07:44:12am, Friday, March 29, 2024
NFMS Freshening Part 1: Does the Pull Need a Freshening?
Published February 22, 2012 04:11AM, by Jake Morgan
Let's get this out of the way rather quickly, if you think the Championship Pull at the National Farm Machinery Show is perfect as it is, please stop reading now because you'll only get upset and feel like you've wasted your time. Please stop here because everything is perfect; everything in pulling is always perfect.
If, on the other hand, you're willing to look at the event and the motorsport with a critical eye and you think it's one of the premier events in all of pulling, but it’s lost a little of its luster, its lost its electric atmosphere then please keep reading!
I'm sure almost everyone has been asked the proverbial deserted island food question… you know the one: if you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have your favorite food everyday what food would it be? Well, I'd probably say pizza, but I think all of us already know that the answer doesn't really matter because we all know that no matter what food we pick; eventually we'll get sick of it. I don't care how much you or I love pizza, if all we had was pizza meal after meal, day after day, we'd get sick of pizza. The Championship pull is becoming exactly that for many fans.
Let me share a few stories and a few conversations I had at the farm show this year.
Fan 1: I spoke with a fan that knows as much about pulling as anyone I've ever met. He's been coming to the farm show tractor pull year after year after year. We went to lunch one afternoon and we had a very good discussion about this year's show, the show in general, and the show over the past decade.
After +25 years at the pull he's not planning on coming back next year. Why you ask? Well the answer is twofold: first there's nothing new, and second it's too expensive to see 95% the same show he saw last year (and the year before that). We discussed that we don't need to see the driver's list to know almost all the people who are going to get invited. We discussed that neither of us really hadn't looked at the driver's list since it first got published. The names are 95% the same. Now that's not the fault of the committee, they only have a limited number of competitors to choose from in each class. They are obligated to choose the best of the best in each class, and that best of best list is smaller and hasn't changed much. I joked with him that the ticket price is actually a bargain considering the fact that every year you essentially see the same tractors as you did the previous two years and the next two years. That's like seeing five full years for the price of one! He laughed and agreed.
During diner I shared with him some of the changes I'd like to see the show make and he seemed intrigued, but he felt like it would be business as usual next year. As we left the restaurant I asked him if he really wasn't coming back. He said he wasn't, and he seemed pretty sure. I asked him if he would come back if they made some major changes, without a second of hesitation he said, "Definitely!". Remember, he is as die-hard and knowledgeable fan as I know.
Fan 2: This fan is a local Kentucky native and a competitor in an up-and-coming class. He stopped me in the pits Saturday morning and asked me what I thought of the show. I told him it was pretty good, nothing remarkable yet, but good. I asked what he thought. He said he didn't bother getting tickets this year. He was just at the show to walk the pits and see what was new. He said he didn't see much different from past years except a few new tractors here and there. "Just a handful" he quipped. He told me that the show's been the same for the past few years and, in his words "stale". The show got his $8 for parking, but nothing else. A Saturday morning to walk the pits and have a few conversations doesn't bring in much revenue.
Puller 1: I spoke with a number of pullers and one quote in particular stands out, "same tractors, different year". That's an actual quote from a guy who's been invited to the show for more than a few years. He told me he had a couple of new tractors in the class (not in his session though), but nothing too different. He didn't seem to have much excitement or enthusiasm, he was just there because that's just what he's done, and he expected to get in again just like other years.
Puller 2: Again, this is another veteran puller and a multi-time farm show invitee. I asked him about the Farm Show pull and we talked about it for about 15 seconds, then he went on and on about another indoor pull. Obviously the other pull wasn't the same caliber of event, but it was still more exciting for him. As a puller he really enjoyed getting to pull against different tractors, as a fan he loved to see all the other classes that he usually doesn't see. He had an appreciation for the non-national classes and non-national vehicles that were good looking and well built.
We actually spent more time talking about "new" classes than we did talking about his class or his session.
These are just four examples of conversations I had. Honestly almost every conversation I had had a similar tone or outlook on the event, and most conversations quickly veered from the pull to other events.
I heard comments about the lack of color and lack of diversity, the lack of classes with color. I heard comments about Wilhite being the only single solitary blue tractor at the event. I heard comments that Massey was three for three getting into the finals and how exciting it was to see some other color to liven up the usual red-green show. The overall tone of people was that they wanted some of what the show already has, and something different to liven up the show.
Not once did any puller or fan speak about the quality of the show. Not once did anyone say that they don't run a first rate event. Everyone knows that this show is first rate.
Now my opinion: Well, honestly I can't say I disagree with any of the four opinions stated above, and honestly I agreed with almost every person I spoke with. All that said; let me state a few things:
• This is the best run indoor event I've ever been to.
• This event has the best of the best and the committee does a first rate job.
• This event has the best track crew… hands down no questions asked they do an astounding job.
• Best media department and behind the scenes personnel.
• Best camera angles, best production quality, best, best, best.
To quote Fan 2, unfortunately this event is the absolute best "stale" show I've ever seen. I still Love pizza, but it's time for a little more variety, maybe some new toppings or a side dish. The fact that I still get so excited about this show year after year is a true testament to how great this shows production quality actually is, but I still think there's always room for improvement.
Honestly, if you haven't ever been to this show before you'd think it was as good as it gets. You think it was the cream of the crop… and it is, but for a year after year after year fan like Fan 1, well, it needs an extreme makeover. We need more than just pizza year after year.
So will I be back next year? I sure hope so. Would I be happier if they made some changes? You bet! Will I be back if they don't change? I sure hope so, Lord willing, but this year I met a number of people who I won't see next year.
Now I don't want people who read this to think I'm trying to disparage the show in any way what-so-ever. It's quite the contrary; I love this show so much that I want it to continue to succeed, to continue to be the premier event. I love this show so much that I don't want to see it stagnate or get repetitious.
I honestly think the pull committee wants to improve the event each year as well, I think the farm show wants to improve the event year after year with the help of the committee. Every company and every organization should look to improve its product, and the farm show is no different.
Now I don't believe that someone should just criticize without proposing solutions and ideas. Over the course of the next couple of articles I hope to offer a critique along with few ideas, suggestions, and maybe even a few solutions.
So what's the solution… what kind of changes? I'll have more on that in a day or two!
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 07:12AM by Jake Morgan.
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