tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47661368986647150152024-03-12T16:52:44.365-07:00Tales from the Editors DeskHook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-2142072060733586942021-01-15T11:22:00.001-08:002021-01-15T11:22:13.198-08:002021 Midwest Winter Nationals Program Order Link<p> Want a copy of the 2021 Midwest Winter Nationals Program set for February 4th-5th-6th 2021 in Shipshewana, Indiana? Order yours now! <i><b>All orders placed by 1/25/21</b></i> should arrive by mail before the event. Buy a copy before you go to the pull, or to have a copy at home to follow the action on the live stream. Price includes first class USPS shipping and handling!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAR77eG8IZEriJfa3RsKiiJBdQj-fTGcyE0YYGY7e-aTLiGl1Le3DoSRRxmvGcgVzBtghK0QrRGI1skx9wMUwRvwgHdlvYnd7HgA9a7HfWWv2gQsZ-nSnGg0L7MGy4-dJ4RHV5VuNhXzUd/s2048/gordy+cover+2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1593" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAR77eG8IZEriJfa3RsKiiJBdQj-fTGcyE0YYGY7e-aTLiGl1Le3DoSRRxmvGcgVzBtghK0QrRGI1skx9wMUwRvwgHdlvYnd7HgA9a7HfWWv2gQsZ-nSnGg0L7MGy4-dJ4RHV5VuNhXzUd/w278-h357/gordy+cover+2021.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><p></p><p></p>
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Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-35158699927763226642020-06-02T09:59:00.000-07:002020-06-02T09:59:08.669-07:00I want YOU to GO Pulling!In response to these weird and dramatic times, I have partnered with Excel Sportswear for a design that is right for this moment in our history:<br />
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Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-55372906961083549412019-04-23T13:09:00.003-07:002019-04-23T13:09:52.627-07:00Calendar Clearance!Still have a few calendars left with lots of great photos! Get one today for $5 including shipping, originally $15!<br />
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Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-272122020289754942018-12-17T21:51:00.002-08:002018-12-18T10:33:35.445-08:002018 Tunica ResultsBelow are the results for the 2018 Southern Nationals in Tunica, Mississippi, organized by class.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1osJlmamMD7r37ZkcaMG91hqmKdvQBRSN/view?usp=sharing">Farm Stock 1 Results</a> <br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uzvhMUO9bIXHNUPiqCAm1mF5msOp2GEU/view?usp=sharing">Farm Stock 2 Results</a><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cyf9756dTRsWqo7gDR2SjQP3wV4cy7zR/view?usp=sharing">Modified 4mph Results </a><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UwIr8mFdyKHQWG_8Gyn22NF8O8hAcxn1/view?usp=sharing">Modified 8mph Results</a><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17q6BRP_vwZBWY3WxzcwcQgR_JPeH6B4o/view?usp=sharing">Modified 12mph Results</a><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vKKd-8dl6oKELU7z8dJKhcXP2qDQgXMe/view?usp=sharing">Special Classes</a> Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-11034629820047394362018-10-11T07:49:00.000-07:002019-01-16T06:34:10.194-08:00January Sale! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-83305510491489953542012-09-14T09:05:00.000-07:002012-09-14T09:05:51.073-07:00Tractor Pulling For A Purpose
Submitted by Mike Palmer
<i><b>(Ed. note - I get emails and regular mail all the time and sometimes they stand out more than others. This email sent to me by Mike Palmer about the young boy and his battle with cancer is one of the most memorable I've received. Please take the time to read the letter in full and the PS at the end. If anyone has anything to add or wishes to help initiate what Mike's proposed in the PS, LET ME KNOW. Kudos to Mike for his efforts on Jayden's behalf. Thanks.</b></i>
Dear Bryan,
Recently, I had the pleasure of witnessing and participating in a pulling event that reminds me why we enjoy this sport so much. This past Monday, July 30th I had the privilege of pulling with a young boy of 4 years old who has truly touched me to the depths of my heart. His name is Jayden Barber and like me he is in love with tractors particularly those green and yellow ones, but just about any color tractor will get his attention. I met Jayden about a month ago, when I learned about him from my girlfriend. To give you a quick history, Jayden is a 4 year old boy who has fought for every day he has on this earth. At the age of 2, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. After a long fight and countless chemo therapy treatments the family was all smiles as they thought Jayden had beaten the odds. Unfortunately, the odds were entirely against him, Jayden is one of the few cases where his body actually reacted to the chemo and developed and extremely rare form of terminal leukemia. Again the family was hopeful, but after a bone marrow transplants and T-cell infusions the doctors delivered the crushing blow that Jayden’s body just wasn’t reacting to the treatments and so he was sent home to spend the next six weeks with his family and enjoy their time together.
Despite all of this, upon meeting this little boy for the first time, you would have no idea he is in a battle for his life. He has always had a smile on his face and is as happy as can be. He is in pain, has limited use of his right arm from the bone cancer, and still never complains or "asks why me?". I spent only a few honors with Jayden, but I can tell you they were life changing hours at that. Here I am complaining about a bad day at the office, horrible customers, being tired, and yet in front of me is a 4 year old with a death sentence who is smiling and laughing as if nothing is wrong, even though I know he has to take a pain pill every 3 hours just to function. So it didn't take me long to look for a what can I do to help solution........
The answer, I learned that Jayden and his 3 year old brother Carson are in LOVE with tractors which is great because so am I ! So last week we arranged for the family to come out and drive some tractors around the farm, we ended up driving anything that ran! Apparently, Jayden had a good time, because he was so excited to come back that he was trying to arrange another play date for the very next night. He kept asking to drive bigger tractors next time, and then it hit me, what about a tractor pull!
Now, this may seem like a small request to some, but for those of us associated with pulling, think of all the red tape, insurance, safety concerns, etc.! Well, through the big hearts of the Columbiana County Fair in Lisbon Ohio, Steve Knizat fair board vice-president, Reesman Farm Supply, Trophy Works, and various others we were able to put together a special Exhibition pull on Monday Night July 30th 2012, at the Columbiana County Fair. I am not sure who was more excited Jayden or myself, I later learned that Jayden had prepared his wardrobe for the pull a day ahead of time just to be sure everything was perfect!
The pull itself, was special in so many ways. I used one our Farm Stock pullers and retrofitted it with a special seat, fenders, and safety belt for Jayden and I to make this once in a lifetime voyage down the 300’ track for a Full Pull. We may have only been idling along, but to Jayden we were full speed ahead on a mission to pass that 300’ cone!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwd96ra9ZeFrMKkwGl6CbnqmT9Lr-o6mOmjVtPW7wTyQj9iKqNnQR8bN_iJTib1qaS0VSo25QK4FbhXD2vmt_DHIGktIqryQXMCZ6mY0jusjx8ugut_jozymJhecWKXayW-ExHkJW9LBw/s1600/IMG_7007x.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwd96ra9ZeFrMKkwGl6CbnqmT9Lr-o6mOmjVtPW7wTyQj9iKqNnQR8bN_iJTib1qaS0VSo25QK4FbhXD2vmt_DHIGktIqryQXMCZ6mY0jusjx8ugut_jozymJhecWKXayW-ExHkJW9LBw/s320/IMG_7007x.JPG" /></a></div>
As special as it was for Jayden, it had an even bigger impact on the spectators and of course me. I have been to countless pulls in my lifetime and I have NEVER seen a crowd that overwhelmed with the event. The announcer gave a quick background on Jayden’s history and then asked for the crowd to rise to their feet and support this little boy as he made his first ever pull. All eyes were on Jayden, there wasn’t a single engine running, no one was speaking, and of course there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place. The moment was incredible for anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing it. I have never seen an entire arena go silent so quickly and then erupt so loudly with cheers and applause. Finally to top it all off, as Jayden reached the 300’ mark, he raised his little hand and fist upward in celebration as crowd roared to life in approval!!!! Afterwards a trophy commemorating the event (donated by Trophy works) was presented to Jayden for his accomplishments. It all was worth it as I heard him tell his mom “this was the best day ever!”
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgs6bay3i79orMLKgptz29LyQLCl4WbS0uv0xv4Z-JROfW4cGKB4-QeFnWagvcG7j34sn0PbFKu0kvedNcRgRy-h_F6iEYOyOsp_Uoa63BRa0r_eLRaV4mFbTFjCO5-8IbXLBbS3DYk2C/s1600/Jayden%252Band%252Bhis%252BTrophy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgs6bay3i79orMLKgptz29LyQLCl4WbS0uv0xv4Z-JROfW4cGKB4-QeFnWagvcG7j34sn0PbFKu0kvedNcRgRy-h_F6iEYOyOsp_Uoa63BRa0r_eLRaV4mFbTFjCO5-8IbXLBbS3DYk2C/s320/Jayden%252Band%252Bhis%252BTrophy.JPG" /></a></div>
Now if all this generosity wasn’t enough, I came to learn later that evening that a few pullers had taken it upon themselves to donate their class winnings back to the Barber family in support of Jayden’s cause to help with medical bills and any other expense.
I know there are some people out there, who question what this world is coming to, and heck I am just as guilty at times, but after Monday night I was overwhelmed with the generosity, kindness, and compassion people still have. I have never been more honored to be at a pull and could not be prouder of my fellow pullers.
This was truly a pull for a cause that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone in attendance and it reminds me just why I love this sport.
Sincerely,
Michael Palmer
PS: Since then the idea of starting a foundation of “pulling for a cure” or “tractors for therapy” where sick kids get to come and drive tractors as a therapy or impromptu make-a-wish. Something that seems so simple, but just the idea of being able to put a smile on a child’s face, seems worth it. Do you know of any such organizations? Also, do you think there are people out there who would embrace this idea as well as maybe help me build a wheel chair accessible tractor? I think it could be a great thing for kids, teens, and adults alike, but in order to get it off the ground I may need a little support!
<i><b>(Ed. note: Here is the follow-up I received in recent days. I for one thought the room got a little dusty reading the follow-up given the situation initially faced. Proof of the dramatic blessings that God does bestow, and keep him in your thoughts and prayers!</b></i>
Just to share some great news, I found out late last night that while at the hospital for his weekly transfusions and checkup, the blood work came back negative for cancer. Thinking there was a mistake the doctors did some scans and more test and Jayden is now deemed to be 99% cancer free. He's not totally out of the clear yet, as he is still fighting a graft vs host disease from all the transfusion but things are on the up and up. Best of all, the doctors have no explanation what so ever. However, if you asked Jayden, he'll tell you without a moment's pause that it was Jesus who told him he would be ok. All this from a 4 year old...WOW. This is the type of miracle that just shows you how the power of prayer can work, sometimes we may not understand why things happen but there is defiantly a plan at work much more powerful than I can understand.
Thanks again for the article and I would love some feedback on the non-profit idea. I have some plans in the work to find an orchard tractor for a fully hydraulically controlled wheelchair tractor, and have been talking with some friends who are lawyers to find out just what it would take to make this idea become a reality. Any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Michael Palmer
Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-83971566293920763392012-08-29T12:07:00.002-07:002012-08-29T12:07:35.102-07:00Running Full Speed, But in What Direction? An Examination of Pulling’s Fastest Growing Class, Limited Pro Stock 4.1During the weekend of May 4th-5th, I attended two pulls that transcend The HOOK Magazine. During the evenings, I attended the MSPA H&R Agri-Power Pulling Series events in Ardmore, Tennessee, while during the day of the 5th I covered a local antique pulling event in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
While at the antique event I crossed paths with a couple who field three antique tractors and enjoy the sport of pulling at all levels. We had spoken briefly the evening before as they had been at the Ardmore event, but we had opportunity for more conversation during the antique pull. In our conversation, without prompt or asking the gentleman remarked, paraphrasing here, “that was a good pull last night…but that Limited Pro Stock class was really good.” He continued on to reveal his understanding of the class and how good a place it holds within a given show. Basically the message I got from this was:
The fans are watching…and keeping score.
I was first introduced to LPS 4.1 two years ago at an event in Illinois. It certainly had a different feel and flair that Super Farm didn’t possess, but was still that diamond in the rough, ready to be polished so that it might shine brightly to the pulling world.
Fast forward to the Missouri State Fair in 2011, where nearly 30 of these tractors made pass after pass, wheels up, with a sound and presence only eclipsed by a Pro Stocker. I too became a believer in that evening, recognizing that the class has some fantastic potential.
With every up-and-coming class there is a certain new-kid-in-town novelty. The novelty here is that in many circles LPS is thought to be the class that Super Farm should have been all along, as well as the great show they provide. But as the headline suggests for this class that is already being booked heavily throughout the Midwest, what direction is the class heading in?
As a person who has a deeply vested interest in keeping the sport of tractor and truck pulling alive and well personally and professionally, I think it’s important that history does not repeat itself so that LPS does not fall victim of the ills that other classes that have fell prey to in their formative stages.
In short:
1) Align rules across organizations. It’s important that a tractor in Missouri or from any other state should be able to go anywhere in the pulling world and roll off the trailer without having to change their setup beyond those changes they normally make through the season. Uniformity of rules also saves money in the long run, plain and simple. If not, LPS pullers that travel will have to keep multiple setups to run given on the set of rules they’re running into. Diesel shops will make money still, just won’t have to develop different setups on their end, allowing them to focus on one for LPS.
2) To promoters and sanctioning bodies: overbooking the class makes for a long, hard summer. They are reliable, but they will break with enough pounding through the season. There’s also a certain responsibility on the part of the puller to say “when,” and “when” more often than not is when the parts funds dry up or the supplier’s ability to provide replacement parts becomes an issue. This is probably the hardest measure of all; it is truly hard to say “no.”
3) Maintain this class as a regional class only; The knock from many is that Super Farm isn’t a class for the national stage, and in the grand scheme LPS 4.1 is not either, even though it is more attractive to be at that level. There are already enough hooks to support this class with less travel, and it finally pushes Pro Stock into national-only status like the USS, Mod, and Unl Mod classes.
It is indeed fun to sit back and watch this class when all is said and done. The speed, noise, and overall display of brute power is remarkable; where some classes might seem to bring a pack of sparklers to the show, LPS is a stick of dynamite; furious, loud and uncompromising. Every effort needs to be made to project the path of the class in the right direction, and I don’t think by any stretch I have all the right answers. I do know after a visit with a fan on a beautiful Saturday morning is that the fans are watching, and want more. Let’s give it to them.
P.S. After initially writing this piece back early in the season I have had several more fans specifically come up to me and make note of the quality and speed of this class—even a promoter. Though some may grumble that the class is “too big” “broken” or whatever, it again ultimately matters what the fans are doing when LPS 4.1 is going down the track—they’re standing and cheering and evidently telling people about the class after they’ve seen it the first time.
Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-77608005693026671342011-11-09T13:26:00.001-08:002011-11-09T13:26:39.518-08:00Sabotage--We talk all the time about the Good; now a brief moment on the Bad and Ugly...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This is one of those stories that I quite frankly admit that I didn’t care to have to write, but it was time to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After recent events at a pull I attended, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the issue had to be explored, had to come to light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Let me preface this story with this comment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The activities of a few should NEVER cast a shadow upon an event, promoter or the other pullers that had nothing to do with the activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is however the activities of the few that leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth from top to bottom and it should be directly attributed to the person who committed the crime, and no one else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The first time I was ever around a tractor that had been tampered with was owned by grandfather’s mechanic some 25 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mechanic, owning a very stout 88 Oliver, had done well in his early classes but at some point in the evening someone had found means to put sugar in his fuel tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his own words “The S.O.B. ran good ‘til I got sabotaged.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For whatever reason I remember that as clear as day, probably because I added S.O.B. to my vocabulary that day, and my dad soon removed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moving on...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Tampering comes in many forms, from something as simple as messing with tire pressure to pulling wires off a tractor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One puller recently told me that his chains and boomers were taken off his trailer, which is just a higher lever of tampering in outright theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are any number of scenarios, and none of them are good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most everyone reading this has heard of something sabotaged or has had it done to them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What lies underneath this is the current is someone putting a chink in the armor of what is one of the last few sportsmanlike of motorsports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From drag racing to dirt tracks to Sprint Cup, you have to watch your back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulling has largely avoided that stigma, especially at those events we cover here at The HOOK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think that is the case now, but in my own estimation you have to speak out about misuse and abuse early to get it stopped before it runs rampant.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I don’t know what possesses folks to do something like this, but it is pretty obvious: tampering with a vehicle is the highest level of cowardice in motorsports, period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My advice to them is simply, sell your tractor, and don’t come back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your brand of kicks is unwanted and unneeded in this or any other motorsport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are afraid of getting beat, then take your licks and find some means to get better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Become a better driver, a better track reader, do something other than messing with other people’s stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A victory gained by those means is not a victory at all; it is a farce.</div>Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-15030664279203337122011-10-13T23:15:00.000-07:002011-10-13T23:15:16.898-07:00That time again...Tonight we finished the latest issue of The HOOK. It is the largest edition we have printed yet at 76 pages. We have had great opportunity to meet and work with some wonderful new people in the sport, and we want to continue to do that as much as possible. <br />
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What I'm about to share partly comes from the latest editorial. There's a sports talk show personality named Jim Rome whose main gig is spending three hours a day spouting of to millions of listeners--he is popular. One of his bits or actually could be what he believes to be true. His claim is that the show is much better when he is the only one talking, and not any of the many listeners who might call in. "More of me, less of you" he says. <br />
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For The HOOK, the opposite is true. It is my intent to help you all, the readers and pullers, to become more involved in the content of the magazine. I do not to plan to slow down the amount I travel to meet new pullers in new clubs, I simply cannot be everywhere at once. More of YOU, Less of ME. <br />
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If you have comments and ideas, shoot them my way. <a href="mailto:rblively@hotmail.com">rblively@hotmail.com</a> is the best way to reach me.<br />
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Although this blogging bit has been pretty sporadic, I have had ample windshield time to think through some ideas and hash them out to share in a manner everyone can understand...So expect more ramblings on...<br />
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For now, Let's go Pullin'Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-14527190264449996842011-08-03T00:35:00.000-07:002011-08-03T00:35:38.343-07:00Better Late Than NeverIn the time since I updated this blog there has been a flurry of activity with The HOOK. July/August has been out for some time now, and September/October is now coming together. While there is no shortage of material for this coming issue, I ask again: PLEASE send in your results and photos, your stories. Some have answered the call and I am glad for it. I simply think there is so much pulling going on in the country that could be covered that this magazine could go monthly, I just need help in getting the info in here. At a minimum I see the magazine becoming an 80 page magazine soon, making it the largest pulling magazine of any kind. This time last year I was asked to bring the magazine back to its roots, and I hope we've succeeded in that mission. Im still covering some local and regional hot equipment and that has been pretty warmly received as well. I think that the understanding is now there that the magazine will always have antiques and classics at the heart and soul of its being, and anything else will not take away from antique coverage. <br />
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As always thanks for the time and support you bring to your HOOK magazine. Keep me updated and informed on your clubs goings-on, we're proud to feature them here. Lets go pulling!Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-43395629553749325072011-05-02T21:26:00.000-07:002011-05-02T21:26:22.123-07:00Mixed EmotionsWow. What a week we have had here recently in this part of the world. For me I have had a tidal wave of different thoughts and emotions. I had initially thought I would make this section pretty light hearted, but that just doesnt seem right. Maybe next time. Right now I feel humbled; I feel proud; and I feel very very grateful, all about very unrelated subjects. <br />
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I am humbled by the power of the weather. Seeing the ravages of what happened to our friends and neighbors to the not-too-distant south and the loss of life and property can quickly put you in check. I feel grateful for the safety of those who remain, and proud of the response that has been assembled to provide aid and comfort to those in need. <br />
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I am humbled by the servicemen and women who toil away in a pile of rock halfway across the world and the resounding blow dealt to al-Qaeda last night. Their efforts will not go unrewarded. Oddly enough, I had been prepared to discuss some family info that came to light this weekend courtesy of one of my surviving great uncles. I am humbled by him as well. He has elected to take the time to recount his life history, and reading about his time spent as a POW in Germany is yet another way I am reminded that most of what we deal with in life shouldnt be taken nearly as seriously as it sometimes is; it is our duty however to utilize our situations and opportunities to their fullest, as my uncle gave his best just as the men and women of the Armed Forces do today. I am grateful for their sacrifice, and proud to call many of these men and women family. <br />
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Today was the last day for a family in my home county to milk Holsteins after doing so for 65 years. Three generations of the family grew up, lived, worked, played, and loved one another on that farm. While they're not moving off the land, the knowledge that the lights in the milk barn were not turned on this evening is deeply saddening to me. The way they lived their lives and worked the land is humbling; while I know the pain of seeing a chapter of life on the farm ending, I cannot fathom their situation. The silver lining is that they are a family of bright and talented people who will apply themselves to this new chapter of their lives just as they applied the many years prior. The dignity, the pride, and the integrity with which they operate makes me grateful to call them friends and learn from them. <br />
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Thats it. I am ready to go back pulling. I have put up a schedule on the website of my travels. I have already received invitation to attend events based on my appeal to fill my schedule, and I encourage everyone to give me a heads up about their coming events as there may very well be situations where an event may be rained out and I am free to go elsewhere. Thank you for the time and for the opportunity to serve.Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-53108973868596429472011-04-25T17:00:00.000-07:002011-04-25T17:00:24.706-07:00Just the the FAQs, please.Looks like for many of us that live in the heart of pulling country we still have some significant weather headed our way this week. I for one am ready to be done with it! <br />
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So, what about the FAQs? <br />
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There are a number of Frequently Asked Questions I get, I figured I would address them in this forum.<br />
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1) Whats the difference between the periodical rate mail and first class rate mail on the magazine?<br />
<strong><em>Periodical rate mail is basically third class mailing, most magazines are sent out in this fashion. The post office says they have 15 business days to deliver the magazine at that rate. What I'm finding as a new publisher is this: Most magazines get delivered in the first 10 days regardless of mail type, but indeed most if not all first class arrives in the first seven business days. I got my personal copy in two business days after mailing; some get it as soon as the next day after mailing.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>First class is kinda self explanatory then, it does speed your delivery up. </em></strong><br />
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2) What are you going to do with the magazine?<br />
<strong><em>I do get this question some, and from some folks who may be wary of change. My focus, intent, purpose, mission-however you wish to describe it-is to keep antique and classic tractors at the heart of the magazine. Anything that is not antique or classic is an ADDITION to the magazine, it will not take away from the heart and soul of the magazine. There is a growing number of pullers in different segments of the sport, true. We'll expand our coverage to include them.</em></strong><br />
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3) Can I send in photos/results from my club and get it published?<br />
<strong><em>YES! In fact I would be proud to have any coverage I can get in, especially from those clubs and states that we have either not covered or havent covered in some time. Send it by email or through the regular mail. I'm just like everyone else, I like to see different and new tractors from different parts of the country!</em></strong><br />
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4) Why cant I get it at TSC?<br />
<strong><em>Quite frankly, until I get the magazine at a certain subscription level, getting in a TSC store is not a priority. The magazine business, at least the third parties you must deal with to put the magazine on shelves, make it hard to break even, let alone be profitable. I now know why some of the magazines at TSC and other stores run in the neighborhood of $8 an issue and higher! </em></strong><br />
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5) What is your favorite class?<br />
<strong><em>This may seem to be a BS answer, but its the truth: I like all of the tractor classes. I see the enthusiasm for all of the classes, be it a farm stock, 1st gear only class or a full on Open Super Stocker. They all have a beauty about them to me. I do have an interest in some of the growing classes, seeing a class or division of tractors grow is intriguing to me.</em></strong><br />
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6) How do I get on the cover of the magazine?<br />
<strong><em>Honest to goodness, here's how I do it: There is only one cover that is spoken for per year, the January/February issue with Tunica King of the Hill winners on that cover. I pick the remainder based on some simple thoughts: 1) Has to be a good picture. 2) Rotate the brand featured on the cover in a fair and equitable manner...the only thing Im a socialist about...ONLY thing... 3) Feature a little different class on the cover from issue to issue 4) Cannot be a five engined mod...</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Thats it...as random as you can get.</em></strong><br />
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There you have it. I dont have much else to say other than Im starting to work on the next issue already. The NATPA championships, The Crane Collier event, come local Relay for Life pulls, a tech article or two, are already at the front of my list. The NATPA and Crane articles I wanted to give them room to breathe and grow for the next issue, because there's lots to be said. Hope you all enjoy this current issue as it hits mailboxes, thanks for your support!Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-31201994499040823412011-04-23T21:17:00.000-07:002011-04-23T21:17:00.237-07:00Assorted RamblingsThis time is going to be a hodge-podge of thoughts that have struck me lately.<br />
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What about this weather folks? I was able to get out to an outdoor event in Temple Hill, KY for a while, a benefit pull for Relay for Life. I bugged out though after a call from my wife giving me a blow by blow account of some rotation headed in our general direction. Of course, with my luck, it pretty much died out; I haven't heard yet but its safe to say they got most of the event in. I am ready for a little dry weather for sure, as would many of you who dont like the thought of planting corn deep into May. <br />
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The newest magazine mailed yesterday (Friday the 22nd), and I hope everyone enjoys it. Getting this one out of the way, for whatever reason, has helped me open up my schedule to get some things done that have been left undone. Website updates, processing of video, plus a wholesale organization of 18 years worth of back issues that need cataloging. I plan on adding more stuff to the tech portion of the website, there is a wealth of stuff I wish to share with those who have internet access as much of it is as relevant today as it was the day it was published.<br />
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Another thing crossing my mind is where in the world Im going to be this summer! Even with the prospect of high fuel prices, I will be making every effort to get out to as many events as I can. My focus will be those events I've directed this magazine towards, antique, classic, state and regional pulling. YES I will be attending some NTPA and PPL events this summer, but that number has been cut back and in the case of the NTPA events that coverage will be for the NTPA's in-house magazine, The Puller. I'll post my schedule soon; if anyone sees a date open and would like for me to attend their event, let me know. Im also game for weeknight events, just give me a shout! If I can't make it, by all means send me your information, results, and photos. I want them!! If your club/state/region hasnt been represented in the magazine lately, send it in! My goal is to cover as much pulling as time and space allows in each issue from now on. Bottom line is that I want this magazine to be what it was when it was at it's peak, and even better, but I need all the help I can get to make that a possibility!<br />
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Last thing for today-<br />
I want to wish every one a Happy, Safe, and Blessed Easter. I count myself as a very blessed person, and without getting preachy I hope we all make sure to examine this past week for it's original meaning, not the madness I witnessed in the Easter candy aisle at Wal Mart tonight. My thoughts are towards the death, burial and ressurection of Jesus and its importance to me, and I hope you join me in a similar train of thought.<br />
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Thanks for reading, next time Im gonna discuss some stuff that I get asked all the time. Especially that most frequent of questions, "How do I get on the cover????" Stay tuned.Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-37863053706620190692011-03-21T23:36:00.000-07:002011-03-21T23:36:49.709-07:00The Double-Edged SwordI figured that this blog would be a good way for me to discuss some things in short form that I am observing in the sport of pulling. One issue that I has me perplexed is the idea of the top cut tire in "Farm Stock" classes.<br />
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The issue at hand is pretty clear to everyone, how do you police cut tires in a non-cut tire class? For some clubs its become very apparent that the best enforcement is not to worry about it, to allow top cuts from top to bottom in the classes offered. Other clubs have made it a point to keep the uncut tire classes and endure the issues of possible "tampering" with some sets of tires in the classes.<br />
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As for me, I see both sides of the issue, and see that both sides have valid points. "Top cuts level out the playing field, and the cost to top cut is pretty cheap" is one thought I hear. "Allowing top cuts in an entry level class can discourage someone who is just getting started in the sport" is another thing I hear. And honestly, I think both sides are right----to an extent.<br />
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So how do you fix it? One thought I have is that clubs that allow top cuts in their entry level classes should, in the course of a season, offer a true "barnyard" class from time to time. This would be tractors that are not "regulars" to a club. no forward hanging weights, only factory weights, everything as bone stock as possible. Is this the best idea ever? Of course not....but we gotta start somewhere.<br />
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I am of the opinion that we have to get folks involved to keep this sport rolling and growing. Anything that sets them up for failure (the old bringing a knife to a gunfight idea) will do one of two things: send them away wanting to do better by investing in their machines or discourage them because they see the folly in trying to compete in farm stock with, of all things, a farm stock tractor. <br />
What are your ideas? What works where you pull? Where does farm stock end and modified begin?<br />
Let me know your thoughts. I wont pretend to have the answers to these questions, but its time to have discussions about the sport to make it grow. Lets go pulling.Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4766136898664715015.post-33442445678265571462011-03-17T00:25:00.000-07:002011-03-17T00:25:12.223-07:00Why I do What I Do....<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">For my initial entry on this blog, I figured I’d give everyone an idea as to why I do what I do, the why and the how about becoming the Editor and Publisher of The HOOK Magazine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It began 34 or so years ago at the Hardin County Fair in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up in my early childhood in Elizabethtown, and my father was involved for many years in the farm equipment business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first toy it seems was one of those 1/12<sup>th</sup> scale Ford tractors and a Big Blue wagon (some of you remember these, some of you don’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhere there’s a picture floating around of me in that wagon as a newborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So, at that fair I witnessed my first tractor pull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I have just a few memories of it, they are certainly vivid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember a 190 Allis that was pulling with mag rims on the front, and a 1206 IH that broke away from the sled, which was a weight transfer sled as I remember it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Flash forward a few months to the National Farm Machinery Show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, it is a 4020 John Deere that broke from the sled that I remember, funny how that stuff sticks with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those were my earliest memories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent the next 10 years or so going to local county fair pulls and the Farm Machinery Show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends of my family were pullers, from antiques up through Super Stock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Once I was old enough to drive, I was able to feed my need to go pulling a little easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the chores were done on Friday or Saturday afternoon, I was gone if there was a pull within reasonable distance of my home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I have always been a devoted follower of NTPA level tractor classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The changes in the Super Stock classes in the early nineties were amazing to me, as the alcohol-fueled tractors began their rise in the sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along that same time, at a pulling event held at the Western Kentucky University Ag Expo Center I found a renewed interest in another sector of the sport, antique pulling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My most vivid memory is that of the Olivers in attendance and their 6-cylinder song as it bounced of the ceiling and the walls of the arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, it was music and beautiful music to my ears.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Somehow life gets in the way though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>School and ultimately work pushed pulling to the back burner for me for a few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept a decent tab on what was going on, but in no way would I have considered myself a well-rounded fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The odd pull here and there were on my docket, just enough to get me by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then along came the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The internet became for me, like many of us, a means to close in the distance between us to see and hear about events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the internet came the message board, and I was ablaze on them early on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admittedly early on my comments were not very well crafted but I soon remembered how well I liked writing from when I was in High School and College.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone else noticed too, a gentleman by the name of Tom McConnell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I met Tom at a pull in Henry Illinois in 2003 and I approached him about doing some writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>said sure, but you’ll have to learn how to use a camera too if you want to work for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next week I found myself alongside a track in Danville, Kentucky with a borrowed camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest they say, is history.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Those first couple of years led to work on all kinds of tracks, be it “hot” stuff or antiques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Tom’s organization disbanded, I moved on to working with Dana Marlin with The HOOK and The Puller magazine. I did this along with being a teacher and FFA advisor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In late 2009, I began to become concerned about what<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had become my passion, writing for The HOOK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having had several heart-to-heart conversations with Dana and Roger, it became apparent that their ability to serve the readership wasn’t what they wanted and I stepped in to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this day I am amazed as to how it all got done with the demands they had on their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly thereafter a transition of ownership plan began to emerge, and that was the moment I stepped into the YTMag website Tractor Pulling Message Board and said, “What can I do to make it better?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What I heard was a variety of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew though that if I listened and took note of those concerns that happened to be running themes, it would get better, and it began to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By June, I believed I could make a go of it, and I knew that I couldn’t teach and run a magazine at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I owed the kids I taught everything I could give, and if I had continued on as I had, my contribution to them would have suffered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, I submitted my resignation to my school principal and haven’t looked back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">If I had any obstacles that I faced early on, it was the fact I couldn’t make as many antique hooks as I had wished, even with a significant number of clubs nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had committed myself <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to other groups and when I tell someone I’m going to do it, I do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Once Fall settled in, things began to change and emerge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took over control of The HOOK on October 4<sup>th</sup> of 2010 in full, and a van full of back issues and supplies were brought back home to Bowling Green, Kentucky.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">That brings us to now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, I feel very blessed to be where I am now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am blessed to have a supportive family and tight knit group of friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to attending pulls of all kinds, and the friends I have made along the way have been fantastic. Ultimately I do everything I do because I am devoted to the sport and look at the magazine from the eyes of the subscriber, not as the editor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In reality, I may sign the checks, but you all, the subscribers, own the magazine, not me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am committed to keeping The HOOK as an antique and classic-focused magazine with coverage of “hot stuff” as an addition to the magazine, not taking away from the roots of what the magazine is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hold the history of the magazine and what it has been to a number of readers in reverence and pledge to make the magazine better than it ever has been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this the 19<sup>th</sup> edition of the magazine is about to get put together, and I look forward to many more editions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Thank you to everyone for your time and support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope to use this blog as one more means to promote the sport and generate discussion about issues that the sport faces today and tomorrow, on any number of levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please join me on the journey, it won’t always be smooth, but it will always be interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lets go pulling!</div>Hook Magazine--The Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14020325116787526527noreply@blogger.com0