A New Concept In Competition Grooming — The Groomolympics

                                                               Welcome to the first pet grooming competition — The 2016 New England Groomolympics! Are you ready to have some fun? This pet grooming competition is all about embracing the pet trim. The rules are: any breed, any style, with an hour to complete the groom. Participants are not grooming to breed standard so don’t be shy!

This event is the brainchild of Katie Heikkila of KT’s Pet Care from Mason, New Hampshire. She had an idea when watching competitive grooming at a trade show. Katie thought that the everyday pet groomer should be celebrated, recognized, and rewarded.

She pitched this idea to Dara Forleo, owner of The Whole Pet Grooming Academy in Peterborough, New Hampshire, who immediately got on board. The first Groomolympics was born.

To enter:

Groomolympics will be accepting applications from any pet groomer living and working in any New England state. (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island)

The entry fee is $55.00 with $5.00 going to a groomer relief fund for New England groomers.

Entries must include photos of two groomed pets front and side, which will be judged by a panel of three New England groomers. Six contestants will be chosen from each state to move on to semi-finals.

The semi-finals will be a live competition held at The Whole Pet Grooming Academy in which gold, silver, and bronze placements will be awarded.

Semi-final Dates:

Sunday, September 11th: Vermont — 10:00am, New Hampshire — 1:00pm, Maine — 3:00pm.

Sunday, September 18th: Massachusetts — 10:00am, Connecticut —1:00pm, Rhode Island — 3:00pm.

The gold medalist from each state will advance to compete for Best Pet Groomer in New England.

Final Competition: Sunday October 2nd — 1:00pm

Judges:

Initial judging: Andrea Bancroft, Katie Heikkila, and Dara Forleo

Semi-finals: Mary Seymour, Renee Pierre, and Bambi Heywood

Final judging: Ellen Ehrlich

The Best Pet Groomer in New England will be honored on October 15^th at 6:30 pm at a special cocktail party hosted by KT’s Pet Care, The Whole Pet Grooming Academy, and Groomer’s Choice at Sturbridge Conference Center in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

Entries accepted until July 1st, 2016.

Participating in the Olympics is a way to celebrate all the wonderful pet grooming that happens in New England. I’m very excited and honored to be a part of it. This is an opportunity to learn, make friends, be creative, show your skills, and create a new goal in your grooming career. Who knows! Next stop could be a trophy at Groom Expo.

For more information check out the Facebook page New England Groomolympics.

Ellen Ehrlich is a mobile pet stylist who loves to think, talk, read, and write about pet grooming. Next to grooming, Ellen loves to empower, motivate, and inspire other groomers to be their best. Ellen is the author of The Successful Pet Groomer, Go Mobile And Succeed, and 49 Essays On Pet Grooming. For more information go to: www.gomobileandsucceed.com