There’s a new team event at the upcoming Tenterfield Show, to test the skills/ingenuity/cunning of teams of six showcasing their rural skills.
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The Farmers Challenge will take place in the main ring in front of the grandstand on Friday night following the announcement of the 2019 Miss Showgirl.
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There’s even a possibility the showgirl contestants will then discard their sashes and enter their own team in the race.
Each team of six must have at least two females, but there’s no limit all the way up to a full-female team.
With efficiency, organisation, multitasking and planning being key elements of success, an all-girl team could even have an advantage.
This is also why excuses of advancing years and lack of fitness don’t hold water. Perhaps a crafty combination of brawn and brains (with a dash of beauty thrown in) could be a winner.
The challenge asks competing teams to:
- boil a billy (after building a fire);
- crack a whip (hitting targets);
- fence (a straight row of evenly-spaced star pickets, no wiring required);
- stack small bales of hay single file (how high can you go?);
- change a wheel;
- roll a large round bale down a course (hint: don’t pick a wonky bale) and finish with four team members standing on the bale);
- stack your hay bales (including the round one) on the back of your ute (hint: bring something to use as ramps);
- tie down a load; and
- finish by downing a hot beer and a cold pie, not necessarily by the same team member.
It promises to be great spectator sport and a lot of fun. Entry is free but there’s some serious prize money of $1000 on offer, thanks to major sponsors Ray White Rural and the Tenterfield Bowling Club and a number of other sponsors coming on board.
It’s been a few years since the show saw a ‘stockman’s challenge’, organiser Peter Chittick said, but with enough support this could become a regular feature of the show.
He’s hoping that 8-10 teams will be involved, with Show Society president Matt Duff providing a running commentary.
Rotary’s entering a team so they’re laying down the challenge to other service organisations. It would be great for each of the football codes and other sporting clubs to put up teams, and businesses and even family groups are encouraged to enter.
Call Mr Chittick for details on (02) 6736 2085.
High school students already have some form so perhaps could show the oldies how it’s done. Here’s some action from the Farmers Challenge at the school’s recent wellbeing Day..