Club Obi Wan

Howdy,

When I first started to get into this hobby, I remember saying to my wife: "I'll get a lot of use out of a hat and jacket because I'll wear them frequently, but I doubt I'd ever get a bullwhip." Then, I met Dan Borton in person at the 2010 QM Summit, who was kind enough to show me some basics of whipcracking.

And... I got hooked. I had a lot of fun, and kindness such as Dan's tips and allowing me to try out some of his whips go a long way to fostering interest in this hobby.

When I visited the family farm in Nebraska that Christmas and started to tell my father about the experience, he told me of how he and his brothers used to play with bullwhips as kids on the farm. But also I found out that my late grandfather was quite adept at whipcracking. I knew he had started out farming with stock-horses before later getting tractors, but hadn't put 2 and 2 together to realize he would have frequently cracked bullwhips for getting the horses to pull the plow, or for working cattle. Dad pulled out a cheap bullwhip his brother brought back from Mexico for a souvenir and cracked it a while.

So now I got even more interested: using a bullwhip was almost like a bit of heritage for growing up on a farm/ranch. This year, I joined Indiana Jeff, TwilekJedi, Indiana Mark VII, and Nevada Smith to receive some great instruction from Bullwhip Borton and Lion Tamer at the Queen Mary Summit.

Anthony De Longis very kindly offered a couple of suggestions to improve my technique, and even took a photo with me:
gallery/displayimage.php?album=10&pid=2 ... play_media

At the last minute, I entered the bullwhip competition using Borton's 6-foot Joe Strain bullwhip. Although I've never tried hitting a target before, I managed to hit all but two of the targets! I was by far the slowest out of the group, and my technique was very amateur compared to so many great whippers in that competition, but I was just glad to take part in it all.

For the past year, I've been keeping an eye out for the possibility of getting a bullwhip. I received quite a nice, generous gift this Christmas and so finally had a budget. After some great advice and reviews, yesterday I called up James at ClassicBullwhips.com and placed an order for my first bullwhip: an 8-foot Raiders style cowhide/kip bullwhip in saddle tan! I briefly met James at the Summit but ended up so busy that I never got over to look at his whips there. But I'll be seeing one close-up in just a couple of months.

I have to say, I'm very encouraged by the welcoming camaraderie demonstrated by the whip crackers I've gotten to know through this hobby. Keep it up, ladies and gents--such positive attitudes really attract newcomers to the hobby!



Anyway, hope you don't mind the long post (I'm a bit excited, if you couldn't tell). Look forward to posting in this section more!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

UPDATE: Here are some recent photos of it on my belt, and in action:

Congratulations!!!! And just be glad you don't have to learn like I did, when I got my first 12' whip in the spring of 1987... At the tender (and believe you me, the term was especially appropriate by the time the summer had rolled around) age of 16... Without instruction, in my backyard! All I had to go by was the RotLA and ToD VHS tapes.... Ouch!


You're on your way!!!!!

Spacious parks make good places to crack. Just be sure you're not too near people, the whole "fear of the unknown" thing comes

in.

I'm sure the people you met at the summit gave you some great advice on beginning. There's not anything I could say that those

people surely haven't already, so all I'm going to say is welcome to the world of whip cracking, we're glad to have you!

Thank you for the welcome, gents! I also want to thank Bullwhip Borton and Lion Tamer in particular for offering some great feedback to help me in making my decision.

I think I made my wife a bit nervous when I made allusions to using my bullwhip kind of like the Simpsons episode when Homer gets a handgun: turning off lights and the television with it, snatching things from across the room, etc. Just kidding.

Thanks for the parks suggestion. I thought perhaps I should call the police department sometime to see if it would be an issue around here.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

I think I made my wife a bit nervous when I made allusions to using my bullwhip kind of like the Simpsons episode when Homer gets a handgun: turning off lights and the television with it, snatching things from across the room, etc.

No, that only happens when you discover the simple joy of the 'pocket whip'...! (I speak from recent experience...)

I love that episode....

Oh yes, the pocket whips always get me in trouble.
I have a three footer that I use inside. My favorite thing to do with it is wrap the chain for the ceiling fan and turn the light off/on. That always a sure way to get the wife mad at me (like I need any help!! )

Luke, nice to see you in the bullwhip forum! I'm glad you had such a great welcome to the whip world at QM Summit. Whipcracking is such a great sport. I myself haven't had the chance to further my abilities, but will try to remedy that.

Keep us informed when you get your bullwhip from James!

All the best,

Aldo.

Marhala wrote:Luke, nice to see you in the bullwhip forum! I'm glad you had such a great welcome to the whip world at QM Summit. Whipcracking is such a great sport. I myself haven't had the chance to further my abilities, but will try to remedy that.

Keep us informed when you get your bullwhip from James!

All the best,

Aldo.

Thanks, and will do on the updates! In the meantime, I placed an order with Wade Egan for one of his whip super-holders, which should be arriving soon. Looking forward to seeing Wade's work in person!

Brief related update: I just received my super whip holder from Wade Egan. I really like the look of this leather in the Raider tan! Now I just need the whip to go with it...

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

It will certainly fit the whip!

Aldo.

Brief update: I've contacted parks & recreation for my area to find out about practicing in the park. Initial responses weren't encouraging, since the guy with whom I spoke thought it might be considered a weapon. But he's going to look into it & get back to me.

So. Cal. neighbors--do you have any info about classifications of whips? I thought it would be an agricultural implement. Any suggestions?

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

I've heard this type of thing many times since I've been around here. Every time it has come down to it, a whip is not considered a

weapon. I mean, you have a better chance hurting someone with a bat then with a whip, check out Louie's blog and find out!

Does that mean they aren't going to let people play baseball in the park anymore? No! Anything can be a weapon, it's just how it's

used.

http://bullwhips.org/?p=5180

It'll work out, and if they tell you you can't use it, bring out a point similar to that. Literally anything can be a weapon, it's about

how you use it.

Riku, thank you for your suggestions and the link.

I just got a voice-mail response, and while I need to call back later to find out more info, it sounds like yes, they will probably be able to accommodate me in particular locations! Glad I'm getting this sorted out even before the whip arrives--I can then try it out right away! I'll keep you all posted.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Good news for those who have been following my search for places to practice with the whip: I just had a nice conversation with a member of my city's parks and recreation department. She said they checked with their law branch, and while the whip might be in the hazy area of potentially being considered a weapon, they have decided to designate an out-of-the-way area in the nicest city park for me to use as my own practice area! Although I haven't been there yet, I've looked at images from Google Maps, and it looks like a great location: grassy areas with some trees, somewhat secluded from the main part of the park, and with the combination of nearby freeway as well as few houses nearby, it's less likely that I'll be disturbing anyone.

I wanted to make sure in my interactions with representatives of the city that I presented a positive face about our hobby: politeness, informative, appreciative, and flexibility. Seems to me that's the best way to dispel any nervousness or fears others might have at this unfamiliar activity. I know that the goodwill demonstrated by many of the whip enthusiasts I've met in person was a big plus for me pursuing the whip-craft aspect of our hobby, so just want to pay it forward.

Anyway, only about a month to go until I receive my whip from James!!!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

That's better than I expected! Having your own little place to crack is nice. I don't like a lot of people watching me when I'm

cracking whips, I don't know if you're the same but from my perspective this is a good thing. Thankfully for me I can crack in my

yard.

riku1914 wrote:That's better than I expected! Having your own little place to crack is nice. I don't like a lot of people watching me when I'm

cracking whips, I don't know if you're the same but from my perspective this is a good thing. Thankfully for me I can crack in my

yard.

Yes, I agree--I've found that my biggest enemy for using correct physical form when performing any sort of skill is becoming too self-conscious. It's one thing to get tips from skilled whip practitioners, like the advice I received from Bullwhip Borton, Lion Tamer, and Anthony De Longis at the Summit; but it's another thing to have a large audience at this novice stage. At this early on in my whip-cracking, a more secluded area with less of an audience will help me with improving form.

Hmm... my own yard for whip practice... Sounds like more motivation to get this dissertation and degree done by the end of this year!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

That's very true. You can't learn when you're concerned about other people watching.

I agree about the weapon thing. I carry a pocket knife everyday at work. Its not a weapon. If I use it to try to rob a store lets say, then it just became a weapon.
Same as my bb guns. They look like real handguns. As long as I use them the right way, they are not dangerous. That's my 2 cents.

Long time ago we had a similar discussion with the Six Flags Security. This was probably 8 years ago, but my dad, just out of habit,

had brought his pocket knife with him to Six Flags. They of course took it from him when we went through the metal detectors,

but he firmly explained to him, while holding his keys, that if he wanted it to be a weapon, he could take the key and jab somebody

with it and do just as much damage. They didn't take that very well, but the point is valid!

Yeah, I, too, take my Wenger Swiss Army everywhere. For me, it was just second nature growing up on a farm. I put it in checked luggage when flying to Israel for excavations during the summer. It comes in handy for many of the same reasons on the dig sites as it did on the farm--cutting twine and rope, a little screwdriver or pliers when needed, etc. Unfortunately, I forgot to leave it back in my room when our group went to visit the Western (a.k.a. "Wailing") Wall in Jerusalem, which has airport-type security. Fortunately, our guide had been doing this for decades and was able to convince the guards that I wasn't a threat. However, by next season I became the example of what NOT to bring on tour! Of course, one of my Israeli colleagues and friends even ran into a similar problem when trying to fly out of the country for a conference. It was in airport security that he discovered the archaeologist's trowel he'd misplaced at the end of our previous dig was still in his luggage. Now THAT was fun to try and explain to security what it was!

In any case, it's a shame tools such as pocketknives, trowels, and bullwhips, now cause some alarm for security these days, but it's understandable due more to the circumstances than the tools themselves. Of course, in my case I'm not really using the bullwhip as a tool, either (although maybe when visiting the family farm? ); more of a leisure implement. I'm hoping to not unintentionally raise anyone's hackles when I go out to practice once I've got the whip. I got a chance to scope out the designated area, and I think it'll work quite well! Not too much longer to wait!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

First off, Great pics! Good to hear about members getting into whip cracking. I think these are the first pics I've seen from the 2011 QM summit.

The weapon thing is a difficult issue, I think you have to classify the item based on it's original purpose (i.e. whips were originally for herding cattle). Down here in Florida, whips are looked upon purely as a tool. Heck, Native Floridians are called 'Florida Crackers' because of the original settlers would crack whips moving cattle!

I also have family that used (and in some cases still use) cowwhips. When I first got into whip cracking I was able to borrow two 12ft nylon cowwhips from my grandmother and great uncle who were in the cattle business and didn't need them. After a while my whip collection grew and I got pretty good. A man with a western show spotted me and I was able to perform at some local rodeo events with him. It was awesome to perform and spread the history of whip cracking to other people. Anyway that's my whip story.

Keep on crackin ,
Chase K.

Thanks, Chase. It's nice to feel like one is carrying on family tradition by becoming adept at using a whip. I sure wish some of my grandfather's whips had survived, but unfortunately they're long gone by now. However, I just heard from James, and it sounds like my new whip should be arriving in just a couple of weeks!

For those of you in the southern California area, keep an eye out in the Events section--I might be organizing a little informal get-together for some "cracktice." I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Rumor has it (okay, more than "rumor) that James is currently finishing up the overlay on my bullwhip and that it should ship out in just a few days!!! I should have my whip by next week--can't hardly wait!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Congrats! We'll see pics right?

riku1914 wrote:Congrats! We'll see pics right?

Most definitely! In fact, my wife and I have hired a photographer for taking some couple's pregnancy pictures for us (we're expecting in about a month and a half!), and while we're out there anyway, we're going to get some "Nebraska Schulte Gear" photos. Hopefully, we'll get some nice cracking photos, too. Those pictures are a few weeks away, but I'll get some snapshots of the whip itself with my camera next week when the whip arrives.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Congratulations on that too then!

Nebraska Schulte wrote:

riku1914 wrote:Congrats! We'll see pics right?

Most definitely! In fact, my wife and I have hired a photographer for taking some couple's pregnancy pictures for us (we're expecting in about a month and a half!), and while we're out there anyway, we're going to get some "Nebraska Schulte Gear" photos. Hopefully, we'll get some nice cracking photos, too. Those pictures are a few weeks away, but I'll get some snapshots of the whip itself with my camera next week when the whip arrives.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Congratulations

Thank you!

As promised, I've got a picture of my new whip! James mailed it today, and also sent me these photos to hold me over for the next few days. Here are a couple while under construction:

http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w325 ... ction1.jpg
http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w325 ... ction2.jpg

And the finished product:

http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w325 ... llwhip.jpg

I'm liking the color and am excited to handle it in person! I'll let you know more when I get it. There's going to be some whipcracking next week!!!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Wonderful whip! the colour is great!

It looks great, inside and out!
Can't wait to see it in person at cracktice.


Now the toughest part of the wait begins!!
I forsee many trips to the mailbox in your future!

Thank you, gents! Yes, I'm very eagerly awaiting our mailman's arrival over the next few days.

For those of you in the southern California area, you can have a chance to see it in person and demonstrate your prowess with your own whips at the following event:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=54955

Kwad, I look forward to seeing your new Adventuribilt, too, if you're able to make it.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

I'll definately be there.
I'll be the guy in the brown hat.

And...the whip arrived today!!! Will post pictures and more later, but just a quick blurb. I took it out to the park for a while, and it cracked VERY well! It cracked right away, and I was able to get very easy, consistent cracks with it. While the color is a bit lighter than I expected (which I understand is to be expected with kip/cowhide), I do like the looks of it. The construction looks and feels very well done, and the weight seems just perfect to me. And a great leather smell to boot! To sum up my first impressions: I got a great bargain for a high quality whip at a good price, and I have a feeling I'll be very happy with this whip. Will post more later!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Nebraska Schulte wrote:And...the whip arrived today!!! Will post pictures and more later, but just a quick blurb. I took it out to the park for a while, and it cracked VERY well! It cracked right away, and I was able to get very easy, consistent cracks with it. While the color is a bit lighter than I expected (which I understand is to be expected with kip/cowhide), I do like the looks of it. The construction looks and feels very well done, and the weight seems just perfect to me. And a great leather smell to boot! To sum up my first impressions: I got a great bargain for high quality at a good price, and I have a feeling I'll be very happy with this whip. Will post more later!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

The whip will be the color you are looking for in at most a two or three months, if used regularly. It won't seem like it's darkening

quickly, but if you compare pictures of it in a couple months vs. new you'll be surprised

Love it! And I love all the pics showing the development! Hope you bring it with you next year at the QM!

DHW

Yep, this'll definitely be coming with me to the Queen Mary Summit. Here are a few photos--one with full gear, and a couple more close-ups with the Wade Egan Super Holder:

http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w325 ... 0598-2.jpg


Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

NICE!!!!!

NICE!... or ditto !

That'll look great when it darkens up.

Thanks, guys! And personally, I'm happy with how it looks now.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte



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Sweet whip! Have fun breaking it in.

Love the way each individual strand stands out. Was it because of the dying? (Was this the dyed saddle tan whip show in another thread).

Aldo.

Marhala wrote:Love the way each individual strand stands out. Was it because of the dying? (Was this the dyed saddle tan whip show in another thread).

Aldo.

I may be wrong, but this whip is made out of cowhide, right? If so the thicker strands could be the reason for this...

Thanks, Aldo and drewtheman. Yes, this is the same whip (my one and only) that I posted in the Saddle Tan thread. And yes, this is a kip/cowhide whip: 8-foot, Raiders-style. I've heard that cowhide can be more difficult in some ways to work with than roohide, so I'm very impressed with how James' work on this turned out.

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Congratulations, Nebraska!!!! It turned out perfect! I'd also like to apologize for not responding to your PM from months ago about my classic bullwhip I only noticed it long after you started this thread, and besides, you made the right decision by going with James! Mine looked just the same when I got it, and it's darkened to a perfect Raiders color now Cracks like a firecracker too! Enjoy it

TenuredProfessor wrote:Congratulations, Nebraska!!!! It turned out perfect! I'd also like to apologize for not responding to your PM from months ago about my classic bullwhip I only noticed it long after you started this thread, and besides, you made the right decision by going with James! Mine looked just the same when I got it, and it's darkened to a perfect Raiders color now Cracks like a firecracker too! Enjoy it

Thank you, and no worries about the delayed response. It would be great to see some current photos of your whip if you have any at the moment, to give me an idea of what mine might look like in the future!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte

Congratulations on your new whip Nebraska. It looks like it turned out very well. I’m glad I was able to play a small part in helping kindle your interest in whips & whip cracking. Enjoy!

Best.

Dan

Thank you kindly, Michael! And Dan, thank you for introducing me to this branch of the hobby.

Yesterday, I went to the park for more cracktice and had a great time. . I spent a lot of time just moving the whip around, getting a feel for it, and throwing the occasional crack. By the end, I got to a point where I was throwing all sorts of new (to me) cracks, on the horizontal and diagonal planes in addition to the vertical planes (if that makes sense?). Probably wasn't much to look at for an observer, but I felt like this first chance to improvise helped me to get to know the feel of this whip better. I also think I avoided strong-arming it too much, for I didn't feel too sore or anything afterward.

Looking forward to joining up with fellow whip enthusiasts at Ft. Mac next weekend!

Best wishes,
Nebraska Schulte


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Superb Nebraska! That whip looks like it will serve you well for years to come.

Weston