I reflect on Chinquapin
After twenty-seven Florida Championships
Reported there
From 1995 through 2022
A piece of earth crafted
From lime-rock and sand
Covered in wire grass
Jack oaks and sparse pines
Sculpted uneven by The Master
With an all-age bird dog in mind
Its courses laid out in 1969
By Fred Arant nickname Goochy
Since then it has served
As a place to hunt quail
And for a week each winter
As a stage for great trial dogs
They come here
With handlers and owners
To compete on the courses
Be judged on their races and bird finding prowess
They create dramas
Dramas as tense as any on Broadway
Or the silver screen
The best are our heroes
Dramas worthy of the labor
Put into their training
But in truth coming
More from their breeding
For they are descended from Champions
Back more than a century
Their sires and dams royalty
As devotees know
For a hunter or trialer
A great dog hunting or trialing is unforgettable
Loved in life
Remembered forever
And on Chinquapin
Such memories are forged for trialers
Each second week of January
And for the Bakers and their guests each other week of quail season