Sydney and Seek

     As a teen goes through their high school years, many try different extracurriculars. The school provides many unique activities that all students can participate in. Time goes by fast, and there are so many events in students’ lives. When one is in something outside of school, their classmates might not even know about it. It can be difficult for a person to explain a more unique extracurricular because there is little knowledge of it. One of these students, for example, is Sydney Hott, sophomore. 

     Hott has a love for dog sports. She spends her time training with her dogs and participating in competitions. Most people know the basics of dog sports, but there is a plethora of knowledge hidden beneath the surface.  Flyball can be a very time-consuming event for a dog to learn. Hott said, “It’s kinda like a relay race for dogs where there are four dogs on a team, one dog goes at a time, they go over four hurdles ten feet apart. At the end of the hurdles, they will hit a spring-loaded box with a ball loaded into it, and then they will go back over the hurdles to their owner.” When trying to perform this event, the owner has to be patient with the dog and try to get them to understand the action they are supposed to do. It can take over a year for most canines to fully understand this event. Then, they have to try to improve their time and speed. 

     Another event that the duo partakes in is Barn Hunting. This is a very unique event that most people do not know about. Hott said, “The dogs hunt for domesticated rats that are in tubes that have holes in them. They hide the rats on a course made of straw, and the dog has a set amount of time to find all the rats, get all 4 paws on a bale, and go through a tunnel.” The dogs use their sense of smell and skills to try to capture a rat within a course and then have to find the tunnel to go through it. This skill can take up to six months of learning and understanding the main goal of the event. 

     One of the last tasks she does with her dog, Seek, is Dockdogs. This event requires a dog capable of swimming and who enjoys water. Hott said, “The dogs jump into a 40-foot pool of water from a 40-foot dock.” They are scored for how long they jump and how long it takes them to complete the jump and swim. With this category of dog sports, people have to have a performer that is willing to swim. 

     With all of these events, Hott is always busy. Since dog sports are so unique, she had to join a team that has a facility to train them. Hott said, “For Flyball, our team captain owns a dog training and boarding facility in Cedar Rapids that we practice at. For Barn Hunt, we own a few rats that we will hide for dogs to hunt for. For Dockdogs, our friend has a competition-sized dock and pool in her backyard, so we practice when it’s nice out.” Finding the right dog and team can be difficult. Not to mention the time and money it can take to train the dog and compete. So the next time one hears a student talk about their extracurriculars outside of school, make sure to connect with them because they might have a unique story like Sydney and Seek!