Getting a MACH is a pretty intimidating and daunting task. Your team has to get a double-Q twenty times and get 750 speed points in order to get that title. You get speed points by being under the standard course time. So if the standard course time is 60 seconds and you finish in 50 seconds, you get 10 speed points. Speed points are not usually are problem. It’s usually getting the QQ. So if in the morning you get a Q on one of the runs, you have the pressure on you to get that second Q. You have to remain calm and focused and not let your dog feel your nerves or excitement. It is definitely an exercise in mental focus. We were at QQ 19 and messed up a couple days before we hit QQ20, but here it is! We got our MACH2 on December 18th! Took us 8 months. (We got our first MACH in March of 2022.) You can see that it is a pretty sloppy run. I think it was because Ann could feel my nerves. We almost lost it a couple times but I was able to pull her to me. I just can’t believe how lucky I am to be able to compete in this sport and that my teammate is my BEST FRIEND!!
