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The crowd cheered Friday, Aug. 22, as
dogs sprinted down a 36-foot dock and launched themselves into a
40-foot pool in downtown Lincoln, competing in the DockDogs contest
during the annual Balloons Over 66 festival.
The competition, judged on jump distance, drew a variety of breeds
and plenty of excitement. Dogs leapt after toys thrown into the
pool, with distances measured from the base of the tail to the
water’s surface using high-speed cameras. Announcer Caden Krebs, 22,
guided the action, explaining the rules to the audience and hyping
up every jump.
“This is only my second year announcing,” Krebs said. “At worlds in
Dubuque, Iowa, about 1,000 dogs come out to the competition.”
The Lincoln event served as a qualifier for that world championship,
and several Illinois dogs made strong showings. Charlie, a
one-year-old golden retriever from Pittsfield, improved in each
round, eventually soaring more than 16 feet. Chesney, a
five-year-old chocolate Labrador from Jacksonville, posted the
longest leap of the weekend with an 18-foot jump, while another
Pittsfield retriever named Tee reached nearly 18 feet as well.
Gertie, a young chocolate Lab, showed steady improvement and closed
out her runs with a jump over 14 feet.
Local representation came from Lincoln itself, where Max, a
five-year-old Australian Shepherd, competed in the junior division.
His handler dressed him in a suit printed with his name, earning
laughs and cheers from the crowd before he bound into the pool. Max
consistently hit the 13-foot range, putting him firmly in contention
within his division.
The competition emphasized not just athleticism but inclusivity. “We
include each and every dog. We’ve had dogs with three legs, pit
bulls, Chihuahuas, even an English bulldog that just sank right to
the bottom.”
Beyond the competition, the event also served as a field trip for
local children. Students from Lincoln schools came out with their
teachers to watch the dogs fly and splash, then stayed to cover the
sidewalks with chalk drawings inspired by the day’s action.
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The pool, filled with 25,000
gallons of water from a city hydrant, quickly became the centerpiece
of the festival. Spectators lined up along the barricades to watch
each leap, while food trucks and vendors offered barbecue, fries,
and cold drinks nearby.
Throughout the day, teams competed in multiple rounds, with each dog
given a minute on the dock to prepare before their handler released
a toy into the air. In addition to the Big Air contest, the schedule
also included the Extreme Vertical event, where dogs attempt to grab
a toy suspended four feet high and eight feet out from the dock.
Sponsors included Tremont First National Bank, Illinois American
Water, Mystic Greenz, Keystone Power Holdings, Collision Concepts,
O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Highlander, whose support helped bring the
national DockDogs circuit to Lincoln.
By the end of the day, winners had been crowned across several
divisions, but the event was less about titles and more about the
spectacle. With dogs flying through the air, children cheering from
the sidewalk, handlers celebrating on the dock, and the crowd
roaring with every splash, the DockDogs competition once again
proved to be a highlight of Lincoln’s summer festival season.
[Sophia Larimore]
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