The Citizen, 2007-07-12, Page 25THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007. PAGE 25. GGeeaarriinngg uupp ffoorr HHoommeeccoommiinngg 22000077
Before there was machinery, there
was man and beast.
And on the weekend of Brussels
Homecoming 2007, spectators will
have an opportunity to see one
example of how effective this
partnership can be.
Beginning a 9 a.m. on Saturday,
July 27 and Sunday, July 28 the
Brussels Optimists are hosting a
team penning competition behind
their clubhouse (the former railway
station) at the north edge of town.
There is no admission fee.
Jacquie Gowing, a member of the
Western Ontario Team Penning
Association explained that the sport
essentially requires teams of three
riders to separate three specific head
of cattle from a herd of 30.
The cattle are tagged with
numbers of zero to nine, three of
each. These go across the shoulder
and are visible on either side by the
riders. As the event begins the
announcer will call a number and
the riders have 90 seconds to move
the animals bearing that number to a
pen at the opposite end of the arena.
“It’s pretty fast paced,” said Gowing.
The riders must communicate to
ensure the penning is done
efficiently. “When all goes in a
wreck, you know they didn’t
communicate.”
If more than one unassigned
number cattle beast crosses the line
or enters the small pen the team will
be disqualified.
Generally, said Gowing, the
fastest time will win, but the
Brussels penning is stepping up the
standards to promote consistent
penning and hopefully a higher skill
level. “The teams winning the
Brussels penning will have to pen
three cattle, three times and have the
fastest combined time on the nine
head in order to win.”
A rating system has been
developed to encourage penners of
every age and skill level to compete.
Teams are then put into divisions,
five class, seven class, 10 class and
open. The first is essentially a
beginner class, while open could
have a team of top competitors.
Teams will compete in Brussels
throughout both days with the finals,
featuring the top 10 from each
division, each day at 3 p.m.
At 2 p.m. on Sunday there will be
a ‘celebrity’ penning. Confirmed to
participate are two summer cruiser
girls from 94.5 The Bull, two Grey
firefighters and two Optimists.
For the Gowings the sport is a
family affair. While daughter Alyssa
no longer compete, sons Ben and
Nic participate, as does their uncle
Brian Workman. “He will be riding
in Brussels,” said Gowing.
She anticipates that they will have
200 teams at the event, including
some from the Ottawa valley and
Belleville. Invitations have been
extended to Quebec, New York and
New Jersey.
Team penning began in the west in
the late 1980s, and had informal
participation here in the early 1990s.
There are now several associations
in Ontario with the western one
being one of the largest.
“We have rules and regulations
regarding the safe handling of our
riders, horses and the cattle we use.
There is a code of ethics and proper
conduct and good sportsmanship is
strongly encouraged.”
The associations in the United
States operate under slightly
different rules, said Gowing. “But
when they come here they have to
play by our’s.”
Competition fast-paced display of man and beast
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By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
A thoughtful dedication has got
Brussels Legion’s senior chairman
Debbie Trollope on the hunt for
veterans.
At the request of the Homecoming
2007 committee, Trollope is trying
to find veterans from the area to ride
a float that will kick the parade off in
style, a parade that has been
dedicated to the veterans.
The parade will be the cornerstone
of the July 27, 28, 29 weekend,
taking place on Saturday afternoon,
when most of the patrons are
expected to be there.
“The committee wanted to
dedicate the parade to the veterans,
so they wanted to have the veterans
in the first float of the parade, as
many as we can get and are able to
physically be on the float,” she
said.
Trollope has been working on the
project for weeks now, with little
response, forcing her to look into
alternatives.
“I haven’t had much of a response,
and the ones who have responded,
aren’t really able to get up there, so
right now, I don’t know how many
we’ll have,” she said.
“I was hoping to even get some
old uniforms from the war and dress
some kids up, because those
uniforms won’t fit anyone else but
kids, and make a tribute. If I can’t
get veterans on there, I’d like to
make it into a tribute to the
veterans.”
Trollope, who has been charged
with the task, since May, isn’t short
of ideas on how to make a tribute
work.
And her work in veterans’ affairs
should be able to help her along the
way as well.
Trollope also said that dedicating
the 135th anniversary parade to the
veterans is a classy move that didn’t
surprise her that much when she was
approached with the idea.
“They thought that with the
Homecoming, it might be nice to put
them in the parade and dedicate it to
them, that way their float can start
the parade off,” she said.
Tribute to veterans part of parade
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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