Result: Michigan Open Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Ionia, Michigan

Post Date: Jun 2, 2025

Submitted By: Jim Cipponeri

Michigan Open Shooting Dog Championship (l-r): Robert Ecker, Jim Cipponeri, Jeff Haggis, Haley Moreland with Faithful, Ron Williams, Mike Tracy, Kelsey Hajek with Miller's Extreme Heat, Joe Guzman, and Leroy Long.

The 2025 Michigan Open Shooting Dog Championship was once again contested over the rolling hills and farm fields of the Ionia Recreation Areas designated field trial courses. This year's assembly of handlers consisted of participants from the Deep South to Ontario, Canada. It was encouraging and rewarding to see so many familiar faces in attendance who were not noticeable in recent years. Mike Hester entered dogs in both the Derby and Championship along with Matt Basilone, Mike Tracy, and Shawn Kinkelaar. Jeff Haggis, Jim Cipponeri, Brooke Landing, Kelsey Hajek, and Marian Brown were the amateurs who had dogs entered in the six-day event.

Judges Leroy Long and Robert Ecker have a long list of accomplishments and credits in the field trial world. Leroy has judged numerous championships and competes at a high level with his Shorthairs and has now incorporated English pointers into his string. He is a real gentleman and very attentive and personable while in and out of the saddle. Both of these men are highly sought-after as arbiters, and the club was fortunate to secure their services.

Robert is well known for his success on the Cover Dog and walking dog circuit, where his accomplishments are too numerous to detail in this limited composition. He has branched out into the "Blog" world with his "Midnight Kennels Podcast," which is followed by hunters and trialers, and is rumored to be in negotiations with Chef Gordon Ramsey for a restaurant review endeavor as well! Speaking of food, we thank Dr. Tom Jackson for providing a wonderful winners' dinner in honor of the 2024 Champion Thunder Bolt's Storm, and also for the continued support of Purina Dog Food.

Ron Williams did his usual outstanding job to perfection, manning the dog wagon and providing food for the trialers. Tom Winters helped out with the dinners and cleanup, as did Bill Darr, Kelsey Hajek, Ashley Tilley, and Blake Rizzo. Mike Brown picked up and delivered the birds and bird planting was in the hands of Dick and Kathryn Lipski. Without these volunteers, the trial could not be run.

Unfortunately, this will be the last year for our secretary/treasurer, Joe Guzman. Joe has been instrumental in providing strong leadership for the last 15 years. He was hand-picked by our previous president, Oliver DeLuca, to carry on a tradition and legacy that Oliver strongly adhered to. Joe will not be quitting field trials but taking a somewhat different direction. Since his retirement and subsequent move to Northern Michigan, logistics and other factors have resulted in this difficult decision. Thank you, Joe, and we sure hope you will remain involved.
The 2025 Michigan Shooting Dog Champion is English pointer female Faithful, owned by Roger Duerksen and handled by Mike Tracy.

She ran in perfect bird-hunting conditions, with a slight breeze, overcast skies, and temperatures hovering around 45 degrees. Her ground race was superior to all challengers, with a fast and stylish approach. She took in the whole country, including the Big Bottoms and large farm fields, but still handled the part of the course that meanders through woods and creek bottoms. She tallied seven perfect finds that kept the judges high in their saddles. Numerous times, we found her standing with a majestic and lofty style after subsequent casts. Toward the end of the brace, Mike whistled her on in a move to show how much he trusted the sprightly female. She kept rolling and rolling until out of sight. As time was called, Mike called on her, and her response was immediate and decisive as the handler awaited with open arms for the new champion to arrive.

The runner-up is no stranger to the winners' circle. Joe McHugh's pointer female, Miller's Extreme Heat, ran in the first brace with harsh conditions. A northerly wind and a slight drizzle made the going tough, but she maneuvered through the course with ease and communication guided by her handler. Her first find came near the Hires Property, in which her bracemate failed to honor. Heat withstood the temptation and continued on to assemble five productive finds. She pointed all of her birds with intensity and extreme style, and the birds were located well off her nose. Her rapport with handler Tracy was perfect, and the need to be scouted was nil to none.
The judges knew they had set a standard with Extreme Heat in the first brace. Also, Jeff Haggis's Glenmere's Cruiser, which is a young first-year dog, accounted for himself well with eight finds and was mentioned as a dog to be reckoned with in the future.

Unfortunately, no placements were awarded in the Michigan Derby Classic. The field consisted of numerous high-quality dogs, but the standard for which the judges were looking was not met. Several dogs had commendable races, but adequate bird work was missing from the dogs that were around at pick-up time. (Handlers elected to pick their charges up because of a flaw in their bird work.) Judges theorized that the dogs with acceptable races had the opportunity to find birds but went birdless.

Ionia, Mich., April 15
Judges: Robert Ecker and Leroy Long
MICHIGAN OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 43 Pointers and 5 Setters
Winner-FAITHFUL, F1684597, pointer female, by Waybetter Rocky-Steel City Karen. Susan & Roger Duerksen, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.
Runner-Up-MILLER'S EXTREME HEAT, F1685698, pointer female, by Just Irresistible-Miller's Bring The Heat. Joe McHugh, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.

Judges: Joe Guzman and Jeff Haggis
OPEN DERBY CLASSIC - 11 Pointers and 3 Setters
[Placements Withheld]

Joe Guzman retiring secretary

Dog Gallery Wagon. Connie Cipponeri, grandson Killian Husinka, Jim Cipponeri, Ivan Husinka, Tom Winters, Brent Masengale.

Judge Robert Ecker in the middle Brent Masengale and Ron Williams.