2026 AKC Nationals to California
Sarah here! Last week’s rumor is this week’s news—just yesterday, AKC announced that the 2026 AKC National Agility Championship is heading west! The event will be held March 18-22, 2026 at Galway Downs in Temecula, California, located roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. In a surprising twist, the event will also be held outdoors—a significant departure from recent AKC norms. I won’t say AKC Nationals has never been held outdoors, but I don’t think it’s happened in the past 15 years.
Podcast: Post NAC Wrap-Up with Abbey Beasley
In this week’s podcast, we recap the 2025 AKC National Agility Championship with Jennifer Crank, who took the win in the 16″ class, and welcome Abbey Beasley—winner of the 12″ class and making her first appearance on the show. We talk through how Jennifer and Abbey approached the Finals, the differences between the prelim and Finals course designs, and the ongoing issue with AKC.tv’s camera angles being zoomed in too closely—making it difficult for viewers to follow the runs. Reply to this email if you have comments about the Finals coverage by ESPN! Click here to listen to the podcast: https://baddogagility.com/episode-362-post-nac-wrap-up-with-abbey-beasley/
ISC Championship Announced
Another long-awaited event announcement dropped this week—AKC is bringing back its newest championship event, the International Sweepstakes Championship. It’ll be held October 25–26 at Ag Expo Park in Franklin, Tennessee. Don’t forget, this event awards a true championship title—the kind that goes before your dog’s name. Want to learn more? Check out our podcast from the inaugural event:
https://baddogagility.com/episode-351-the-inaugural-akc-isc-championship/
Junior AWC Team
Congratulations to the juniors who will represent the American Kennel Club and Team USA at the 2025 Junior Open Agility World Championship (JOAWC), taking place July 9–13, 2025, at Estadio de Abrantes in Portugal!
The JOAWC is an agility competition officially recognized by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale). Individual competition is divided into four dog size categories—Small, Medium, Intermediate, and Large—and three handler age categories:
- U12 – born in 2014 or later
- U15 – born between 2011 and 2013
- U19 – born between 2007 and 2010
This year’s AKC Junior Agility Team USA features:
- 1 handler in the U12 category
- 6 handlers in U15
- 18 handlers in U19
Team Roster
Small
- Ava Rawlings & Aksel (Miniature Schnauzer) – Minnesota
- Hayden Brown & Onyx (Shetland Sheepdog) – Kansas
- Hayden Brown & Stash (Shetland Sheepdog) – Kansas
- Katie Williamson & Butter (All-American) – Louisiana
- Rowen Lyon & Fizz (Parson Russell Terrier) – Georgia
- Sadie Beale & Gem (Working Cocker Spaniel) – Michigan
- Sarah Ford & Denali (Miniature American Shepherd) – Kentucky
- Sarah Ford & Hazel (Miniature American Shepherd) – Kentucky
Medium
- Abigail LaSpina & Sky (Shetland Sheepdog) – New York
- Ari Beaudoin & Dodge (Mudi) – Idaho
- Cristiana Crespo & Zelda (Border Collie) – Florida
- Evelyn Lively & Skye (Nederlandse Kooikerhondje) – North Carolina
- Lauren Ecker & Scout (All-American) – Illinois
Intermediate
- Baylee Bales & Rey (Border Collie) – Virginia
- Chloe Bales & Nova (Border Collie) – Virginia
- Kaitlyn Dill & Adios (Shetland Sheepdog) – Colorado
- Katie Williamson & Bungee (Border Collie) – Louisiana
- Rowen Lyon & Nori (Border Collie) – Georgia
Large
- Addison Connolly & Cooper (Border Collie) – Wisconsin
- Alexis Brammer & Zen (Australian Shepherd) – Alabama
- Anabel Kubacz & Molly (All-American) – South Carolina
- Grace Anderson & Lane (Border Collie) – Illinois
- Keslyn Kampschroeder & Khloe (All-American) – Texas
- Madison Capella & Ali (Standard Poodle) – Maine
- Sadie Beale & Zest (Border Collie) – Michigan
- Tessa Trusner & Lina (All-American) – Texas
Reserves:
- Eliana Kubacz & Eliza (All-American) – South Carolina
- Ava Fischer & Pax (Australian Shepherd) – Washington
- Maya Fuqua & Chief (Golden Retriever) – New Mexico
Unlike the adult AWC team, these juniors are not sponsored and must fund their own trip. You can support the team by donating here: paypal.me/agilityjuniors
Purina Farms Tornado Damage Update
Repairs are ongoing at the Purina Farms facility. While RV accommodations may be impacted, the facility has confirmed—via Team USA coach John Nys—that they’ll be ready to host tryouts on April 26–28. Good luck to everyone trying out for the team!
Let me know what you think and send any comments or questions to team@baddogagility.com.
Happy Training,
