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c economist suntribune sports thursday sept 26 2002 17 parents learn steps to help children from page 16 prompted a huge surge of inter est in the centuriesold art form which includes reels jigs and ceili dancing according to yvonne kellygunovski who with partner joanne vanderloo runs the irish dance studio on bayview avenue in newmarket close to 300 students pass through the studio every year for lessons both recreational and competitive twotime canadian champi on brandi campbell 17 of holland landing is a student and this year the studio is send ing 45 dancers to the canadian feis nov 8 to 10 in niagara falls a lot of laughing goes on in those classes some of its frustration but most are there to have a good time and they do staff photosjoerd witteveen staff writer kathleen griffin learns irish dancing with the help of yvonne kellygunovski and emily alexander 14 at the irish dance studio in newmarket but for me the lesson was definitely recreational i learned the skip skip two three hop and the sevens during which you travel across the floor side ways then threestep backward twice i felt i could really get the hang of it until i realized we were dancing to the music at halftime ok lets try it now ms kelly- gunovski said as the music sped up and the steps had to be done twice as fast there is no such thing as the word cant here well maybe not but i dont think i completed a sevens cor rectly even once the threestep was a tad bet ter and i found it easier to listen to the music and rely on my sense of rhythm rather than con centrate too hard on what my traitorous feet were doing once i relaxed a bit it seemed to come a little easier i didnt wipe out classes arent all geared to children the irish dance studio runs at least one adult class of about 16 people each year we dont schedule them until october until we see what the numbers are ms kelly- gunovski said some students are parents who want to learn more so they can help their kids but many are people who have seen it and just want to try it a lot of laughing goes on in those classes added ms vanderloo some of its frustration but most are there to have a good time and they do classes run september to june a halfhour a week for 300 and an hour a week for 410 at the beginners level for more information call the irish dance studio at 19058980061 been there done that is a regular fea ture that follows the exploits of staff as they try to keep up with experts in a variety of sports and recreational activities any age can compete in trials from page 16 pace theres a lot of strategy involved you have to know your dog ms maclachlan said she and boomer train at least once a week for one hour with sue miller a renowned agility judge and competitor in uxbridge as well the pair prac tises daily in ms maclachlans back yard with jumps and weave poles i try to be as creative as pos sible with what equipment i have available she said mr boudreault and spirit who finished fourth in jumpers at the nationals in the 22inch class practise yearround during winter they go to an indoor facility in pickering when i did it for the first time i enjoyed it its a fabulous sport its addictive you get hooked on it and the dog that i tried to build confidence in became very outgoing said mr boudreault of his initiation to agility trials five years ago i came to the sport while looking for something fun to do with my highenergy dogs said ballantrae resident arlene jlejtjmarjuwhp cqmpqs with biba a giant schnauzer the only one of her breed in canada to attain her agility trial champion title and tommy a miniature schnauzer i love the challenge of the sport physically and mentally i love the outdoor aspect and the fact that while at a trial i usually get to go for at least one hike and a swim with my dogs which they so obviously enjoy i see these competitions growing huge by leaps and bounds the more publicity it gets the bigger itll be agility competitions keep dogs busy and it makes them better dogs said carole leclerc of aurora who competes with a twoyearold fox terrier mr boudreault likes agility trials because handlers of all ages can participate with varying degrees of competitiveness you can make it as competi tive as you want to make it and it can be done by youngsters too ilswric f f f r r r r r during competitions which generally take place from march to october ms lehmann said handlers offer each other encouragement as a group we cheer for each other and rejoice in each title earned it requires a great deal of manpower to put on a trial including course building scribes timers bar and chute setters leash runner and com puter tabulations so as every body helps out there is a spirit of agility which was chosen as the slogan of this years nationals while the sport doesnt yet offer lucrative financial rewards mr boudreault feels agility trials have plenty of room to flourish offering encouragement is the aac which was founded in 1988 and currently has more than 4500 dogs registered to compete at its trials across canada i see these competitions growing huge by leaps and bounds the more publicity it gets the bigger itll be every year theres at least a good dozen new people who try agility competi tions mr boudreault said for more information visit the aac websitealwiwdacca- rperrjaa a tfils mssst ftbogls a yew asa wmrrbn sifrs masciilar dystrophy assreialten of cinasa 1 800 567cure until theres acgre us s hugh piano sale metro east trade centre pickering september 2629 2002 new used pianos digitals financing available for information 18002817172