A Leap to Glory in Frisbee Contest
Owen Boy was an underdog, no question.
No one expected him to nose out 13 other contenders at the world Frisbee dog championship in Washington, D.C. Not this perky border collie from Anaheim Hills who finished 12th in a 14-dog field last year.
No, the smart money was on Skyy Dog, last year’s third-place winner. (Three-time champ Soaring Sam was sitting this one out.) Or maybe that new contender Taylor, a lab-whippet mix from Massachusetts with killer scores from the regional competition.
But on Saturday, a crowd of 12,000 watched Owen snatch the championship title from what a judge described as a tough field at the annual Alpo Canine Frisbee Disc World Finals. The competition included winners of regional contests that drew thousands of dogs nationwide. Owen, 4, and his 34-year-old owner, Pon Saradeth, won a $1,000 savings bond and a year’s supply of dog food and treats.
“Owen Boy is doing great--he’s so excited,” Saradeth said.
On Monday, the pair appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and fielded other media interviews. It was the sort of post-championship glow that Saradeth had dreamed about since Owen started training at the tender age of 11 weeks in a bid to follow in the paw steps of Soaring Sam.
Saradeth, a hairstylist, wanted to win the fame of past champions such as Soaring Sam (a guest shot on “Late Show With David Letterman”) or Ashley Whippet (a White House appearance). He wanted Owen to shake off his near-last-place finish from last year.
“[To win] a year later--I can’t believe it,” Saradeth said.
The day of the championship had looked grim for Owen Boy. A storm was brewing. Maybe the weather would keep spectators at home. Owen would have to read the tricky wind, play to the audience.
But something happened when Owen got to the Washington Monument grounds in his red bandanna. He saw the crowd--and he saw the Frisbee.
“His mood totally changed,” Saradeth said. “He likes to show off. He was hopping around like, ‘Now I’m going to play Frisbee.’ You could see the intensity coming from him, the energy.”
They did a twist on the butterfly throw--Saradeth kicked a spinning Frisbee off his foot, and Owen grabbed it in his mouth. They did a vault--Owen leaped off Saradeth’s crouched back and caught a Frisbee in midair. They executed showmanship--Saradeth tossed five rapid-fire Frisbees at Owen, who caught them standing on his hind legs, on which he had just walked toward his partner for 15 feet.
“I think Owen and his owner, Pon, have demonstrated the precision you can obtain as a team,” judge Eldon McIntire said “The dog was never out of position. . . . Pon showed great imagination.”
As a puppy, Owen learned to track Frisbees on a makeshift pulley system that Saradeth rigged from tree to tree. He learned to jump via a carpeted ramp that Saradeth built.
Owen’s reward for his first-place finish? “Basically, throw him another Frisbee. That’s his treat,” Saradeth said.
