Birds were accurately pointed with great style and intensity. Nice big moves at times and needed little scouting. Definitely the dog of the day. Strong finish. 

Skye (Bodenstab) – Good ground speed and gait but lacked the confidence of others. Had multiple finds but lacked the style of others. Had difficulty in accurately pointing birds which lead to nonproductives.

Brace 6-

Luther (Rizzo) – Strong on the ground, good moving. Rough handle requiring hacking. Several good finds with good style and intensity. A couple nonproductives with one nice back.

Molly (Autry) – Bold ground game, but erratic at times. Several finds with good style and intensity. Birds accurately pointed. A little harder handle than a couple of other dogs.

ASDI Day 2:

Brace 1 –

Luther (Rizzo) – Strong on the ground. A couple of finds and a couple divided finds with good style. A little erratic at times. Failed to back.

Robbi (Loftin) – Another good strong ground race with sensible application. Several great stylish finds, handling pressure from bracemate well. Nice big shooting dog job with minimal scouting necessary. All  birds were easily flushed due to being accurately pointed.

Brace 2-

Madison (Blum) – Good strong ground race with fairly easy handle. Started with a couple of backs and one nonproductive. A couple of finds with nice intensity and style and one with an extended flush leading to a self-relocation. Good finish.

Molly (Autry) – Another strong snappy ground race. Several finds with good style and intensity with one nonproductive. Good application but finished behind.

Brace 3-

Dee (Loftin) – Ran with no bracemate and had a nice easy going shooting dog race. Flowed perfectly around edges. Had eight good finds and one stop-to-flush. Accurately pointed birds with great style and intensity. Dog of the day.

Brace 4 –

Thrall (Terstage) – Strong on the ground, but erratic. Courser handle than others. A few finds with decent style and intensity. Two backs and one nonproductive.

Lily (Messer) – Good easy handle lacked the boldness in application which some others had. Had a couple finds with decent style. Two backs and one nonproductive.

Brace 5-

Harlie (Messer) – Nice big start with good application. One find then failed to back. Handler picked up.

Blue (Loftin) – Strong ground race, quick going. Several good broke finds and one back. Lacked the style and intensity of others. Good finish.

Brace 6-

Allie (Loftin) – Nice flowing race with good job on edges. A few finds and one nonproductive. Lacked style and intensity on her bird work.

Skye (Bodenstab) – Much bolder ground race today. Good application. One find and one nonproductive. Still struggled to accurately point game.

ASDI Day 3, Call-Back

Four dogs were brought back for the third day running. The judges announced that if they saw the performance they were looking for in the first brace the Champion would be declared and the second brace reserve dogs: Allie (Loftin), and Molly (Autry),  would not be run. Robbi was handled by Kirk Loftin and Madison was handled by Brandon Blum were the first brace dogs. After watching some good performances the first two days, these two rose to the top of the field earning that third day opportunity. Robbi followed up her first two spectacular days with another strong forward race, topped off with several nice finds where her incredible style was displayed. Madison challenged that for a good part of the brace with her own nice race and that great bird dog sense that put her in the field for this third day. Throughout the hour both dogs challenged the front, flowing along the big edges, and accurately pointing birds, completed with superb manners and intensity. Robbi showed to be the more powerful of the two this morning however. At roughly the fifty-minute mark point was called for both dogs and upon the judge’s arrival Madison’s handler had elected to pick her up. This left the remainder of the course for Robbi to put on her show, which she completely did. She showed no let down or fatigue, which is what the judges were looking for on this third day. Nearing the end of the hour she continued to push to the extreme ends of the wooded edges in front of her. Completing the champion worthy performance shortly after time was called Robbi was seen hunting up a distant fence line, sealing her bid as Amateur Shooting Dog Invitational Champion.