sunnuntai 12. heinäkuuta 2015

Different year for a WUSV tourist



Traditionally WUSV-tourist works with a similar process every year, excluding the very first WUSV experience. For me that was in 2000 in Wavre, Belgium. I made quite a spontaneous decision to get there driving my own car. The beauty of Internet and Google were not there, yet, for checking flights, hotels and services nearby. I made ferry and hotel reservations by the phone with the information received  from different travel agencies and checking maps on paper. But that was it and that was then.  For the past years no more driving own car but flying, train or rental car. Usually by this time of a year I’ve had a precise info on travelling dates, accommodation, flight schedules and travelling company. Back then the hotel reservations were made by phone, because the next year’s WUSV organization had hotel brochures available from their stand at WUSV before. Happily enough we were living the beginning of 2000, the era of internet, European Union and Euro. Availability of information and travelling are today  a lot easier and therefore ability to concentrate only on competition itself has improved. And one must say, WUSV has taken me to the countries I might not have visited otherwise.
Finland is a small country and the number of working dog people is relatively small. When narrowing it down to German shepherds, the number is really tiny. German shepherds’ qualification event is the National Championships of Finland from which a team of maximum of five competitors to represent Finalnd will be selected with the predefined criteria. The competition is approximately four weeks before that year’s WUSV. The team is something concrete and countdown may begin.  Team members are people you know, your pals and friends. Excitement for them comes along. Also their possibilities are speculated widely in different internet forums and Facebook, and it comes along as well. It is rather interesting to notice that people wish nothing but success for every team member. Everyone’s success is equal. In the competition it is the country that succeeds and team members personal success just makes the colors of our blue-cross flag even brighter. I guess Finnish fans are almost an institute. Finns cheer as one with their flags for every team member at any time. Cheering to everyone equally  has been noticed and taken example for. The WUSV has a true nature of a friendly battle between the countries. Besides the competition, good performances are respected and we want to embrace them. No matter who is on the stadium and from which country. The true jazz of the competition spirit is experienced if the winner is not clear until the very last minute.
This year everything is different. Following the competition happens behind the scenes. No internet surfing for cheap flights or hotel ratings. No guessing for the competition grounds, tracking fields, helpers or who’s coming and who’s not. This year is a payback time. By arranging the competition this year we want to give our thank you to all of you who have done this before us and whose competitions we have been attending to. We want to make an unforgettable experience for both spectators and competitors. This is the best framework we can offer in Finland. By the time I’m writing this the arrangements are heading full speed toward September. Then the curtain calls  and WUSV 2015 is ready!

Hannele Koivu

The Author is a German shepherd and sports dog enthusiastic.

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