The Humans of K9K
Briana Baldino
Briana got started in flyball at the end of 2015 because a random guy at the park mentioned her cattle dog mix, Merlin, looked like he would be a good flyball dog: “I looked into the local team—Friday nights and the cost worked with my grad school budget.” Merlin made his debut at a K9K tournament in 2017 and shortly after Briana added Muse, a sport mix, to her family. Her latest additions are Väsen and Coven.
Her favorite thing about flyball is how happy it makes “the ferals” and seeing their passion as they give it everything they’ve got: “Nothing beats the happy, slimy smiles walking out of the lanes.”
Outside of flyball, she and her dogs compete in agility and have been dabbling in disc toss and fetch with a local league. Briana works as a physical therapist.
Mathias & Amy Bergmann
Mathias and Amy discovered flyball after seeing a tournament in Ashland (not knowing at the time that it was a K9K tournament!). In 2017, they reached out to the team and then began training their dog Maddy for flyball. With Maddy off and running, in April 2021 they adopted Minnie to add a second flyball dog. What they most like about flyball is seeing the spoiled pups and all the swag (color-coordinated harnesses, wraps, tugs, etc.).
Since 2019, the Bergmann dogs have also participated in dock diving, FastCAT, and disc sports like Toss & Fetch and UpDog. The family also enjoys Richmond neighborhood hikes and James River walks. To pay for dog sporting adventures, Mathias and Amy work in higher education
Ashley Castro
Jess Deutsch
Jess started playing flyball in 2007 when she was 6 years old. She started training her rescue dog Kit when she was a puppy. They learned the game together. She loved talking to people about their dogs. She fell in love with border collies, so when it was time to get a 2nd flyball dog there was no doubt it was going to be a border collie. She got Blast in July of 2013. Jess and Blast have a remarkable bond and without a doubt Blast is her heart dog. Blast and Jess have played flyball in 14 states and in Canada! Blast and Jess also compete in frisbee events.
Ashton Norris
Jacob Patrick
In 2019, Jacob went to a Julie Jenkins flyball bootcamp as a helper and fell in love with the sport. He got his first Border Collie, Clover, shortly after so that he could play someday. He added Mothman to his pack in 2021 and enjoys playing UpDog with both. When not competing or playing with his dogs, he enjoys entertaining his cats, knitting, and photography. Jacob works as a communications director.
Bill Pownall
Bill has been casually participating in flyball since 2008, and began competing more seriously after getting his own dog, Shine, in 2009. Bill’s favorite thing about flyball is the camaraderie, both with his own teammates and with members of other teams in and out of our region: “You go into a tournament thinking you know what to expect but there always seems to be a hiccup along the way. When that happens there is always someone, or several someone's, to help. Everything seems to somehow work out in the end and you learn. In the evenings, there is plenty of time to socialize with teammates and members of other teams.”
Bill works as a consulting forester with Forest Resources Management, which allows Shine to tag along many days and run through the woods all day while Bill is working. Outside of flyball, he enjoys spending time with his family and following the NC State Wolfpack.
Mark Pownall
Mark’s Flyball career began when he was a young teenager. As a junior handler, Mark learned all aspects of the game and became a top trainer with a keen eye. Mark’s first Flyball dog was Spark, a BC X Aussie rescue with enthusiasm to spare. They were a great team and fun to watch in the lanes. Then came Match, a Quicksilver BRat (Border Collie X Rat Terrier). Mark and Match are the perfect pair and excelled in Flyball and Agility.
Now pursuing a PhD in genetics at Yale University, Mark lives in Connecticut with his cat, Hallway, and joins the team for tournaments whenever he can to run Match and help the team.
Outside of Flyball, Mark enjoys climbing, hiking, spending time with friends.
Teresa Pownall
Teresa started playing flyball many years ago with her spirited, no-regrets, fun-loving lab Abby. While training in obedience, a classmate who was a member of K9K suggested they give flyball a try, and they were hooked right away. Abby was the perfect “first” flyball dog. Teresa currently runs two Quicksilver Sport Mixes, Fizz, and Cabo.
Teresa’s favorite thing about flyball is the supportive flyball community: “In Region 9, people look for ways to support each other. It seems there is always someone nearby to lend a hand, just when you need it. And after a day of racing, there’s nothing better than hanging with flyball friends from around the region.”
Outside of flyball, Teresa enjoys hiking with her dogs and training with them in agility. When not doing “dog stuff,” Teresa works in the human resources field and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Linda (& Jim) Samuel
Linda started playing flyball in 2010. She was looking for something fun to do with her pup Juno and saw flyball on a local website. For Linda, meeting and seeing all of the dogs and learning about dogs is one of the best aspects of flyball—and, of course, hanging out with team members and other flyball teams.
Flyball is great but no sport, dog or human, tops baseball in Linda’s heart. Runner-up activities include boating with her husband Jim, watching more baseball, cooking, reading, walking, and cycling.
Benjamin Sykes
Jill Seamster
Jill got interested in Flyball after talking with Watson's breeder. She decided to give the sport a try by attending K9K practice and hasn't looked back since. "I think I am most impressed with how everyone works together to make sure all team members are successful even if they are not currently running a dog in competition. " Jill is currently running Levy and continues to work on Watson’s flyball skills. Other dog sports Jill has participated in are Agility and Rally obedience.
Jill recently retired from Prince William County Schools where she was Instructional Technologist. She now teaches yoga once a week for Stafford House of Yoga. Besides dog sports Jill also enjoys hiking, kayaking, biking, and golf. She lives with her patient husband, five dogs, and cats. "Life doesn't get any better than this."
Tracy Sklenar
Tracy got hooked on flyball in 2019 thanks to Nacho’s savant-like aptitude for it. Nacho passed his wisdom along to Hot Sauce (mixy mix), Contraband (BorderWhippet), and Raman. When she’s not flyballing, Tracy can be found teaching & competing in agility!
Mary-Ellen Stokes
Mary started playing flyball in 2012 after being introduced to it in college. She is owned by Rally (a rescued border collie), Petzl (an Australian cattle dog), Ever Jean, and Ginkgo. Her favorite aspects of flyball include: “Snacks. Wine. Tent camping with my teammates. Watching fellow flyball dog/human teams grow.”
In addition to flyball, Mary and her dogs participate in disc and dabble in agility and dock diving. Mary is an ISA certified arborist in Richmond. In her spare time, she loves to explore the vineyard behind her house. She also enjoys cooking, reading books, and competitive tree-climbing.
Elizabeth Woodhouse
K9K Founders and Friends
Michele Banalett
Coming soon…
Sue & Ken Breeden
Brenna Dunn
Brenna has been playing flyball since she was eleven. After graduating from the Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill in 2019, she is devoting a gap year to working in Yellowstone National Park before going off to college in Montana. Brenna had trained her black lab, Wilson, to play flyball but he decided flyball was not for him. As a result, Brenna became the go-to designated runner for teammates outnumbered by their dogs. Until she left for Yellowstone in June 2019, Brenna was often the handler for Flare Brown and the “ghost whisperer” for Radar at tournaments. The thing that Brenna likes most about flyball is spending time with the dogs and her teammates. In addition to flyball, Brenna enjoys agility, hiking, and road trips with Wilson.
Trisha Ferris
Trish is the owner of Studio1, a graphic art studio. She started flyball in 2011 with her Aussie, Bella, as a way to keep her hyper pup exercised through the winter months. With no intention to join a team, she was eventually sucked into the sport. In 2013, Trish acquired Tucker, a miniature Aussie. Trish enjoys drawing, piddling around on her many stringed instruments, running, hiking, camping, swimming, biking, kayaking, playing frisbee with her pups, and hanging out with friends and family.
Amy Hendrickson
Amy joined the flyball world in 2011 when her dog, Jack, was having problems with weave poles and needed a change. Amy loves how flyball is something that brings joy: “It's about the teamwork with the dog and the challenge of just playing and getting them to do their best. I loved playing with Jack because he just had the most joy with his two favorite things, balls and tugs.”
Amy’s non-dog hobbies include home remodeling, gardening, chicken watching, and reptile husbandry. To support her dog habit she works in radiology at a local hospital in Richmond, VA.
John Nelson