HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-09-06, Page 3THE HURON EXPOSITOR, SEPTEMBER 6, 1989 -- 3A
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QUEEN OF THE FURROW - Last year's Queen of the Furrow, Cheryl Regele of
RR 1 Dublin is seen here crowning the 1989 Queen, Heather McGavin of RR 4
Walton. Lori DeWys (right) of RIR 1 Varna was selected as the first runner-up in
the Queen competition. Miss McGavin will represent Huron County at the Interna-
tional .Plowing Match in 1990. Corbett photo.
HURON COUNTY PLOWING MATCH - The champion plowman
at the 62nd Annual Huron County Plowing Match was Brian
McGavin of RR4 Walton who is seen here. The match was
hosted by former Huron County Warden Robert Bell this year,
and attracted about 30 senior and junior competitors to plow
43 lands: Rain Friday — a a c,-,ditions miserable for plowmen,
but the ground rema,,...d in good shape for the match. Cor-
bett photo.
A STEADY HAND - Bill Fotheringham of RR3 Seaforth was the Reserve Senior
Champion Plowman of Huron County behind Brian McGavin of RR 4 Walton. Cor-
bett photo.
Plowing an obsession.
To those uninitiated, plowing may seem
like an unlikely sporting event, but to those
involved in competitive plowing it is an
obsession.
The judges of this year's Huron County
Plowing Match, Keith Leslie of Georgetown
and William Huffman of Rogersville, were
bitten early by the plowing bug, and are
qualified to tell what makes competitive
plowing a challenging sport.
The two men have spent the last 25
years plowing, and were acquainted long
before the Huron County Plowing Match,
as they have been plowing against each
other for about 20 years. Mr. Huffman
says one of the highlights of his plowing
career was when he got the opportunity to
coach plowing in England in 1984, and
another was plowing in the World Cham -
pionships in Denmark in 1985. He placed
25th out of 52 competitors. Mr. Leslie was
one of the competitors at the World Cham-
pionship when Canada hosted it in Oshawa,
and placed eighth.
"What's different with a plowing match
is each time you set the stakes up she's a
new ball game," said Mr. Huffman. He ex-
plains that if your competition is a dog
show or a beauty contest you've always
got the same factors in the competition,
but in a plowing match you can hit a
stone, get stuck in mud, or anything can
happen. Competitors also have special
plows for competitive plowing, which have
more adjustments than would a regular
farming plow. And just like you wouldn't
use your curling broom for sweeping the
floor, they don't use their match plow for
sod busting on the farm.
Mr. Leslie notes competitive plowing is
also a social occasion, and "people from
across Ontario meet every year at plowing
matches.
Both of these men are qualified to be
judges based on their 25 years of plowing
experience, but. they also went to school to
get get certified. In judging they look for
straightness and uniformity of furrows -all
furrows must look the same, grass and
stubble must be buried, the ins and outs
onto the plowed land must start and stop
in the same spot and, there must be
enough depth to provide a good seed bed,
to name a few things. It is trying to
achieve these things that makes com-
petitive plowing a challenging sport for
those who undertake it.
ROBERT BELL, former Warden of Huron County and Tuckersmith Township Reeve,
hosted the Huron County Plowing match on his farm near Kippen this year. Mr.
Bet is seen here with his granddaughter Stacey Crerar, daughter of Don and Linda
of Hensall, showing her one of the percherons which was to be used in the
dignitary plowing at the annual match. The percheron team belongs to Bob
McLachlan of RR 3 Kippen. Corbett photo.
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JUNIOR CHAMPION - Jonathan Hugill-of :RR 2 eaforth was the junior champion
plowman at the Huron County :Plowing mato!) :Friday, and also accumulated the
most points in the 4-H ,plowing achievement olay on Thursday. Watching his pro-
gress in this picture is his father Doug Hugili. Corbett photo.
THE YOUNGEST COMPETITOR at the Huron County Plowing beginning his first year of competitive plowing, and is seen
Match was t0•year-old .Jason Beck-r,yof Deshw.00d, who is here with his father John. Corpett photo.
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