I recently returned from RI where the NEPGP held their 30th anniversary grooming festival. This is to be the last year for November shows, as in 2011 we move to July for Summerfest. If 2010 is any indication, it will surely be an exciting show.
The club went all out for their big anniversary, with extra special speakers and new contests. I almost felt like I was at a big international show where there was too much to choose from! So many great seminars overlapping each other, it was hard to pick which ones to attend. If only I could do them all… unfortunately, prioritizing means missing some stuff. And once again, because of the busy educational program schedule, I missed nearly all of the regular grooming competitions, only getting quick peeks between classes, tending to dogs, and shopping.
Oh the shopping! This vendor turnout was better than I’d seen in several years. While I don’t think our New England show will ever compare to the giants like Intergroom, for a relatively small show, we had a very nice, large selection of products to browse and buy. I was able to cross several items off my long shopping list, meanwhile saving on shipping and special show pricing.
The whole thing started off with a bang on Friday, with fantastic add-on programs. I chose to spend the day with BBird and Kendra, knowing the topics covered would be right up my alley. Plus how could I miss BBird after waiting so long for NEPGP to bring her here all the way from AZ? Both speakers did a great job as expected and as an irresistible bonus, attendees got an awesome gift certificate for the Cherrybrook booth, which practically paid for half the seminar, and certainly helped save money, as I bought a ton of Chris Christensen products and tools!
Tripp thoroughly enjoyed his time at the show too. He accompanied me to most of the classes, which I’m so thankful NEPGP allows. Of course, as always, he thought everyone was there just for him. His fame continues to grow… even more so after Kendra asked to use him as her demo dog. How exciting for both of us! And it worked out well for her dematting segment, as I had no time before the show to wash and brush Tripp out, so he was in rather embarrassing condition. (Though that worked out well while shopping too, as I was able to test tools and products on a “realistic” coat, rather than one already perfectly primped.) I’m so proud of my boy for being such a good guinea pig. By the end of the class he was so surrounded by groomers getting a closer look, I could barely see his face through the crowd – and it had the biggest smile, just sucking up all that attention. J
Friday evening brought the all new “Pom-Adorabe” grooming competition, for which Chicken Joe supplied his lovely Pomeranians. It was winner take all – an intimidating but invigorating scenario. I had considered entering, but waited too long and the class filled. Which I’m kind of glad, as this gave me the chance to see it first and get a feel for whether it was something I’d really want to do, or for that matter have half a chance at the prize. I can’t say watching the competition was encouraging, only considering the groomers who entered – some of the top competitors were there. Kendra actually won the class with a Pom who looked ready to enter the show ring at Westminster. Tough to beat that! LOL It will be interesting to see what future years bring, if this becomes a regular event. Perhaps some day I’ll work up the nerve. ;-)
This year all my nerve was saved for Saturday. After another full day of seminars – all of which I spent with Eric Salas, finally getting the chance to hear this awesome speaker, who I somehow missed at every other show over the years (but won’t miss again!) – the evening brought two firsts for me…
Over the summer Honey Loring organized an all-Poodle musical freestyle team, which Tripp & I joined. We only made it to a couple practices, but his foundation training and natural intelligence makes him a quick learner. All of us were excited but understandably a bit nervous when NEPGP invited us to do a group “dancing with dogs” demo at the show. We had just an hour or so before the demo to practice, and due to a last minute change in lineup, our basic routine had to be altered quite a bit. I must say, we were all pretty thrilled with how well the team improvised. Although it didn’t go off without a hitch, the crowd loved it and everyone had fun, which is most important. They called us back for an encore, which flowed a bit more smoothly, and ended with the passing of the hat – carried by Standard Poodle Charlie - to collect for APAW, which trains Poodles as service dogs. Tripp was a total show off and a big hit with everyone. But then I always say he looks flashy whether he does stuff right or wrong. Hmm, hopefully that will work to our advantage in the grooming ring as well as performance. hehehe
Next on the schedule was the Creative Runway competition, sponsored by Barkleigh. I was ecstatic to see NEPGP finally offer creative, and couldn’t resist the opportunity to enter. This was my first creative competition and a great learning opportunity. While my design was a basic “abstract” with a breed profile base, I did more coloring than ever before. I admit I’m surprised at how much work creative is. Much as I completely love and respect profile grooming, creative is definitely harder, at least in preparation. I spent 3 days getting my borrowed Poodle ready for the contest, doing multi-stage dying, scissoring and rescissoring, touching up patterns, and so on. That’s not including time in previous months spent setting in patterns and testing dyes, or time at the show doing finishing touchups! (Compare that to a profile dog, which “only” requires regular grooming, basic prepwork, and a perfect fluff before the competition, then you just show up and groom. Okay there’s a bit more to it than that, but it definitely takes less out of your schedule!) I was pretty happy with how my design turned out, which rarely happens. Maybe I’m becoming less self critical? Doubt it! LOL I did a German trim with a Celtic knot over the back, accented by a stylish green and purple color pattern. It was definitely not perfect, but the profile turned out nicer than I’ve ever done, and the knotwork was decent considering I had to entirely reset it from scratch. I have to mention a comment I received on my design after the show – one of the top competitive groomers (who does incredible work) asked me if I had help doing it. Wow, I take that as quite a compliment to think it must look so good I couldn’t possibly have done it all myself! haha J
The creative lineup was fun and the camaraderie was great. Everyone was helping each other get ready and offering tips, while helping calm nerves. One by one we took our turn on the runway, the audience obviously enjoying every bit of the show. At the end we waited with dogs posed as the judge went over each one and made her decision. Prizes consisted of ticket packages to Groom Expo, including lodging for the top winner. Ends up, I’m going to Hershey! I guess technically that makes three firsts for the evening. ;-) There was also a People’s Choice award, which happily went to the 3rd place winner. (As cool as it is to win both, I think it’s often fairer for a lower or non-placing entry to win PC.) But it was close! I admit I felt almost embarrassed when the crowd went wild for me, like I was back in high school or something (as if that ever happened! LOL). Guess I’m just not used to mass positive attention. But I played it cool through the whole thing, as I was focusing my energy on keeping my dog calm. And luckily my wallflower side is overshadowed by my drive to compete and improve in grooming. Next year will be interesting as I will hopefully have Tripp ready for Intergroom in a much more intricate theme design. Stay tuned!
The show winded down on Sunday with more seminars and finishing shopping. Tripp must be my lucky charm, as we had the “magic key” to open the Cherrybrook treasure chest, winning a very special brush. Along with other freebies I got in classes and with show specials, and all the cool tools I purchased, I have several fun new “toys” for the salon and myself! Add that to the fantastic educational programs presented, and of course the unforgettable events and wins, it was indeed a wonderful celebration of 30 years for NEPGP. What a way to go – the final Fall Fest… here’s to continued growth and hopefully an even more exciting all new Summerfest!
For more information on APAW, visit americanpoodlesatwork.org. To learn about creative grooming, visit thenapcg.com. And to see footage of NEPGP’s Barkleigh Creative Runway and “The Pompoms” musical freestyle demo, check out my youtube page at youtube.com/caninestyle.
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