He didn’t break his own world record, but Nestle and handler Angela Jones did the next best thing Sunday: They won the first-ever gold medal in The Launch event at ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games.
Mark Kinsey and his dog Tuck from Hixson, Tenn. tied for 6th place in that event. Al Victoria and his dog Max from Chattanooga tied for 8th.
The Launch measures how far a canine athlete can jump in an effort to catch a “dummy” with his mouth. It took place at Disney’s Wide World of Sports ® Complex.
Nestle was the only one of eight dogs in Sunday’s second round and finals to successfully complete two jumps at 6 feet, 8 inches. With that, Jones, a high school track coach from Hanover, Pa., and her chocolate Labrador, became champions of the new event.
“Nestle’s my little furry superstar,” Jones said.
Nestle had been simply Jones’ house pet until she saw the Big Air event during the Games and started training her dog for the event. She used the same methods she does for coaching her track athletes.
“We have days when we do strength training, we have days when we work on our sprints and our plyometrics and we have days when we do a little technique work,” said Jones, who also teaches middle-school physical education.
It worked in Sunday’s second round. Nestle, the world record holder at 6 feet, 10 inches, easily snatched the plastic dummy, set at 6 feet, 8 inches, on both of his jumps for a two-round total of 50 points.
The nine other dogs in the second round weren’t so successful. The first eight, other than Nestle, couldn’t reach 6 feet, 8 inches, on either of their two attempts.
Final Standings
- 1st - Angela Jones, Nestle - Hanover, Pa.
- 2nd - Ken Butler, Sly - Tulsa, Okla.
- 3rd - Mike McWilliams, Koko - Breaux Bridge, La.
- 4th - David Heinsohn, Kota - Chetek, Wis.
- 5th - Dave Breen, Black Jack - Oregon, Ill.
- 6th - Tom Dropik, Tucker - New Prague, Minn.
- 6th - Mark Kinsey, Tuck - Hixson, Tenn.
- 8th - Mark Stuart, Hogan - La Jolla, Calif.
- 8th - Andrea Yankovsky, Haley - La Jolla, Calif.
- 8th - Al Victoria, Max - Chattanooga, Tenn.
- 11th - Lisa Heitmiller, Ida - Perris, Calif.
- 11th - Larry Wofford, Tank - Broken Arrow, Okla.
The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 13-17, 2005. For more information, visit www.greatoutdoorgames.com.