A relay race is a test of teamwork. At least that鈥檚 how it is with Flyball, a sport where dogs have to race across a line of hurdles, push a spring-loaded pad to release a tennis ball, catch the ball, and return it to their handler. Whether you鈥檙e a competitor or spectator, you can feel your heart pumping as the next dog takes off running.
Beyond the thrill of competition, it鈥檚 the friendship and camaraderie that Curtis and Stacy Smith cherish most about the sport. The couple founded Alaska鈥檚 first Flyball club, , in 2004. Every year since 2009, they鈥檝e attended the Flyball CanAm Classic, hosted by the (NAFA), traveling from their home in Anchorage to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Outside of Flyball, Stacy works as an editor and publication designer, while Curtis is the Director of Research and Evaluation for the Center for Human Development at the University of Alaska. During their downtime, they enjoy hiking with their dogs and doing fun activities like Disc Dog and Lure Coursing.
Founding the First Alaskan Flyball Club
Stacy got the idea to try Flyball while the couple were in North Carolina for Curtis鈥� graduate work and living in an RV with their dogs. 鈥淪ince we had two dogs, he ran one, and I ran the other,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd we loved it so much that we wanted to get it going in Alaska.鈥�
In October 2004, when they moved back to Alaska, Curtis contacted every dog enthusiast they knew and invited them to attend a meeting on the 23rd. 鈥淲e consider that first meeting our founding day,鈥� he says. It鈥檚 a special anniversary since their daughter, who turned 20 this year, is a lifetime member of Alaska Dogs Gone Wild, along with their 18-year-old son. Their daughter traveled with them to the 2024 Flyball CanAm Classic this year and their son has been in attendance in past years. Some of the founding members who were at that first meeting remain club members today.
Early on, Curtis began taking steps to become a . 鈥淗aving our own homegrown judge helps sustain the sport up here and meant we didn鈥檛 have to bring someone up for our tournaments,鈥� she says. Since then, they鈥檝e had two more judges go through the process and a third who is currently in training.
Two years after founding the Alaska Flyball team, the Flyball club they ran with from North Carolina made the trip to Alaska to compete with them at their first tournament. 鈥淎t that time, we were only hosting the out in a beautiful area at the state fairgrounds,鈥� Curtis says. 鈥淚t took a lot of work from a lot of people, and it鈥檚 been growing strong ever since.鈥�
Belonging to a Team is the Best Part
鈥淭here鈥檚 no other dog sport like it,鈥� Stacy says. 鈥淥nce we found flyball, we loved it because you have to work together as a team.鈥� She and Curtis have made lifelong friends in the sport, and it鈥檚 one of the reasons they go to CanAm every year and call other club members their 鈥淔lyball family.鈥�
Currently, the Alaska Flyball team has 25 club members ranging in age from 11 to 80, and 30 dogs, half of which are rescue animals. They practice weekly at an indoor facility from September to April. Some members have since retired their dog, but still help out at practices and tournaments.
The club works with dogs of all ages from 8-week-old puppies to seniors. A variety of breeds are represented, including the Labrador Retriever, Bull Terrier, Border Collie, Whippet, Portuguese Podengo Pequeno, Siberian Husky, and a number of mixed breed dogs. In addition to a 16-month-old Whippet who鈥檚 in training, Stacy and Curtis have three mixed breed dogs, one of whom raced at CanAm this year.
When training a dog, 鈥渨e look for a willingness to work and what we call drive,鈥� she says. It helps when dogs are highly engaged with their handlers and motivated by a tug toy or food. 鈥淲henever a dog debuts in the ring for the first time in a tournament, everyone celebrates because they know it truly took a village to get that dog trained,鈥� he adds.
Logging Miles and Wins
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Since attending a 2007 tournament in California, Stacy and Curtis have traveled out of state 21 times. Just this year, they surpassed the 1 million flight mile mark. 鈥淲e鈥檇 like people to know it is safe to fly with your dog because we鈥檇 love nothing more than to have other clubs come up to compete with us in our Alaska Summer Solstice Tourneys we have every year,鈥� Curtis says.
Some of the dogs on the Alaska Flyball team get nervous flying but recover quickly once they realize they鈥檙e getting to play Flyball. This year, they flew 16 dogs to Indianapolis, 12 of whom competed at CanAm. Since they couldn鈥檛 fit all 16 dogs on one plane, some club members flew to Indianapolis while others traveled to Chicago and drove the rest of the way.
Among their career highlights are five divisional championship wins at the Flyball CanAm Classic where they won a trophy. Twice during their club鈥檚 career, they鈥檝e won their division and set a personal best for speed, according to Stacy. What makes CanAm so exciting is the anticipation. 鈥淩aces are often won by just tens, hundreds, or even thousands of a second,鈥� Curtis adds.
Advice for Flyball Enthusiasts
If you鈥檙e new to Flyball, Curtis recommends visiting the NAFA website to find active clubs in your area. 鈥淐lubs have different goals and are run differently,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 good to try them out and see what you like.鈥�
Stacy鈥檚 advice is not to be in a rush to train your dog. 鈥淚t can take a good year and a half to train a Flyball dog,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey need time to get good foundation skills and box turns. The dog is the one who dictates how long it takes to train.鈥�
As dogs get older, it鈥檚 important to be mindful of when they鈥檙e nearing the end of their Flyball career. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard because you don鈥檛 want your dog to overdo it, but you鈥檙e also wanting to let them do something they love,鈥� Stacy says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about safety, not speed. A dog may not be running as fast as they did in their prime and be doing quite well.鈥�
Curtis agrees, explaining how they pay attention when a dog starts clipping jumps with their toenails. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a telltale sign,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want a dog to get injured when they鈥檙e running.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of the preparation for CanAm comes from running tournaments here in Alaska,鈥� Curtis says. They have six tournament weekends in Alaska, four hosted by Alaska Dogs Gone Wild. 鈥淲e try to get in a lot of practice and make sure the dogs are solid before they head out of state,鈥� he says.
This year, their club fielded three different teams. 鈥淪ome club members came with multiple dogs and handled them on different teams,鈥� he says. 鈥淥thers didn鈥檛 handle any dogs but came for the camaraderie and to help out at the race.鈥�
They had two regular teams and an open team. Regular teams require every dog to be a member of the same club. 鈥淭he jump height is determined by the size of the smallest dog, called the height dog,鈥� he says. On an open team, dogs can be from different clubs, and you don鈥檛 need to have a height dog.
Looking ahead, their goal is to run a multi-breed team. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where every dog comes from your club, and you have four dogs of different breeds,鈥� he says. 鈥淪tacy and I have a Whippet who will help make that happen.鈥�
The Flyball CanAm Classic is coming to your TVs! The nation’s largest Flyball event was held on October 11-13 in Indianapolis, IN, and premieres on ESPN2 on Sunday, November 17th, at 1pm ET. Don’t miss these speedy dogs in action!听