Team Canada, Tom Evans of Tiverton, and Jay Lennox of Ayton and their coach Daryl Hostrauser of Belwood have been organizing for the 2017 World Plowing Championship being held at Egarton , Njoro, Kenya. The 2 day competition will take place December 1st and 2nd. This is the second time in WPO’s 64 year history that it has taken place in Kenya. Plans are forming for all the logistics of competition.
This is a very unique location for the World Competition. 30 countries with 60 competitors are organizing competitors and equipment to arrive and be available when competitors land on November 19th. will spend the next 10 days getting set up and practising.
According to Tom, “we are told that the conditions in Kenya are unique and require equipment that is not common in North America. The soil is volcanicash based that will stick to steel. As a result, plastic mouldboards are required to compete. Those are not used in Canada, so I am manufacturing
my own to use.”
Jay notes that “the amount of organizing required to make this happen adds anew dimension to the sport. It is not as simple as loading your equipment on a trailer and arriving prepared. We understand that everything that we might need, we should plan on taking. ” Jay recently completed his coop term for his degree, and now is focusing on final preparations in his spare time.
In discussions with their coach Daryl Hostrauser, the competitors have a big task ahead of them. Getting used to different equipment is always a nchallenge. The best approach is to be using your spare time in the field here npractising. A couple of hours regularly, experimenting with your equipment will help competitors adjust quicker when they get to the site.
A recent meeting involved Barry and Gregg Timbers of Uxbridge. Barry was one of the Canadian competitors in Kenya in 1995. He discussed his
experiences there, and some insight of what they might expect. Gregg discussed his world competition experience and how it differs from what we are used to in Ontario. Both brought lots of insight and tips for the competitors.
Both Jay and Tom comment that the recent warm weather and snow melt has been motivating them that spring is close and they can’t wait to start practicing. Of note: the Canadian Plowing Championship for 2017 is taking place near Walkerton Ontario, August 2017. The winner of that event will compete in nGermany in September 2018. More information on this event can be gathered from the Bruce County Plowmen’s website noted below
Fundraising events have been organized for Jay and Tom. The details are as follows:
Jay – April 1st, 2017 at Ayton Arena April 1, 2017 at 6:30. Tickets are $15. and available through Jay at 519-374-4055 or Kim Lennox at 519-327-8576. Or GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/jays-world-plowingmatch-fund.
Tom – April 8th, 2017 at Underwood Hall April 8, 2017 at 6pm. Seats can be reserved by messaging Tom through his Facebook page, donation at the door. In addition you can sponsor Tom by contacting the Bruce County Plowmen’s Association through their website at www.brucecountyplowmen.ca .
Canadian Plowing Organization
www.canadianplowing.org
International Plowing Match (Ontario)
www.plowingmatch.org
World Ploughing Organization
www.worldploughing.org
Source:Canadian Plowing Organization