Jam Camp 60% to the Tipping Point

What I am thinking…

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For the last couple weeks I’ve been trying to put together a Training Tour stop in Los Angeles California.

There is this really cool freestyle disc camp out there called Jam Camp. Jam Camp is a two day seminar featuring some of the world’s best human freestyle jammers as instructors. There has been a strong Disc Dog contingent that have been going to this camp, so it only makes sense to bring in one of the world’s best disc dog instructors, right?

A little over a month ago I hooked up with a couple guys in Cali to organize a seminar, but they were unable to wrangle their packs into committing to the event. So I tried a different tack.

There is this really cool site – The Point . It’s designed to support social causes and events. For events, it allows an organizer to set up a campaign that has a tipping point, in my case, a dollar amount that is required to get me out to California. The site charges $1 to commit $x dollars to a cause or an event, the balance of which is charged to the event participants cards if, and only if, the campaign reaches it’s goal, in my case $750.

Personal Lessons are $75/hour, which means that I need 10 people to sign up. They submit their payment information, are charged $1 for doing so, and when 10 people sign up, they are charged the balance of $74. If there is not enough interest, there are no charges and the campaign is cancelled and I no get to go to LA.

This solves a major problem that I have had with the Training Tour. How do I schedule on the fly and commit to events?

We are cash poor dog trainers and don’t have the funds to front major travel and to fall back on if an event doesn’t pan out or is cancelled. When money comes in for training, we have to pay for top of the line food and vet care for our 11 dogs, propane for a drafty old farmhouse (cha-ching!), and the other costs of living that everyone else has to endure in this tight economy. Oh, and we live in Michigan. So when money comes in, it needs to go out.

Needless to say, this makes it a little hard to schedule events on the fly and make things happen. The Point has really simplified this and should provide all of us, Pawsitive Vybe and seminar participants and hosts, the flexibility to make this Training Tour happen. Without the point, we’d be hard pressed to manage our budget which is stretched tight as a drum.

So, I created this campaign on The Point a couple days ago and we’re already 60% of the way there. I’m really stoked!

Then, the other day, I get this unbelievable testimonial in my inbox from Todd Murnan – 2009 AWI World Champion Todd Murnan of Big Air Bella Fame –

Hey Everyone,
I’m signing up for the Ron Watson clinic and would highly recommend it to everyone in the club and anyone else who is interested in the sport. I can tell you from first hand experience that Ron is the best throw coach in the sport! He worked with me in Napperville for a few minutes and taught me how to do an air bounce that I have been struggling with for a year. He looked at my mechanics of how I was throwing and made two minor adjustments and bam the throw was finally in my reality.
Ron has a ton of experience and can offer a huge amount of knowledge. I feel that if we can rally and get him out here it would be so worth it to all of us that attend. I WILL BE THERE!!!! Knowing I’m going to take away a lot of good stuff to improve our game.
Here are a few things I know about Ron that you all need to consider…
He spent a month with Preston Dean and look how many cool throws Preston now has in his bag of tricks!
Lawrence Frederick said Ron is the best teacher for learning disc throws. Why not learn from the best..
His resume is long and thick with disc dog wins
He is a great trainer and communicates very well
He will show you throws you have never seen anyone else pull off.
It will be geared towards making you and your dog a better team. Not just you a better thrower.
So I really hope we can get him out here. If you are looking for more ways to have fun in the sport and improve your game skills this would be one event you would want to attend!!
Todd

Is that not the coolest?

NowThe Now Phase is an integral part of the Play Cycle in the Play+ training philosophy. It embodies the current, immediate interaction between the handler and the dog, anchoring them in the present... More I won’t lie to you, Todd and I have chatted online and we hooked up at a contest jammed a bit and I consider him a friend of mine, but that really made me feel great to get an endorsement like that from him. It also gave me a ton of confidence in charging forward on this Training Tour.

Not only will I get the opportunity to work with Todd and Bella, but there are also a couple of other world class teams that I’ll be able to get my mad scientist’s hands on out there as well.

I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am about this trip. I get to work with unbelieveable disc dog talent and teach with and learn from some of the world’s best human freestyle players? Are you kidding me!?

Oh yea… California in the middle of winter… lol…

So the momentum is building.

Can’t wait to see you all out there!

This event will be posted to the Tour Events Page as soon as the campaign tips.

If you have any questions or comments, fire them off below! I’d love to talk with ya!

Peace,

Ron

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