Increase DACOF Participation / "Unlimited" Class

How Do We Increase Participation at DACOF?

Hello DACOF Members!

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month since our 2025 event! We truly appreciate all the suggestions, feedback, and ideas you’ve shared with us.

Thanks to your input, the Board has thoughtfully reviewed and discussed many of your recommendations. As a result, we’re excited to announce that several of your suggestions will be piloted on a “Test Basis” at our 2026 DACOF event.

Before we dive into discussing possible changes that could facilitate greater participation in DACOF, I believe it’s essential to start by sharing a guiding principle - one passed down to me by the DACOF Founding Fathers, originally voiced by Randy Reed himself:

     “Beware Entitled-itis”

What Randy meant, and what those who mentored me made clear, is this: any changes to DACOF must benefit the organization as a whole - not just a few individuals or specific groups. Even more importantly, changes must preserve the original intent, format, and spirit of the event.

Throughout my tenure as DACOF President, these principles have been the compass by which I, and the DACOF Boards I’ve served with, have evaluated every potential change. And they've served us well.

Another critical factor in considering any change is the technical feasibility. DACOF relies on a highly customized version of Jean Murray’s Trial Genie software, which, while powerful, is not always easy to modify. This means that even when a change is conceptually sound, software limitations must be carefully evaluated.

That said, when we believe a change will have a significant, positive impact on DACOF as a whole, we take the necessary steps to update both our rules and systems - like when we successfully increased the number of Excellent/Master dogs per team from three to four.

What Are Members Asking For?

The most common request we receive - both before and after DACOF 2025 - is to allow more Excellent/Master dogs to participate.

However, here’s the challenge:

• We already allow 33% more Excellent/Master dogs than Novice or Open.

• This causes the Ex/Master classes to run noticeably longer than the other two.

• Ring synchronization, a key feature of DACOF’s format, becomes increasingly difficult to maintain with further imbalance.

Some have proposed eliminating the Novice/Open/Excellent structure entirely and just allowing 10 dogs per team, regardless of competition level.

While that may certainly be “an” event, it would no longer be DACOF as we know it.

Other Notable Suggestions

We’ve also heard multiple thoughtful ideas, including:

• Accommodations for senior dogs - such as allowing dogs to jump two heights lower than their Regular jump height without being required to run FEO.

• Flexibility in roster structure that could make it easier to form teams and encourage broader participation.

Our Responsibility: Preserve and Evolve

The Board has spent considerable time discussing how we might adapt in a way that honors the original DACOF vision, while still evolving to meet the needs and desires of our DACOF community.

We believe we may have found a promising path forward - one that:

• Respects the foundational format of DACOF,

• Could be implemented with only minimal, achievable software changes, and

• Would meaningfully enhance participation and enjoyment for all.

We’re now exploring options to pilot these modifications at DACOF 2026, allowing us to test and evaluate the impact thoughtfully and responsibly.

✨ The “Unlimited Class” Concept

We propose introducing a new “Unlimited” class at DACOF.

·         These teams could be made up of dogs from any competition level.

·         Teams would still follow the traditional 3-3-4 format:

·         3 dogs running on Novice courses

·         3 dogs running on Open courses

·         Up to 4 dogs running on Excellent/Master courses

So, theoretically, a team could consist entirely of ten (10) Ex/Master dogs running across the three levels of courses (Novice, Open & Ex/Master).

Additional Structure:

·         Each organization could field one “Unlimited” team for each “Classic” team  they bring to DACOF.

o   A “Classic Team” would require at a minimum at least two (2) dogs each at the Novice, Open & Ex/Master Levels to qualify to bring an “Unlimited Team.”

o   Organizations could bring up to three Classic teams and three Unlimited teams (six teams total).

·         Unlimited teams would be scored and ranked separately from Classic teams.

·         For scoring purposes, instead of Ex/Master, Open & Novice, we could break out Unlimited entries into divisions like:

o   Unlimited EXM, Unlimited O, Unlimited N

o   (Or possibly use the designations Unlimited A, B, and C instead?)

Bonus for Senior Dogs:

Senior Dogs (aged 7 Years Old as of the DACOF Competition – or with documented medical condition pre-approved by the Board) entered on Unlimited teams could compete in a “Super Preferred” option - up to two jump heights lower than their regular AKC height (if running the Open or Novice Courses). For example, a Senior 24” Ex/Master dog entered on an Unlimited Team could run the Novice (or Open) courses at the 16” jump height as “Super Preferred” in the Unlimited class - for actual scoring, not just FEO - providing a great opportunity for senior dogs to continue participating meaningfully at DACOF.

Additional Accommodations:

·         Roster Requirement Replaced with Intent to Participate:

o   Reduces administrative burden.

o   Organizers would submit a simple declaration of how many Classic and Unlimited teams they plan to enter.

·         Allow One “Out-of-State” Member (with Florida ties) per Team (Classic or Unlimited):

o   Includes former Florida residents, seasonal residents (Snowbirds), or those who regularly trial in Florida.

Additional Benefits:

·         Unlimited Teams bypass the Title Cross-Reference and Competition Level Eligibility requirements and checks.

·         Dogs must still meet the Preferred Jump Height Cut-off Date to run Preferred or Super Preferred on Unlimited Teams.

Possible Disadvantages:

·         Some organizations may prioritize forming Unlimited teams, reducing Classic team participation.

·         Trophy Costs:

o    Trophies are a significant DACOF expense.

o    For 2026, we may limit Unlimited Team awards to the Top 3 Teams only, without individual placement trophies during the pilot phase.

o    If our overall entry numbers increase significantly, ribbons could replace individual trophies during the pilot phase.

Support and Next Steps:

·         We’ve consulted with several of the DACOF Founding Fathers (and Mothers), and they conceptually support this direction.

·         As we continue to refine the Unlimited Class concept and evaluate the necessary software updates, we want to hear from you - our Members.

·         Your feedback is critical. Please let us know what you think!

·         Together, we’ll continue to grow DACOF while preserving the unique, team-focused, Florida event we all cherish.

We welcome continued dialogue and appreciate the heartfelt ideas that so many of you have shared. Your passion is what makes DACOF so special - and together, we’ll ensure it stays that way as we pilot these new concepts and ideas in 2026.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’ve created a video to further explain some of these concepts. Here’s the link for the video: https://youtu.be/kAURxXr9Ogs?feature=shared

Best Regards,

Bill, Kathy, Jen, Erica & Ashley