A Canada Day crowd was treated to impressive tractor pull results from participants after a delayed start due to rain Monday (July 1) at the Neerlandia Tractor Pull.
“As the sled operator I witnessed a whole new and different skillset of driving,” stated organizer Pieter Van Dasselaar.
“Joann played the brakes on her tractor like she was playing the piano.”
The first competitors struggled in the mud sludge caused by over-night rain even after hours of work by Van Dasselaar and his team to improve conditions.
Joann Komarnisky from Holden, originally from the Linaria area, had the first good run and won in her class.
“The most difficult thing was how much of the brakes I had to use.” explained Komarnisky, discussing her unique technique.
She had to bounce back and forth on her brakes on her tractor to keep the pull moving forward.
The audience cheered everyone's performance.
“Normally we have 40 tractors and we got about half show up because the rain,” Van Dasselaar commented.
Rocky Mountain Equipment sponsors the Tractor Pull and has done so right from the beginning.
This year they donated 21 prizes.
With 23 contestants almost everyone went home with a prize.
Van Dasselaar and Terry Dietrich have planned and organized the Canada Day Tractor Pull for several years.
The Tractor Pull originally started by Ken Wood and Bruce Weiringa in 2012 at the time of the centennial.
The unique collection of tractors included a four-wheel drive International, McCormick Farmall, Minneapolis Moline, and a Rocko1 Model “b” 77.
There were six classes of competition, designated by weigh of the machine and a bantam class.
The standings per class results are as follows.
Bantam Class First Place: Boris Heshka
Class One First Place: Boris Heshka – 144 ‘ 2” Second Place: John Pisarweski – 139’ 2” Third Place: Darren Buryn – 108’ 9”
Class Two First Place: Terry Dietrich – 143’ 2” Second Place – Easten Van Dasselaar – 135’ 10”
Class Three First Place: Darcy Lencewich – 174’ Second Place: Taylor Hamoen – 171’ 4” Third Place: Darryl Van Dasselaar – 169’ 8”
Class Four First Place: Jelle Mourits – 156’ Second Place: Arnold Viersen – 131’ 2”
Class Five First Place: JoAnn Komarnisky – 369’ 6” Second Place: Terry Dietrich – 326’ 9” Third Place: Pieter Van Dasselaar – 191’ 4”
Class Six First Place: George Hnatiuk – 441’ Second Place: Dean Komarnisky – 412’ 4” Third Place: Ron Prokipchuck – 410’ 4”
