Star-Journbal Editor
With so many people pulling for him back in Kansas, and so many relatives there in the stands, Arik Schmidt tried with all his might to make them all proud Saturday at the 2006 National Pedal Pull Competition in Mitchell, S.D.
Schmidt, nine-year-old fourth grader at Goessel Elementary, placed 17th among more than 30 contestants; many considerably bigger than Nancy Schmidt's boy.
"They were monstrous! Oh, my gosh!" Arik's mom said. "The winner, I bet he weighed at least 160 or 170 pounds, and he was a good head taller than Arik.
"He was a big kid for nine."
Schmidt qualified for the competition by winning the nine-year-old Kansas Pedal Pull Association Championship held Sept. 10 at the Kansas State Fair.
It seemed like the entire town was there to wave goodbye and good luck Friday when Arik and his entourage left Goessel for South Dakota, she said.
Arik's two brothers, his sister and her husband, along with Grandpa, and, of course, Mom, all
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made the trip. Father, Leroy, had a conflict and couldn't go.
The caravan stopped to take Arik's picture at every state welcome sign, including South Dakota. It was dark by then and he had to stand in the truck headlights.
Nationals was supposed to be held outside of the Corn Palace tourist attraction in Mitchell on Saturday, but rain forced the event inside.
"They put down these indoor- outdoor carpet runners for them to start on," Nancy said. "Arik's slipped right off the start and it shook him up from the get-go."
He still managed to pedal the 320-pound load almost 20 feet. The load was much heavier than the one he pulled at the state contest, Nancy said.
"He was disappointed," she said. "When he heard some of the other distances and saw the five full 30-foot pulls, he was kind of hard on himself."
But his cloudy mood soon passed. There was a cool classic car show downtown, and no less than three taxidermy shops for him to explore.
And for his efforts, Arik was awarded a heavy medal with a ribbon to wear around his neck.
He took it to school Monday for show-and-tell. With all he'd experienced in just three days, it might've taken him all morning the describe it all.
A memorable Kodak moment came when Arik was approached by a man in a T-shirt and jeans who wanted to have his picture taken with him.
"The man was just normal looking guy," Nancy said. "But he said, 'Hi, I'm the Governor of South Dakota!' and I said, 'Are you really?'" She didn't believe him, not for a minute.
"But then he said, 'I do enough lying in the state house, why would I want to lie here today?' It really was him!"
Hopefully, Arik will continue to compete in pedal pull events, which include youngsters up to 12 years old. His mom would like to see him defend his state championship next summer.
"The state fair meet actually was more exciting than the nationals," she said.
"The way they treated the contestants was better, and the announcer made it such a big deal giving them their awards."
