Club Obi Wan

Any COW members planning to go to Annie Oakley Days in Greeneville, Ohio? If you haven't heard about it, theres going to be quite alot of whip artistry every day of the event, which is 24-27 July. This is a western themed event, but it might be a good opportunity to meet COW members face to face and talk Indy bullwhip (or all things Indy).

Charles

I'm going. (Chris Camp)

So is Paul Nolan and I think Bernardo is too.

Dan Trout and nick Ammann will be there too.
A couple of real stand up guys.


.... hey guys ... will you please stand up.

Lots of whip cracking, rope spinning etc.
Great time if you can make it.

C

I'll be there too...

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

Canasta...man, I AM standing...

(those of you who don't know Chris, he's rather tall...)

Yep, I'll be there.

I was talking to the guy who organizes the Western Art Showcase Event there, (Gery Deer,) just last week, and it looks like it's going to be pretty darn good this year. Maybe the biggest show we've had so far. Not just LOTS of whip cracking, but gun spinning, trick roping, and LOTS of knife throwing too!

Adam Winrich typically shows up too, (I haven't heard anything from Adam yet.) And there should be a couple other "Names" in the whip world who make it in too. But nothing is finalized yet.

So, anyway...YEAH Charles, come on in! If you're NEW to whip cracking, (or even if you've been at it for 20 years,) there is NO BETTER PLACE to learn from and watch some of the finest in the nation, and no better place to sample the wares of different whip makers, (because you can typically say, "Anyone tried a whip by such-and-such" and someone will go, "Hold on...yeah...I'll go get mine." That typically comes from Chris Camp and his HUGE Bag of Supersonic Goodness that he carries around with him. It's like the carpet bag from Mary Poppins!)

All the best, and hope to see you there!

-Dan

Roger that, Dan; I am planning to come up on the Saturday event day. I'm looking forward to meeting all the COW members in attendance, as well as learning some tips and tricks concerning the bullwhip.
I was considering getting into the Saturday morning bullwhip workshop, but am unsure if it is only open to performers, or if everyday Joes can sign up as well. I'll have to research that more.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the event and meeting all of you.

Cheers,

Charles

I was considering getting into the Saturday morning bullwhip workshop, but am unsure if it is only open to performers, or if everyday Joes can sign up as well. I'll have to research that more.

Actually, I can field that question. If you've paid admission, (and therefore done the whole "site waiver" that everyone has to do for insurance purposes,) you can attend the workshop, "Everyday Joe" or not.

And even if you miss the "workshop" proper, I can say from experience not to worry because there'll be another one along in a little while. Unplanned workshops, impromptu lessons, spontaneous competitions, and all sorts of stuff just pop up out of nowhere during this thing when someone says, "Hey, that's pretty cool, how d'ya do that?"

So, see ya there!

-Dan

I've been to AOD the past three years, and it's been a good time, but this year I'm working at a renaissance festival north of Chicago every weekend in July and August, so I won't make it to AOD this year.

And it kind of bums me out because Chris and Bernardo will be there, and I haven't seen Chris in a while and I'd really like to meet Bernardo.

-Adam

The schedule says there are Bullwhip "workshops" on "Basic Whip Artistry" on Thursday at 12:30pm, and Friday at 9am. The schedule also lists more "workshops" (but not by name) at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday.

There is a very slight chance that I could actually have a whip by the weekend. I suppose I could even drive back and forth to be there for some Friday and Saturday festivities-- but I have been away from home a LOT for work lately, leaving my wife as basically a single parent of two kids for much of the past two weeks. I haven't paid my registration yet, because I don't know if I'll actually be able to make it. I would definately not be able to attend any of the Sunday events at all; I have a commitment that I need to be here for that morning.

Does anyone know if these workshops will just be like open practice sessions or a more formal presentation? If they are a set structure, will they be the same thing each day? (I'm trying to figure out for how many days I could get away.) Where will these "whip workshops" be held?

Also, does anyone know how they will handle the Indy costume contest? I'd love to see that, but it's not on the schedule. Some costume contests have judges just circulating through the crowd and then announcing the winner at the end, but some have all the contestants together in one spot an voting and such.

thefish wrote:

I was considering getting into the Saturday morning bullwhip workshop, but am unsure if it is only open to performers, or if everyday Joes can sign up as well. I'll have to research that more.

Actually, I can field that question. If you've paid admission, (and therefore done the whole "site waiver" that everyone has to do for insurance purposes,) you can attend the workshop, "Everyday Joe" or not.

And even if you miss the "workshop" proper, I can say from experience not to worry because there'll be another one along in a little while. Unplanned workshops, impromptu lessons, spontaneous competitions, and all sorts of stuff just pop up out of nowhere during this thing when someone says, "Hey, that's pretty cool, how d'ya do that?"

So, see ya there!

-Dan

For the record, here are Gery's answers to my questions:


Me: The schedule says there are Bullwhip "workshops" on "Basic Whip Artistry" on Thursday at 12:30pm, and Friday at 9am. The schedule also lists more "workshops" (but not by name) at 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday. Do you know if these workshops will just be like open practice sessions or a more formal presentation?

Gery: Workshops are informal but we try to schedule them by interest. We never know how many people we have for each and a final schedule will be available at the registration table on Thursday.



Me: If they are a set structure, will they be the same thing each day? Where will these "whip workshops" be held?

Gery: All workshops are held in the same space. The event all happens at our space on the Darke County Fairgrounds.



Me: Also, do you know how you will handle the Indy costume contest? I'd love to see that, but it's not listed on the schedule as a seperate event. Some costume contests have judges just circulating through the crowd and then announcing the winner at the end, but some have all the contestants together in one spot an voting and such.

Gery: We haven’t gotten much response on the Indy costume contest but we simply have two categories for costumes with the award given at the banquet on Saturday night. One is for western costume and the other for Indy costume. Each is given based on observation during the day on Saturday, our busiest and high-profile day. So it’d be more like the circulation method you mentioned.

What a great day I had at AO Days on Sat. the 26th. It was fantastic to meet so many COW members, see so many wonderful whips, not to mention how professionaly those whips are cracked. I've got alot to learn; but with the superb tips and instruction I got from everyone there I don't believe I have anywhere to go but up.
To all that I met; Gery, Dan, Chris, Nick, Paul and Lauren (if I left out anyone, I apologize); thank you for making me, my daughter Kristen, and niece ashley, feel so welcome.
I wish I could have stayed longer, but daughter and niece had events they had to get to. I'm already anticipating next year, and planning to attend both Saturday and Sunday. With the eventual acquisition of a good target whip or two, I'm hoping to be at a level of expertise that I might be allowed to participate in the competitions next year .
Dan, Paul and Lauren, please be sure to check on the OH-IN-KY Fall Summit being discussed in the events section. It would be great to see you again.
Just want to express again what a great time AOD was and how wonderful it was to meet you all.

Best regards,

Andy

Hi Andy,

It was great to meet you, as well as Kristen and Ashley. I'm glad you were able to make it out at least for the day. Get your practice in for next year, anyone who registers for the event is allowed to participate and compete in the competitions!

I thought everyone here would like to see some pics of the event, unfortunately most of us were too busy having fun to actually take many pictures, lol.



Setting up for the next round of the bullwhip fast draw, Chris Camp vs. Robert Dante:



The Whip Guy, Chris Camp (AKA - Canasta), putting on a show:



Robert Dante entertaining the crowd:



KG and The Ranger during their showcase:



The whip cracking gang at the Saturday night awards banquet



Cowboy Steve brought much of his extensive collection along with him including a couple of HEAVY Bullock Whips:

http://www.midwestwhips.com/indygearpho ... ckWhip.jpg

I could stand to lose a pound or two, so I decided to get some exercise and try to do the Queensland crossovers with them:

http://www.midwestwhips.com/indygearpho ... sovers.jpg

I could only keep it up for about 5 seconds, and the handles were so heavy they nearly pulled my arms off. I was surprised that I was able to somewhat pull off the Hassett's 4 corners with them. It was tough, but it was fun!

I also took some video of some of Chris Camp's shows, and I have compiled a short collection of those clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfzVQ3RZr4o

I hope you guys enjoy the pics and video, you sure missed a good time! I hope to see more COW members there next year.

Regards,

Paul Nolan
www.midwestwhips.com

PS - Andy, send me an email to whipmaker@midwestwhips.com. You won the Indy costume contest that was awarded Saturday night, and since the prize was donated by Lauren and I, I figured we could send it to you directly.

I thought everyone here would like to see some pics of the event, unfortunately most of us were too busy having fun to actually take many pictures, lol.

Speak for yourself, Paul! When I got home, I checked my camera, and I'd taken 225 pictures over the 4 days that I was there, (I came in Wednesday and helped Gery with setup.) I'm currently uploading those, and will get a link to them ASAP.

Anyway, thanks for coming out Andy! It was great meeting you and your family! And any help that I personally was able to give you with whip cracking is surely welcome. I wish I could have spent more time with you guys than I did, but Saturday if I wasn't shooting video, running audio, or snapping pictures, I was competing, (badly,) in the competitions. Your whip skills are looking good! Keep it up!

I'll drop you a line the next time I'm down in Southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky to visit my parents. Hopefully, we can get together and throw some more whips around!

-Dan

http://www.midwestwhips.com/indygearpho ... sovers.jpg

Holy Bullwacker!

I was looking forward to this so much. Mr. Trout, I'd love to see some of your photos, too.

Ask and you shall receive:

http://picasaweb.google.com/DanielGTrou ... 4_ngfgByYg

You can't fool me. That's not Cowboy Steve-- That's Kenny Rogers.

thefish wrote:Ask and you shall receive:

http://picasaweb.google.com/DanielGTrou ... 4_ngfgByYg

Aw, only one shot of me? I tried to be as entertaining as I could! ---- LOL! J/K


Actually, the shot you did get of me & Doug is a really good one! Thanks for sharing that album with us.

Wow, This was a great time!! I really enjoyed being able to compete and also ansewer questions that people had about whips and whipmaking, this was really and enjoyable weekend. It was great hanging with everyone again like always we have a good time. I was glad to hear that so many people had a great time. I definetly recommend whoever can make it next year to go becuase you won't regret it. I did not make it for the first 2 days but Saturday and Sunday were great. Alot of wonderful people and great food and fun. Thanks to Dan Trout and Paul Nolan for posting pictures. I will definetly be there for next years festivities. If you want to see alot of whips and whip action this is the place to go. Its always fun to watch Chris Camp perform and it was nice to get the chance to meet Robert Dante and see hise performance.