posted 5.29.08
Wrangler Division State Finalists: if you see this in time, please bring an action photo with you to Gonzales to be used in part of the decorations.
posted 5.28.08
Wrangler Division State Finalists: if your final grades will not be complete in time for Gonzales, then you may use your 5th six weeks report card or a progress report for the middle of the 6th six weeks.
Here is a copy of the information letter that was in the Tri-State Finals packets. There are probably a few parents and some of the club sponsors who haven't seen one yet.
Club sponsors: don't forget to pack your club's flag for the grand entry next week.
I am mailing a letter to finalists today with a few reminders before you get to Vernon. One thing that I didn't know before I made the copies though, is that Region 1 State Finalists will have grand entry practice while we are in Vernon. Times will be posted at check in.
I will be leaving at noon Friday for my family reunion this weekend but will be back in the office on Monday.
Have a great weekend,
posted 5.22.08
Check out your respective News pages for information on how your points carry into the finals, voting for event directors at Abilene and Gonzales and paperwork needed on your horses at these events.
posted 5.19.08
I am back from my third (and last) East Texas rodeo in three months. I am usually pretty confident in my ability to get to most of my pro rodeos without needing a map -- but East Texas is a whole new ball game. They have trees out there - I think you call them forests when there are that many - that block any type of landmark you may be looking for to know when to take an exit. They are beautiful and I love to look at them but if you can't see the sun and you don't have a compass in your vehicle, it is easy to lose your sense of direction. It is great to be back on the High Plains where you can see for miles and miles! I get to head west this summer for some different scenery.
Current & Future Bareback Riders
Here is an e-mail I received today with information about a bareback riding school. I spoke with Dan this afternoon and they will likely take students that are older than 16. Just give him a call if you have any questions.
The Camp of Champions is coming up in Sayre, OK May 29 to 31, 2008. Currently there are no entries in the Bare Back riding. It is being taught by Ryan Gray who is not only a great Bare Back Rider, who has been to the NFR, but also a great Christian man. Other instructors that will be at the camp to speak into the lives of the campers are Cody Custer, Royd Doyal, Lee Akin, Stran Smith, Charlie Kingsbury, Allen Bach and many others. The age group for the camp is 12 to 16 in the Bare Back. The cost of the camp which includes, room, board, instruction is only $200.00. For more information you can call the church at 580-928-2345, or check the web site at www.justasyouare.com
God bless,
Dan Stiles
Technical Difficulties
As great as technology is, there are just some days when it doesn't cooperate. Due to some technical difficulties, Haley Garrison's article for the May 2008 issue of the Extreme Team News was omitted from the paper. I have posted it on the Region 1 News page so all of you can check out what she intended to share with everyone.
Have a great week!
posted 5.14.08
2008 Finals T-shirts & Caps
Each contestant entered in the Tri-State Finals will receive a complimentary t-shirt and cap when they check in on Friday morning. (State Finalists will receive their Region 1 shirts at Vernon, also.) I will have extra shirts, caps and visors available for purchase but they will be in limited quantities this year. I recommend you pick one up at check in before they sell out. I will try to put up JPEGs of the artwork once it is finalized so you will know in advance if you want one.
National Anthem Singers
I am looking for volunteers to sing the National Anthem for the Friday and Saturday night performances at the Finals. Please call the Tri-State Office if you are interested.
posted 5.12.08
I forgot to mention the 50/50 drawing in my post yesterday. Ware Photography donated two 8x10 photos to one winner (Kelli Lanham) and Pat Barnard won the cash. Pat was a very gracious winner of our smallest drawing of the year and even gave back 1/3 of his winnings to the scholarship fund. Thanks Pat.
Thank you to everyone who supported the 50/50 drawings this year.
posted 5.11.08
The end of the regular season rodeos has finally arrived. Thanks to the Happy Rodeo Club for doing such a great job hosting Saturday's rodeo in not-so-great weather conditions. To put it into perspective, I have only known the hat rule to be waived once before in the last four years. Once again, the weather guys were a little off on their predictions because I had no idea it was going to be that bad. Aside from the wind and dirt, it was a pretty good day. Awards were given to each event champion so if you didn't pick yours up on Saturday, I will either mail it to you or get it to you at the Finals.
FOUND: A pair of lady's glasses were found under the grandstands. I'm not sure if they are prescription or just reading glasses but I can't see through them. Give me a call if they are yours so I can get them back to you.
Enjoy your next few weeks off because the Finals will be here and gone before you know it. I will be in the office the majority of the time between now and then trying to get everything ready (except for this weekend for a pro rodeo and the end of the month for a family reunion.) Hopefully I can manage a little extra time in between to catch up on mowing the weeds and maybe even ride my horses some. I've been waving at the them the last seven weeks so they don't forget what I look like. I'm pretty sure they recognize me.
I'll be adding tidbits of information on the Finals periodically, so keep an eye on the News pages.
Happy Mothers Day!
posted 5.9.08
The State draws have been posted for Abilene and Gonzales.
BALLOTS HAVE BEEN COUNTED
I want to thank the members who actually took the time to cast their votes for the open positions on the Board of Directors. While I don't have figures from last year to compare to, this year's turnout was horribly low. Around 1/3 of the ballots mailed out were returned. Just wanted to give you something to think about.
Now on to better news. There is really no way to have a problem with the voting results because any of the nominees would be a welcome addition to the Board. However, only the top 4 can fill the open positions. Drum roll, please. Your new Directors for 2008-2009 are Jim Richardson, Jim Riemer, Kirk Sparkman and Tom White. Tom will actually serve until 2010. Jim, Jim and Kirk will cut their terms short due to graduation. They join the remaining members of the board: Gary Don Harkey, Brett Marble, Daryle Perry, Kerry Winders and Traleia Wing.
STATE QUALIFIERS: be on the look out for the draw in the next few days. As soon as I get the final versions from the State Offices, I will get them posted on your respective news pages.
posted 5.6.08
I have received some e-mails regarding the State Finals in Gonzales and Abilene that fall under the FYI category. If you are a state finalist, please go to your respective news pages to check out these posts.
This weekend is our final regular season rodeo in Happy. Entry forms for the Tri-State Finals will be due this Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you do not turn in your form before you leave Happy, you will be replaced by the next contestant on the list. If you have any questions about your entry before you get there, please call me. I have had information packets at the last 3 rodeos but several members never got around to picking theirs up. Your entry form is in this packet. I'd recommend you come see me this weekend.
Our host club will be providing awards to each event champion on Saturday. They will also be having a team roping jackpot following the rodeo with knives going to those winners. So don't rush off. If you have questions about the jackpot, call Joanie Ivy at 806-676-9593.
posted 5.5.08
I was late getting to the post office today, so your checks won't go out until in the morning. Entry fees will be deposited tomorrow and I should have points updated no later than in the morning.
Thank you to the "many" members of the Vernon Rodeo Club for hosting two days of rodeo action. For those of you who may not know this, Vernon's club has a whopping three members. Which goes to show how much you can get done with plenty of preparation and a lot of hard work. Vernon always does such a great job of preparing the ground for each day and keeping it watered down. I'm sure all the contestants appreciate it. (I'll try to remember that when I have to scrub the barrel covers this week. Maybe if we get rain tomorrow I can just lay them outside for a while.) Thanks to all you who entered the jackpot on Saturday night.
The 50/50 drawing had a good weekend. I want to thank Kent McLaughlin for donating a hand-made wooden cross to the drawing. If you missed seeing this beautiful piece of artwork, rest assured. I'm pretty sure there will be another one in Region 1's silent auction that will be held during the Tri-State Finals. It is definitely worth bidding on. The Plainview ticket was never claimed, so $253 was added to Saturday's drawing. We drew two tickets for Saturday: one for the wooden cross and one for the cash. Macy Cochran, of Pampa, is the proud winner of the cross and Nancy Johnston, of Vernon, was the happy recipient of $306 in cash. Sunday's drawing started from scratch and still managed to pay out $163 to Brent Custer of Sayre. Congratulations to all of our winners. Thank you to everyone who supports the scholarship fund by purchasing tickets and thank you to the Nathan, Brice, James and the front gate workers on Sunday for helping to sell tickets. I appreciate your help.
I will post information about Happy's rodeo tomorrow. I need to get started on the points if they are going to get done tonight.
posted 5.2.08
There are still a few members who are entered this weekend who have not turned in their report cards. If I don't have yours before you compete, you will be disqualified. Be sure you come upstairs and see me first thing tomorrow.
Director ballots are due tomorrow. Make sure your voice is heard by casting your ballot by the deadline.
The 50/50 ticket from Plainview is still unclaimed. It was a blue ticket #367441. The total jackpot came to $253. The winner has until the start of the PM performance tomorrow to claim their share of the prize or the money will roll into the next drawing. There are also some seniors who have not taken their turn at selling tickets, yet.
If you did not pick up your Tri-State Finals packet at Plainview, make sure you get it this weekend. Entry forms will be due at Happy on May 10th.
Don't forget about the team roping jackpot tomorrow night after the rodeo. This is a fundraiser for the Vernon Rodeo Club.
See you tomorrow.