This year, the Kennel Club invited James and Willow to represent the Team GB in the 2023 Agility European Open in Denmark. They were selected from the squad to run in both the team and individual rounds.
The journey out was 15 hours of non-stop driving to reach Denmark via the Channel tunnel, France, Germany and the Netherlands! James and Willow travelled out with team mates Shannon, Sam and Willow’s four-pawed team mate, Gift.
After a few days of relaxing, Team GB had registration for the event, vet checks, unofficial and official training in the days building up to the opening ceremony and the competition beginning.
Day One was the team event: two qualifying rounds, one agility, one jumping – points from each round combine, resulting in the top 12 teams going through to Sunday’s Final. James and Willow put in two foot-perfect clean runs with no mistakes,along with their team mates, meaning they qualified going through in 5th position!
Day Two was the individual qualifying rounds:slightly different, the top 18 dogs of each round qualify for the final – so there’s no playing safe. Go hard or go home!
James and Willow did just that and finished 13th in the first round, securing their place in Sunday’s Individuals Final!
Finals day came, filled with excitement and slight nerves. Last year the medium team came 2nd in the Team Final, so the pressure was on this year! The whole team put in an incredible effort, putting both speed and accuracy at the heart of all their runs. Overall, they finished in 3rd place! Which although wasn’t a silver medal, the team and Kennel Club were delighted as they finished proudly on the podium with the GB flags flying behind them!
Following the Team Final, James and Willow were both on a high! Now Willow is 8 years old, is one of the smallest “medium” dogs at the competition and the fact it started to rain (Willow does not like rain), the odds weren’t in her favour. However, ofcourse, our little spaniel star pulled it out of the bag on one of the most challenging courses set during the weekend. Finishing again, so proudly in third place with a Bronze medal for Team GB! Who’d have thought it, little Willow – on the podium with the title of Third Fastest Medium Dog in Europe. #pinchme
Coming home with two bronze medals, Willow has been fondly nicknamed “The Bronze Bean” by fellow team mates – and we hope it sticks!
Later this year, in September, James and Willow will set off for the Agility World Championships in the Czech Republic. Having been selected for again both the team and individual runs, the pressure is on!
Can our Bronze Bean finish on the World’s podium? We certainly believe in her, wish them luck!
A big heartfelt thank you, as always, goes to the team at Cotswold RAW for their continued support of James and Willow. There is no shadow of a doubt that the nutrition Willow receives year round from Cotswold RAW enables her to perform at her very best on these world stages!
James & Willow 2023 Agility European Open
