Olivia Blum gets ready for the pedal pull action at the National Pedal Pull Championships on September 28th in Mitchell, South Dakota.
The annual Heartland FFA-sponsored Kids’ Pedal Pull seems like just another fun event for kids during Henderson Community Days, but think again! Just ask eight-year-old Olivia Blum, a Heartland second grader from Henderson, what it means to her.
Olivia was four years old when she first participated in the pedal pull at Henderson Community Days. Her older brother Hudson had already been a regular in the event and had made it to the State level before, but Olivia took it a step further.
She just returned from her third trip to the National Pedal Pull Competition, which was held at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, in September with her fifth-place trophy and medal. States participating in the Nationals include Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
In the pedal-pull competition, kids pedal a tractor with a sled attached. According to the state rules, the winner is determined by who can pull the heaviest weight at the farthest distance. If one competitor pulls the sled the maximum distance (a full pull), more weight will be added to the sled, and everyone who gets a full pull will be called back for a pull-off.
This past summer, Olivia placed first at the Henderson competition with a full pull, making her eligible to compete at the Nebraska State Fair in August. She placed first at the State competition and punched her ticket to the Nationals in Mitchell. She competed with around 67 other girls at State and 35-40 at Nationals.
“I really like going to the Nationals and competing at the Corn Palace—it’s so fun! This was my best finish at the Nationals, where I placed fifth,” said Olivia. She made it to Nationals when she was four and six years old.
Olivia’s parents, Jason and Anita, admit they had no idea what they were getting into when they started attending the State and National events. “When we went to State, entire families were wearing matching t-shirts, and the high level of organization we witnessed was unbelievable for running these events,” said Jason.
In Grand Island, at the Nebraska State Fair, the event is held at the Heartland Event Center, where about 800 kids compete during the day. “It’s pretty crazy to watch all the competition going on at once,” said Anita.
Nebraska has the country’s single largest pedal pull competition, run by the Nebraska Pedal Pull Association, which sets the rules and regulations. “If you lift off your seat, your foot slips off the pedal, or you go off the carpet, you are DQ’d,” said Olivia.
Hats off to the Heartland FFA, which ensures this event happens year after year, and Pat O’Brien, who provides the special tractors and sleds to pull. The Blums said the Heartland FFA competition is very well organized, and they always do a great job of registering the kids and running a very smooth event at Henderson Community Days.
In the meantime, it looks like Olivia will need a new trophy case to house all her awards. Children up to age 12 may participate in the Pedal Pull event.
