Thumbs Up 2012 Gordyville showThumbs Up January 09, 2012 09:24AM
Just had a chance to finally unwind and reflect on the latest addition of the 2012 Midwest Winter Nationals, more commonly known as “Gordyville”. Without a doubt this was one of most flawlessly indoor event I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Klint Tucker & Company have indoor pulling perfected.

I have been to Gordyville from the beginning and I don’t believe I’ve seen crowds bigger than what was there this year. And as with most Thursday thru Saturday events the crowds get larger as the weekend approaches so by the time the Saturday night finals started the building was packed with diehard pulling fans.

This years event had three parts for me; first there where the vehicles and pullers. And once again the way that the pullers are pushing their tractors is evident of the significance of winning at Gordyville. Every class was filled with state and national champions vying for a win at Gordyville. The Pro Stock class was a great class along with the LLSS and Limited PS. The various Hot Farm and Pro Farm classes seemed to have not only made huge gains in HP but also the appearance of the tractors, and is on par with some of the sharpest tractors pulling anywhere.

The only class that needs a little TLC is the LSS class, I’m not sure if the class works with the vast difference in power that the top 5 or 6 national pullers are making verses the state LSS that also hook in the class. This wide difference in HP makes it hard for the sled operators to set the sled; a 6-class invitational may be the solution.

Also not really sure about the SF class, maybe it’s time to combined both classes and run the Louisville setup in just one class, time will tell.

The second part of my observations was the track crew, the best! The young lady unhooking {Laura Guthrie} did a great job vehicle after vehicle and the pull back guy was flawless. The track crew built and maintained a great track from the first tractor Thursday night to the last hook on Saturday evening. The speed of the show was outstanding and we where out of the building relatively early every night.

And the third part of my observation was the announcing; Butch and Miles Krieger did a great job. The chemistry of this father-son team is without equal. Their timing and interactions made for solid information and enjoyable entertainment. Butch Krieger is a legend in the sport, no one better, and to have him and his son Miles announcing the show tells you the level the Gordyville show has risen to. A must see event!

Link to an article on Butch Krieger
Link to Rodney's Power and Noise Photo Gordyville results


Dick Morgan

www.PULLOFF.com
Independent Pulling News
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Re: Thumbs Up 2012 Gordyville showThumbs Up January 09, 2012 09:28AM
I will have to say that was very well put Dick, and was good to get to talk with you as always.


Eric Prewitt
The Prewitt Pulling Team
Public Relations for
The Pulling Radio Network
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Re: Thumbs Up 2012 Gordyville showThumbs Up January 09, 2012 10:16AM
I preface my thoughts with that I spent 90% my time at the table during the event, and thanks to Dick and Adam Draudt for their help on the track and Wayne Girbach for his help with the Hook table. I also want to thank everyone for stopping by and visiting, got to shake hands with some guys who were rock stars to me when filled out my first Puller subscription form back in 1987, so a great weekend on my end.

On to the event: I mirror much of what Dick said from the few observations I made on the track. Hot Farm/Pro Farm guys have stepped up and stepped out in terms of looks and performance, as much as I appreciate how a tractor runs regardless of how it looks the fan in the stands like to see good paint and shiny stuff on the tractors--it helps the sport. Insert compliment here about LLSS, I'll raise my hand as to being a "homer" for the class.

The Pro Stock class at Gordyville is THE premier Pro Stock gathering indoors we have, period. Louisville splits them up so we dont see directly how tractor x competes against tractor y in many cases.

Running the Louisville set of rules in SF seems like the logical thing to do. Nothing beats getting a chance to spend actual seat time dialing in a setup that is ran once a year.

LSS has to be refined. 100 feet between the top and bottom of a class indicates there needs to be a change in philosophy. Time for an invitational process (8-10 tractors) with this exciting class.

Butch and Miles if given the opportunity are the best color man (Butch) and analyst (Miles) team in pulling. Butch's experience behind the mic working the crowd coupled with Mile's vast knowledge of the sport are needed in more places than in Gordyville (finger pointed towards Louisville).

No doubt this was a great event. Klint and Company from one end of the building to the other are making continuous improvements on an already great product. Exactly how you gotta do it. Nobody mixes and matches tractors better and lets them run head to head.

.02 to be spent however you wish. Article upcoming online when the new website is done and extended coverage in the March/April HOOK.


Bryan Lively -

Photos
YoutubeTwitterFacebookThe HOOK Magazine Blog




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2012 11:32AM by Dick Morgan.
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Re: Thumbs Up 2012 Gordyville showThumbs Up January 11, 2012 03:39PM
I truly believed this year's Gordyville was the best yet! The level of competition is quite remarkable as tractors from all around keep coming to the Midwest Winternationals. This year Klint actually had to close entries and told several competitors that he could not fit any other tractors in the show. I have posted my most recent blog throwing my two cents out on the weekend. I think the precision of the track crew and tractor operators in the pit area is really the most efficient and effective facet of the event. These guys truly are amazing as they make a difficult task of moving tractors in and out of staging look easy. The guys in the back go unnoticed but they deserve a lot of the credit for how will it works. The track was top notch and the sled settings were spot on! Thanks for the comments on the announcing, I loved working with the Bulldog and my dad and hope we can be back together again in 2013. Dates for 2013 are January 3rd-5th!

www.milesbeyond300.blogspot.com
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Re: Thumbs Up 2012 Gordyville showThumbs Up January 12, 2012 12:08AM
I think that was the first time I have heard you and your Father announce together. Awesome job! I also commend the Old Bulldog himself Art Downs who actually kept his "twist it's tail and turn her loose" voice all the way through the weekend though he was close to loosing it Saturday night, lol. Fantastic job by all involved. My real hero is Uncle Dick! He didn't leave early this year from any of the sessions. This leads me to believe that Cousin Jake has been the force behind the previous early departures Grinning


J R
Eastern Extreme Pulling
www.easternextremepulling.com
EEPPULLINGVIDEOS

Pro Pulling Magazine
Hook Magazine
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