Bobby Wills wins 2010 SRS Crown Championship Title
By Drake Waterfowl

Bobby Wills, Drake Elite Team member and accomplished dog trainer, won the 2010 Super Retriever Series Crown Championship in Little Rock, AR, on May 23, 2010. Bobby won the prestigious event with a 10-year-old yellow Lab named "Colt" 45 II. To compete in the SRS Crown Championship event, dogs and their trainers must qualify by placing in the top 3 at sanctioned events throughout the year. Bobby was "double qualified" by taking 2nd place at the SRS Classic in Stuttgart, AR, and by winning the Music City HRC qualifier in Nashville, TN, earlier this year. Each qualifying event has upwards of 100 dogs competing for the top spot, so simply qualifying for the Crown Championship is quite a feat.


Bobby Wills shoots to simulate a downed bird for his dog

The SRS Crown Championship event is made up of five rounds. The entire field runs four qualifying rounds and the four dogs with the lowest cumulative scores advance to the fifth and final championship round. The SRS competitions judge the team (a team consists of one dog plus one handler) to handle realistic hunting scenarios, marking and memory skills, manners on the line or in a blind, and the handler's overall control of the dog. The SRS hunting scenarios can include waterfowl decoys, blinds, boats, and guns just like you would expect to find on a real hunt.

2010 SRS Crown Championship winners Bobby Wills and Colt

Bobby didn't just win the event -- he dominated by handling two of the final four dogs in the Crown Championship event. Bobby worked with Colt, the winner of the event, as well as Outlaw Texas "Red", who finished 4th.

Bobby owns Lone Oak East Kennels in Greenfield, TN. Colt is co-owned by Paul Wilson of Atwood, TN, and Tommy Smith of Henderson, TN. Red is owned by Jamey Tankersley of Bells, TN. Each of these dogs have trained extensively with Bobby Wills to be consistent contenders in SRS events. Bobby and Colt's win at the Crown Championship locked up the SRS Team Of The Year Award, a points-based award given to the most consistent team throughout the season. The 2010 Crown Championship win also means that Bobby and Colt are automatically qualified for the 2011 SRS Crown Championship event.