Thomas Plamboeck, DK
Thomas runs dogs for his wife, Iben, who owns Kennel Batmoors. Thomas has been training and handling dogs for the last 20 years.
Thomas has made up 3 Danish Field Trial Champions; Hillus Powell and Broadlaw Ebony. Made up Hillus Powell a Danish Workingtest champion. And latest made Astraglen Bailey into Danish Field Trial Champion.
He won the Danish Field trial championship in 2012 and 2014, and has on 7 other occasions been placed with 4 different dogs. Thomas won the Nordic Field Trial championship with Hillus Powell, and the couple was placed 3rd at the European Cup.
Thomas has been placed in field trials with several other dogs.
Thomas is an international Field Trial Judge under the FCI, and besides judging in Denmark, Thomas has judged in Sweden, Finland, England, Italy, France etc.
Dirk Volders, BE
We are lucky that 4 competent and experienced judges have agreed to come and judge NC23, we will introduce them all over the next few days.
“Before saying a word of myself, I first want to thank the Danish Retriever Klub to invite me as one of the judges for judging the biggest event in Scandinavia for retrievers. The Nordic Championship is the event were everyone wants to take part in the north and of course also wants to win. I’m very honored with this invitation !
I bought my first dog in 1991, a golden retriever, just to have a pet dog.
A year later I met a person by coincidence, who went hunting with his Labradors.
That was the start of what it is now, a passion.
In the nineties I had 3 goldens which I took with me for picking-up. Then I bought my first Labrador dog in 2001 by the Goodwood Kennel.
With my first Labrador dog, Goodwood Zenith, I had a few victories on workingtests and Field Trials.
The real rapids in handling of Labradors came with B & Int. FT. Ch. Enjoy des Quatre Cyprès. Enjoy gave me all a retriever can give his handler. Very nice dog who won many Field Trials in Belgium and abroad. He was also the reason that my next dogs should be out of Enjoy.
His daughter, Jane des Ormeaux de Villebeton and his son Fendawood Huntsman “Hunter” I both also made them up to Belgian & International Field Trial Champion.
The next challenge should have been his grandson Jersey Girls Young Blood, try to bring him to a high level. But a personal decision stopped these plans.
The highlights which I have reached with my dogs are the victories with the Belgium team on the Coupe d’Europe in Denmark 2009 and in France 2011, and winning 2 times the ICC (the previous EC) with Enjoy in Germany in 2010 and with Jane in Denmark in 2018.
Beside the successes with my dogs. For me is having pleasure and joy with them even more important. On training, picking-up, in competition, but of course also at home ….
Since 2012 I’m an official FCI judge, and judged already many times Working Tests, Mock Trials and Field Trials in Europe.
Looking forward to see everybody and I wish all participants a lot of success and hope they all enjoying these two days.
Keep the sportsmanship high!!
Kurt Becksteiner, AU
Hello, my name is Kurt Becksteiner. I have been handling retrievers, Goldens and Labradors, for about 25 years now. I am a passionate participant at retriever events at home and abroad. I have been representing Austria several times at the Coup d’Europe, ICC, ECC, Skinners World Cup, IWT and the CLA Game Fair .
My personal highlight was the qualification for and participation at the British Retriever Championship with Int. FTCH Bell Oktave Apollo (my own breed Golden) as the first participant from Continental Europe.
Up to now I could make up five of my dogs to International Field Trial Champions (two Goldens and three Labradors), three Austrian-, two Italian- and one Hungarian Filed Trial Champion.
With Int. FTCH & AUT FTCH Doubleuse Helagsmountain „Vicky“ (Golden) I was the second best dog at the Skinners 2011. He was also the top Golden at the CLA and we won the European Challenge with the Austrian team 2013.
Int. FTCH & AUT FTCH Denbank Kirky „Scott“ (Labrador) was the Top Dog at the Skinners Event in 2016.
As a team, we have been three times 3rd and two times 2nd at the Skinners World Cup.
The last three years my wife Angela and myself were busy with bulilding our Purefield Kennel (Breeding, Training and Resort), luckily we could finish our resort in the beginning of September just before the trialing season (www.purefield-gundogs.com)
At the moment we have seven dogs (one retired, one open, two novice and three youngsters).
My heart is definitely in dogs. I really enjoy to watch good dog work and I love to train and to compete as well.
I wish all competitors that their dog is able to shine!
Wayne Mitchell, GB
Presentation of one more of the Judges at NC23 – Wayne Mitchell.
Wayne has been handling and training gundogs since 2000 and has sent six different dogs to the International Gundog League Championship, including three Field Trial Champions.
He is an A panel retriever judge under the British Kennel Club and has judged numerous Novice, All Aged and Open field trials as well as Working Tests in Great Britain and in Europe.
He has bred gundogs under the Affix ‘Labdom’ and has sold Labdom dogs around the world. He has competed in field trials and trained gundogs for others who have competed in field trials themselves and also for guns either as peg dogs or as part of a picking up team. He carries out gundog training lessons on an individual or a group basis.
He is delighted and honoured to have been asked to judge for you and very much looks forward to a wonderful weekend.