08/23/2026
Samantha Grafton Melanie GraftonTracy Janzen CheneyDarlene Dzioba Debbie Ogden Daphne Tryhuk
First of all, I want to take a moment to thank all of our NRG members and my team for all the hard work you put in this weekend. From setting everything up, keeping things running and busy all weekend, to taking everything down at the end — guys, it’s not easy. It’s physically demanding, it’s a lot of work, and I truly appreciate every one of you.
Debbie doesn’t even have a dog running, but she sat at the table all weekend. Phil doesn’t run a dog either, but he came in Sunday, box loaded, and then helped with cleanup. Trevor wasn’t running a dog and had a bum knee, yet he box loaded for two teams on Saturday and another team on Sunday. Ted doesn’t run a dog but came out to help with Daphne on Friday. Also Thankful to Melanie and Trent for helping all weekend long. And my partner in crime George. That says a lot about the kind of people we have on this team.
This tournament simply wouldn’t happen without all of you. I truly, truly appreciate everything you do, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving your time, your energy, and your effort to make it all happen.
And, of course, the dogs were amazing too!
Aengus ran awesome on Saturday. Today didn’t quite go our way, but that just gives us something to work on. Kenna did great on the lanes as the 7th dog, and now we have a better idea of where she’s at. Dixie did great — she ran part-time Saturday and then full-time today. Autumn did great as well, taking one break yesterday and running full-time today.
All of the dogs did a great job. It’s a lot for them too, especially with the heat, and as some of our dogs are getting older, we have to be mindful of that.
And I was very happy how well my own dogs did this weekend-Link and Jerzy.❤️
Overall, it was a great weekend, and I’m so proud of our team and our dogs. Thank you all so much. ❤️