# New Field Champion!! Thistle Rocks Red Ike received his FC today!



## Alaska7133

Congratulations Tom & Lynn Lane! First place today will finish Ike for his FC title. I’m not sure if he will be eligible to run the NRC next year, he does have a 4th place this year also. Hopefully someone can answer that question.

Pedigree: Thistle Rocks Red Ike MH QA2 WCX

Tom & Lynn have been playing the field trial game since the 1970’s. This is their first FC title!


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## Swampcollie

I like Ike!!


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## nolefan

Thanks for the background on his owners, that is pretty amazing. And a good reminder that those special dogs aren't a dime a dozen.


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## MillionsofPeaches

this is so amazing!! Congratulations to the Lanes. People do not realize how hard this field trial game is for all retrievers much less a minority breed in the sport. This is a major accomplishment for the owners as well as for the golden retriever breed! The amount of time, money, blood sweat and tears (not to mention having a dog with the talent to even hang) that went into that title is immeasurable. I'm so happy for them!


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## MillionsofPeaches

for some reason I think they need a win (he has) and two points to go to the NRC.


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## Alaska7133

MOP he does have a few JAMs and RJAMs. Do they carry any points?


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## MillionsofPeaches

No they don’t. And a fourth only is half a point which I find insufferable in these huge opens...


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## Alaska7133

Swampcollie said:


> I like Ike!!


Ike is the perfect golden retriever. His temperament is wonderful. He’s not hyper or crazy. He’s calm and is perfectly happy laying on the couch watching tv with his family. He’s sweet and good to all the dogs he meets. When he’s been in my house, he got along just fine with my goldens and fit in like he had always been there. That’s saying a lot. He’s a thinker and a planner. He’s just an all round nice dog, no matter the situation. He doesn’t whine or bark or be obnoxious. He’s being bred to my guy Riot’s littermate sister. I think that will be a nice breeding. Ike’s brother Newt is another very nice dog. And their sister Je’a is a super sweet bitch. Tom and Lynn have done a great job in their breeding selections. Good for them!


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## Swampcollie

I've seen Ike and Newt many times. (We train on the same grounds.) I've judged them in a few tests along the way as well.


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## gdgli

Congratulations to Ike and the Lanes!


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## Alaska7133

I suggest we all go to Entry Express Event Management Systems and look at the list of dogs that Ike beat. Really we all should. We need to appreciate the difficulty of this trial. Ike beat NFC Gizmo and 20 FC labs. Ike beat Lardy’s truck and he beat the Arthur’s trucks. Now that’s amazing! This isn’t just any trial. 73 of the best dogs from around the US. Now if Ike could pull off another point or two and he’ll be in the NRC next year which would be so fantastic. I think we should all cross our fingers.


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## FTGoldens

Alaska7133 said:


> I suggest we all go to Entry Express Event Management Systems and look at the list of dogs that Ike beat. Really we all should. We need to appreciate the difficulty of this trial. Ike beat NFC Gizmo and 20 FC labs. Ike beat Lardy’s truck and he beat the Arthur’s trucks. Now that’s amazing! This isn’t just any trial. 73 of the best dogs from around the US. Now if Ike could pull off another point or two and he’ll be in the NRC next year which would be so fantastic. I think we should all cross our fingers.


Thanks Alaska, your delineation of the competition that Ike was up against shows the level of his accomplishment.

Congratulations to Tom and Lynn, two of the nicest folks in the game! 
There are two others that need recognition ... Ike's #1 fan and sometimes handler and trainer, Adam Lane, as well as Steve Yozamp, who has done a great job making Ike an all-age competitor!

So Ike needs to earn 2 more Open/Limited/Restricted/Special points before the 2018 NRC to be held in November ... the hardest points to get are the ones you don't yet have, so we'll need to be Ike's Fan Club and do what we can to encourage the team to get those points.

FTGoldens


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## Alaska7133

FTGoldens said:


> Thanks Alaska, your delineation of the competition that Ike was up against shows the level of his accomplishment.
> 
> Congratulations to Tom and Lynn, two of the nicest folks in the game!
> There are two others that need recognition ... Ike's #1 fan and sometimes handler and trainer, Adam Lane, as well as Steve Yozamp, who has done a great job making Ike an all-age competitor!
> 
> So Ike needs to earn 2 more Open/Limited/Restricted/Special points before the 2018 NRC to be held in November ... the hardest points to get are the ones you don't yet have, so we'll need to be Ike's Fan Club and do what we can to encourage the team to get those points.
> 
> FTGoldens


FT,
Could you fill us in on the dates that Ike can acquire the points for the 2018 NRC? Ike has a 4th from Oct. 27th. Will that 4th count?

Adam Lane has definitely been a big part of Ike's life and training. It will be a very Merry Christmas in the Lane household this year.

Steve Yozamp is an excellent trainer. He had my Riot for 2.5 months this summer. I had the opportunity to train with Steve for a week. He is excellent at explaining set ups and working with novice handlers like me. He is great with dogs. His kennels are very well kept. His dogs are healthy and happy. If anyone is looking for a pro, I'd put Steve up there as a very good pro to work one on one with. I would definitely send Riot back to Steve.


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## FTGoldens

Alaska7133 said:


> FT,
> Could you fill us in on the dates that Ike can acquire the points for the 2018 NRC? Ike has a 4th from Oct. 27th. Will that 4th count?
> 
> Adam Lane has definitely been a big part of Ike's life and training. It will be a very Merry Christmas in the Lane household this year.
> 
> Steve Yozamp is an excellent trainer. He had my Riot for 2.5 months this summer. I had the opportunity to train with Steve for a week. He is excellent at explaining set ups and working with novice handlers like me. He is great with dogs. His kennels are very well kept. His dogs are healthy and happy. If anyone is looking for a pro, I'd put Steve up there as a very good pro to work one on one with. I would definitely send Riot back to Steve.


Ike earned the Open 4th and 1/2 point at the Jacksonville Retriever Club trial in late October ... the 2017 National Retriever Championship was held a couple of weeks later. Points are "reset to 0" upon the occurrence of the NRC so, unfortunately, that 1/2 point doesn't count toward qualifying for the 2018 NRC.


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## myluckypenny

I don't know much about the field trial world, but I will be rooting for IKE to get those points!


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## Bella Floden

Hoping he can squeeze out those two points. That would be truly exciting! 

I first saw his sire, Cokey, in training -- a very nice dog as well. Would have liked to try him to a different female I had but it wasn't in the cards at the time. When I learned more about Ike I liked it!

The stars have aligned for him and my current golden and we are expecting in April. We're just elated as AI tends to be 90% at best. If anyone needs a repro vet in MN while he is away, the place he has his swimmers banked did fabulous for us and the vet and techs took their time answering my questions.


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## Alaska7133

jennwinning said:


> I first saw his sire, Cokey, in training -- a very nice dog as well. Would have liked to try him to a different female I had but it wasn't in the cards at the time. When I learned more about Ike I liked it!


I'm curious about Cokey. Tom said he Cokey was a good producer. Since he's been breeding from the 70's and has had a heck of a lot of goldens, he thought Cokey was a "producer". Not the best at running field trials, but a producer of great potential puppies. Tom said not all great field trial dogs are "producers", some really don't produce well at all. Sort of a one hit wonder. I'm curious though about Cokey and what caught your eye about him?


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## Alaska7133

Also here's the post that Tom and Lynn wrote about Ike and their breeding program at Thistle Rock. It's an interesting read:

It only took them 40 years. Thistle Rocks Red Ike (Ike) won the Tallokas Retriever Club’s Open All Age finishing his Field Championship. An FC does not happen without help and guidance in today’s field trials. 
The journey has been long, and a lot of people deserve a piece of this championship. Tim Landecker force broke Ike before heading to Tim Springer for young dog work. Tim and Lauren Springer specialize in the minor states and Hunt Tests. Ike excelled, and results came quickly. He reached the Derby List with 11 points as a 22-month-old. Within a year, he was a Master Hunter and qualified all age. He ran his first Open at the 2012 St. Louis National Specialty earning a JAM. In winter 2013, we got the call from Tim Springer that Ike progressed into All-Age caliber needing to transition onto Steve Yozamp’s truck. During the summer, our Monday training sessions with our professionals changed from Marine on the St Croix to Watkins area. 
We and all our professionals have never cherry picked the trials we run. We proudly run an extremely challenging Minnesota/Georgia circuit. It is not unusual to see entries exceeding 70-90 dogs in some form of the Open (Limited, Special, Restricted) with several NFC, NAFC, FC/AFC competitors from some of the most talented and high profile professional trainers like Steve Yozamp, Lynn Troy, Dave Rorem, Danny Farmer, Mike Lardy and big amateur trucks like Charlie and Yvonne Hays, Ken Neil, and several others just to name a few. Some of the stiffest competition happens every day in training from the other dogs on the same truck.
Under Tim Springer guidance, Ike finished the Derby at 44% completion rate. According to Retriever Results, with Steve Yozamp in the Open, he currently has 25% completion rate. All this coming from a dog that was born and raised on the Thistle Rock “farm.”


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## Bella Floden

Alaska7133 said:


> I'm curious about Cokie. Tom said he Cokie was a good producer. Since he's been breeding from the 70's and has had a heck of a lot of goldens, he thought Cokie was a "producer". Not the best at running field trials, but a producer of great potential puppies. Tom said not all great field trial dogs are "producers", some really don't produce well at all. Sort of a one hit wonder. I'm curious though about Cokie and what caught your eye about him?


Oh boy that was a long time ago. Cokie was a good looking dog, for one -- muscular, with a pretty nice head on him. He was running master hunt tests around that time, I believe, and was doing well at it. That or he was already MH and was trying to qualify for master nationals -- I'm not sure which. Anyhow, I was looking for good temperaments in studs as a factor. I was looking for a dog that would not just be titled but also good tempered. I had heard about some dogs getting snippy and didn't want aggression introduced into puppies. His pro at the time recommended him for his temperament. However, he was a PRA-prcd carrier, as was my female at the time, so I had to forego the thought of breeding her to him. I really like that Ike is clear and also good tempered. Hopefully that continues to carry on!


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## Bella Floden

jennwinning said:


> Oh boy that was a long time ago. Cokie was a good looking dog, for one -- muscular, with a pretty nice head on him. He was running master hunt tests around that time, I believe, and was doing well at it. That or he was already MH and was trying to qualify for master nationals -- I'm not sure which. Anyhow, I was looking for good temperaments in studs as a factor. I was looking for a dog that would not just be titled but also good tempered. I had heard about some dogs getting snippy and didn't want aggression introduced into puppies. His pro at the time recommended him for his temperament. However, he was a PRA-prcd carrier, as was my female at the time, so I had to forego the thought of breeding her to him. I really like that Ike is clear and also good tempered. Hopefully that continues to carry on!


And maybe all that plus he was this gorgeous, long redhead in a sea of black labs training together? :grin2:


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## Alaska7133

jennwinning said:


> And maybe all that plus he was this gorgeous, long redhead in a sea of black labs training together? :grin2:


My boy Riot's littermate sister Winnie, has been bred to Ike. I think those will be some really nice pups if you are looking....


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## Bella Floden

I will probably keep one from my own bred with Ike (she is due in April), but I PM'd you... would love to more about Riot as he is somewhat related to Bella with Bro lines and I have considered pairing with Jake lines. Thinking perhaps with a future female. Just wondering more about how you like Riot's breeding. I had also tried Pez with Jake, but they didn't take a long time ago. Would have been neat to see how that would have been!


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