Eric Fangsrud sends Ritz on a cast during the seeding round of the Super Retriever Series.

MISSOULA, MT. — There is a reason Montana is called the Big Sky State. Native Indians recognized long ago there are places in this state where you can sit and gaze at a whole lot of sky and just a sliver of land.

Retriever/handler teams in the Super Retriever Series competition immediately understood the imagery during the seeding rounds of the event that begins Friday, Oct. 11, at the Western Montana Retriever Club.

"There's just a lot of room out there and it really messes with your depth perception," said Eric Fangsrud of Ronan, Mt.

Fangsrud and his black Labrador, Ritz, figure to be the favorites in the event that will give the top qualifiers coveted spots in the 2003 ESPN Great Outdoor Games. The competition will be between 17 retriever/handler teams, some of which have traveled from as far away as Virginia, Tennessee and British Columbia, Canada.

Even though Fangsrud and Ritz live nearby, the wide-open spaces of Montana still throw them the occasional curve. The latest was during Thursday's seeding round, where retrievers were sent on long marks through rolling hills of tall sage grass. The grass, standing well over many of the retrievers backs, combined with a swirling wind, created problems for the majority of the field.

"It's always a tough deal when the dog doesn't see the bird completely to the ground," Fangsrud said. "They don't get a good mark, and in this open area, it can look like it fell right in front of you or a mile away, when it's actually somewhere in between."

According to most of the handers, though, the difficulty didn't matter much. The test, of three marks and a blind retrieve, was used to seed the dogs in the competition, with the highest-scoring retriever getting to take the test last during the competition.

"Today isn't about how well you do," said Jack Jagoda of Goldvein, VA, who is handling his yellow Labrador, Elvis, in the event. "It's about seeing where you are in the relationship with your dog, helping him build confidence. I don't want to be the top dog going into tomorrow, I'm just wanting to make the cut and on the final day I want to be the top dog."

The field of retriever/handler teams will be cut after Friday's round to 12, then to six teams on Saturday, with the final six competing on Sunday.

Although some of the handlers downplayed the seeding round on Thursday, the results proved otherwise. The purpose of the seeding round is to see who goes first with the highest scoring dogs going last.

	Elvis, handled by Jack Jagoda of Goldvein, Va. retrieves a dummy during the opening round of competition in Missoula, Mont.

"If you're just trying to make the cut it might not seem important," said Justin Tackett, organizer of the event. "But it can make a huge difference. After several marks a scent trail begins to get laid down where the birds fall and the dogs make their return from the retrieve. A savvy dog can really make that pay off."

The proof came in the order of the seeding. The top two dogs — Ninja, handled by Armand Fangsrud and Titan, handled by John Terrisono — were the last two dogs to complete Thursday's test.

"I think it helps to go last," Armand Fangsrud said. "A lot of things changed during the course of the test. The light got better and there was more scent. But I've seen it be a handicap as well. It just depends on what changes during the day."

There could be big changes during Friday's round. Weather forecasts for the region call for scattered thundershowers and shifting winds.

"We'll just have to see how it plays out," Fangsrud said.

The only constants in the competition will be the test the teams have to complete. And for many of these dogs the difficulty of it might be more of a factor than the weather.

The test will include three marks and a blind retrieve. For the most part the marks will be simple, but as with many of the retrieves in the Super Retriever Series, there will be a twist.

The first mark will land approximately 250 yards away over rolling terrain and through shallow ponds. The next will plop down about 85 yards in front. And the third is a screamer, or breaking bird that whizzes right in front of the retriever, skips across the ground and lands within a hop, skip and a jump from the dog.

"I guarantee you we will lose at least five dogs on that mark," Tackett said.

The bird is set up to test the dog's control, and insure it doesn't break to retrieve before being sent. If a dog breaks, it is immediately disqualified.

"That will be something that really sets this test apart for many of these guys," Tackett said. "They aren't used to seeing something like that, and they'd better have good control of their retriever or it's over."

The retrievers that make it past that first mark will be judged on their marking abilities to the final two marks and their handling to the blind retrieve.

Three judges score the teams with points given for each whistle blown, and major points given for infractions like hunting out of the area, refusing a whistle command, running off line and wandering.

The retriever/handler team with the fewest points at the end of the test is the top dog. The top 12 will advance.