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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the
idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Good morning I’m Tabby Barncat, and welcome to the Great Living Room, our venue for Indoor Olympic Pouncing. This morning, we have the medal round for Long Distance Pouncing upon Small Moving Objects, our most challenging indoor event. I’m joined by Pouncing expert, Tufty Pawasher, who took the gold medal in this event in 1992. Tufty, welcome and who do you think are our strongest medal contestants, this morning? Tufty: Thank you, Tabby, this is shaping up into a very exciting final round. In our qualifying round, the Russian Blues finished on top and are heavily favored to win the gold, but were given tough competition from the Siamese team who finished in second place thanks to the high scores of Siamese Team leader, Kwan Yin. But we should not discount the Persian contingent, despite their disappointing fourth place finish, yesterday. The Havana browns could also pull off a surprising upset for the bronze medal. But with modest pride, I must point out the British Shorthairs could sneak in there, too. They just have to keep their focus. Tabby: And I have a feeling the U.S. Calico team might not medal, but nevertheless pull off a strong fifth place finish. The team has made great improvements since kittenhood. Tufty: Well yes, but remember Tabby, the judges are keeping an eye on conformation and technical finesse, today. The grace and elegance of the pounce are as important as accuracy. Tabby: You’re quite right, Tufty. For our audience, could you go over the technical aspects of competition pouncing? What will the judges be looking for? Tufty: First phase is eye contact; judges want to see a contestant who sees the mark quickly, second is the setup, which is the crouch, which should also be prompt. Competition rules state the head and front of the body should be a little lower than the hindquarters, the head and neck a bit extended in front of the forepaws, while maintaining focus on the target. Then there is the preparation for takeoff with the important butt wiggle and tail lash, then the spring. The spring should be quick and powerful, with the forelegs extending to grasp the target. There is a five tenth point deduction if the contestant does not hit the target with at least one paw on their first try—it’s essential to stick the landing. There are three sets of marks, first for conformation and elegance, second for speed plus power, third for accuracy. It’s a rare cat who can combine all three things in a single pounce. Of course the contestants each get a pounce in each of the three rounds. Tabby: Thanks, Tufty. What about wind direction and speed? Tufty: Oh that’s only a factor in the Outdoor Pouncing competition we’ll see next week. There, there is a danger that the contestants will be distracted from the real target and pounce on a stray item. Indoors, headwinds and tailwinds really aren’t a factor—the venue is much more controlled. And ah, here comes our first contestant. The competition order is determined by a random draw. Our first contestant is Kwan Yin, one of the Siamese team Pouncers. A new talent but very promising. Look at that upright tail and look at the placement of the paws in a nearly straight line as she walks. She’s going over to the warmup scratching post—no wait, she’s seen the target, and she’s going into her crouch already. Will you look at her focus! Her eyes are right on that tassel! Tabby: Yes, Kwan Yin is showing excellent conformation, here; her eyes are right on the target, her ears are pricked and her neck extended, front legs nicely tucked under. Her hindquarters are nicely elevated, and her tail is pointing straight up. Tufty: Now she’s raising her hindquarters, look at her go! That butt wiggle is almost a shimmy! Nice tail lash, too although her tail is drooping a little more than I’d like to see—whoops there she goes, and she has it! She nailed that tassel and stuck the landing. Excellent first round pounce for Kwan Yin. A challenge has been issued to the other contestants! She should get the highest marks for elegance and accuracy, but I expect they’ll mark her down a bit for speed. Yes, a very good combined score of 15.6 for the first round pounce. Tabby: Kwan Yin is still gnawing on the tassel, there’s a bit of a tussle to get her away from it to prepare for the next contestant. Oh my, she’s having fun. No performance anxiety today from Kwan Yin! Tufty: Next up we have Boris from the Russian Blue team. This will be his last Olympics, and he’d really like to finish with a gold medal. Tabby: What is his pouncing style, Tufty? Tufty: He’s a speed king, really—very workmanlike. His mother was a mouser at a vodka brewery, so he started pouncing as soon as his eyes opened, practically. He almost has to slow down in competition so that the judges can see his conformation. He’s not the most graceful or elegant, but you can hardly beat him on the speed and accuracy scores. He’s playing it cool for now, but you can be sure he’s looking everywhere for that tassel—ah, he sees it—wow! He’s already made his pounce—and misses! This is an incredible mistake from him! No set-up, no chance to raise his conformation and technique scores. I think the pressure of competition pouncing has finally made him crack. Oh, he’s angry, look at him lashing his tail! This is a huge disappointment. With the competition here today, I don’t know if he can make it up in the second and third rounds, although he still could medal if the other contestants make serious mistakes, also. He’s stalking off into the waiting area, and he’s even hissed at Cora Calico, our next contestant. You want to stay out of Boris’ way when he’s angry. Tabby: Ooo, look at that score—an 11.25. That has to hurt! Tufty: Ouch I really don’t see how Boris can come back from this—it’s just such a disastrous first round for him. But here comes Cora Calico. She’s still practically a kitten, so focus and finesse are her weak points, so far. Rules are, contestants must pounce on the tassel. Each contestant is allowed thirty seconds of warmup, but her interest in that jingly-ball might cost her. Ah, now Cora’s looking all around for that tassel—ah, there she’s seen it and she’s getting into her crouch. Tabby: Nice extension of the neck, and good tuck in the front paws, wouldn’t you say, Tufty? Tufty: Yes, although her back is almost level with her shoulders, see? And her tail is at a 45 degree angle rather than vertical. She’s good and wiggly though and her tail lash is quite good in lateral terms —she springs! Tabby: Ooh so close! She JUST manages to catch the end of the tassel with her right paw! Tufty: It’s legal! She got it and she stuck the landing. Now she’s lying on her back gnawing on one of the tassel fringes. Another good first round pounce, although Cora lacks Kwan Yin’s expertise. You have to pay attention to every little thing when competing at this level. Tabby: Well, she has time to perfect it. She only just turned one year old, the minimum age for competition in Olympic Pouncing. Her combined score is 15.00 Tufty: I’d stay that’s a little generous. She’s talented, I don’t deny, but she’s not very polished, yet. Tabby: Here comes Perun, the first contestant of the Persian team. Tufty, what’s his style? Tufty: Perun’s at a disadvantage in this competition, Tabby. He’s much better at balancing than pouncing. He aces Crossing the Room Without Touching Floor events. Pouncing from heights is more his style than lateral leaps. He’s also lost some spring in his hind quarters in recent years , too. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s competing, here. Tabby: well, looks like he isn’t. He’s now gone to lie down in that sunny patch of floor, and is washing a paw. Tufty: He gets extremely high marks for indifference and independence of attitude—nobody’s going to make this cat play if he doesn’t feel like it. But I’m afraid he’s no asset to the Persian Pouncing Team, here. Ah, the read flag is up. Perun has been disqualified. Thirty seconds passed without even an effort to pounce. Tabby: and he still isn’t worried—he’s just lying there in the sun with his eyes closed. The other Persians don’t look happy. Tufty: No indeed. They’ll be stealing kibble from his bowl, tonight. Tabby: Stay tuned for More Olympic Distance Pouncing when we return from these announcements. Melissa |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
On Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Shiral
wrote: Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Adorable! Got any other events in store for us? How about Cat-boxing? |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
"Shiral" wrote in message
... Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Good morning I’m Tabby Barncat, and welcome to the Great Living Room, our venue for Indoor Olympic Pouncing. This morning, we have the medal round for Long Distance Pouncing upon Small Moving Objects, our most challenging indoor event. I’m joined by Pouncing expert, Tufty Pawasher, who took the gold medal in this event in 1992. Tufty, welcome and who do you think are our strongest medal contestants, this morning? Tufty: Thank you, Tabby, this is shaping up into a very exciting final round. In our qualifying round, the Russian Blues finished on top and are heavily favored to win the gold, but were given tough competition from the Siamese team who finished in second place thanks to the high scores of Siamese Team leader, Kwan Yin. But we should not discount the Persian contingent, despite their disappointing fourth place finish, yesterday. The Havana browns could also pull off a surprising upset for the bronze medal. But with modest pride, I must point out the British Shorthairs could sneak in there, too. They just have to keep their focus. Tabby: And I have a feeling the U.S. Calico team might not medal, but nevertheless pull off a strong fifth place finish. The team has made great improvements since kittenhood. Tufty: Well yes, but remember Tabby, the judges are keeping an eye on conformation and technical finesse, today. The grace and elegance of the pounce are as important as accuracy. Tabby: You’re quite right, Tufty. For our audience, could you go over the technical aspects of competition pouncing? What will the judges be looking for? Tufty: First phase is eye contact; judges want to see a contestant who sees the mark quickly, second is the setup, which is the crouch, which should also be prompt. Competition rules state the head and front of the body should be a little lower than the hindquarters, the head and neck a bit extended in front of the forepaws, while maintaining focus on the target. Then there is the preparation for takeoff with the important butt wiggle and tail lash, then the spring. The spring should be quick and powerful, with the forelegs extending to grasp the target. There is a five tenth point deduction if the contestant does not hit the target with at least one paw on their first try—it’s essential to stick the landing. There are three sets of marks, first for conformation and elegance, second for speed plus power, third for accuracy. It’s a rare cat who can combine all three things in a single pounce. Of course the contestants each get a pounce in each of the three rounds. Tabby: Thanks, Tufty. What about wind direction and speed? Tufty: Oh that’s only a factor in the Outdoor Pouncing competition we’ll see next week. There, there is a danger that the contestants will be distracted from the real target and pounce on a stray item. Indoors, headwinds and tailwinds really aren’t a factor—the venue is much more controlled. And ah, here comes our first contestant. The competition order is determined by a random draw. Our first contestant is Kwan Yin, one of the Siamese team Pouncers. A new talent but very promising. Look at that upright tail and look at the placement of the paws in a nearly straight line as she walks. She’s going over to the warmup scratching post—no wait, she’s seen the target, and she’s going into her crouch already. Will you look at her focus! Her eyes are right on that tassel! Tabby: Yes, Kwan Yin is showing excellent conformation, here; her eyes are right on the target, her ears are pricked and her neck extended, front legs nicely tucked under. Her hindquarters are nicely elevated, and her tail is pointing straight up. Tufty: Now she’s raising her hindquarters, look at her go! That butt wiggle is almost a shimmy! Nice tail lash, too although her tail is drooping a little more than I’d like to see—whoops there she goes, and she has it! She nailed that tassel and stuck the landing. Excellent first round pounce for Kwan Yin. A challenge has been issued to the other contestants! She should get the highest marks for elegance and accuracy, but I expect they’ll mark her down a bit for speed. Yes, a very good combined score of 15.6 for the first round pounce. Tabby: Kwan Yin is still gnawing on the tassel, there’s a bit of a tussle to get her away from it to prepare for the next contestant. Oh my, she’s having fun. No performance anxiety today from Kwan Yin! Tufty: Next up we have Boris from the Russian Blue team. This will be his last Olympics, and he’d really like to finish with a gold medal. Tabby: What is his pouncing style, Tufty? Tufty: He’s a speed king, really—very workmanlike. His mother was a mouser at a vodka brewery, so he started pouncing as soon as his eyes opened, practically. He almost has to slow down in competition so that the judges can see his conformation. He’s not the most graceful or elegant, but you can hardly beat him on the speed and accuracy scores. He’s playing it cool for now, but you can be sure he’s looking everywhere for that tassel—ah, he sees it—wow! He’s already made his pounce—and misses! This is an incredible mistake from him! No set-up, no chance to raise his conformation and technique scores. I think the pressure of competition pouncing has finally made him crack. Oh, he’s angry, look at him lashing his tail! This is a huge disappointment. With the competition here today, I don’t know if he can make it up in the second and third rounds, although he still could medal if the other contestants make serious mistakes, also. He’s stalking off into the waiting area, and he’s even hissed at Cora Calico, our next contestant. You want to stay out of Boris’ way when he’s angry. Tabby: Ooo, look at that score—an 11.25. That has to hurt! Tufty: Ouch I really don’t see how Boris can come back from this—it’s just such a disastrous first round for him. But here comes Cora Calico. She’s still practically a kitten, so focus and finesse are her weak points, so far. Rules are, contestants must pounce on the tassel. Each contestant is allowed thirty seconds of warmup, but her interest in that jingly-ball might cost her. Ah, now Cora’s looking all around for that tassel—ah, there she’s seen it and she’s getting into her crouch. Tabby: Nice extension of the neck, and good tuck in the front paws, wouldn’t you say, Tufty? Tufty: Yes, although her back is almost level with her shoulders, see? And her tail is at a 45 degree angle rather than vertical. She’s good and wiggly though and her tail lash is quite good in lateral terms —she springs! Tabby: Ooh so close! She JUST manages to catch the end of the tassel with her right paw! Tufty: It’s legal! She got it and she stuck the landing. Now she’s lying on her back gnawing on one of the tassel fringes. Another good first round pounce, although Cora lacks Kwan Yin’s expertise. You have to pay attention to every little thing when competing at this level. Tabby: Well, she has time to perfect it. She only just turned one year old, the minimum age for competition in Olympic Pouncing. Her combined score is 15.00 Tufty: I’d stay that’s a little generous. She’s talented, I don’t deny, but she’s not very polished, yet. Tabby: Here comes Perun, the first contestant of the Persian team. Tufty, what’s his style? Tufty: Perun’s at a disadvantage in this competition, Tabby. He’s much better at balancing than pouncing. He aces Crossing the Room Without Touching Floor events. Pouncing from heights is more his style than lateral leaps. He’s also lost some spring in his hind quarters in recent years , too. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s competing, here. Tabby: well, looks like he isn’t. He’s now gone to lie down in that sunny patch of floor, and is washing a paw. Tufty: He gets extremely high marks for indifference and independence of attitude—nobody’s going to make this cat play if he doesn’t feel like it. But I’m afraid he’s no asset to the Persian Pouncing Team, here. Ah, the read flag is up. Perun has been disqualified. Thirty seconds passed without even an effort to pounce. Tabby: and he still isn’t worried—he’s just lying there in the sun with his eyes closed. The other Persians don’t look happy. Tufty: No indeed. They’ll be stealing kibble from his bowl, tonight. Tabby: Stay tuned for More Olympic Distance Pouncing when we return from these announcements. Melissa *** Bravo! Joy |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
"Shiral" wrote in message
... Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? ================================================== ========= Brilliant!!! I look forward to any other Kitty Olympic Event reports you'd feel like posting! Nose Kisses, CatNipped |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
"Shiral" wrote in message ... Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? =================== MORE MORE!!! Cat boxing, Super Napping, Kibble Theft, Begging, Stalking, other fine kitty events. Pam S. |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
"Shiral" wrote in message ... Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Good morning I’m Tabby Barncat, and welcome to the Great Living Room, our venue for Indoor Olympic Pouncing. This morning, we have the medal round for Long Distance Pouncing upon Small Moving Objects, our most challenging indoor event. I’m joined by Pouncing expert, Tufty Pawasher, who took the gold medal in this event in 1992. Tufty, welcome and who do you think are our strongest medal contestants, this morning? Tufty: Thank you, Tabby, this is shaping up into a very exciting final round. In our qualifying round, the Russian Blues finished on top and are heavily favored to win the gold, but were given tough competition from the Siamese team who finished in second place thanks to the high scores of Siamese Team leader, Kwan Yin. But we should not discount the Persian contingent, despite their disappointing fourth place finish, yesterday. The Havana browns could also pull off a surprising upset for the bronze medal. But with modest pride, I must point out the British Shorthairs could sneak in there, too. They just have to keep their focus. Tabby: And I have a feeling the U.S. Calico team might not medal, but nevertheless pull off a strong fifth place finish. The team has made great improvements since kittenhood. Tufty: Well yes, but remember Tabby, the judges are keeping an eye on conformation and technical finesse, today. The grace and elegance of the pounce are as important as accuracy. Tabby: You’re quite right, Tufty. For our audience, could you go over the technical aspects of competition pouncing? What will the judges be looking for? Tufty: First phase is eye contact; judges want to see a contestant who sees the mark quickly, second is the setup, which is the crouch, which should also be prompt. Competition rules state the head and front of the body should be a little lower than the hindquarters, the head and neck a bit extended in front of the forepaws, while maintaining focus on the target. Then there is the preparation for takeoff with the important butt wiggle and tail lash, then the spring. The spring should be quick and powerful, with the forelegs extending to grasp the target. There is a five tenth point deduction if the contestant does not hit the target with at least one paw on their first try—it’s essential to stick the landing. There are three sets of marks, first for conformation and elegance, second for speed plus power, third for accuracy. It’s a rare cat who can combine all three things in a single pounce. Of course the contestants each get a pounce in each of the three rounds. Tabby: Thanks, Tufty. What about wind direction and speed? Tufty: Oh that’s only a factor in the Outdoor Pouncing competition we’ll see next week. There, there is a danger that the contestants will be distracted from the real target and pounce on a stray item. Indoors, headwinds and tailwinds really aren’t a factor—the venue is much more controlled. And ah, here comes our first contestant. The competition order is determined by a random draw. Our first contestant is Kwan Yin, one of the Siamese team Pouncers. A new talent but very promising. Look at that upright tail and look at the placement of the paws in a nearly straight line as she walks. She’s going over to the warmup scratching post—no wait, she’s seen the target, and she’s going into her crouch already. Will you look at her focus! Her eyes are right on that tassel! Tabby: Yes, Kwan Yin is showing excellent conformation, here; her eyes are right on the target, her ears are pricked and her neck extended, front legs nicely tucked under. Her hindquarters are nicely elevated, and her tail is pointing straight up. Tufty: Now she’s raising her hindquarters, look at her go! That butt wiggle is almost a shimmy! Nice tail lash, too although her tail is drooping a little more than I’d like to see—whoops there she goes, and she has it! She nailed that tassel and stuck the landing. Excellent first round pounce for Kwan Yin. A challenge has been issued to the other contestants! She should get the highest marks for elegance and accuracy, but I expect they’ll mark her down a bit for speed. Yes, a very good combined score of 15.6 for the first round pounce. Tabby: Kwan Yin is still gnawing on the tassel, there’s a bit of a tussle to get her away from it to prepare for the next contestant. Oh my, she’s having fun. No performance anxiety today from Kwan Yin! Tufty: Next up we have Boris from the Russian Blue team. This will be his last Olympics, and he’d really like to finish with a gold medal. Tabby: What is his pouncing style, Tufty? Tufty: He’s a speed king, really—very workmanlike. His mother was a mouser at a vodka brewery, so he started pouncing as soon as his eyes opened, practically. He almost has to slow down in competition so that the judges can see his conformation. He’s not the most graceful or elegant, but you can hardly beat him on the speed and accuracy scores. He’s playing it cool for now, but you can be sure he’s looking everywhere for that tassel—ah, he sees it—wow! He’s already made his pounce—and misses! This is an incredible mistake from him! No set-up, no chance to raise his conformation and technique scores. I think the pressure of competition pouncing has finally made him crack. Oh, he’s angry, look at him lashing his tail! This is a huge disappointment. With the competition here today, I don’t know if he can make it up in the second and third rounds, although he still could medal if the other contestants make serious mistakes, also. He’s stalking off into the waiting area, and he’s even hissed at Cora Calico, our next contestant. You want to stay out of Boris’ way when he’s angry. Tabby: Ooo, look at that score—an 11.25. That has to hurt! Tufty: Ouch I really don’t see how Boris can come back from this—it’s just such a disastrous first round for him. But here comes Cora Calico. She’s still practically a kitten, so focus and finesse are her weak points, so far. Rules are, contestants must pounce on the tassel. Each contestant is allowed thirty seconds of warmup, but her interest in that jingly-ball might cost her. Ah, now Cora’s looking all around for that tassel—ah, there she’s seen it and she’s getting into her crouch. Tabby: Nice extension of the neck, and good tuck in the front paws, wouldn’t you say, Tufty? Tufty: Yes, although her back is almost level with her shoulders, see? And her tail is at a 45 degree angle rather than vertical. She’s good and wiggly though and her tail lash is quite good in lateral terms —she springs! Tabby: Ooh so close! She JUST manages to catch the end of the tassel with her right paw! Tufty: It’s legal! She got it and she stuck the landing. Now she’s lying on her back gnawing on one of the tassel fringes. Another good first round pounce, although Cora lacks Kwan Yin’s expertise. You have to pay attention to every little thing when competing at this level. Tabby: Well, she has time to perfect it. She only just turned one year old, the minimum age for competition in Olympic Pouncing. Her combined score is 15.00 Tufty: I’d stay that’s a little generous. She’s talented, I don’t deny, but she’s not very polished, yet. Tabby: Here comes Perun, the first contestant of the Persian team. Tufty, what’s his style? Tufty: Perun’s at a disadvantage in this competition, Tabby. He’s much better at balancing than pouncing. He aces Crossing the Room Without Touching Floor events. Pouncing from heights is more his style than lateral leaps. He’s also lost some spring in his hind quarters in recent years , too. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s competing, here. Tabby: well, looks like he isn’t. He’s now gone to lie down in that sunny patch of floor, and is washing a paw. Tufty: He gets extremely high marks for indifference and independence of attitude—nobody’s going to make this cat play if he doesn’t feel like it. But I’m afraid he’s no asset to the Persian Pouncing Team, here. Ah, the read flag is up. Perun has been disqualified. Thirty seconds passed without even an effort to pounce. Tabby: and he still isn’t worried—he’s just lying there in the sun with his eyes closed. The other Persians don’t look happy. Tufty: No indeed. They’ll be stealing kibble from his bowl, tonight. Tabby: Stay tuned for More Olympic Distance Pouncing when we return from these announcements. Melissa What about those Chinese pouncers!!??? They can't be more than six weeks old!!! -- Theresa, Stinky and Dante drtmuirATearthlink.net Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
ROTFLMAO..that was great
Thanks Kyla "Shiral" Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Good morning I’m Tabby Barncat, and welcome to the Great Living Room, our venue for Indoor Olympic Pouncing. This morning, we have the medal round for Long Distance Pouncing upon Small Moving Objects, our most challenging indoor event. I’m joined by Pouncing expert, Tufty Pawasher, who took the gold medal in this event in 1992. Tufty, welcome and who do you think are our strongest medal contestants, this morning? Tufty: Thank you, Tabby, this is shaping up into a very exciting final round. In our qualifying round, the Russian Blues finished on top and are heavily favored to win the gold, but were given tough competition from the Siamese team who finished in second place thanks to the high scores of Siamese Team leader, Kwan Yin. But we should not discount the Persian contingent, despite their disappointing fourth place finish, yesterday. The Havana browns could also pull off a surprising upset for the bronze medal. But with modest pride, I must point out the British Shorthairs could sneak in there, too. They just have to keep their focus. Tabby: And I have a feeling the U.S. Calico team might not medal, but nevertheless pull off a strong fifth place finish. The team has made great improvements since kittenhood. Tufty: Well yes, but remember Tabby, the judges are keeping an eye on conformation and technical finesse, today. The grace and elegance of the pounce are as important as accuracy. Tabby: You’re quite right, Tufty. For our audience, could you go over the technical aspects of competition pouncing? What will the judges be looking for? Tufty: First phase is eye contact; judges want to see a contestant who sees the mark quickly, second is the setup, which is the crouch, which should also be prompt. Competition rules state the head and front of the body should be a little lower than the hindquarters, the head and neck a bit extended in front of the forepaws, while maintaining focus on the target. Then there is the preparation for takeoff with the important butt wiggle and tail lash, then the spring. The spring should be quick and powerful, with the forelegs extending to grasp the target. There is a five tenth point deduction if the contestant does not hit the target with at least one paw on their first try—it’s essential to stick the landing. There are three sets of marks, first for conformation and elegance, second for speed plus power, third for accuracy. It’s a rare cat who can combine all three things in a single pounce. Of course the contestants each get a pounce in each of the three rounds. Tabby: Thanks, Tufty. What about wind direction and speed? Tufty: Oh that’s only a factor in the Outdoor Pouncing competition we’ll see next week. There, there is a danger that the contestants will be distracted from the real target and pounce on a stray item. Indoors, headwinds and tailwinds really aren’t a factor—the venue is much more controlled. And ah, here comes our first contestant. The competition order is determined by a random draw. Our first contestant is Kwan Yin, one of the Siamese team Pouncers. A new talent but very promising. Look at that upright tail and look at the placement of the paws in a nearly straight line as she walks. She’s going over to the warmup scratching post—no wait, she’s seen the target, and she’s going into her crouch already. Will you look at her focus! Her eyes are right on that tassel! Tabby: Yes, Kwan Yin is showing excellent conformation, here; her eyes are right on the target, her ears are pricked and her neck extended, front legs nicely tucked under. Her hindquarters are nicely elevated, and her tail is pointing straight up. Tufty: Now she’s raising her hindquarters, look at her go! That butt wiggle is almost a shimmy! Nice tail lash, too although her tail is drooping a little more than I’d like to see—whoops there she goes, and she has it! She nailed that tassel and stuck the landing. Excellent first round pounce for Kwan Yin. A challenge has been issued to the other contestants! She should get the highest marks for elegance and accuracy, but I expect they’ll mark her down a bit for speed. Yes, a very good combined score of 15.6 for the first round pounce. Tabby: Kwan Yin is still gnawing on the tassel, there’s a bit of a tussle to get her away from it to prepare for the next contestant. Oh my, she’s having fun. No performance anxiety today from Kwan Yin! Tufty: Next up we have Boris from the Russian Blue team. This will be his last Olympics, and he’d really like to finish with a gold medal. Tabby: What is his pouncing style, Tufty? Tufty: He’s a speed king, really—very workmanlike. His mother was a mouser at a vodka brewery, so he started pouncing as soon as his eyes opened, practically. He almost has to slow down in competition so that the judges can see his conformation. He’s not the most graceful or elegant, but you can hardly beat him on the speed and accuracy scores. He’s playing it cool for now, but you can be sure he’s looking everywhere for that tassel—ah, he sees it—wow! He’s already made his pounce—and misses! This is an incredible mistake from him! No set-up, no chance to raise his conformation and technique scores. I think the pressure of competition pouncing has finally made him crack. Oh, he’s angry, look at him lashing his tail! This is a huge disappointment. With the competition here today, I don’t know if he can make it up in the second and third rounds, although he still could medal if the other contestants make serious mistakes, also. He’s stalking off into the waiting area, and he’s even hissed at Cora Calico, our next contestant. You want to stay out of Boris’ way when he’s angry. Tabby: Ooo, look at that score—an 11.25. That has to hurt! Tufty: Ouch I really don’t see how Boris can come back from this—it’s just such a disastrous first round for him. But here comes Cora Calico. She’s still practically a kitten, so focus and finesse are her weak points, so far. Rules are, contestants must pounce on the tassel. Each contestant is allowed thirty seconds of warmup, but her interest in that jingly-ball might cost her. Ah, now Cora’s looking all around for that tassel—ah, there she’s seen it and she’s getting into her crouch. Tabby: Nice extension of the neck, and good tuck in the front paws, wouldn’t you say, Tufty? Tufty: Yes, although her back is almost level with her shoulders, see? And her tail is at a 45 degree angle rather than vertical. She’s good and wiggly though and her tail lash is quite good in lateral terms —she springs! Tabby: Ooh so close! She JUST manages to catch the end of the tassel with her right paw! Tufty: It’s legal! She got it and she stuck the landing. Now she’s lying on her back gnawing on one of the tassel fringes. Another good first round pounce, although Cora lacks Kwan Yin’s expertise. You have to pay attention to every little thing when competing at this level. Tabby: Well, she has time to perfect it. She only just turned one year old, the minimum age for competition in Olympic Pouncing. Her combined score is 15.00 Tufty: I’d stay that’s a little generous. She’s talented, I don’t deny, but she’s not very polished, yet. Tabby: Here comes Perun, the first contestant of the Persian team. Tufty, what’s his style? Tufty: Perun’s at a disadvantage in this competition, Tabby. He’s much better at balancing than pouncing. He aces Crossing the Room Without Touching Floor events. Pouncing from heights is more his style than lateral leaps. He’s also lost some spring in his hind quarters in recent years , too. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s competing, here. Tabby: well, looks like he isn’t. He’s now gone to lie down in that sunny patch of floor, and is washing a paw. Tufty: He gets extremely high marks for indifference and independence of attitude—nobody’s going to make this cat play if he doesn’t feel like it. But I’m afraid he’s no asset to the Persian Pouncing Team, here. Ah, the read flag is up. Perun has been disqualified. Thirty seconds passed without even an effort to pounce. Tabby: and he still isn’t worried—he’s just lying there in the sun with his eyes closed. The other Persians don’t look happy. Tufty: No indeed. They’ll be stealing kibble from his bowl, tonight. Tabby: Stay tuned for More Olympic Distance Pouncing when we return from these announcements. Melissa |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
Shiral wrote:
Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? That was *so* clever!! Very funny. There's no way I could have written that. You must watch a lot of Olympics coverage! -- Joyce ^..^ (To email me, remove the X's from my user name.) |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
Kajikit wrote:
Adorable! Got any other events in store for us? How about Cat-boxing? Heidi and Will, who almost never get into it, have just had a dust-up. I think they must have been watching Tabby Barncat's presentation of the boxing events earlier today and got a little caught up in the excitement. Marvelous send-up, Melissa! -- Wayne M. |
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Feline Games: Olympic Pouncing
Shiral wrote:
Watching the Gymnasts and the topic of Feline Olympics gave me the idea below: What if Pouncing were an Olympic Event? Good morning I’m Tabby Barncat, and welcome to the Great Living Room, our venue for Indoor Olympic Pouncing. This morning, we have the medal round for Long Distance Pouncing upon Small Moving Objects, our most challenging indoor event. I’m joined by Pouncing expert, Tufty Pawasher, who took the gold medal in this event in 1992. Tufty, welcome and who do you think are our strongest medal contestants, this morning? Tufty: Thank you, Tabby, this is shaping up into a very exciting final round. In our qualifying round, the Russian Blues finished on top and are heavily favored to win the gold, but were given tough competition from the Siamese team who finished in second place thanks to the high scores of Siamese Team leader, Kwan Yin. But we should not discount the Persian contingent, despite their disappointing fourth place finish, yesterday. The Havana browns could also pull off a surprising upset for the bronze medal. But with modest pride, I must point out the British Shorthairs could sneak in there, too. They just have to keep their focus. Tabby: And I have a feeling the U.S. Calico team might not medal, but nevertheless pull off a strong fifth place finish. The team has made great improvements since kittenhood. Tufty: Well yes, but remember Tabby, the judges are keeping an eye on conformation and technical finesse, today. The grace and elegance of the pounce are as important as accuracy. Tabby: You’re quite right, Tufty. For our audience, could you go over the technical aspects of competition pouncing? What will the judges be looking for? Tufty: First phase is eye contact; judges want to see a contestant who sees the mark quickly, second is the setup, which is the crouch, which should also be prompt. Competition rules state the head and front of the body should be a little lower than the hindquarters, the head and neck a bit extended in front of the forepaws, while maintaining focus on the target. Then there is the preparation for takeoff with the important butt wiggle and tail lash, then the spring. The spring should be quick and powerful, with the forelegs extending to grasp the target. There is a five tenth point deduction if the contestant does not hit the target with at least one paw on their first try—it’s essential to stick the landing. There are three sets of marks, first for conformation and elegance, second for speed plus power, third for accuracy. It’s a rare cat who can combine all three things in a single pounce. Of course the contestants each get a pounce in each of the three rounds. Tabby: Thanks, Tufty. What about wind direction and speed? Tufty: Oh that’s only a factor in the Outdoor Pouncing competition we’ll see next week. There, there is a danger that the contestants will be distracted from the real target and pounce on a stray item. Indoors, headwinds and tailwinds really aren’t a factor—the venue is much more controlled. And ah, here comes our first contestant. The competition order is determined by a random draw. Our first contestant is Kwan Yin, one of the Siamese team Pouncers. A new talent but very promising. Look at that upright tail and look at the placement of the paws in a nearly straight line as she walks. She’s going over to the warmup scratching post—no wait, she’s seen the target, and she’s going into her crouch already. Will you look at her focus! Her eyes are right on that tassel! Tabby: Yes, Kwan Yin is showing excellent conformation, here; her eyes are right on the target, her ears are pricked and her neck extended, front legs nicely tucked under. Her hindquarters are nicely elevated, and her tail is pointing straight up. Tufty: Now she’s raising her hindquarters, look at her go! That butt wiggle is almost a shimmy! Nice tail lash, too although her tail is drooping a little more than I’d like to see—whoops there she goes, and she has it! She nailed that tassel and stuck the landing. Excellent first round pounce for Kwan Yin. A challenge has been issued to the other contestants! She should get the highest marks for elegance and accuracy, but I expect they’ll mark her down a bit for speed. Yes, a very good combined score of 15.6 for the first round pounce. Tabby: Kwan Yin is still gnawing on the tassel, there’s a bit of a tussle to get her away from it to prepare for the next contestant. Oh my, she’s having fun. No performance anxiety today from Kwan Yin! Tufty: Next up we have Boris from the Russian Blue team. This will be his last Olympics, and he’d really like to finish with a gold medal. Tabby: What is his pouncing style, Tufty? Tufty: He’s a speed king, really—very workmanlike. His mother was a mouser at a vodka brewery, so he started pouncing as soon as his eyes opened, practically. He almost has to slow down in competition so that the judges can see his conformation. He’s not the most graceful or elegant, but you can hardly beat him on the speed and accuracy scores. He’s playing it cool for now, but you can be sure he’s looking everywhere for that tassel—ah, he sees it—wow! He’s already made his pounce—and misses! This is an incredible mistake from him! No set-up, no chance to raise his conformation and technique scores. I think the pressure of competition pouncing has finally made him crack. Oh, he’s angry, look at him lashing his tail! This is a huge disappointment. With the competition here today, I don’t know if he can make it up in the second and third rounds, although he still could medal if the other contestants make serious mistakes, also. He’s stalking off into the waiting area, and he’s even hissed at Cora Calico, our next contestant. You want to stay out of Boris’ way when he’s angry. Tabby: Ooo, look at that score—an 11.25. That has to hurt! Tufty: Ouch I really don’t see how Boris can come back from this—it’s just such a disastrous first round for him. But here comes Cora Calico. She’s still practically a kitten, so focus and finesse are her weak points, so far. Rules are, contestants must pounce on the tassel. Each contestant is allowed thirty seconds of warmup, but her interest in that jingly-ball might cost her. Ah, now Cora’s looking all around for that tassel—ah, there she’s seen it and she’s getting into her crouch. Tabby: Nice extension of the neck, and good tuck in the front paws, wouldn’t you say, Tufty? Tufty: Yes, although her back is almost level with her shoulders, see? And her tail is at a 45 degree angle rather than vertical. She’s good and wiggly though and her tail lash is quite good in lateral terms —she springs! Tabby: Ooh so close! She JUST manages to catch the end of the tassel with her right paw! Tufty: It’s legal! She got it and she stuck the landing. Now she’s lying on her back gnawing on one of the tassel fringes. Another good first round pounce, although Cora lacks Kwan Yin’s expertise. You have to pay attention to every little thing when competing at this level. Tabby: Well, she has time to perfect it. She only just turned one year old, the minimum age for competition in Olympic Pouncing. Her combined score is 15.00 Tufty: I’d stay that’s a little generous. She’s talented, I don’t deny, but she’s not very polished, yet. Tabby: Here comes Perun, the first contestant of the Persian team. Tufty, what’s his style? Tufty: Perun’s at a disadvantage in this competition, Tabby. He’s much better at balancing than pouncing. He aces Crossing the Room Without Touching Floor events. Pouncing from heights is more his style than lateral leaps. He’s also lost some spring in his hind quarters in recent years , too. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s competing, here. Tabby: well, looks like he isn’t. He’s now gone to lie down in that sunny patch of floor, and is washing a paw. Tufty: He gets extremely high marks for indifference and independence of attitude—nobody’s going to make this cat play if he doesn’t feel like it. But I’m afraid he’s no asset to the Persian Pouncing Team, here. Ah, the read flag is up. Perun has been disqualified. Thirty seconds passed without even an effort to pounce. Tabby: and he still isn’t worried—he’s just lying there in the sun with his eyes closed. The other Persians don’t look happy. Tufty: No indeed. They’ll be stealing kibble from his bowl, tonight. Tabby: Stay tuned for More Olympic Distance Pouncing when we return from these announcements. Melissa This is great! Thanks for sharing. Sam, supervised by Mistletoe (who's *not* interested in entering, thank you) |
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