Judges Bill Cosgrove and Jerry Barrett Monday, November 30, 2009 to conclusion Mayetta Kansas (NE Kansas) General Chair Steve Beyer  FTC Bill Willett FTS Mhari Peschel 2008 National Open Field Champion (NFC) NFC FC AFC English Wildflower "Heather" O:  John and Sue Hall H:  John Hall

Judge Bill Cosgrove It is truly an honor to be invited to judge the 2009 National Championship. It is particularly a pleasure to be traveling back to the heartlands where Springers and pheasants are plentiful. A little about what makes me tic. I live in Southern Ohio. My wife Karen, son Ben, daughters Doreen and Ellie, Daughter in-law Melissa and granddaughters Laney and Gracie are the loves of my life. Growing up as a middle child in a large family I was always surrounded by pets. My father is definitely a hero in my life, but was never the outdoorsy type.  I must have gotten that gene from my mother – God rest her soul. She was the dog lover, and we always knew that when it came to acquiring pets we could convince mom, who would then do our bidding with dad. My older brother and I would sneak off fishing often.  He had one rule about fishing, you never stop until you catch a fish, or you aren’t fishing. Later I developed the same interest in hunting. It was by in large rabbit and squirrels. I can still remember my first Springer at about age 9 or 10. Denise was poisoned by an idiot in the neighborhood, but must have left an indelible mark in my memory.  The first Springer I trained to hunt was a dog name Kinetic Cargo aka Casey. I was talked into field trials and eventually finished his amateur championship. Next was Ivanhoe’s Abigail a really talented dog. Abbey gave us three litters and many memories. Over the years I have had more than my share of nice dogs. Judging coast to coast I have seen the best of the breed, and rubbed elbows with countless legends of our sport. More important, I have befriended some of the finest people you’d ever want to meet. I can only pray and look forward to more of the same.   I give you my word that Jerry and I will find the best of the best in this year’s National Championship!