History of A.R.F.F. (and Flyball in New England)

  • Barb first observed flyball in Van Nuys, CA in 1996. She had gone to watch an agility trial and was captivated by this new sport where dogs of all breeds and sizes seemed to be having a fabulous time with their handlers. She knew her Border collie, Duffy, would LOVE to play this game and she set out to make it happen in our area.
  • The first flyball clinic was offered at the All Dogs Gym in 1997 by members of the No Speed Limit Flyball club—one of the only competing Flyball clubs on the East Coast at the time. (It was rare for a team to run under 21 seconds in those days. Breaking 20 was a huge accomplishment!)
  • In February of 1998, the All Dogs Flyball team enters its first tournament: Fur Fun in Chestnut Hill, PA outside of Philly. Dogs/Handlers: Jenny Staton (now a NAFA judge living in S. Carolina) and BC, Joey; Barb Black and BC, Duffy; Gail D’Avolio and Cocker Spaniel, Daisy (height dog); Joe Staton handling Jean MacKenzie’s BC, Tala; and Bill Sines and BC, Blazer. The team placed 3rd out of 8 and earned over 500 points, to everyone’s surprise and delight! After that, Flyball in New England was launched.
  • In July of 1998, Flyball & Fireworks I—the first sanctioned NAFA tournament in New England—was held at the old All Dogs Gym.
  • In September of 1998, ARFF Flyball spun off of All Dogs Flyball as a division of ARFF Agility, practicing at Riverside K9 Training Center in Nashua, NH.
  • New teams began to form: Fast Attack (Stephanie Shafer) in Connecticut and K9 Rhode Runners in Rhode Island (now inactive). Then Canine Jumpmasters in Seekonk, MA. New England Trailblazers spun off of ARFF in September of 1998. Shirley Rand founded the Maine Coast Runners while continuing to run her dogs on ARFF. As of January, 2009, there are approximately 20 active Flyball clubs in our region!
  • ARFF held the 10th Flyball & Fireworks tournament in 2007 in Northboro, MA. In July, 2009 a newly reconstituted ARFF once again assumed the task of running an annual tournament by successfully co-hosting "Just Flyball!" with Weston Whirlwinds, and is in the planning process for their next event in July of 2010.

Other ARFF highlights:

  • Hosting ten consecutive 4th of July Flyball tournaments (Flyball & Fireworks).
  • Performing a Flyball demo in front of a packed house at the Boston Garden during a Harlem Globetrotters show.
  • Traveling to Nova Scotia for three straight years for some fabulous 4-day events.
  • Other ARFF Flyball travels: Maryland: Aberdeen; Pennsylvania: Philadelphia (once during a major snowstorm—we were stuck in a motel for three days with nothing to eat but bagels), York, Harrisburg; New York: Batavia; and Canada: New Brunswick and Ontario.
  • Duffy—the dog that inspired Barb to establish Flyball in our area—went to the Bridge in April, 2008. He loved Flyball more than ANYTHING, and she's sure he’d be pleased to know she's still playing his favorite sport with Trim, Secret, and now Whitney.