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First we have to define "young."
If "young" is under 40 then we're in pretty good shape but yes there is a need to fight the battle of pullers aging out. Look at the rosters of Champions Tour and GN pre-commits and yes, you'll see some older folks but there's some fresh new faces....example - The Spiegelbergs and Linvilles are younger guys (Scott S. and Chris L. you're young fellas in my book). The Sheltons in Mod and Mini-Rod... The list can go on. From my perspective there's a significant cost issue with running national-level pulling; many young people do not have the resources to fight that battle unless they're a part of a team already where teams expand over time as young pullers "age-in." It takes time to build the resources to play in the big sandbox, and the ability to step away from work to go pull. I see a lot more pullers in state and regional groups that are at the younger end of the age spectrum because there are time and cost components that are less of an issue. The antique world had an issue about 5 or so years ago where pullers were aging out and no new blood coming in but that tide has turned some in the last few years. In the end you gotta pull what you can afford to pull, period. If you're like me with a Pro Stock dream and Farm Stock Oliver 77 bank account, you gotta act accordingly... One last observation: there are a bunch of pullers who are veteran pullers with 20 years of experience but may be only in their late thirties to mid-forties. Jordan Lustik has been running the Bullet now since '95 and not 40 years old yet, one example. Jeff Hirt is in that same timeframe too. I guess it's all about perspective. Good question. Bryan Lively - 
    Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2019 07:34AM by Bryan Lively. |
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I want to thank Todd (Sno Farmer) for steering me back in line, I completely misunderstood the original poster's comment. Having re-read it I think I skipped every other word the first time I read it.
Younger pullers I think do a fairly good job of making themselves accessible through social media. If you are active on social media as a puller or pulling fan you're more than likely friends with these folks on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Could some teams/young pullers do a better job of promoting and being a "face" for a new generation of pullers and pulling fans? Sure. Here is the glaring truth about motorsports in general: we could ALL do a better job of promoting to a new generation that is preoccupied with their phones and the apps they bury themselves in. The one thing I don't understand is this: my generation wanted nothing more than to get their drivers license as soon as it was possible. I remember my driving test as I am sure many of you did as well. Driving, tinkering on my car/truck was empowering, a sign of growing up. For those of us grew up on the farm a love affair with wheels began with tractors/combines in the seat of a tractor before we were legal on the road. That love affair with wheels is at the very heart of all motorsports and somehow my generation didn't pass that love along to another generation, but how did that happen? The other truth is that the 5.9 Cummins powered Dodge has taken the place of the 4440 and 1066 in the hearts and minds of a new generation of pullers. We gotta make sure they feel welcome to the dance too even if you're not a truck "fan." It's 1am thats all I got. Bryan Lively -
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Registered: 03/27/2008 Posts: 1,145 |
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Registered: 03/27/2008 Posts: 1,145 |
Well. actually both.
A LOT of the people in the stands actually pull that weekend. The event started out about 14 years ago with the local football club of a tiny village (population of 253) out in the no man's land of rural northern Germany folding up due to lack of members and their training grounds being unused. Then one guy, who was afraid things would get even more boring for the village kids and worrying they would start to do stupid things, rented the field and wondered how to get the kids busy. The solution was having a yearly antique tractor meeting there, organized by the kids of the town. To actually have something going on besides a swap meet and driving antique tractors in circles, they started with antique pulls like 10 years ago They were happy to get a 1000 head crowd for that over the 5 days. Then in I think the 5th year, they got a few hot farm tractors there and that kinda ignited the spark. They rebuilt their track and got some more hot farm tractors there and by now also invite some of the "big guns". Now all the fields around the old football field are used as pits for the event and they keep adding more and more dirt on the bankings. They start the meeting on more or less Wednesday (Thursday is a national holiday) with the antique tractors rolling in. That evening it's the "campfire" with all who are already there. Many pullers already take a few days off work to just "be there" hang out and talk BS with a few beers. It's kind of a vacation in the middle of the season with antique tractors and a ton of crazy fans and enough time to actually talk with people at the campfire. The fans also LOVE it, as they can get as close as you can get to the pullers. Thursday they do their "antique tractor things" (drive around in circles, swap meet, BBQ & beer). Friday night is the traditional "sound check" in the beer tent (can be summed up as "DJ and booze"). Saturday morning and afternoon it's all about antique, out of field stock and garden pulling. Saturday night they have the "Woltman Cup", where the local tractor dealer hands out quite some prize money for a limited rpm, 2.66 turbo class and they come from everywhere. After that, it's a few exhibition runs of popular "big guns" and they then basically push the whole crowd into the beer tent. I just went through the results of last year and there were 260 pulls just on Saturday. Sunday again starts with stock tractors and proceeds with various hot farm and limited mod classes. So basically they have all the "young" (and low budget) pullers there and kinda every farm kid from 50 mls around brings their tractor to the pull. Do they party and drink a lot? Yes! It's their alternative to a music festival... but it's all about tractors. Do we get young people into the sport that way? Hell yeah! Do our "oldtimers" bitch and complain about it being too noisy, too much party,... yep. Do our "oldtimers" get as many people to their events with vehicles that cost 10 times as much? Not very often. Do our "oldtimers" have even half the fun? Doesn't look like it... Did out oldtimers do it differently when they were young - NOT at all. I am old enough to remember how things were in the late 70s and early 80s. In a way it's a little bit like BG - but without the "high level" competition. The big difference is, everybody can afford to pull there. Be it with a garden tractor or grandfathers 50 hp antique. And also the "competition" classes, like the 2.66 / rpm limited stuff is "achievable" for very many. We have gotten quite a few new teams from that areay in the last couple of years and some of them spend some SERIOUS money now. Funny note on the side. This year the event is on the same date as one of the biggest events in the Euro Cup Circuit. The younger guys of the Green Monster team told the older guys they can go on their own - they are taking their friends from school and work and go to Volkmarst instead to watch rpm limited Hot Farms instead of Hemis and Alky Burners. 
[youtu.be] these are the best tractors of the Woltman Cup last year (there were 17 in the class - but not all on the video). Low budget stuff - but you can see how the crowd gets bigger and bigger during the class. [youtu.be] this is a higher hp class - but the video shows a lot of the surroundings, too. Floating Finish - the German Tractor Pulling Web Show and EU Live Streams: [www.youtube.com] Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2019 10:40AM by Sascha. |
