04/30/2026
What a weekend!!!! A Clinic, the Jackpot, trailering issues, cancelled sheep……🐑
Honestly, I’m still processing everything!
After months of trying to pull pieces together, dealing with setbacks, scrambling to get fencing done, preparing the farm, wondering if we were biting off more than we could chew… we somehow not only pulled off our first Nordika Stockdog Jackpot, but simultaneously hosted a clinic with the amazing Jordan Markowski from RocknRoll Stockdogs.
Having Jordan Markowski here was incredible. The quality of education over those two days was exceptional. Jordan has a gift for breaking things down in a way that helps people understand not just how to work with their dogs, but how to empower the dog’s mind in the process. And somehow he does that while making you belly laugh, feel deeply inspired, and poke fun at your mistakes in a way that has you laughing while you’re learning.
One of the themes that kept surfacing all weekend was this idea of doing less. Less micromanaging. Less dictatorship. Less over-handling. More trust. Trust in yourself, trust in your dog and trust in the process.
There were moments Jordan would literally have us look at the trees instead of staring holes through our dogs, because the point was to stop overmanaging every step and let the dog do what the dog is meant to do. And funny as it sounds, there was something profound in that. Looking away was really about learning to let go. Maybe that was part of why there was so much laughter too, because there is something humbling and funny about realizing sometimes your dog is doing a beautiful outrun while you are the one getting in the way.
And yes… we also got to watch the famous Ginger find her inner tenacity. If you know, you know. 😉
There was so much practical learning, so much depth around stockmanship, and I know a lot of people left feeling more confident and more clear in how to move forward with their dogs.
Then to roll straight into the jackpot and see people step into the field, have a go, laugh at themselves, support each other, and genuinely enjoy it… that was something. Jordan’s commentary alone had people laughing all day And I’ll be honest, there were a few moments I stood back and had one of those humbling realizations… two years ago this program was just an idea.
Now it has roots.
A strong community.
Not because of me. Because people showed up.
People helped hold it together.
Huge thanks to the entire Nordika crew, our farmily is amazing ♥️.
A special thanks to Gord (the magician behind the cameras!)🎥 and Dana, to Deb, Cassie and Jenny for running cameras, score and time, to everyone who came and cheered from the sidelines, and to my husband for manning a camera and continuing to support my crazy ideas… including the part where I apparently decided building fences in a mad panic right before an event was a reasonable life choice. For allowing me to follow this mad hatter ideas…. To build this”little” working group with a few friends.
And thank you to everyone who put up with my frazzled blur this week while I ran myself ragged trying to get the farm ready. You know who you are. Your support was so appreciated.
Special thanks as well to Kari and Gabby for providing beautiful sheep for the clinic and event, and to Michelle Cridland from Crafted for creating the Champion and Reserve Champion plaques. (They were perfect)
To our winners of the jackpot:
Long-Line Class: Dana Deyell & Toni-Rae Dube
Off Line Class: Drew Charron & Lisa Petterson
And in the middle of all that, we also raised $565 for one of our industry’s top participants heading to the World Sheepdog Trial in September, which meant a lot to me. Because that, to me, is what community looks like too. Not just competing alongside each other, but getting behind each other. While setting the farm back to base line over the last few days, I kept thinking about how much of this sport gets built from the ground up. People see accomplished handlers and polished runs, but all of that starts somewhere. It starts with a young dog on sheep for the first time. A novice handler entering a fun trial. Someone fumbling through a first clinic.
That foundation matters. I’ve always believed the grassroots is what builds the top… and the top, at its best, turns around and inspires the bottom.
It goes both ways. That’s how a culture, community and industries grow. And maybe that’s part of what I care about building here… a place where beginners feel welcome, experienced people are valued, and people can actually see a path forward. I don’t think excellence grows by creating distance. I think it grows when people feel invited into it. When people feel encouraged by the ones ahead of them.
In a small way, this weekend felt like a little bit of that.
So… we’re doing it AGAIN!
Jordan will be back June 5–6 for another clinic, with a Jackpot, June 7, this one will be bigger and better! 😉
Registration opens tomorrow, April 30.
And if this weekend reminded me of anything, it’s that these dogs will meet us in remarkable ways when we give them good opportunities.
Sometimes the lesson is work harder.
Sometimes the lesson is be quieter.
And sometimes… it’s go look at a tree and let your dog do its job. 🌲🐑
