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teddyeyeseddie · 1 year ago

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To Hell I Go

Part One: Cheyenne

Bull Rider Steve Harrington x Reader

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(a/n: if im one thing im obsessed with cowboys so writing bull rider steve has been so much fun for my californian turned southern heart. also ,everyone say hello to @lofaewrites when you see her in this fic hehe! Also, if you can spot the zach bryan mentions throughout this series, ill kiss you bc I love that man)

Now Playing: Open The Gate

"Now I ain't never feared nothin

that was four legged and buckin

throw me on a hurricane

and I'll ride it til the coast”

He was a Harrington and if Harrington’s did anything, they earned their keep. Steve Harrington grew up on a ranch in eastern Texas, his dad never giving anything to him. Summertime was filled with breaking horses and shoveling hay, Steve never knowing the fun in summer vacation. Winter brought cold mornings, Steve cursing his father at the crisp hour of 6am as he fed the horses. Harrington men were tough, their name well respected in the town.

That was until Steve had something to do with it. While Steve earned his keep on the ranch, he was a wild one off of it. By the time he graduated highschool, Steve had sought out any and all adrenaline highs his small town had to offer. There weren’t enough cliffs for him to jump off of, there wasn’t a dirt bike that went fast enough, and there wasn't a horse that bucked hard enough to tame the fire that bloomed in Steve’s veins.

He was 18 years old the first time he rode in his first rodeo. He lasted 6.6 seconds earning him a score of 72 . He came in second, going home with a medal and a gift card to the town’s local steak house. Once he started, he was hooked. The high he felt when he rode couldn’t touch any other feeling in the world.

From the moment he came in first in his first competition, he was set off in a whirlwind of bulls, dirt and blood. He worked his way up the ranks, becoming the top bull rider in the country, going for 95.7 points to win the PBR national championship.

“And here to present the awards for Jefferson’s Junior Rodeo, Steve “The Mudslinger” Harrington!”

Steve takes the microphone, hand on his belt buckle as he begins to announce the scores and winners for the teenagers.

The crowd cheers when Jamie Bounds is announced as the first place rider, he had become Steve’s protege, the two of them training when Steve was actually home.

The Bounds family was intertwined with the Harrington’s, their families doing business together for several years. Jamie worked on the ranch in the summertime, Steve getting to watch him grow up into a well rounded 17 year old.

“You did good out there, bud,” Steve’s hand comes to clasp Jamie’s shoulder, the smile on his face wide as the two walk towards Steve’s pick up.

Steve drove a 1984 Chevy K10, he had fixed it up nice when he was 19. Despite his rise to fame in the bull riding world, he stayed humble, still driving and fixing up his beloved truck and even living with his family on their Ranch. When he was home, he worked the land and helped with the business aspects of running the largest ranch in northeastern Texas.

Steve drops Jamie off at home, deciding to head home early instead of going to the local bar. He crept into the main house on the ranch, being careful as to not disturb his mother and father. He slips into his bedroom, immediately toeing off his boots and stripping himself of his dirt ridden clothes. His belt buckle hits the floor with a thud, Steve wincing at the loud sound.

He pads into the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and wiping down his face and back of his neck. He contemplates a shower for a moment but decides it can wait until the morning. He brushes his teeth before making his way back to the bedroom and slipping into bed.

The next morning, he showers and quickly gets dressed. He tucks in a plain black t shirt into his blue jeans, adjusting his belt and placing his hat on his head. He makes his way downstairs, the smell of coffee wafting into his nose. He approaches his kitchen and finds his mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table. Steve takes a seat beside his mother, reaching for the coffee pot as his mother pushes a mug in his direction.

“Mornin’ Momma,” Steve leans over and places a kiss to her cheek before pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Dad,” Steve simply says, his dad responding with a low grunt. He rolls his eyes, getting up from his spot at the table to grab a plate and dish up what his mom had cooked for the morning.

The workers got there at 6 in the morning, Mom always having a hot meal ready for them every Saturday. It was a simple skeleton crew on the weekends, the real hard work coming during the week.

“Are you going to watch the amateur rides today at the summertime rodeo?” his mom questions from her place at the table.

“I’m thinking about it! I’m gonna go visit Eddie and Charlotte and then maybe I’ll head over there,” Steve responds as he leans against the counter, devouring the toast on his plate.

Steve finishes his breakfast, bidding his mom and dad goodbye before making his way out to his truck. He loads up, peeling out on the gravel as he makes it onto the main road.

He pulls into Eddie’s driveway, a small craftsman that Eddie and Charlotte put a lot of love into. The front garden had just been redone, the two of them bickering over what flowers to plant this year. Steve had finally had enough and picked the flowers himself the day he came over to help.

His boots thud as he walks up the stairs, softly knocking on the door. Charlotte answers shortly after, a baby on her hip as she swings the door open.

“Harrington! I didn’t know you were back in town,” she exclaims, drawing him into a hug with the arm that isn’t supporting Crue.

Steve ruffles Crue’s hair as he walks through the front door.

“Lottie babe, who is here this damn early?” Eddie shouts from the living room, Steve rounding the corner, coming into Eddie’s view.

“Well I’ll be damned, Steve “The Mudslinger” Harrington! In the flesh!” Eddie gets up from his place on the couch, extending his hand to Steve in order to pull him into a bear hug. Eddie pats him a few times on the back before pulling away.

“What brings you into town? Weren’t you just down in Tampa riding in a competition?” Eddie questions as he directs Steve to the couch, the two of them sit down, Lottie’s eyes silently telling the both of them to not put their dirty boots on her coffee table.

“Yeah, I don't have another competition til next month. Riding in Cheyenne’s “Daddy of em All”.” Eddie nods, looking to lottie.

“Honey, could you bring me and Steve here some sweet tea?” he bats his eyelashes at her. She hands Crue off to him before turning on her heels towards the kitchen.

“You talked to your daddy about taking over the ranch?” Eddie asks as he tries to distract Crue from pulling on his hair.

“No, don’t really want to yet. I’m at the top of my career and there’s no way I’m slowing down or settling down, no offense,” he says, motioning to Crue.

“None taken, but how much more exhilarating can it get? I mean one time on Ajax and I was good. Half the bulls you ride would have killed me. ” Eddie says as Charlotte comes back in with two glasses of sweet tea. She takes Crue back, trudging back to his room in order to put him down for a nap.

“Wanna go to nationals again, won’t turn down the invite to worlds this time if I win,” Steve reveals, taking a sip of his sweet tea. His eyebrows raise as it touches his tongue, looking to Eddie.

“Right? Lo makes the best sweet tea in Jefferson,” Eddie says as he takes a whopping gulp of his own drink.

“Anyways, regionals this year. To Hell I Go is going to be there,”

“To Hell I Go?”

“That’s the name of the bull,”

Eddie and Steve fall into easy conversation after that. They talk about how Eddie’s job at the Ranch has been. Steve got in late Wednesday and spent all day Thursday preparing Jamie for his competition that night, he barely had time to even say hi to Eddie.

The two finish their sweet tea, Steve checks his watch and sees he has been visiting with Eddie for 2 hours. He decides he better leave if he wants to make it to the start of the amateur competition. He bids Eddie and Charlotte goodbye, stepping out into the blistering Texas sun.

It’s times like this where Steve wishes his pick-up had air conditioning. Steve gets in his truck, rolling down the driver side window and backing out of Eddie’s driveway.

He makes his way into town, the wind blowing in his hair as he hums along to the radio. He pulls up to the corral in less than 15 minutes, pulling into a grass lot where volunteers are instructing cars as to where to park.

That’s when Steve has to slow down. Right ahead of him, walking towards his truck is a girl he’s never seen before. Her sundress skims her thighs, glowing skin glistening in the sun, hair kept up by a pair of raybans. His stomach does flips when she laughs, his mind short circuiting as he drives. As fast as she appeared she was gone, mixing in with the group of spectators that were walking towards the event center.

Steve pulls into a spot beside a jeep, jumping out of his truck before making his way to the corral. He knows the people working the ticket booth, the pair allowing him to walk right in without paying. He stuffs a 50 in their tip bucket, smiling at them as he walks inside. He gets stopped a few times on his way to his seat, little boys and dads in awe when they see The Mudslinger in person. He takes a few photographs and signs a few baseball caps before he is set free by the group of children and men.

He watches as 15 men try their hand at lasting on their respective bull. The ride of the night being Big Tex. He lasted for a whopping 8 seconds on the bull Ajax, a known rough rider around Jefferson. Steve had once lasted for 10 on the same bull but who's keeping track? (He is)

He meets up with Big Tex after awards, Steve slapping him on the back as he pulls him into a hug.

“That was some great riding out there, Franklin.” Steve says with a sly grin.

Big Tex puts him in a headlock, Steve groaning as he tries to get out. The two roughhouse for a bit until they finally calm down.

“You’re back in town so soon? Shouldn’t you be out celebrating your big win?” Big Tex asks as he takes off his gloves, throwing them down on the bed of his truck.

“Had to get home. Got a big business meeting coming up with the Bounds, had to be there for it. Plus, didn’t wanna miss the summertime rodeo,” Steve jumps up on the bed of Big Tex’s truck, reaching behind him in a cooler in order to pull out a beer.

“Wait wait wait, for old times sake?” Big Tex stops him, holding up his key in a silent suggestion.

“Oh fuck yeah,” Steve agrees. Big Tex hands Steve his key, Steve puncturing the bottom of the beer can, tilting it up so as to not spill any of the contents. Big Tex does the same, the two of them carefully knocking their cans together in a “cheers” before expertly shotgunning their respective beers.

Steve gets home that night thanks to a buddy who stayed sober, the man dropping him off at his front porch. Steve stumbles in, loudly opening the screen door, it ends up slamming shut behind him, he prays it hasn't woken up his parents. Steve finally gets the door all locked before he makes his way upstairs, his boots clunking up each step.

Steve sleeps peacefully that night, the alcohol running through his blood aiding in his slumber.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #Steve x reader #steve x you #steve x y/n #steve smut #steve fluff #steve angst #steve harrington fluff #Steve harrington angst #steve harrington smut #teddy eyes writes 🧚🏻‍♂️✨#lo 🦉#Spotify

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parkerbombshell · 5 months ago

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Addictions and Other Vices 935 – Colour Me Friday

Addictions and Other Vices Fridays 3pm-6pm EST Repeats Saturday 3pm EST and Sunday 8am EST bombshellradio.com #NowPlaying #indie #rock #alternative #Synthpop #indierock #community #radio #BombshellRadio #DJ #AddictionsPodcast #NewMusic #ColourMeFriday #Radio247 New Indie finds, previews of Just Another Menace Sunday artists coming up this weekend into next week ala Dennis The Menace, and Alex Green of Stereo Embers The Podcast and Sandy Kaye of A Breath of Fresh Air. Discoveries from our social media followers and a few more surprises. Thanks to all the artists, labels and PR companies that submitted tracks this week. Fix Mix 935 #Pop Rock #New Wave #Post Punk #Alternative Rock #Indie Rock 1. Maximo Park - The End Can Be As Good As The Start 2. The Beaches - Takes One To Know One 3. The Interrupters - Jailbird 4. Pale Waves - Glasgow 5. The Courteeners - Solitude Of The Night Bus 6. The Lottery Winners, Shaun Ryder - Money 7. The Lottery Winners - Sertraline 8. GIRLBAND! - Heartbreak Town 9. Kings Elliot - Enough 10. Our Girl - Something About Me Being A Woman 11. Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow 12. Olivia Newton-John - Hopelessly Devoted To You 13. Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta - You're The One That I Want 14. The Poppy Family - Which Way You Goin', Billy 15. The Stranglers - Golden Brown 16. First Aid Kit - Angel 17. Hollow Coves - On The Way 18. Travis - Alive 19. James McCartney - Circle Game 20. Razorlight - Call Me Junior 21. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Le Risque 22. Blonde Redhead - Melody Experiment 23. Public Service Broadcasting - Electra 24. The Kooks - Cold Heart (Single Edit) 25. Two Door Cinema Club - Wonderful Life (edit) 26. OneRepublic - Sink Or Swim 27. Arkells - Skin 28. The Snuts - The Rodeo 29. Taking Back Sunday - The One 30. Starcrawler - I Love LA 31. Starcrawler - Bet My Brains 32. Starcrawler - Roadkill 33. The Stranglers - Skin Deep 34. The Stranglers - Always the Sun 35. Hugh Cornwell - When I Was A Young Man 36. Howard Jones - New Song - 2008 Remastered Version 37. Howard Jones - What Is Love 38. Howard Jones - No One Is to Blame 39. Sunday (1994) - TV Car Chase 40. Day Wave, KennyHoopla - See You When The End's Near 41. Valley - Bass Player's Brother 42. The View - Woman Of The Year 43. The Sherwoods - Ice Cream Read the full article

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rarealdcresults · 2 years ago

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Stars of Tomorrow, in Cleveland (March 19th -20th, 2005):

Junior Group:

“Goodies” (Tap?) [Brandon Pent, Jesse Johnson, Izumi Presberry, Dominique Wright, Alexis Rectenwald & Donnaya Presberry] - 1st Place / High Gold

“Jacques The Raq” (?) - Did Not Place / Gold

“Mazurka” (Ballet) [John Michael Fiumara, Josh Ice, Nina Linhart, Stephanie Pittman, Savanna Carrozzi, Alexa Kacin, Natalee Bailey & Alexis Rectenwald] - Did Not Place / Silver

Junior Duet/Trio:

Josh Ice & Olivia Joy “Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar” (Tap) - Did Not Place / Silver

Junior Line:

“Disco Inferno” (Jazz) [Alexandra, Rebecca Hudek, Brittany Pent, Janel Moriarty, Lisa Hulker, Erika Maruca, Alíe, Dominique Wright, John Michael Fiumara, Mackenzie Meixner, Olivia Joy, Ebony Kimes, Brianne Smail, Emily Stoken, Cassidy Gusallus, Donnaya Presberry, Alexandra Salerno, Stacey, Jesse Johnson & Jessica Manza] - 1st Place / Best Costume Award / High Gold

“Daisy Dukes” (Specialty) [Nina Linhart, Alexis Rectenwald, Mackenzie Meixner, Savanna Carrozzi, Natalee Bailey, Alexa Kacin, Cassidy Gullus, Micha McGee, Stephanie Pittman, Dominique Wright & Alicia Gelifuss] - 2nd Place / Gold

Preteen Duet/Trio:

Jesse Johnson & Donnaya Presberry “The Rooster & His Chick” (Musical Theater) - 2nd Place / Gold

Preteen Group:

“Hot Chocolate” (Tap) [Alexandra Salerno, Hannah Opalko, Kelly Monteleone, Brianne Smail, Jessica Manza, Melinda Jennings & Jessica Ice] - Did Not Place / Gold

Teen Duet/Trio:

Gianna Martello, Miranda Maleski & Leah Pivorotto “Three Way Stop” (Tap) - Did Not Place / Silver

Teen Line:

“Steppin’ To The Bad Side” (Jazz) [Mackenzie Meixner, Brianne Smail, Alexandra Salerno, Alexandra McGee, Kelly Monteleone, Erika Maruca, Alivia Shoop, Miranda Maleski, Hannah Opalko, Jessica Ice & Nina Linhart] - 1st Place / Gold

Senior Duet/Trio:

Jennine Wedge & Amanda Stelluto “In Her Shadow” (Contemporary) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Regional Petite Miss:

Olivia Ice “Little Egypt” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / Gold

Regional Junior Miss:

Nina Linhart “Lila Tremaine” (Musical Theater) - 1st Place (Title Winner) / Gold

Alicia Gelifuss “The Roof Is On Fire” (Acrobatic) - Did Not Place / Gold

Cassidy Gusallus “Ocean” (Acrobatic) - Did Not Place / Gold

Alexa Kacin “A Spoonful Of Sugar” (Ballet) - Did Not Place / Gold

Micha McGee “In My Front Parlor” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / Gold

Mackenzie Meixner “Superstitious” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / Gold

Stephanie Pittman “Fairy” (Ballet) - Did Not Place / Gold

Alexis Rectenwald “Public Enemy” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / Gold

Dominique Wright “Ease On Down The Road” (Acrobatic) - Did Not Place / Gold

Regional Junior Mr:

Brandon Pent “G.I Blues” (Hip Hop) - 1st Place (Title Winner) / High Gold

Regional Preteen Miss:

Miranda Maleski “Hernando’s Hideaway” (Acrobatic) - 1st Place (Title Winner) / Most Entertaining / High Gold

Erika Maruca “The Raven” (Acrobatic) - 2nd Place / Best Costume High Gold

Natalee Bailey “It’s Good To Be Back Home” (Musical Theater) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Jessica Ice “Lady of 29 Palms” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Savanna Carrozzi “I’ve Got A Penny” (Acrobatic) - Did Not Place / Gold

Brianne Smail “Secondhand Rose” (Musical Theater) - Did Not Place / Gold

Alexandra McGee “Hostess With The Monsters” (Jazz) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Regional Preteen Mr:

John Michael Fiumara “Spider-Man” (Tap) - 1st Place (Title Winner) / High Gold

Regional Teen Miss:

Alivia Shoop “Oh Susannah” (Jazz) - 2nd Place / High Gold

Hannah Opalko “Kiss Me In The Rain” (Acrobatic) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Alexandra Salerno “Rodeo” (Ballet) - Did Not Place / High Gold

Kelly Monteleone “Cool” (Hip Hop) - Did Not Place / Gold

Regional Senior Miss:

Jennine Wedge “Gotta Move” (Jazz) - 1st Place (Title Winner) / High Gold

Crystal Jennings “Kill Bee” (Jazz) - 2nd Place / Outstanding Choreography / High Gold

Unknown Division Routines:

“Irish” - Did Not Place / Silver

Scholarship Winners:

Nina Linhart - Ballet

John Michael Fiumara - Tap

#aldc #2005 #aldccompetitionresults2005 #aldccompetitionresults #aldc2005

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mohsinbeg · 2 years ago

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American Hockey League (AHL)

The American Hockey League (AHL) is an official ice hockey league that is based in the United States and Canada that is the primary development organization for National Hockey League (NHL). Since the season of 2010-11 each team of the league has signed an affiliation agreement with an NHL team. When NHL teams don't possess an AHL affiliate players are assigned AHL teams associated in other NHL teams. The majority of the AHL team are in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league's office is located within Springfield, Massachusetts, and the president of the league currently is Scott Howson.

In general, a player must be at the age of 18 years old to play in the AHL or not currently be bound to a junior hockey team. The league is limited in the number of experienced professional players that can be on an active roster during any given game. There are only five skaters who can have accumulated four full seasons of play or more on a professional scale (goaltenders are exempt from this restriction and are able to stay in the AHL indefinitely without being subject to this cap). The AHL allows for the practice squad to sign contracts.

The annual playoff champion is named the Calder Cup, named for Frank Calder, the first president (1917-1943) of the NHL. The current champions are Chicago Wolves in 2022, who are the first team to win the Calder Cup since the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.

History

Predecessor leagues

The AHL can trace its roots back to two prior professional leagues that were it was the Canadian-American Hockey League (the "Can-Am" League) founded in 1926, and the first International Hockey League, established in 1929. While The Can-Am League never operated with more than six teams. However, the departure from the Boston Bruin Cubs after the 1935-36 season slashed it to four member clubs - that is the Springfield Indians, Philadelphia Ramblers, Providence Reds, and New Haven Eagles - for the first time in its history. In the same period, the then-rival IHL dropped half of its eight members after the 1935-36 season, leaving only four member teams that included the Buffalo Bisons, Pittsburgh Hornets, Buffalo Bisons, Syracuse Stars, Pittsburgh Hornets, and Cleveland Falcons.

1936-1938

Both leagues were down to the minimum number of teams to be viable The leaders of both leagues understood the need for action in order to protect their clubs' long-term survival. The solution was an interlocking schedule. While the Can-Am was based on the Northeast and the IHL was in the Great Lakes, their footprints were close enough for this to be a viable alternative. The two leagues' eight surviving clubs began joint play in November 1936 as a new two-division "circuit of mutual convenience" known as the International-American Hockey League. There were four Can-Am teams were merged into the I-AHL East Division, with the IHL quartet playing as members of the West Division. The IHL also contributed its former championship trophy, the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy, which would go to the regular-season winners of the league's merged West Division until 1952. The Oke Trophy is now presented to regular season winners of the American Hockey League's Northeast Division.

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Their Rules

Charreria rules | Chess rules

A little more than one month into this first season in the new circuit, the balance and symmetry of the new combined circuit suffered one setback, when its membership suddenly dwindled down to just seven teams. Its West's Buffalo Bisons were forced to shut down operations on the 6th day of December of 1936, having played just 11 games, as a result of what proved to be an insurmountable financial burden and the absence of access to an appropriate arena. The Bisons' original venue, Peace Bridge Arena, was destroyed the previous year (a new Buffalo Bisons team would return to the league in 1940 after a new arena was constructed to accommodate the Bisons). The impromptu new I-AHL was in operation for the rest of its first season (as well as all of the subsequent seasons) with only seven teams.

In the final game of the 1936-37 season, an altered three-round playoff format was developed and the new championship trophy, that of the Calder Cup, was established. The Syracuse Stars defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in the final game, three-games to one, to claim the first Calder Cup championship. The Calder Cup continues on today as the AHL's championship trophy for playoffs.

Following two years of lock-up, the governors of the two teams of the leagues' seven active teams came together at New York City on June 28th, 1938 and decided it was the right time to officially to unite. Maurice Podoloff of New Haven, the former head of the Can-Am League, was elected as the first president of the I-AHL. Former IHL head, John Chick of Windsor, Ontario, became vice-president with charge of the official.

The new I-AHL was also granted an eighth franchise at the 1938 conference to fill the void in its membership caused by the demise of Buffalo two years before with the admission of the then two-time winning Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) champion Hershey Bears. The Bears remain the sole among the original eight I-AHL/AHL teams to be represented in the league without interruption since the 1938-39 season. The newly-merged circuit has also expanded its regular season schedule for the teams each by 6 games from 52 to.

The 1939-40 season was the time when the I-AHL renamed itself it was the American Hockey League. It generally enjoyed both consistent success on the ice and relatively stable financial performance over its first three decades of operating. The late 1960s and the early 1970s the costs of running a business in the professional world of hockey began to climb quickly with NHL expansion and relocation (the NHL placed teams in Pittsburgh and Buffalo which forced two long-time AHL clubs, the Pittsburgh Hornets and Buffalo Bisons to cease operations) and more specifically, the formation of the World Hockey Association (WHA) which forced the move and then the eventual folding of the Cleveland Barons, Baltimore Clippers, and Quebec Aces. The number of major league teams competing for players rose between six and thirty in just seven years. Player salaries at all levels shot up dramatically with the increase in demand and increasing competition for their services.

This did not seem to be a problem for the AHL at first, and it was expanded to 12 teams by the year 1970. To make up for the rising player salaries, several NHL clubs cut back on the number of players they had under contract for development, and players on AHL contracts may now have to pay more for their current clubs. In the end, half of the AHL's teams ended up closing between 1974 and. The league's lowest point was 1997's summer, when it was announced that the Rhode Island (formerly Providence) Reds was the last unbroken franchise since the 1936-37 season and the longest operating minor league franchise throughout North America - had decided to stop operations after 51 years of operation in Rhode Island.

The AHL appeared to be in danger of losing its existence if the downward trend continued unabated. However, two events in the fall of 1977 helped change the direction. The first of these was the decision by the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers to return to the league as a team's owner as well as the unexpected collapse of the North American Hockey League just weeks before the start of the 1977-78 campaign.

The Flyers' brand-new AHL franchise quickly became the successful Maine Mariners that brought the newly-created AHL City of Portland, Maine both the regular-season and Calder Cup playoff titles in the initial two seasons in operation. The demise of NAHL was a shock to the league, and it left two of its stronger teams which are the Philadelphia Firebirds and Binghamton, New York-based Broome Dusters, without a league to play in. The owner of the Dusters have solved their dilemma by purchasing the Reds franchise and transferring it to Binghamton and renaming it their Binghamton Dusters, while the Firebirds crossed over to join the AHL away from NAHL. They joined the Dusters and Firebirds, together with the Hampton Gulls (who had joined the league through an earlier league called the Southern Hockey League), helped to increase the AHL to nine member clubs as the 1977-78 season started. Hampton was shut down the 10th of February, 1978 and was replaced later in the one year with the New Brunswick Hawks. With the stability of the franchise improving after the collapse of the WHA in 1979, the league continued to expand steadily throughout the years until it reached 20 clubs at the end of the 2000-01 season.

Absorption of the IHL

In 2001-02, the AHL's membership has exploded to 27 teams, mostly due to the addition of six teams: Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, Utah, Manitoba, and Grand Rapids, which were part of the International Hockey League. The IHL had established itself as the top-tier minor league in North America, but folded in 2001 due financial issues. One oddity caused by the AHL's expansion in 2001 was that the league featured two teams that shared the same name for the Milwaukee Admirals and the Norfolk Admirals. The latter team was transferred to the league from the middle-level ECHL in 2000. The situation continued until the end of the 2014-15 season in which the Norfolk team moved towards San Diego and was replaced by a different ECHL team with similar name.

The Utah Grizzlies suspended operations after the 2004-05 season (the franchise was sold in 2006 before it returned to the arena in Cleveland in 2007 as The Lake Erie Monsters, now named Cleveland Monsters). Cleveland Monsters). They are the Chicago Wolves (2002, 2008), Houston Aeros (2003), Milwaukee Admirals (2004) along with the Grand Rapids Griffins (2013, 2017) have all been winners of Calder Cup titles since joining the AHL from the IHL. Chicago and Milwaukee have also made multiple trips to the Calder Cup Finals, and Houston made their second Finals appearance in 2011.

The Manitoba Moose moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 and named The St. John's IceCaps after the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg as the second version from Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg Jets. In 2013, Houston made the move the team to Des Moines, Iowa to become the Iowa Wild. The move left Chicago, Grand Rapids and Milwaukee as the only IHL ex- teams to remain in their original cities prior to the 2015 relocations when the IceCaps moved back into Winnipeg with the Manitoba Moose.

Relocations and western shift

Since the start of the 2015-16 season the franchises of twelve have since relocated because of NHL parent club influence over their development teams and players. Of the twelve relocated franchises nine were relocated as they were directly owned by NHL teams and the NHL parent club wished to make call-ups from the AHL more feasible by being closer affiliates.

In January 2015, the AHL announced the relocation of five existing AHL franchises--Adirondack, Manchester, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, and Worcester--to California as the basis for a new "Pacific Division" becoming Stockton, Ontario, San Diego, Bakersfield, and San Jose respectively. The teams that were relocated were affiliated with or owned by teams belonging to the NHL's Pacific Division. The franchise movement continued with two further relocations that involved Canadian teams, with two teams, the St. John's IceCaps going back to Winnipeg as the Manitoba Moose and the Hamilton Bulldogs becoming another iteration of the IceCaps for the purpose of fulfilling its arena contracts for St. John's.

In the following seasons, more NHL organizations influenced the league's membership. In 2016, it was announced that the Springfield Falcons franchise was purchased by the Arizona Coyotes and relocated to be part of the Tucson Roadrunners and join the one-year-old Pacific Division. The Falcons were subsequently replaced by that of the Springfield Thunderbirds, the relocated Portland Pirates franchise under a new ownership group. The Montreal Canadiens owned IceCaps have relocated to Montreal neighborhood of Laval, Quebec, and became known as the Laval Rocket in 2017. Laval Rocket was also purchased by the Binghamton Senators were also purchased by the Ottawa Senators and were relocated to Belleville, Ontario, to become The Belleville Senators while the New Jersey Devils owned by the Albany Devils were relocated to be known as the Binghamton Devils.

The 2018-19 season saw an additional team was added to the league alongside the Colorado Eagles as the NHL's Colorado Avalanche affiliate. With the NHL plans to expand to 32 teams by 2021 through the Seattle Kraken, the Seattle ownership group was approved to form a 2021 AHL expansion team. Later, the team was announced to be known as the Coachella Valley Firebirds based in Palm Springs, California, due to the construction of a new arena. The initial plan for the new arena was eventually removed and the team was forced to delay their debut by one year, while the new arena plan was developed.

In February 2020 in February of 2020, the San Antonio Rampage franchise was bought and relocated by the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights for the 2020-21 season. It was then renamed as their Henderson Silver Knights and was moved to in the Pacific Division. In the 2021-22 season there was a change in ownership as the Vancouver Canucks relocated their franchise from Utica to Abbotsford while the Utica Comets agreed to relocate and operate the franchise that was operating under the name of Binghamton Devils. Binghamton Devils. On the 23rd of May, 2022, it was declared that Stockton Heat would be relocating to Calgary, Alberta, starting the 2022-23 season.

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weeb-alcove · 4 years ago

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2019 Kpop Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL77pv5URcE8ZiUTqBbpKJAbOkFTx80yi4

Kpop:

1 Week - Flowsik & Gary

2 the Midnight - At Night & FR:EDEN & Rheehab

9Muses Hurt Locker Remember

AB6IX Light Me Up ♪ from their album 6IXENSE ♬ Blind for Love Dandelion

Affection - Gugudan

All Night - Astro

ATEEZ Hala Hala Pirate King Promise Say My Name (original, w Juwon Park) Treasure ♪ from their album TREASURE EP. 3: One to All ♬ Utopia Wave ♪ from their album TREASURE EP. FIN: All to Action ♬ Dazzling Light If Without You Mist Thank U Win Wonderland

Bad High - Primary & Jade

Baekhyun ♪ from his album City Lights ♬ Betcha UN Village

Between - Ciki

Blue - Ha Sung Woon

BTS Airplane pt.2 Dream Glow Heartbeat ♪ from their album Map of the Soul: Persona ♬ Boy with Luv Home Jamais Vu

Bumkey Better Man Dancing on Glass

Butterfly - LOONA

Cactus - VIXX

Chemistry - Maddox & Hash Swan

Chungha Chica Gotta Go

CLC Distance ♪ from their album No.1 ♬ I Need U No

Cold - Key (of Shinee) & Hanhae

Crush One of Those Nights Sunshine woo ah

Dancing in the Rain - Rad Museum

Day6 ♪ from their album The Book of Us: Entropy ♬ 365247 About Now Deep in Love Like a Flowing Wind Not Fine Not Mine Ouch Stop Talking Sweet Chaos ♪ from their album The Book of Us: Gravity ♬ Time of Our Life Wanna Go Back

Different - Woodz

Don’t Know What to Do - Blackpink

Don’t Touch Me, Plz - Chan

Dry Flower - Surl

EXO Closer to You

♪ from their album OBSESSION - The 6th Album ♬ Baby You Are Day After Day Obsession

Fairy of Shampoo - Junggigo

Flash - X1

Focus on Me - Jus2

Friendship - YunB & Hoody

Gaho Fly My Heart Beats Like That Not Over Pink Walk ♪ from his album Preparation for a Journey ♬ Going On Preparation for a Journey Stay Here

Gifted - kayLa

Golden Child ♪ from their album Re-boot ♬ Compass Lately Wannabe ♪ from their album Wish ♬ Eyes on You Genie Listen ♪ from their album Goldenness ♬ If Let Me

GOT7 Miracle You Calling My Name ♪ from their album Love Loop ♬ Bibouroku Superman ♪ from their album Call My Name ♬ Pray Run Away Thursday ♪ from their album Spinning Top: Between Security & Insecurity ♬ Believe Eclipse The End

GroovyRoom Room Service Somewhere This Night

Holiday - A.C.E.

Home - Seventeen

Homebody - pH-1

It’s a Different Thing to Love Her and Make Her Happy - Jeebanoff

Jivin’ & Vibin’ - Daryl Kim & Minsoo & Nic Hanson

Jopping - SuperM

KNK ♪ from their album KNK S/S Collection ♬ Fade We Are the One

Like This - Leo Kang & Nody Cika

Livin’ It Up - KiUi & Abi F Jones & Geek Boy

Lonely - Woosung

Long Flight - Taeyong

L.O.V.E. - Park Jihoon

Lovin’ Your Scene - divin’

Mamamoo Gleam Starry Night

Mennal - Vince & Okasian

Mino Fiancé Nobody

Monsta X Lost in the Dream Rodeo X-Phenomenon Who Do U Love? ♪ from their album Follow - Find You ♬ Follow See You Again

Move - Taemin

NaNaNa - Imfact

NCT Dream Boom Don’t Need Your Love

Nostalgic Night - Victon

NU’EST Bet Bet ♪ from their album The Table ♬ Call Me Back Love Me NU’EST W And I Help Me Let Me Out ♪ from their album Who, You ♬ Polaris Signal ylenoL

One More Time (Otra Vez) - Super Junior

Oneus Lit Red Thread ♪ from their album Raise Us ♬ BingBing Intro: Time Twilight

ONF Asteroid Complete

Phobia - Dvwn

Poison - VAV

Red - The Rose

Red Velvet ♪ from their album 'The ReVe Festival’ Finale ♬ Milkshake Psycho Sunny Side Up! Zimzalabim

Romeo - Han Choim

Runaway - Eric Nam

Secret Garden - Oh My Girl

SF9 ♪ from their album RPM ♬ Liar Round and Round See U Tomorrow

Shaun 36.5 Bad Habits

Sleeplessness - Ovan & Van.C

Solfamiredo - W24

Spotlight - Xydo

Stray Kids Chronosaurus Double Knot Get Cool Miroh Side Effects TMT ♪ from their album Clé: LEVANTER ♬ Astronaut Levanter You Can STAY

Transcend - BewhY & C JAMM

TVXQ ♪ from their album New Chapter #2 ♬ City Lights Truth

TWICE Fancy Get Loud

Twit - Hwasa

TXT Our Summer ♪ from their album The Dream Chapter: MAGIC ♬ 9 and Three Quarters (Run Away) New Rules

Universe - Minhyun

Vibe - 1Team

WANT - Ovococo & Q the Trumpet

WayV Love Talk (original, English) Moonwalk

Winner ♪ from their album We ♬ Ah Yeah Everyday (remix) Mola Zoo ♪ from their album Cross ♬ Flamenco (Hoony Solo) OMG Soso Wind (Yoon Solo)

Woowa - Dia

Jpop:

Breakthrough - Twice

Fight! - Aests

Paparazzi - Radwimps

R.O.C.K.M.E - Reiji Kawaguchi & Marty James (Dave Audé remix)

Vpop:

Đau Đầu - Isaac

Hãy Trao Cho Anh - Sơn Tùng & Snoop Dogg

#music #2019 #kpop

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sippin-on-red-wine · 7 years ago

Text

High Tide | Chapter 3: I’ve Never...

Title: High Tide, Chapter 3: I’ve Never Author: @sippin-on-red-wine Rating: 17+, Mature (Sexy times) Word Count: 5,993 Author’s Note: Thank you for all the love on my first two chapters. I am really enjoying the writing process and hope to continue developing my skills & voice. Would love any feedback you have for me – I want the reader to have the best experience possible, so please feel free to share what you like/don’t like/would like to see !

**Please like/re-blog!**

Previous Chapter

Several days later…………..

“You are cheating! You were meant to land on Kentucky! You are done for!!!” Ed was shouting, hysterically, like a child.

I pouted, throwing my arm out, the last sip of wine sloshing up and out the side of my glass. “Fine! Take my money, Sheeran, you dirty dog!”

“Happily, love, hand it over!” He cheered. Oh god, he was a sore winner. Not that I was a sore loser, at all, nope.

“Fuck it, Teddy, pour me another glass, that was humiliating,” I said, defeated and a little buzzed.

“Again: happily, love – hand it over,” He was giggling at his own joke. Oh, Ed. He climbed out of the worn leather chair and approached me, hands stretched out. I passed him my feeble stack of Monopoly money and empty wine glass.

His hand brushed mine in the transfer, sending tingles down my spine. How pathetic, Kendra, a single in-passing touch, really? The last several days had been absolute torture. In an effort to revert back to our “take it slow” mantra after that first sleepover, we had been denying ourselves the pleasure of each other’s…”physical”…company. It had become quite the fun game, actually. But after more than a couple glasses of wine, and a few days of seeing only a clothed Teddy… I was overdue.

Ed returned with my refreshed glass of cab, and sat back down across from me. I sighed and looked around, taking in the scene: we were sat in my office; floor-to-wall bookshelves filled to the brim, outlining the whole room. My oak writing desk, facing outward toward the large windows overlooking the shore. Ed & I, tucked up in the corner, in matching quilted leather chairs; a small table in front of us, littered with monopoly pieces and blueberry muffin wrappers.

“So, what’s my prize?” He asked, grinning devilishly.

“Um, you get to choose the next game?” I was not prepared to offer up anything good as a prize.

“Okay… how about, truth or dare?” Groan.

“What is this, junior year in high school? Oh, wait…” I giggled, knowing full-well he had left school by then. Damn, had he missed out on some real rites-of-passage.

“Don’t poke fun!” He laughed. He was looking seriously charming in a pair of old sweats, a plain white tee shirt, and a black baseball cap.

“Fine, fine. You beat me, fair and square. We’ll play. You go first.”

“Okay, love… truth…OR….dare?” Lord help me.

“Easy. Dare.”

“I dare you to… dance, for thirty seconds.

Well, shit. “Do I at least get music?” I asked, hardly believing I was even going to agree to this.

“Yes, love. Of MY choosing, however,” he said mischievously.

I loved that he was taking this seriously, and not ‘letting me off easy’, but I was so not looking forward to this dare. I had seen some videos online of Teddy dancing in da club, and that was much hotter than what was about to transpire.

“HA! Yes. How about, ‘My Chick Bad’ by Luda?”

“Thirty seconds, right?”

“I’ll time it. Scouts Honor,” He held his first two fingers up. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was missing one. Poor Brit.

“You’re going to pay for this, Sheeran.”

“I’ll queue it up,” he fiddled around with his iPad.

“My chick bad, my chick good, my chick do shit that yo’ chick wish she could…” sang out.

I was light on my feet, bouncing on the balls of my feet from side to side. I wiggled my hips, snapping my fingers, adding in a real sly head bob. It was a total mess, but I went with it. I turned around, ass facing Ed, and did a little up-and-down bob, thinking the fact that I was wearing skintight leggings would help make up for my lame dance moves.

“Sadly, that’s time!” He shouted. “Kenn, I’m a redheaded English man, I have NO moves… but you, Oh….’ he cackled.

“HEY now, it’s your turn…. Truth or Dare?” I asked.

“Definitely ‘Dare’, love, try me.” He sounded confident. A little…. *too* confident.

“I dare you to call one of the local restaurants and pretend like you work there…. And are calling in sick for your shift.”

“DONE. Where’s your phone?” I forgot for a moment that he didn’t have one of his own.

I pulled up the number for my favorite pizza joint and queued it up on the dial pad. “Here,“ I said, it’s Rosie’s.”

He reached over the table with no hesitation at all, taking the cell phone. I could hear it ring several times before someone on the other end picked up.

“Hello?” OH lord, Ed was doing his American accent. Which happened to be a “gangsta” accent. “Yea, uh, this is Dave. I’m not going to be in for my shift tonight. It, uh, hurts when I pee, so I’m gonna need to stay home…” and with that, he hung up.

I nearly spat my entire mouthful of wine out. I was NOT expecting to take it there. In hindsight… of course he totally took it there.

We volleyed back and forth for a while, each of us always choosing ‘Dare’, resulting in ridiculous incidents such as: Ed, mooning Stu via FaceTime. Me, rapping to “Cowboy” by Kid Rock. Ed portraying a rodeo clown, charades style. Me, peeling a banana with my feet (I do not recommend this).

The vino was flowing, both of us needing a little liquid courage to man up to each other’s ridiculous ‘Dares’.

It was his turn, “Truth or Dare, Kenny?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to let me kiss you.”

“Ha! Go right ahead, then,” and I squeezed my eyes shut and puckered my lips up in an over-the-top ‘duck lips’ kind of way.

“No, not there…” His eyes danced wildly, pupils full blown with lust.

Was not prepared for that. I relaxed my face.

Not knowing what to say, I took a big swig of wine, peeking out at Ed over the top of my glass.

“Is that something you want, too?”

I nodded, grinning. My words were gone…

“Come with me, you gorgeous, silly creature.” He rose, abandoning his wine glass on top of the Monopoly board. He took the glass out of my hand and set it down, too, before pulling me up out of the chair. I twisted my fingers up into an open palm and trailed behind him, letting him lead me up the curved staircase and down the hallway

I let go of him as we walked through the doorway. He flitted about the room, lighting the multitude of candles I had littered on every surface of my room. I stood, awkwardly, in the middle of the room, when the worry set in. I had never been able to climax from oral alone, but as Ed had already given me two unexpected orgasms, I pushed the thought out of mind.

When he was satisfied with the “vibe” (his words - not mine), He crossed back over the carpet to where I was standing. The air was wrought with tension. He tugged at the hem of my tee, gently pulling upward. I aided in the process, lifting my hands up over my head. Off the shirt went… my bralette quickly following.

Ed dropped to his knees in front of me. Holy shit. His deft fingers danced over the waistband of my leggings. I glanced down to meet his sparkling navy eyes. He licked his lips, teasingly. The mere sight of that had me weak at the knees.

He tugged my leggings down to my knees, exposing my whole core. “No knickers? Tsk, tsk..” He gave me a little pat on my bottom. Oh my God. I pressed my hands to his shoulders, steadying myself, as he pulled the black fabric down over each calf and ankle. He tossed the leggings behind him, discarded on my bedroom floor. I was naked as a jaybird, Ed was still fully clothed… which was both unfortunate, and, incredibly sexy at the same time.

His hands went to the insides of my knees, next. “Will you spread these a bit farther out, love?” I complied, taking a tiny step outward with each foot.

Ed ran the back side of his fingers up the front of my thighs simultaneously. His wrist, adorned in a thick, black-banded watch, came up to the back of my right thigh, holding onto the very bottom of my cheek. With his free hand, he traced my slit, fingers floating over my skin, then barely dipping in, opening me up.

He sank his middle finger into my slick opening. “Christ, Kendra, you’re so ready for me, aren’t you?” I was absolutely melting. I’d be a puddle on the floor in no time, I was sure of it.

He pumped the finger in and out, slowly, twisting as he went. My hands were still pressed down on his shoulders for balance. “Let’s get you up on the bed, yeah?”

He stood up in front of me, and I pulled him in for a kiss, angling my head just right to reach him under the brim of his baseball cap. “I want to see you,” I breathed, and carefully removed his plain black cap, placing it on my head instead. I ruffled my hands through his ginger locks, fluffing up the curly tendrils. I pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, lifting it up and over his head in one fell swoop. As soon as his arms were free, his hands were instantly on my body, walking me backward and up onto the bed.

God he looked good, his tattoos illuminated mostly by the moonlight pouring in through the windows. He was on all fours, his body suspended over mine. My line of sight shot straight down past his belly to the thick band of his boxers, sticking out above the drawstring waistband band of his sweatpants, which were untied and therefore hanging a bit low on his frame.

“I’m going to make you feel so good, baby,” he purred into my ear before showering my neck with kisses. His mouth was everywhere; suckling, kissing, nipping at my neck, my throat, my belly. He left a row of soft kisses at the underside of each breast. I exhaled, loudly, I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath.

He was crouching lower now, holding up the weight of his body with a hand on either side of my hips. He continued his oral assault on my lower belly, slowly moving down, down, down…

He was becoming impatient now, I could tell, dropping quick kisses on the insides of my thigh. Ed was lying flat on his tummy now, propped up on his elbows, devouring me with his eyes.

“I do not hate this view,” he whispered in a callback to my filter-less mouth during our little shower escapade.

“Teddy!” I protested, staring down at his ruggedly handsome face between my legs.

“Sorry, love, I couldn’t help myself….” he chuckled. And with that, he fingers were on me again, both thumbs gingerly stroking my lips up and down. His eyes locked on mine, and then..

There he was. His tongue was warm, flattened, exploring my folds. I began to moan almost immediately, the soft contact just lighting up every nerve ending I had. He tongued my opening, moaning freely into me, his mouth partially opened.

I could feel how soaking wet I was; Ed seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, painting a wide stripe up and down my slit, lapping it all up. His mouth was everywhere. Well, everywhere but there. I dug my heels into the mattress, my legs on either side of Ed’s waist, my pelvis coming up off the bed. “Patience, love…” his voice low and gravelly. Yeah fucking right.

His face was just buried in my pussy, the tip of his nose bumping up against that perfect pink bud. His skilled tongue was darting in and out of my hole, driving me absolutely wild. I was desperate to be filled there.

Ed switched to licking long, upward strokes, ending each strike on my clit which was now swollen with need. I whined with each pass he made, bucking my hips up to try to create more friction.

“Please, Teddy..”

He broke away from my glistening nethers, then. “Tell me what you want, love,” he breathed. God, red wine suits him, I mused.

“My clit, baby, I need you there,” I lamented.

And he was back at me with a vengeance, flattening his tongue, covering all of my clit. He started pulsating his mouth over the little bundle of nerves, sending shockwaves coursing through every fiber of my being.

“Yes! Oh, fuck, baby, just like that,” I whined. He liked the praise, rewarding me by intensifying the pressure. I could feel that familiar thudding ache, buried low in my core, and I geared up for that blaze to wash over me. Ed pressed two fingers into me, and it was exactly what I needed. I groaned, soaking up every sensation.

He was positively relentless, that beautiful mouth moaning into my pussy, stopping only for his brief commentary, “You taste so fucking good, baby,” and “D’you like that, love?”, looking up at me, his face shiny with my wetness. It was so hot. The fact that he was so into this was just… sexy.

He reached for my foot, pulling my ankle up and placing it on his muscled back. I followed suit with my other, admiring the way my legs looked, wrapped around his neck. I loved the contrast between his tattooed shoulders and my blank thighs.

The ache was there, but had kind of…plateaued. I screwed up my eyes, trying to focus on the way Ed’s mouth felt, loving on my clit. I was beyond ready to soar over the edge of the cliff. Shit. I drew a sharp breath in, clenching my thighs around Ed, and he took the hint, upping his rhythm.

I pulled the brim of his worn cap down further on my forehead, really trying to concentrate now. Nothing. What the fuck.

Ed………………………..

She was restless, no longer moaning freely. I could feel the frustration in her body; she was quite tense, holding her breath even.

“Teddy, I can’t – you can stop, it’s ok,” she whispered.

I paused, rubbing my hand up the soft curve of her belly. “Do you want me to try something new?” I asked, gently. She was ravishing; her smooth legs wrapped around me, breasts fully exposed, her long dark locks spilling out in waves from under the hat she had swiped off of me earlier.

“No, no, it’s not you…you’re perfect. It feels so fucking amazing but I just, I don’t know, my body isn’t, can’t –”

I cut her off, “Hey now,” I crept up the length of her body, coming to rest at eye level, my right hand still resting on her pussy. “There’s nothing wrong with your body, look,” I dipped my middle and ring finger inside her, then pulled them back out, separating them slightly, so she could see her silky strands of wetness. “You’re dripping wet for me, love, it drives me mad.”

She was wide-eyed, staring down at my hand at her opening.

“Do you trust me, Kendra?” I asked.

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes locked on mine.

“Come here,” I laid flat on my back and reached over, lacing my fingers in with hers and guiding her on top of me.

She was sat up, straddling me, her pelvis sitting about mid-way up my chest, her folds glistening.

“Teddy, what are you…?”

I reached out, latching my hands behind her perfectly rounded ass, scooting her a little higher up my chest. She braced herself on the headboard of the bed. Shame it’s a proper headboard and not four posters..

“I’ve not had enough of you yet, love,” I said, brushing my thumb over her sweet clitoris, which was practically eye-level to me in this position.

Her eyes widened as she finally realized what I wanted.

“I’ve never…”

“Please, baby?” I used my middle finger to rub circles in the little mess of wetness gathering on my chest beneath her, those big eyes flashing down to watch.

“Oh,” she muttered, biting her bottom lip. She glanced back up at me, and nodded.

I tucked my arms under her thighs, helping her shift upwards until her sweet peach was right in line with my mouth. She was tense, I could feel it, her hands grasping onto the headboard.

I dipped my tongue in, running upwards strokes in her wet slit, my hands gripping her ass.

Her body was responding, grinding out little circles over my mouth. I found a rhythm she liked, judging by the little mewing sounds spilling out of her mouth. She reached down to wrap her fingers in my hair, pulling me up into her intoxicating velvet folds even farther. I moaned into her, encouraging her to use me however she saw fit.

Her entire body was shaking now, little tremors signaling her urgency.

“Teddy!” She gasped, “Don’t stop, baby, please don’t stop,” I chuckled in my head. Ha, as-if, you gorgeous girl.

I peeked up through my eyelashes, past her smooth thighs, to see her belly quivering, her head thrown back in a silent whimper. I switched from stroking her clit with my tongue to a tight suction and it was just enough to push her over the edge. She came down hard, crying out. I pressed my tongue up into her opening, feeling the pulsating throbs reverting through her. I lapped up to the top, sealing it with a wet, messy kiss right on her clit.

Kendra………………………..

My legs were utter jelly. I swung a thigh over his head, settling down to lay flat on my back next to him. My orgasm had been white-hot, totally out of left field. After fighting so hard to get there, having Teddy pull me atop his face was just..the biggest turn on ever. My desire was not satisfied, that orgasm had only served to intensify my need… I was aching to feel him inside of me.

I slipped off Ed’s baseball cap that had sat atop my head, running a quick hand through my hair. I tilted up on my side, bringing my hand up to his rock hard member, stroking it over the fabric of his thick sweatpants. I kissed him, pushing my tongue past his lips, swirling it in his mouth, tasting myself.

“That was so sexy, Kendra,” he whispered, pulling back from the kiss.

“Teddy…I want you…” I said, still stroking his shaft. “I don’t want to wait anymore,”

His eyes lit up. “But….” he started, apparently not coming up with any reason to say no. “Are you sure?”

I reached under his arm, pulling him on top of me, his body coming to rest between my thighs. “Yes. One hundred percent, yes.” His head dipped down, kissing me tenderly. I brushed my hands over his chest, raking my fingertips over the top of his vibrant skin.

He sat back on his heels, untying the knot in his sweatpants drawstring. He was backlit; his shape outlined by a mixture of moon and candle light.

“Kendra, there’s something I need you to know.” He was stone cold serious now. “This….us….it isn’t just sex, not for me. Do you know that?”

“Oh, Ed, I know,” I breathed. “Me, too.”

Gone was the playful, teasing Ed. This simple affirmation had been sobering, for both of us. His stare was intense on my face as he wriggled down his sweatpants and boxers in one fell swoop, caught above his knees now, as his lifted himself and I used the soles of my feet to clear them away.

I propped myself up on my elbows, admiring the clean lines of his lean body in front of me. He was stroking his cock, staring straight down at it. He held it down, bringing the thick mushroom head of it just outside of my slit, then dipped inside my folds. He was slowly dragging it up and down, spreading my wetness over him, and instantly doubling my desire to take him in.

His left hand was on his cock, guiding it. He wrapped his right hand around my hip. His eyes flitted up to mine, seeking reassurance. “Yes, baby.” I replied, trying to tilt my pelvis up a bit to meet him.

He leaned down, pressing his chest against mine, kissing me sweetly. I leaned back, off my elbows, winding my hands up through his underarms, pulling him in. He was toying around at my entrance, then pushed in, just a bit. I drew in a sharp breath, exhaling slowly, letting myself get used to accommodating his rigid girth. “Go slow, Teddy,” I whispered.

He did just that; slowly slipping in and out, spreading my natural lubrication farther down his thick shaft, going a bit deeper with each pass. He studied my face, watching my reactions to make sure he was being gentle.

He worked up to it, eventually pressing his entire length into me. “OK, love?” he asked.

I nodded, closing my eyes, savoring the sensation of being so full, “Mmm, I’m good, Teddy.”

He started moving fluidly then, pressing his cock into me and then retreating, over and over, slowly. The motion was warming me from the inside out, temporarily stifling the desperate need I felt. I peeked up at Ed through my eyelashes, his eyes were closed too, his kiss-stung lips parted slightly, a dreamy far-out look on his face. He was glistening in a sheer layer of sweat, poor boy, after having exerted much energy on going down on me, and now propped up on his forearms, one on either side of me.

I wiped a bead of sweat from above his barely-there eyebrow. “Let me make you feel good, now, Teddy…” I whispered.

“Fuck… Kenn… you already are, I’m barely holding on here, you’re so tight,” He growled out, low and raspy.

“Switch with me?”

He opened his eyes, smirked, and pressed his perfect pout to my mouth. He slid out of me, and rolled over onto his back, absentmindedly stroking his stiff cock. I mounted him; then, Ed guiding his plump head to my slick opening. I sank down, slowly, taking in his full length. Ed drew in a sharp breath, “Fuck,” spilling out of his mouth in a breath.

I leaned forward, pinning down each of his wrists slightly above his head, and started slowly bucking my hips up and down, my breasts swaying with each motion.

“Kendra?” he asked, eyes closing again. “Are you on birth control?”

“Yes, we’re covered…why?” I knew the answer to my question, but wanted to hear him ask.

“You know, for when I..finish,” he muttered.

I eased off on his wrists and sat back, his cock buried to the hilt inside me. I stopped riding him, just grinding out in little circles over his pelvis instead. His hands immediately came up to my waist, looping his thumb around my front, fingers splayed out on my back.

“Where do you want to ‘finish’, Teddy?” I pulled one of his hands from my waist, holding it in both of my own. When he didn’t immediately answer, I took his middle finger in my mouth, twirling my tongue over it briefly. “Here?” I asked. He shook his head.

I took his hand to my tits, next, cupping his hand around them, pushing his thumb over my nipple. “Here?” He shook, ‘no,’ again.

I took his index finger, then, trailing it down my flat stomach. “What about here, Ed? Do you want to come on my tummy?” He gulped, parting his mouth to take a breath, but shook his head again.

I pushed his hand down, placing his thumb directly on my clit, using his calloused thumb to rub little circles over it. “Do you want to come inside me, Teddy?”

I didn’t realize he had been holding his breath, but he exhaled loudly, “Fuck, yes,”

I dropped his hand, leaned my body back, my hands gripping his thighs for support, and started riding him again. He propped himself up on his elbows, watching me sliding up and down on his shaft. I was toying with him; moving torturously slow, knowing that he was on the edge.

“Kenny, baby, please….” he whined. “Let me..” and with a sudden collision of limbs, he flipped me underneath him, cock buried in my pussy the whole way down. I wrapped my legs up around his waist as he started pounding away at me, feverishly.

“Take me, Teddy,” I said, breathlessly. He quickened his pace even more, his balls slapping against me with every strike, his tip hitting my back wall with a dull ‘thud’. I clenched my muscles around his cock and gripped his waist, raking my nails down his sides.

“..Feels so fucking good, love, ungh,” His breathing hitched, his eyes clamped down and a series of breathy Ah ah ahs spilled out of his mouth. He slammed into me one last time, unleashing himself into me, pressing his chest to mine.

He collapsed on my chest, completely spent, his cheek resting in the valley between my breasts. I threaded my fingers into the curly tendrils at the back of his neck, damp with sweat. He was still inside of me, but neither of us wanted to break our link yet. We laid there awhile, syncopating our breathing. Ed spoke up first. “I should probably move, love, but I can’t. You have rendered me utterly useless. That was…wow.”

We took turns using the bathroom, getting cleaned up & ready for bead. Ed was beat, climbing under my covers and falling asleep basically as soon as his scruff hit the pillow. He was totally sprawled out: a classic bed hog. But he was cute, asleep. I laid on my side, close to the edge of the bed, my hand stretching out to hold his. My brain was going a hundred miles a minute.

He’s a good and generous lover. Says this is not ‘just sex’. How much time does he have left here… 5 weeks? What happens then? I haven’t been working out much. Unless you count sex. Which I am, now. He looks so sweet, asleep in my bed. If another young, single girl lived in this house, would he be here with her, instead? What was his last girlfriend like? Should I make him breakfast in the morning? I bet he misses British food. I should take him over to Bet’s Fish & Chips stand. Or would he hate that? Oh, I haven’t checked e-mails in a few days either. What has gotten into me?

I tried to stop listening to my brain then, wanting to get some sleep. I slowed my breathing. I tried relaxing each body part separately. I thought about what to get my Mom for Christmas.

I could go for some chocolate. Should I take him up to Acadia? Can he even *go* camping? His penis is pretty. AND BIG. Should I have told him that? I wonder how many women he’s slept with. I wonder if he wonders how many men I’ve slept with. OH, shit. Should we have used protection? I’ve got the IUD but for… like… disease. I’ll have to ask him tomorrow. That should be a sexy conversation. Maybe it will inspire a new song. “Have I Asked You Lately If You’re Clean?” Sounds like a hit.

I untangled my fingers from his hand, rolling over on my other side, waiting for sleep to come. Meanwhile, Ginger god next to me was happily snoring away. I leaned over to the nightstand, glancing at my cell phone. 3:07 A.M.

I decided sleep wasn’t going to happen for me, so I slunk out of bed, shrugging on Ed’s tee shirt that had long since been discarded on my bedroom floor. I stole down the hallway, padding downstairs quietly. I stopped into my office, grabbing my laptop & the slippers I had been wearing before the banana-foot incident, then headed into the kitchen.

I fired up my laptop, opening my e-mail inbox. Not too bad. I skimmed through, trashing the promotional and other junk stuff. I saw I had a message from Lauren, we had exchanged phone numbers & e-mail addresses before the gang had headed back home. I clicked it open

*Hi pretty lady! Missing the East Coast like crazy. Flight home was just awful, wasn’t sure we were gonna make it there for a minute. How are things? How is Ed doing? He messaged Pete that everything was great, but you know me, I worry. When are you coming out to see us? Tourist season is over, right? Visit us any time you are free. Xo, Lauren

She was eternally perky, but a really sweet girl. We had gotten on pretty well during her time here, and now I was remembering my (drunk) promise to visit them sometime soon.

I fired up a reply:

*Hey Lo, happy to hear from you. Everything is peachy on this side of the pond. Season is nearly completely over, now, I will be free for a visit. Will you guys make me drink as much as last time? I’m still recovering.

Things are good, Lauren. Ed is good. He had a bit of a bad time right after you guys left, but it hasn’t happened again. And I’ve kept him well fed.

x, Kendra*

I clicked Send, moving on to the next relevant e-mail.

>> Google Calendar | Reminder: your upcoming stay at The Danforth, Portland, ME

Shit, the concert. I had totally forgotten. A certain redhead could be blamed for that.

I moved on from e-mail, pulling up my Pinterest account, looking for something I could make Ed for breakfast. New York Style Cheesecake popped up in my feed, accompanied by several amazing photos. I checked my fridge & pantry and seemed to have all the ingredients. Fuck it.

Before I got started, I flicked open Spotify, browsing my library for something to play in the background. This Is: Frank Sinatra. Perfect.

I didn’t have graham crackers on hand, but I did have Oreos (even better). I switched on my toaster oven, setting the silver packages of cream cheese on top to soften. Next I went to work on the crust: beating a Ziploc bag of Oreos to a bloody pulp, drizzling in melted butter, and patting the mixture into my spring form pan.

I hummed along with Frank’s smooth voice,

“Fill my heart with song,

And let me sing for ever more,

You are all I long for, all I worship and adore,”

Once the crust had baked to set, the cream cheese was ready. I fitted my stand mixer with the whisk attachment and dumped in an ungodly amount of cream cheese, along with eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream and lemon zest. I set it to medium speed and walked back over to look at my laptop while the KitchenAid did the heavy lifting.

*PING*

A Skype chat popped up from Lauren.

*What are you doing emailing me at 3:30 in the morning, your time? Are you online?

Right, it would have been mid-morning in the UK. I typed back

*Couldn’t sleep. Making cheesecake

*….is Ed there?

*Erm…. Yes?

He could just be here, drinking and hanging out, like the whole group of us did prior, I mused.

*😈 I have one guess what you guys are up to

*SORRY LO GOTTA GO TEND TO MY CHEESECAKE BYEEe😘

I switched off the mixer, pouring it into the springform pan and smacking it on the counter to try to get all the air bubbles out. I wrapped the seal of the springform in tin foil, set it inside of a big roasting pan, and filled the bottom with a bit of water. Into the oven it went.

Okay, what to do for the next hour while this bakes? Dishes? Nah.

I set the timer on the microwave and spun back around to find a scruffy, disheveled, grumpy-looking man in my kitchen. I felt like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He was wearing just his faded, old blue sweatpants, his tattooed arms folded across his chest.

“Hi, love,” he said, grinning, his eyebrow cocked up. “Whatcha doin’?”

“….making cheesecake?” Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you….” I realized between the music, Skype, pounding up the Oreos and the stand mixer running, I hadn’t *exactly* been quiet.

He laughed, “At four o’clock in the morning? He strode across the tiled floor and lifted me up onto the kitchen counter next to my laptop, “Have I not tired you out properly?” He grinned, wickedly, then planted a sweet, soft kiss on my lips.

*PING*

Ed’s eyes flashed down to my laptop, the Skype icon blinking.

“It’s Lauren,” I offered.

“May I?”, He asked, fingers on the track pad. I nodded, giving him the go ahead.

*Don’t you DARE leave me hanging, babe.

*Mate, you’ll have to excuse Kendra, she’s about to be v. busy at the moment. Bye ;) – Ted

“Well, that should get her properly riled up,” he said, clicking out of the Skype IM box. “So, um, is the cheesecake done?” He asked. I was up a bit taller than him due to sitting on the counter so his head was tilted slightly upward at me. He was like a puppy dog looking up for a treat. So adorable.

“Almost, Ed. ”

Frank was crooning in the background, the jazzy big-band arcs filling the room.

“Those fingers in my hair

That sly come hither stare

That strips my conscience bare

It’s witchcraft…”

“Come here, baby.” Ed grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me down from the counter and up into his body. “Dance with me?” He asked, shyly. He placed my left hand up around his neck, his right hand resting on the small of my back. Then he slipped his fingers into mine and started swaying, gently back and forth, in time to the soft-but-punchy beat of the song.

I turned my face to the side, resting my cheek on his chest. The song changed.

“Some day, when I’m awfully low,

When the world is cold,

I will feel a glow, just thinking of you,

And the way you look tonight.”

By the second chorus, he was singing along, my face now tucked up into his neck. I joined in, singing a half step above him, softly. With my face still tucked up against his warm skin, I could feel the far-away vibrations of his vocal chords reverberating through his body. We danced circles around the kitchen, bodies pressed against each other tight.

I giggled. It seemed silly: Ed, disheveled, bare-chested and clad only in faded blue sweatpants. Me, reading glasses perched on my face, wearing Ed’s wrinkled t-shirt, boyshort panties and slippers. The harsh, fluorescent lights of the kitchen against the charcoal black night sky peeking in through the windows. The warm vanilla smell of the cheesecake filling the room.

“In the wee small hours of the morning,

While the whole wide world is fast asleep,

You lie awake and think about the girl,

And never ever think of counting sheep.”

“Kendra?” He whispered. “I wish I could just stop the clock…stay in this moment with you, for all time.”

“I wish for that, too, Teddy…” But we can’t. Those three words, unspoken, but filling the air between us.

It was like he heard them, because he responded: “We’ll figure it out.” He muttered. I couldn’t tell if he was speaking to me, or himself.

He stood still, then, and I freed my hands. I pushed the ginger fluff off his temple, then ran my fingers through his coarse beard. I pulled his face down to mine, kissing his sweet pink lips. “Come on, baby, it’s time for cheesecake.”

#ed sheeran #ed sheeran mature #ed sheeran fan fic #ed sheeran smut #teddy sheeran #code ginger

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/maui-county-trio-to-compete-in-national-high-school-finals-rodeo-news-sports-jobs/

Maui County trio to compete in National High School Finals Rodeo | News, Sports, Jobs

Kahiwa Augustiro competes in bull riding during a Hawaii High School Rodeo Association Maui District show. EMY FERGUSON photo

They don’t get to practice together very often, but that didn’t stop Daniel Miranda and Kahiwa Augustiro from qualifying for the National High School Finals Rodeo in team roping.

Miranda is a rising junior at Hawaii Technology Academy on Maui, while Augustiro will be a freshman at Molokai High this fall.

Miranda will also compete in tie-down roping in the NHSFR that will take place in Guthrie, Okla., July 17-23, while Augustiro will also be in the bull riding event. Maui’s Laura Coflin, a home-schooled rising senior, will compete in five events at the NHSFR.

Miranda and Augustiro practice team roping together when they are at the same competitions in Hawaii and the Mainland, but the bulk of their practice is done with relatives — Miranda works out with his father, Ken, and Augustiro trains with his uncle, Sale Sproat, a professional cowboy.

All three Maui County qualifiers have national experience — Miranda has been to junior high nationals three times and will be making his first high school appearance.

Laura Coflin rounds a barrel during the National High School Finals Rodeo. Acentric Rodeo photo

“Oh man, I am super, super excited to go,” Miranda said. “Every day I think about it. When I practice just thinking about it motivates me to practice harder, to push myself a little bit harder, do things I haven’t done, to make my times faster.

“The experience from junior high nationals coming into this is going to help me a lot because I’ve got a mental game plan for when I go there — I kind of know how it’s going to be, how to prepare myself during the week, just be in the perfect mental game to go there and do the best that I can to compete.”

Augustiro is the younger brother of former Molokai rodeo and eight-player football standout Chevy Augustiro. The team roping event will showcase their teamwork in an event where chemistry is key between the roper and heeler, who grapples the calf to the ground.

Add in the fact that they will be competing on unfamiliar horses borrowed from friends on the Mainland, and it becomes even more of an uphill climb.

“When we have rodeos here on Maui we practice the day before when he comes here,” Miranda said. “Uncle Sale heels for him on Molokai and my dad heels for me over here –we kind of work that way.”

Daniel Miranda competes in tie-down roping during a Maui District show. EMY FERGUSON photo

Miranda said that all of the competitors from Hawaii get questions at the national event that draws 1,650 competitors from 43 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia and Mexico.

“Oh, it’s super fun, I love talking to the kids up there, meeting new kids,” Miranda said. “A lot of them didn’t even know there’s cowboys and horses in Hawaii. They thought there was grass shacks and thought we didn’t have telephones.”

Miranda was the Maui district academic scholar winner for the second year in a row, finishing the recent school year with a 4.0 grade-point average.

Like Miranda, Augustiro said he wants to compete in rodeo in college. He points to Sproat as his role model.

“Super excited to go,” Augustiro said. “I went when I was a junior, but I can’t wait to see what there is in high school.”

Laura Coflin competes in pole bending at the National High School Finals Rodeo. Acentric Rodeo photo

Chevy Augustiro had some advice for his younger brother.

“He just said give it 100 (percent) and do your best,” Kahiwa said.

Bull riding “is my favorite event in rodeo — I just love the adrenaline rush,” said the 5-foot-6, 140-pound Augustiro. “That’s what my uncle does, so I would like to become just like him. I want to go to college to ride bulls.”

All three Maui County competitors said there is some trepidation going to the Mainland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I mean, we’re definitely seeing how bad it is in Texas and Oklahoma City,” Coflin said. “We’re definitely watching things — we’re definitely concerned. We were there for the scholastic polo tournament. Daniel was there also and there were a lot of people who had it. We didn’t catch it then, so hopefully we’ll be lucky again.”

Kahiwa Augustiro and Daniel Miranda partner in team roping at a Maui District show. EMY FERGUSON photo

Coflin — who also has a goal of college rodeo or perhaps professional polo — will have a full schedule competing in barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, cutting and reining cow horse. She is making her third straight trip to high school nationals.

“I’m really excited to be going back,” she said. “I’ve had some really wonderful people offer me their horses, so I’m just excited to go back and see a lot of our friends up there and get to compete. … It’s going to be very, very busy.”

Coflin knows just how tough the competition will be.

“The experience is kind of life-changing because we have nothing anything close to that caliber, so to get to experience a big rodeo like that and to get to rodeo with a lot of kids is really cool,” she said. “Most of them go on to pro rodeo, so it really is a great experience.”

* Robert Collias is at [email protected].

Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

#National

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nolaroleplay · 7 years ago

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✧ NAME: Tyler Munroe Murray ✧ AGE: 28 ✧ GENDER: Male ✧ LOCATION: Marigny ✧ TIME IN NOLA: Since birth ✧ OCCUPATION: Professional Bull Rider / Coach

TW: drug mention and injury

Tyler didn’t have much growing up, but a family none-the-less. Their double wide trailer was comfortable, and microwave dinners shared in front of the TV were memories he cherished. Tyler grew up in Marginy, New Orleans with his Mother, not knowing who his Father was. His Mother worked at a local Diner not far from their house, waking up at 5am to start food prep and not coming home until he was supposed to be in bed after closing up shop. Tyler loved his Mother, was truly a mamma’s boy at heart, but what he didn’t know until he had gotten a little older was that his Mother had an affliction-a habit with cocaine she couldn’t shake. She went through binges, kicking the addiction some months while disappearing others in to a shell he couldn’t understand. In this way, Tyler had to grow up fast, often taking care of chores around the house and chasing away men who knocked on their door late at night-other junkies looking for a friend.

When Tyler got to junior high and eventually high school, the pressure of being the ‘good kid’ caught up to him. When he met a new friend, Silas Atwater, who seemed to go through similar life struggles, he too turned to the substances he had sworn off. Nothing hard at first, a few bottles of booze and cigarette’s that eventually turned more concerning. His grades slipped, his Mother worried, and eventually Tyler did too, realizing he was on a path to nowhere. With no aspirations and no dreams-he would be stuck in that double wide trailer working to the bone like his Mother and he knew it. Tyler had always been tough, a wrestler in school and well built for his age, so at 18, when he saw an ad for a bull riding contest, the winner earning $1,000, he thought why not.

The rush of his first contest, and his first win was almost better than the rush from a line of whatever he used to ingest. And so began his bull riding and rodeo career. Tyler started small, going to low level rodeo’s around the South in his pickup truck he had bought with his first winnings. He’d stay at questionable motels and call his Mom every so often on a pay-phone to let her know he was okay. He hadn’t kicked his vices entirely, finding comfort in whiskey and cigarette’s the night before contests, but it never seemed to faze him. Tyler was a natural on the bull. His name even became big for a while, and on a good weekend, he could bring in $5,000 in prize money, and more in sponsorship’s from hat salesman or chewing tobacco companies. Each paycheck he sent home a good portion to his Mother, who seemed to be doing okay back in Marginy without him, but everyday he wondered if she was really taking care of herself, or spending money in the wrong places.

Tye had been lucky. Bull riding was a dangerous sport and the only injuries he sustained were minor for almost nine years. Cuts, bruises, a broken collarbone, and sore muscles were all things he could overcome in a short amount of time. But as the competition grew stiffer, Tyler had to stay on the bull longer to make his earnings. In a final round of a competition that was worth nearly $10,000, he was bucked and stampeded by the bull, breaking several ribs and back bones that would take months to heal with rehabilitation. As his dream of bull riding slipped away, so did Tyler’s sanity. He was on the brink of turning back to his old lifestyle when a position as a coach opened up back home in New Orleans. With the money saved up and sponsors still willing to pay him a good sum for his newly trained riders, Tyler moved back to Marginy and settled down. He still visits his Mother often, although not much has changed. His neighborhood still suffers from the drug trade and if he stays long enough he can feel the urge to relapse again, but has since stayed sober from the harder drugs he used to do. However, Tye worries how long that can last.

Tyler is generally an outgoing guy. He has a huge heart and a soft spot for his Mother especially as she raised him to be the man he is. He is a true Southern gentleman despite his addictive tendencies, generally disliking that part about himself and what he turns in to when he does use. He has a tendency to be sporadic in his actions and emotions as a result of his strange life. As a coach, he’s loud, funny, and uses a lot of analogies he’s learned in life and through his career. Tye has it easy with the ladies normally, a sweet talker and handsome face to blame, however he truly is a man who wants commitment after his days of having his fame and 'fun.’ Tye is the kind of guy you want as a friend, he’s always there to pick you up or spare a dollar when you forget your wallet. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have his darker days, preferring to brood by his lonesome. In recent, Tyler has begun to think about his Father and who he might have been and might still be, wondering if there is another part of his family he may not even know about.

TYLER’S FACECLAIM IS RYAN GUZMAN AND IS PORTRAYED BY CHLOE.

#ryan guzman fc #ryan guzman rp #city rp #oc rpg #town rpg #c #m #marigny #tyler carillo

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fridaynightbordercrossing · 6 years ago

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Timeline of the Tijuana Rock Music Scene 1980-2016 (Part 3)

2005 - Nortec Collective releases the album Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3, an album that received Latin Grammy nominations in the categories of Best Alternative Music Album and Best Disc Graphic Presentation.

2005 - As part of the art show Tijuana In Zaragoza, Bulbo and Zona de Obras were linked live via internet television in two sessions, where Tijuana participated featuring: Luciferión and La Banda De Los Sonorritmicos (their debut show), Tyjuas Steelo, La Diabla / Koñorteño, Ibi Ego, Faca, Vandana, Ford Proco, and Mae Machino, plus other local artists and projects.

2005 - The Dark Tijuana blog appears, their objective is: “… The promotion of gothic music, industrial, post-punk, new wave, new romantic and related sounds … information about Tijuana Gothic mainly and important events of the goth scene … ”

2005 - Through the portal www.bulbo.tv, Bulbo Broadcast begins as a multimedia project of diffusion, which opens its doors to live radio programs such as Galeria Rock, Rock Tripas y Corazon, RadioTrac/JarCore Radio, Invasion Local, Y La Tierra Se Infestara …, Las Margaras Sinbeerguenzas, Manga Tanga and many more.

2005 - The television show Fusión, Encuentro De Ideas, premiered on Channel 12, hosted by Karina Muñoz, with collaborations by Octavio Hernández and Carlos Sarabia, produced by Jorge Ramos Herrera. Its launch was part of Tijuana La Tercera Nación. During its time on air, a lot of local bands performed on-session.

2005 - After a long wait by an entire generation that was influenced by their work, Spanish electronic music stalwarts Aviador Dro finally made their Tijuana debut. The show is at the Mezzanine of El Foro.

2005 - Radiante appears, a newspaper with critical journalism about media, culture, and society. In its first issue, the Tijuana Pop Scene Now! Article appears with artist cards and review of the scene. Later, an edition with an extensive article about the 20 Years of Electronic Music in Tijuana appeared.

2005 - Taking place at the then Multikulti, the concert Electro: Files 20 Years of Electronic Music is held. Those who participated were: Permutations, Supereit, Neo Dance, Ford Proco, Abend, Kuchuman, Voces Múltiples, La Hydra, Klansoff & Solariz, Audiifem, Foneire, Fon = 5,6,7 and DJ Zuckko.

2005 - Within the activities of the Beyer Bulevar collective (which included concerts, art, and video exhibitions and more), they released the compilation album Tracks De Aquí y El Otro Lado, with bands and soloists from San Diego, San Francisco, Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada. Among the artists that appeared are Almalafa, El Lazo Invisible, Stancia En Orbita, Terrestre, Faca and more.

2005 - The Raztlan Fest begins, coinciding with the Day of the Dead weekend. All editions have been at the Hipodromo De Agua Caliente, however, also had an edition in Mexico City and alternate events throughout Baja California. Among those who have appeared in the five editions are Lumumba, Ras Michael, Gondwana, Moyenei, Alika, Quinto Sol, Amilcar Nadal, U-Roy, Morodo, Los Cafres, Quique Neira, Cocoman, Somos Uno and more.

2005 - Static Discos presents a showcase at the European festival of Benicassim.

2005 - The Radio Tijuana event takes place, with the presence of bands in two areas such as Panteon Rococo, Tolidos, DRI, Pastilla, NV, Mal Paso, Insite, Ford Proco and more. The venue was Multikulti.

2005 -Entijuanarte Festival at the Tijuana Cultural Center has their first edition. On several occasions has allowed local talent to participate on its stage and has held events such as the Nortec-OBC merger on stage.

2005 - Oxigeno House is inaugurated. They would hold multiple concerts with emerging talent and recognized bands like Thermo, The Casualties, Delux and others. Later, it reopened under the name of Palladium Hall (with another administration) presenting concerts with Broken Bones, Total Chaos, Junior Reid, Asesino, Insite, Canseco, Delux, Aurum, and others. Later, it had a third attempt reusing the name Oxigeno House (with ATM Promotions to the front) with a 2 Minutos show and La Coyota, but it was closed again.

2005 - Jesús and Martín Hernández (Mercado Negro) joined Alejandro Zuñiga and Jorge Jiménez (Tijuana NO!) and decided to continue with the musical project of Luis Guereña, releasing the CD Tixuanarkia under the name of Agresores. The album contains compositions by all involved and collaborations of Roco from Maldita Vecindad and Spanish songwriter Albert Pla, among others.

2005 - Zigma Concerts appears, as a company that produces quality concerts with local, national and international artists and service agency campaign promotion events for the music industry of the Tijuana / San Diego region. Among the list of bands and artists with whom they have worked are Kid Theodore, Year Future, Cicuta, Ambiente, Aeroplanos, Gustavo Cerati, Pastilla, Molotov Solution and the concert serial Zigma Underground Sessions, among others. They also have been working alongside companies like Black Box, Live Nation Latino, and Tijuana Concerts.

2005 - The Tijuana Rockstars concert is held, coordinated by Soko and endorsed by ICBC, the event being held at the ICBC Multiforo. Canseco, Koñorteño, Chelsea (Mexicali) and many others perform at the awards ceremony. In 2007, the Tijuana Rockstars ICBC concert was held, with the presence of Solucion Mortal, Casa Wagner, Ambiente, Cicuta, El Astro De La Rumba and more.

2006 - For the filming of a documentary about them, the fictional band Luciferión and La Banda De Los Sonorritmicos appear, causing controversy in the scene, since is a mockery of the heavy metal lifestyle.

2006 - The first Rock and Pop Fest is held at the ICBC Multiforo, being the first of five editions, where bands such as Volumen Cero, Stancia en Orbita, Vaqueros Galacticos, Manttra, La Salida and more have participated. Other venues of the event were Box Underground, Le Drug Store, Safari Club, and El Burro Rayado.

2006 - The urban singer-songwriter El Teacher Del Rock appears. He publishes 2 albums which, without a label and through word of mouth promotion, sells more than 4,000 copies in total. In addition, releases the Tijuana-Rosarito compilation record. This album also sells a significant amount independently.

2006 - A date of the Tu Rock Es Votar tour is performed at the Calimax Stadium with the presence of DLD, La Gusana Ciega, Delux, and Los Kung Fu Monkeys, among others.

2006 - The Helldandys activate the scene rockabilly/psychobilly -although years before we had visiting bands like The Paladins and Calavera-. In addition to performing in various cities, they performed in Tijuana various shows with bands like Rezurex, Diana Death Band and Sick Sick Sinners, among others and promoted the work of local bands such as Wrecking Tones, 357 Magnum & The JPE, El Monstro, Graveyard Psychos and more that have emerged.

2006 - The Avandaro 2006 Festival is held in the parking lot of Hipodromo De Agua Caliente with the presence in two days of bands like Alan Parsons Project, Blood Sweat and Tears, Kinky, Cuca, Pastilla, Cage, Disidente, Victimas Del Dr. Cerebro, Tex Tex, Los De Abajo, Javier Batíz and more.

2006 - Winstein Productions appears as a promoter of events and booking that has worked with bands like Insite, Antiniño, Carnifex, Dr. Acula, Billy Brown, The Red Awakening and more.

2006 - The weekly publication La Guía Tijuana is published. In its pages, reports, reviews and information of local artists and groups appeared.

2006 - Tijuana Concerts hits the scene. On its webpage states that: “… being one of the main promoters of concerts in Tijuana, we have been pushed to venture into new areas. In addition to this, we will be developing a new concept that we have been working on for the last months … migrating our work from a concert promoter, towards a MUSICAL COMMUNITY … ”. Its portal and social networks are the most visited pages by fans of concerts in Tijuana.

2006 - Appears with information about events, the page tijuanaeventos.com

2007 - Appears in the Tijuana / Tecate region, the record label and booking agency Cafeína Riot Radio, which has released albums by Los Kung Fu Monkeys, Don, Tumbledown, La Plebe, Nuestra Sangre and a compilation of bands from Mexico, Germany, and the United States.

2007 - The multi-themed border magazine TijuaNeo appears, where interviews and articles related to rock in the region are given good space.

2007 - The Institute of Culture of Baja California, carries out the state contest Rockola Project 2007, wherein the acoustic genre, the Teacher Del Rock is the winner.

2007 - In October, Urban Fest is held on Avenida Revolución with the presence of Delux, Rodeo Drive, Buddy Akai, Marcelo Cunning and others.

2007 - The Salon Fiesta is transformed into one of the most important spaces in the underground circuit of rock in Tijuana, with presentations of shows of international and local bands. Among those who have presented themselves are Naked Aggression, Carnifex, DON, Valium Radio and more.

2007 - As part of the Chicano Radio Network, the Xispa Con Tita radio program appears on Radio Hispana 1470 AM, made between Tijuana and San Diego, with a proposal of community and non-commercial radio, organizing several musical and activist events along the border to benefit the program with the participation of several bands in the region.

2007 - Cultural Weeks are held at TJ Arte y Rock Café. The first three weeks were dedicated to The Doors, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, with art shows, plays, lectures, and concerts at Tía Juana Tilly’s. The last theme was the JarCore Radio Fest, which celebrated the anniversaries of JarCore Radio and Invasion Local, with the realization of conferences, video projections, radio interviews, magazine presentations, theatrical performances and performances by groups such as Plata, Púrpura, Sarasvati, Revival 71, Kosovo, Color Error, Prelude To Tragedy and The Fosther. After these events, events such as La Noche De La Luna have traditionally been held, commemorating the International Day of Women, where in addition to visual artists and other disciplines, they have had the presence of Last Shot and Carla Morrison. Independently of these thematic events, this forum has been one of the important platforms of groups of several genres, being key in the development of new bands, as well as in the presence of renowned bands and artists such as Bye Sami, Javier Batíz, Lvzbel, and La Cruz, among many more.

2007 - Club Virus presents a concert of noise with the presence of Zbigniew Karkowski (Poland), Damián Romero, John Weise (Los Angeles), El Lazo Invisible and Daniel Menche (Portland). The concert was described by José Ignacio López (El Lazo Invisible) as “… An intense concert, full of walls of extreme sound that made the place and the public tremble …”.

2007 - The first Tijuana Interzona Festival is held, with a variety of cultural and artistic events. In the list of artists who have participated in all editions, include, among others, Iraida Noriega, 1973, DJ Tolo, Rafa.Dro, Maldita Vecindad and Los Hijos Del 5to. Patio, Aztlan Underground, Lhabia, La Borrasca, Santa Sabina (their last performance in Tijuana), Ely Guerra, Aviador Dro, Lady Bombón and many more.

2007 - Festiarte starts in Parque Mexico in Playas De Tijuana. Over the years, there has been large participation of local talents on the rock stage.

2007 - The Kung Fu Monkeys make their first tour to Europe, returning twice in 2009 and 2011.

2007 - The Necropolis Fest is held in El Foro, with the presence of artists from various disciplines. The second edition takes place in 2008, with the Zaragoza Theater being the venue. Among those who participated are Ford Proco, Red Flag, Gorgonas, Noise Of Terror and more. The third edition, takes place in two days in two venues, Le Drug Store and The Rock, with the presence of God Module, Myparasites, Electrovot, Damned Prayer, The Deadfly Ensemble, Vdrey & Schultz and others.

2007 - Morrissey performs at El Foro.

2008 - The Polifonico event takes place, in which talks are given about several topics related to the music industry in Tijuana, ending with the presentation of TJ Groove Station.

2008 - Dr. Priscilla Merarit Viera Alcázar presents her Master’s thesis in Sociocultural Studies. The name and topic are Narrative Identities of Women in Rock: A Study in Tijuana. The thesis includes interviews with María Elena Coker (La Piedra), Brissia María Gonzáles (Lhabia), Ginny Silva and Keyla Zamarrón (Suicidal Vaginas). The thesis would be re-edited for the article Women in the Rock: Identities and Experiences in Tijuana, which appeared in a supplement in 2011. After this, Dr. Viera has continued with its investigations in relation to the presence of women in rock

2008 - In the midst of great controversy over legal and personal issues within the Colectivo Nortec, Bostich + Fussible present Tijuana Sound Machine on Planeta Tijuana. Tijuana Sound Machine receives the nomination in the category of Best Rock / Alternative Album in the Grammy Awards.

2008 - AMP emerges as a school dedicated to the teaching and development of electronic music production and DJ techniques.

2008 - The magazine En Tijuana appears in physical edition two issues and then irregularly until it started its period as an electronic magazine between 2012 and 2016 when it became the Tijuana Es Rock/En Tijuana Hay Rock news website.

2008 - Canseco publishes its first album El Tiempo y La Ciudad, as well as participating in the Vive Latino festival.

2008 - The book Nortec Rifa!: Electronic Dance Music from Tijuana to the World by Alejandro L. Madrid is released.

2008 - The One Scene 08 event was held at Le Drug Store, where several local promoters came together, presenting bands like Bumbklatt, Red Awakening, Uprising AD, The Helldandys, Teenage Kicks and more.

2008 - D-Town Tijuana 2008 Festival is held on Planet Tijuana, with the presence of MSTRKRFT, LA Riots, Shark Attack, Gun $ ‘N’ Bomb $, Latinsizer and more, canceling the last day, where the prestigious Iceland band Sigur Ros would be performing.

2008 - The Tijuana Rap concert is presented, with the presence of NV Música, Legion Marvel, DJ Tijuas, Toxic Flow and more in El Foro.

2008 - The Music-ON red carpet event takes place with the presence of bands like Almalafa, Solucion Mortal and others in the Planeta TijuanaLobby. It would be done again in the following years (as part of the Tijuana Interzona Festival) in spaces such as Tía Juana Tilly’s and El Burro Rayado with the presence of bands like Adevian and Urban De Falla, among others.

2008 - In several newspapers in Mexico, an interesting semblance is published on the History of Rock in Mexico, with historical data and lists of important recordings. They appear in the text because of their historical significance (according to the author): The Rocking Devils, The Tijuana Five, Javier Batíz, Baby Batíz, El Ritual, Peace and Love, Love Army, Pajaro Alberto and Sacrosaurio, Artefakto, Panóptica Orchestra, Especimen, La Cruz, Tijuana No, Julieta Venegas, Fussible, Bostich, The Kung Fu Monkeys, Hiperboreal, Plankton Man and Clorofila.

2008 - Within the Tijuana Interzona Festival, Dinamov is presented, which included the union for its dissemination of projects such as Artileria, Tijuana Eventos, Polifonico, Revolucion En Movimiento and others. A concert with Cicuta, El Astro De La Rumba and Guaycura Sounds is performed. The project does not prosper after this event, but another union intention, Mecanica, is formed.

2008 - Open Mind is a promotion company that presents events in spaces such as the Salon Fiesta, with the intention of bringing international bands and reliving the local scene. The bands that have presented in their events are, among others, Carnifex, Cease The Fatality, Jeremiah Johnson and Fallen Figure.

2009 - There are two festivals that seek to enhance the music scene in the city: Tijuana Progresivo (organized at El Foro with more than 35 bands and soloists, among them, TJ Groove Station, Led Zepagain, Guaycura Sounds, Carla Morrison, Palos Verdes, The Astro De La Rumba and others) and Rev N 'Mov (this is done at the Multikulti Coliseum with the presence as headliners of Titan, Silverio, and Jessy Bulbo). The first one would return in 2010 in the CECUT with Cabezas De Cera, La Sonrisa Vertical and others, in addition to preparing its 2012 edition, while the other has not announced the date of completion.

2009 - Circo appears on Sixth Street, a place where new producers and DJs of electronics are widely developed, as well as the presence of international artists. Among those who have presented themselves are RedS, Gina Turner, Toxic Killers, Damian Wolf, The Goonies and many more.

2009 - At Entijuanarte 2009, they merge Bostich + Fussible stage together with the Baja California Orchestra in a major event.

2009- The Under Tour arrives in Tijuana, with the presence of Akwid, The Psycho Realm and many more who took the stage at the then Planeta Tijuana (Coliseo-Multikulti).

2009 - The Tijuana Avant Garde Music Festival takes place at Tijuana’s Casa de la Cultura, with the presence, among others, of Iván Velázquez De León and La Sonrisa Vertical.

2009 - It takes place at El Foro, the TJ Live Fest, with the performance of The Kung Fu Monkeys, Bye Sami, Radaid, Urban De Falla, MYPAQ and many more.

2009 - Polen appears presenting and promoting events such as the Arts And Trees Bazaar and live sessions like Polen Sessions in different spaces. Among the bands that have participated in their events are La Noise, Revival 71, Chikita Violenta, THE SPLWLKRS, Deck B, Vis Viva and more.

2009 - In the middle of the sixth street explosion, La Sexta House of Music opens, where they have been guesting artists like Simian Mobile Disco and Ladytron, as well as the presence of Le Butcherettes, Ambiente, Lázaro Casanova, Nano Bravo & Mad Lions, Designer Drugs, Skrillex and others, however as of April 2011 it changes to being Porky’s Place de la Sexta. Places that also put their part to the nightlife with shows in the area comprised of Avenida Revolución between Sixth and Seventh are La Mezcalera, You Revolution Electronic Bar, El Burro Rayado, El Diván De Alicia, La Jiribilla, El Chez, TJ Arte y Rock Cafe, and others.

2009 - Artileria, document the 2009 and 2010 editions of Tijuana Progresivo, in addition to his work with artists and soloists such as Carla Morrison, Late Night Howl, La Diabla and more with acclaimed video clips.

2010 - Almalafa publishes its second album, Mi Peligrosa Tijuana.

2010 - Appears as a project, Aliados Por El Rock, which seeks to strengthen the spread and support of rock in Baja California. As a result of their work, they are part of the organizers of Expo Rock Tijuana 2010 with the presence of bands like Deathriders, Puercos, Los Hollywood, Armagedón and more. For 2011, they expand their activities to a festival with bands from all over the state, the TV Poder Rock program and the second edition of Expo Rock.

2010 - It takes place at the Pueblo Amigo Shopping Center, the FusionArte festival, where in addition to exhibitions of different disciplines, they present bands like Koñorteño, Los Hijos Del Santo, Malibu, and others. In its 2011 edition, Hiperboreal was presented in a special talk, in addition to Lucky 7 and more guests.

2010 - Gustavo Cerati appears in the Monumental Plaza with great success, this being his last concert in the city. This was days before falling into a coma in Venezuela.

2010 - The experimental documentary Antropotrip Sinfonía Urbana by José Luis Martín is presented, with live music by Guaycura Sounds. The presentation was at the ICBC Multiforo.

#Tijuana #Rock #Music #Timeline #culture

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years ago

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The Secret Life of Rodeo Goats

What is life like for rodeo goats? Imagine being a young goat, old enough to leave your mother, curious about life, and ready for all the adventure a young goat could hope for. These goats spend one season, spring through fall, traveling to new locations, receiving a lot of attention, and getting their legs tied together. A lot.

The rodeo goats arrive at the location the day before the event. They are put in a pen with food and water and allowed to settle in and acclimate. The only event in junior and high school rodeo involving goats is goat tying. This event is the girls’ equivalent to calf roping or tie down roping.

Bailey Jo Griener has been involved in rodeo since she was two years old. She had tied goats for 12 years. “I don’t really know how humane it would be to rope a goat off a horse,” she said. “I mean you’re looking at a 1,200 pound animal vs. a 40 to 60 pound animal. Your tying calves are 200 pounds and can handle that.”

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During the Rodeo

When it is time for the rodeo goat to be used, a handler leads it into the arena. They tie the goat to a 10-foot rope in the middle of the arena then hold it until a flag starts the time. That’s when the fun begins. The contestant rides her horse full speed into the arena. She jumps off and starts running right before she reaches the goat. She grabs the goat, flips it over, crosses at least three of its legs and ties them together with a leather thong, pigging string, or rope.

According to the National High School Rodeo Association’s rule book, “Contestant must string a front leg and then cross and tie any three legs with a pigging string. There must be at least one wrap around all three legs and finished with a half hitch or hooey. A hooey is a half hitch with a loop, the tail of the string may be partly or all the way pulled through.” The timer stops when she raises her hands to signal she is done. The contestant then steps away and the goat has six seconds to try to free its legs. The entire run happens very quickly. In state or local rodeos, there is a one-minute time limit. The limit in national rodeo is thirty seconds.

The Contestants

In Junior Rodeo, 6th through 8th grade, both boys and girls participate in goat tying. In High School Rodeo, 9th through 12th grade, only girls can compete. There are no goat tying competitions in the PRCA rodeo. Most kids that compete have at least one or two goats at home to practice with.

Goat tying is a physically demanding sport. “Girls that are tying the fast times, that are winning rodeos, are jumping off of their horse while it’s still running at a high rate of speed,” said Bailey Jo. “They don’t generally stop their horse and then get off, so you have to think of your leg hitting the ground going, you know, 20 miles an hour. It’s pretty rough on your knees.” There is a good chance, if you watch a rodeo, you will see a girl not get her feet under her correctly and face-plant. They jump right up and continue the competition.

Protecting the Goats

Before you get worried that these goats are having the worst summer of their lives, know that there are rules in place to protect rodeo goats. When not being tied, they can only be handled by their contractor or someone who works for the rodeo. During the event, a handler stands with the rodeo goats to help with their safety and well-being. In state and local rodeos, each goat can only be tied five times per day. For national, they can only be tied once a day. The contractor must provide extra goats in case one gets sick or injured.

To help make sure these rules are followed, the goats are numbered so they can be easily identified. Usually the numbers appear on plastic ear tags in each ear, but in small rodeos can be painted on each side. Their horns are capped and if the horns are long, athletic tape is wrapped around each horn and then back and forth between them for the safety of the contestants.

Bailey Jo’s brother, TJ Griener, owner of Stone Ranch Goat Productions, says he treats his goats as athletes themselves. He says good clean alfalfa and good treatment help them be strong enough to take being hauled around. TJ’s goal is to have the most even pens of goats at every rodeo. That means all the rodeo goats are the same weight, size, and breed. According to the National High School Rodeo Association, “Goats shall be uniform in size and breed with a weight limit of 40 to 60 pounds per goat. Pygmy goats are not allowed to be used in the goat tying event.” TJ provides the goat types Boer, Spanish, and Kiko to about 12 events a year.

Other Events

The only National High School Rodeo event involving goats is goat tying. Outside the official rodeo arena, TJ’s goats sometimes participate in jackpot events based on the original ranch rodeos from America’s homestead heritage. These often feature goat roping and goat branding. Goat roping uses a team roping format, but the contestants are on foot. Goat brandings are like the ranch rodeo event for cows. People compete to see how fast they can catch the animal and press a brand to its side. The brand is not heated and is dipped in paint so it will show up. Like the ropings, brandings with goats are done on foot to prevent injury to the goats. Most of these events require an entrance fee and give cash or prizes to the winners.

Cowboy Relief Roping sponsors such events to raise money for medical bills for working cowboys/cowgirls and their families. Their spokesperson told me, “We switched it up last year to a ‘Wild Goat Milking’ for kids 12 and under. Teams of three and go into the herd, rope the goat, and milk it. The kids have to remove the ropes and run the milk to the judges for time. Fastest times win prizes. For the five and under kids, we have an adult rope a goat and hold it at a distance and the little kids are supposed to get a ribbon off the tail of the goat and run it to the judge for time.”

The Business Side

How do you contract your goats? TJ realized he had everything he needed to be a stock contractor: bulls, broncs, steers, and calves, but most importantly goats. It seemed to him that most contractors didn’t care much about goat tying, so rodeo goats were hard to find. In some areas, rodeos have to use separate contractors for goats. TJ bid out his services with a buddy that was already in the business. That began his dream career. He tries to have fresh goats at every rodeo. After their rodeo goat career, they are used as weed-eating goats until they are about 70 pounds. Most Boer does will be used for breeding and the wethers and bucks sold off. To anyone wanting to get into the business, he says, “Make sure your pen is even weight, size, and breed … and always remember you have to spend money to make money.”

What Do You Think?

Some people believe using goats in rodeo is cruel. The American Humane Association (AHA) used to campaign against rodeo through anti-rodeo literature but changed its strategy in the 1950s and began working with rodeo to establish rules to ensure the humane treatment of livestock. People who work with goats in rodeo say the goats are happy and well cared for. They show no signs of trauma or distrust of humans. So far the goats themselves have declined to comment.

For Further Information

You can watch goat tying at any junior or high school rodeo. If you want to get your child involved, contact the American Junior Rodeo Association at http://www.ajra.org/, the National High School Rodeo Association at https://www.nhsra.com/, or your local rodeo.

Originally published in the September/October 2018 issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.

The Secret Life of Rodeo Goats was originally posted by All About Chickens

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adastraradionews · 6 years ago

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Busy weekend around the area

More than a few things are going on around the area this weekend. One of those gets underway Friday morning with the Kansas Junior Livestock Show at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Friday events include a collegiate judging contest , goat showmanship and commercial doe kid and the breeding sheep show. More goat, sheep, swine and beef shows will take place Saturday and Sunday, with scholarship winners announced prior to the KLF Prospect Club Calf Sale Saturday evening

In downtown Hutchinson events start Friday at noon with the Downtown Hutchinson Rod run which runs through Sunday. Feature events include a cruise Friday evening at 6, live concerts at Avenue A Park Friday and Saturday nights, a craft beer festival, Burnout Saturday evening at 5, and awards Sunday afternoon at 2.

Also going on Saturday morning in downtown Hutch is the Salt City Half Marathon... the new name for Run for the Rocks with a new course beginning and ending at DCI Park at 2nd and Main with walkers departing at 7 and runners at 7:30. In conjunction with this the Boys and Girls Club is having the Judy’s Mile one mile fun run and walk Saturday morning starting at 10:30 from Believer’s Tabernacle at 17th and Main, following the final mile of the half-marathon South to 3rd and Main.

Buhler’s weekend is dominated by a bunch of super heroes at the Buhler Frolic, which begins this evening at 5 with the Fire Department hamburger feed at the Bandshell downtown. Saturday starts with the Mennonite Brethren Pancake Breakfast at the MB Church at 7. The vendors open at 9 along with sidewalk coloring and the start of the Scavenger Hunt. The famed double parade...up one side of Main and back down the other... begins at 11, with inflatables, a cornhole tournament, and kids pedal tractor pull during the afternoon, and Saturday evening starting a 5 they will have food trucks along Main, and a super hero costume contest at 7 in front of Prairie Bank of Kansas. The weekend wraps up Sunday with a community church service and pot luck dinner at 10:30 at Wheatland Park.

There’s a bunch of stuff going on in McPherson Saturday, headlined by two large events. McPherson Main Street’s Burnin’ Down Main Chili and Soup Cookoff and Dessert Contest is going on downtown. In addition to the food... wristbands for sampling are five dollars starting at 11... there will be live music, touch a truck, and other activities. At Lakeside Park the Kansas Barn Sale runs from 9-4, featuring antiques, vintage repurposed items, artisan goods and food from across the Midwest plus more live music. Shuttle services will be available from several locations, a list of which can be found at www.mcpcity.com. The day starts off at 7 at the Lakeside Park Cabin with a Chris Cakes pancake feed, proceeds from which benefit the Parks and Public Facilities Foundation.

The 25th annual Mountain Man Rendezvous at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge north of Canton is Saturday and Sunday starting at 9 each day... there will be entertainment, demonstrations, and prairie tours starting at 10.

Stafford’s 29th annual Oktoberfest gets underway this evening with a glow run and beer garden at8. Saturday events are highlighted by a parade at 11 on Main Street, a tractor and car shine and show, power wheel races, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, and the famed wiener dog race at 2. Evening activities include an alumni banquet and music with Chesterrfield Bridge and Blues on the Side at the VFW.

Sterling College Reunion activities got underway Thursday... Today they will have the Heritage Convocation and Alumni Awards Presentation at 10 in Culbertson Auditorium, campus tours, and the big tent Friday Night alumni and family hangout on the East Cooper Lawn, with the musical Big Fish presented at 7:30 at Culbertson Auditorium. It will also be presented Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 2. Saturday events include the Lady Warrior Basketball pancake feed at 7:30 at the United Methodist Church, the parade at 9:45, and various events throughout the day including the football game at 1:30 against Ottawa.

One other event going on this weekend in Hutchinson is the Central Plains Rodeo Association finals at the Fairground Expo Center, featuring top cowboys and cowgirls from the Midwest competing for over 30 thousand dollars in cash and prizes. Performances begin Friday and Saturday at 8 with Sunday’s final round at 1 with awards to be presented at the conclusion of Sunday’s performance.

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alexiskscott-blog · 6 years ago

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Back in May, we decided we were going to win the Cowgirl Queen Contest. So we did.

The last day of the Iowa State Fair is tomorrow. We typically don’t show at the fair. It’s a hassle to get in and out, the crowds are totally insane, people have no respect for boundaries or property; the whole thing gives me anxiety.

THIS YEAR HOWEVER, one of my girls won the Queen Contest at the Iowa Memorial Day Show, so we entered the Cowgirl Queen Contest representing the Iowa Arabian Horse Association. It’s basically a beauty pageant on horseback. Totally out of our element and not something that I would have been excited to do in the past, but here we are sending a girl in the Junior Queen.

At Memorial Day, I told the girls entering the Iowa Arabian Horse Association Queen Contest that if they won it we were going to the Fair, and we were taking it seriously. However, I was still less than enthusiastic at this point. Now, understand that this contest is full of “real” cowgirls from Pony and Saddle Clubs and other breed associations, all stock breeds of course. These girls take it seriously, and for most it’s their goal to go win it. It’s judged by Quarter Horse or other stock breed judges. The horses are all reiners, ranch horses, pleasure quarter horses or rodeo horses. No Iowa Arabian representative had won the Junior Queen Contest thus far so the odds were not in our favor.

The more I thought about what we were doing and the more I talked with Russell, my assistant/groom/friend who worked 30 years in the Quarter Horse industry and won multiple World and Congress championships, though, the more I wanted to win this contest. We decided were going to come to play. The horse my girl was riding is a half-Arabian who looks and moves like a Quarter Horse, so she would appeal to the stock breed judges. My kid had the beauty thing on lock, and was getting good at the western horsemanship part, especially considering she’d never ridden it seriously before. We requested the assistance of real “Queen Contest Pros” to get the look and the “salute” down (the finalists have to do a pattern where they lope to the rail and then gallop around the arena saluting the audience, then slide to a stop and back. The crowd goes nuts for the good ones). We were prepared and at this point going in pretty confident.

We ended up freaking winning it. WINNING IT. It was simultaneously ridiculous and glorious; us “stuffy” Arabian people, rolling in two weeks off Youth Nationals to the Iowa State Fair. Here was my rider, who’s never shown western, on a fancy show horse that has won a Reserve-National Championship tearing around the arena like a rodeo queen in front of all these people who know Russell and are wondering what the hell he’s doing with an Arabian trainer, in this contest with 60 other real western cowgirls who eat/sleep/breathe this thing and take it seriously enough to be nasty about it. She smoked ‘em. We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Russell got to thumb his nose at his ex-colleagues, which was satisfying even though I have no clue who these people are. My girl loved every minute of it. The crowd ate her up and so did the judges. I watched one of them lean over so he could look between other horses to watch her on the rail. When they announced her win, the entire in-gate went berserk. It was pure insanity, totally out-of-the-box for us, and worth it.

The fact that it’s at the fair, in front of the general public, is a HUGE deal. We were able to represent the Arabian breed and show off their known versatility in front of people who only know about Quarter Horses because they race at Prairie Meadows. I get to claim the winner as an Arabian trainer, and she’s the first to win the Junior division on an Arab, AND win in her first year. It’s a publicity dream. It’s something to be excited about and to be able to go out there in a contest where the odds of winning on an Arabian are less than getting struck by lightning and come away with the win is a VERY big deal. Believe me.

Which is why I was shook when we had in-barn issues with teammates being supportive.

When AKS Farms was still relatively new, I had issues about kids supporting other kids, and parents supporting other kids. I put up with some unbelievable crap. I heard accusations that I was favoring a rider and wanted my other kids to do poorly, which was completely untrue. There was jealousy and bitterness associated with someone wanting to purchase a horse in the same division as another rider in the barn. I dealt with feuds between parents over the time I spent with their kids. One client went so far as threatening to leave if certain people got a horse. It was just nasty, disgusting, immature behavior. I was young, not as established, and wasn’t as confident in communicating with clients. I was frustrated and I couldn’t get a handle on the situation. Clients came and left, tried to get others to leave with them, tried to get their new trainers to poach my groom, and spread lies about my program. It got so bad a few times that I considered walking away from it all. I’ve always promised myself “if I quit having fun, then I’m done,” but I ended up digging deep and pulling motivation out of my ass to keep fighting. I believe in my riders and my horses, and myself obviously, and my inner Dude did not abide.

I am so happy to say I love the group of clients I have now. I’m surrounded by positivity and enthusiasm, and we’ve had a crazy successful year. Self-help books preach to “keep going even when you want to quit because that’s when it’s about to get good” and the vibes are GOOOOOD.

There’s still challenges though. There’s still drama. How do we get past that? How do we help our people to see that there‘s room enough for everyone at the table? There’s enough ribbons for everyone, enough wins and success for everyone. No single rider’s accomplishments outweigh another’s. I push myself to the limit to make sure that I give every one of my riders 150%, and there’s enough of me to go around. I believe in every one of them and I want them to win every class they go in, whether it’s Nationals or Cowgirl Queen or the Society fun-show. A win for one is a win for all.

With my recent group of clients all being new to the sport, I think it’s important to help the parents and kids understand what their individual accomplishments do for the team as a whole. There’s a lot of strategy involved in showing horses. Every time a rider from my program is successful in the arena, regardless of the placing, it is noticed. It is picked up by the judges, the other trainers, the other exhibitors and spectators, and it draws attention to the individual riders and the program as a whole. They look for my riders when they see me coaching someone on the rail. They remember their horses. I honestly have heard some pretty remarkable things about my kids this year. Praises of their talent and skill were sung at every show we attended this year, and it’s imperative that they begin to understand that. Additionally, what their individual successes do for my position within the industry is just as important. They’ve got people talking about them and the instruction they’ve received from me, and comparing their skills to theirs, and feeding off of the positive energy created by their success to fuel their own fires. They need to believe their own hype!

Celebrating others’ successes, rather than envying them, is just as important to really finding success in the show ring. A rider must change their mindset, and value their own individual skills and talents rather than comparing themselves to those of other riders. Each rider is unique. Every rider balances differently, sits differently, and has their own “style.” Focusing on other riders causes one to disconnect from the animal underneath them, and prevents them from really being “in the moment.” Showing horses is about connecting to the animal underneath you, feeling what’s going on with your horse every step of the ride, and reacting accordingly to put on the best show possible. It is impossible to successfully do that when you’re too focused on the other competitors. I would know that from experience.

Prior to winning the Saddle Seat Equitation and UPHA Challenge Cup at Youth Nationals in 2005, I had difficulty reaching that point and crossing the threshold of success. I was too worried about how good the other girls were and comparing their skills and successes to my own, and wasn’t able to really put on the best show I could because of where my head was at. In 2004, after coming in third at Youth Nationals for the third year in a row, I changed my mindset. I decided to quit worrying about the other girls and to trust my own skills. I decided I wasn’t going to get beat anymore. I started to analyze my past performances to see the areas where I could improve and made sure to do so. I felt more confident and relaxed in the show ring, and more in-tune with my equine partner. I became more adaptable and more confident as a rider. I learned to appreciate the other riders, and my less-than-perfect rides for the lessons that they taught me, rather than focusing on the placings and envying the others’ success. I realized that if someone placed above me, then I needed to figure out what they did better than I did in that class, and use the positive energy created by their success to help fuel my own. The change in mindset proved that I was right, and I won the Saddle Seat Equitation Grand Championship at 2004 National Show Horse Finals, followed by both HA Saddle Seat Eq and UPHA at Youth Nationals the next year. I won two bids to try out for the Saddle Seat World Cup team, and I made it. We traveled to South Africa in 2006, and won the Gold Medal at the Saddle Seat World Cup competition that year.

I believed I could do it, rather than wondering if I could, and I did it. Any rider who really appreciates and values their own skills and believes in their abilities, their horse, and the support system around them, rather than comparing themselves to what others have, will see success in the show ring. Riders must celebrate the success of others, as well as celebrate their own style, and use the positive energy created by others’ achievements to fuel their own fire, rather than seeing others’ success as their failure.

As trainers we have an opportunity to shape the values and mindsets of our clients by communicating the positive and teaching them to believe in their individuality, as well as teaching them to understand and appreciate the way they can help each other by being supportive of one another. Like I said, a win for one of us is a win for all of us!

#motivation coaching horses horseback equestrian competition support encouragement supporting others value your skills believe in y

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cecillewhite · 7 years ago

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10 Ways to Lose at Selling Learning Systems: For LMS Vendors

LMS vendors, I owe you a post. It’s hard to believe nearly two years have passed since I last shared tips for selling learning systems. But since the LMS market is on fire, you’ve probably been too busy to notice. I hope you’ve been too busy winning.

We’ve been busy. This year, in addition to launching “The Talented Learning Show” podcast, writing 20 in-depth articles, hosting 5 webinars and developing several commissioned industry reports, we’ve been up to our eyeballs in an endless series of comprehensive LMS selection assignments. In fact, we just concurrently completed two full-scale LMS selection projects in the last couple of weeks — one for a corporate extended enterprise client and another for an international professional association.

In the Talented Learning selection process, we always work with our clients to first accurately define their requirements and then we recommend 4 super-qualified, matching vendors to evaluate in a formal RFP selection process. (Learning systems buyers are always more successful when they invest their time evaluating qualified vendors for their business situation vs. qualifying vendors).

With 8 total finalists, my head is still spinning from analyzing a thousand plus pages of RFP response documents, sitting through 24 hours of demos and critically (sometimes ruthlessly) evaluating a diverse cast of sales characters as they pitch their solutions.

The LMS Sales Process: What Counts?

READ OUR 2017 AWARDS POST!

As you may know, this isn’t my first sales rodeo. Before founding Talented Learning, I was an LMS sales guy for 13 years and competed in hundreds and hundreds of learning systems sales opportunities. I won and lost my fair share but was unaware of my level of effectiveness in relation to my sales peers.

Sales reps rarely get a chance to see peers in action, so it’s difficult to compare your sales prowess based on anything other than annual sales volume and the tidbits shared by the common solution architects. Now as a selection consultant, I have a better view than most of the best and worst sales people from all over the world. It’s fascinating side benefit of my job.

What do I notice? The list is deep, wide and critical. For example:

How quickly do sales reps respond to inquiries?

How deeply do they understand my client’s business needs?

How thorough are their questions?

Do they seem fully prepared for demos? How do they demo?

How candid and honest are their answers?

Are they on time?

Are they leveraging their executives – circling the wagons?

Are their clothes pressed, shoe shined and hair combed? (Yes, I really need to say this unbelievably).

What is their level of knowledge about their own solution?

That’s just a small sample from my thousand point checklist. I may be a tough critic, but when I see a stellar sales performance, I’m quick to give credit. On the other hand, when I see a train wreck, I’m equally quick to notice, chuckle and not invite them to compete for awhile. I rarely share criticism directly with vendors unless I’m asked, or unless I’m in the mood to write. Lucky for you, today I have plenty of fresh feedback from my recent experiences!

Why Sales Performance Should Be a Priority

Selling learning systems was and is never easy. The quickest selection processes take 90 days and require a ton of work. There can be only one winner and second place is worse than 40th. With 700+ learning management systems as competition, continuous sales improvement is the hidden-in-open-view key to a learning systems company’s future. Sometimes, a salesperson can do everything right in the sales process and still lose, but that doesn’t happen as often as salespeople like to think or tell their executives.

It also turns out that buyers are picky. Go figure. They are going to spend a few hundred thousand dollars and put their professional reputations on the line with the ultimate vendor selection. The reasons why they buy and don’t buy are often subjective are much deeper than any feature, function or cost.

Top 10 Ways to Lose an LMS Deal:

The problem about winning though is that it is time consuming. Both during the sales process and after. If your organization is winning too many deals and as a result you are too busy, here are some top ways I’ve seen work recently to efficiently lose a deal.

1) Rather than customizing your RFP response, just reuse a boilerplate proposal. Be sure to avoid specifics about the opportunity at hand.

2) Skip the spellcheeck.

3) Structure your pricing in an overly complicated manner that does not address the specific requirements in the RFP. Don’t forget to itemize plenty of low-cost options that are actually mandatory, so buyers are forced to untangle these features and debate the merits and cost of each.

4) Avoid research to profile your buyer. Don’t bother investigating their industry, their business strategy, their positioning, their brand names and other publicly available information. Ignore LinkedIn information about their organization and leaders.

5) Don’t illustrate a deep understanding of the business need in your RFP or product demonstration. Instead, assume all purchasing scenarios are essentially the same and you’ve seen these challenges before.

6) In the final demo, ask lots of discovery questions and try to tailor your demo on the fly.

7) Freely use the phrase “you can have anything you want,” or “that will require a slight modification,” but forget to note that your proposal doesn’t include the time or cost to satisfy any of these requirements.

8) If you don’t meet a requirement, purposely misrepresent it. This is one of my favorites. It often plays out like this: “Yes, we meet this requirement…” (And from this point forward, drone on with a convoluted-confusa-answer that describes something else entirely, hoping the buyer isn’t reading or listening closely, or an LMS selection consultant isn’t working on their behalf).

9) Deliver a “spaghetti-on-the-wall” demo where you throw every feature of your system at the buyer and hope something sticks. You know this is happening when the presenter says, “I don’t know if you need this particular feature or not, but let me tell you all about it just in case.” and then describes it excruciating detail.

10) In the final demo, when prospects ask a question that exposes a requirement gap, promise you’ll follow-up with an answer – then conveniently forget to close the loop.

Conclusion

Selling learning systems has always been challenging, but it’s even more so now. With so many niche players and so many ways to apply learning platforms, you’re likely to face stiff competition from across the spectrum. It’s impossible to keep ahead of every potential competitor, so selling against competitors if fruitless. You have to be selling for the client through the lens of solving their business needs.

The best salespeople approach their performance like elite athletes, systematically defining then optimizing their abilities for each and every of the many elements in the sales process. You can’t win an LMS deal by excelling in only one step, but if you continually improve each step, eventually you’ll win more than your fair share.

Finally, be ruthless in qualifying opportunities – in or out. If it’s “out,” don’t stretch. But if it’s “in,” don’t waste the lead by making junior sales mistakes. Aim for the win every step of the way. Chances are you will stand out from the crowd and achieve your goal of being too busy winning.

Thanks for reading!

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Where to find the most reliable LMS vendor intelligence, and

How to avoid common LMS selection missteps

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sbknews · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on Superbike News

New Post has been published on http://superbike-news.co.uk/wordpress/jorge-martin-takes-pole-in-mad-dash-to-slicks/

Jorge Martin takes pole in mad dash to slicks

Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) set his tenth pole position on Saturday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, with a drying track seeing late switches to slicks throughout the field and the Spaniard coming out on top by an impressive 0.496. He was ahead of Championship leader and key rival Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), with John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) completing the front row as the Brit blasted up the timesheets and was top KTM.

The session began on wets before the rain began to abate and the first man to try slicks was a brave Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) – initially over six seconds clear of the field before they caught on and headed into pitlane. But the heroics didn’t quite pay off as they did for Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller in Argentina – with enough of the session remaining to allow the majority to switch.

But the grid has set us up for a stunner on Sunday, with the experienced trio at the front chased by a Row 2 featuring Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) as he gets back to full power following injury, podium finisher Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) and the ‘Beast’ Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), expected to mount a title challenge.

Then comes a superstar performance in qualifying from rookie and reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Champion Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) in seventh, ahead of former Asia Talent Cup and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in eighth. Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP), the Argentina GP winner, completes the third row – with Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) another rookie stunner in P10, just edging early gambler Oettl.

It’s an exciting grid for Sunday’s race, with a few names looking to mount a fight back – including Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in P19 and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) in P12, off the front row for the first time this year.

The lights go out for the lightweight rodeo at 11:00am local time (GMT -5).

Moto3™ Qualifying Results 1 – Jorge Martin (SPA) HONDA 2’18.629 2 – Aron Canet (SPA) HONDA +0.496 3 – John McPhee (GBR) KTM + 0.792

#Jorge Martin #Moto3

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auburnfamilynews · 7 years ago

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We begin in Pecos County, Texas, 5,000 square miles of forgotten badlands less than 90 minutes from the Mexican border. May as well be the middle of nowhere.

He tracked the giant mule deer for almost two miles across that barren terrain—along a hillside and down a deep, daring gorge. Because that's how it works in Texas: You go where the hunt takes you.

Even if it means tracking a deer into the belly of a steep, 3,000-foot canyon for the kill, or traveling nearly 1,000 miles from home and into a meat grinder college football conference to jump-start a forgotten career. One is a microcosm of the other.

The hunt—and the process of finding yourself that goes with it—has never been more important.

"There's a certain feeling I can't explain when you're out there hunting," Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham says. "It's like when I'm on the field. There are no distractions, no drama. It's just me and a clear head."

And the beginning of a long road back.

Stidham is almost three months into his first season at Auburn, a rocky but rewarding journey that's but a few obstacles from reaching the mountaintop, beginning with this weekend's annual Iron Bowl game against bitter rival Alabama.

He's two years removed from his last game at Baylor, and from that life-defining hunt in the south end of Pecos County where no more than 40 people live and they're asked to keep their lights off at night because the McDonald Observatory is doing astronomy heavy lifting in the skies above.

Stidham's family leases 700 acres in that southwest Texas tract, but they're not staring at the Big Dipper. Once they got to the bottom of the canyon that day in late December 2015, the real job was carrying the 300-pound deer back up a steep mountainside: through leathery cacti and their needle sharp fingers, through soil so parched and hard, they may as well have been walking on black ice pavement, through 12-degree temperatures and the wind whipping at 30 mph and God only knows where the wind chill was pegged.

Halfway up, Matt Copeland, Stidham's guardian, was feeling light-headed from the altitude, or maybe from the half tin of Copenhagen he'd swallowed on the way down. Either way, that left Stidham, still in a walking boot from a broken ankle suffered in the last game he played for Baylor a few weeks earlier—the last game he'd ever play for Baylor—dragging that deer more than 1,500 feet with little help from Copeland. Dragging and resting. Dragging and resting.

There are three feet in a yard, and 100 yards in a football field. Stidham hauled that thing five football fields up a gorge.

Three-and-a-half hours later, they had the deer home and a story of sheer perseverance to last a lifetime.

Nearly two years from that day, Stidham has a chance to write another of those stories at Auburn.

"He's feeling it now, you can tell," Auburn tailback Kerryon Johnson said of Stidham after the Tigers' biggest win of the season, two weeks ago against Georgia, setting up a winner-take-the-SEC West game in the Iron Bowl. "He's playing with a lot of confidence.

"This is the player we knew he would be."

This is the player he was—ever so briefly—at Baylor. Then the unthinkable unraveling of a dark secret began on the Baylor campus, and the next thing you know, Stidham was out of football.

He had to leave that toxic environment in Waco amid a sexual assault scandal that rocked the football program and resulted in the firing of wildly popular coach Art Briles. Had to walk away and take a year off football to recalibrate and reassess his future, finding a home at Auburn and easing into a championship-ready team that only needed efficiency and stability at the most important position on the field to play for it all.

And now here we are: The end of the hunt is near, and he's trying to pull Auburn through the steepest part of the all-encompassing canyon that is beating SEC king Alabama. This is why he was recruited to Auburn—why he chose the Tigers over Texas A&M and Florida, with the idea that there could be no better comeback story than winning the best conference in college football and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"When we signed [Stidham], we all knew what it could mean if everything fit," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn says.

He woke one spring morning in 2015 to his phone buzzing like a kicked-over hornet's nest. Hundreds of texts and voicemails from people he didn't know and/or hadn't heard from in years.

"I thought it could only mean one thing," Stidham says. "Someone had died."

Or a whole program had.

When it all went down at Baylor, when the most successful coach in school history and the man whose success built a brand-new $300 million stadium on the banks of the Brazos River was fired, it really was like a death in the family for Stidham.

Growing up in the small Texas town of Stephenville, everyone knows everyone. They know the folks who run the world's largest rodeo, the annual extravaganza that makes Stephenville the unofficial Cowboy Capital of the World.

And they know the man who coached Stephenville High School to all those state championships. The population of Stephenville is 17,000, and Briles had nearly half (8,000) stuffed into Memorial Stadium every fall Friday night to watch his Yellow Jackets win four state titles.

He eventually moved on to the college level and coached his alma mater Houston before accepting the job at Baylor to rebuild of one of the worst major-conference programs. It took the better part of his eight years there to make Baylor an elite program, and a sexual assault culture that Briles was alleged to have covered up to bring it all down.

His last year there was Stidham's first, a season that began with Stidham backing up starter Seth Russell and eventually replacing him after a season-ending injury. Stidham started two-and-a-half games for the Bears before his season ended on a bitterly cold November night in Stillwater, Oklahoma, when his foot got tangled up on a sideline scramble and he broke a bone in his ankle.

Six months later, Stidham woke to that phone buzzing over and over, and the reality that his days at Baylor were likely over.

"I had no idea that stuff was going on," Stidham says. "For a while, it was like every day or every week something new was being said or happened. Life came at me pretty quick there. But I figured I wanted to take my career in my own hands, and if anybody was going to screw it up, it was going to be me."

That didn't make it any easier for his teammates to handle. They already had watched while one by one, nearly every member of the 2016 recruiting class asked out of their commitment. Now the future of the program was walking away, too.

They called him a quitter, said he bailed on them when they needed him most. The texts, the calls, the emails from friends he thought he'd spend four years of his life with.

They were staying and riding it out. He wasn't.

"That was a really unfair deal," a former assistant at Baylor under Briles tells Bleacher Report. "You're really going to dog-cuss your friend because he's looking out for himself? Listen, when Art was let go, it was every man for himself—players and coaches. It was an ugly time. I don't blame [Stidham] in the least for walking away."

They had no idea who he was when he pulled up in his pickup truck at Midway High School in August 2016, reached back in the bed and pulled out shoulder pads and a helmet and strolled onto the practice field.

Was he a move-in? A guy they'd never seen before whose parents moved to Waco from another city? Maybe he was a player who moved and followed new coach Jeff Hulme, who earlier in the year accepted the job at Midway after leading Mansfield to the Class 6A Division II semifinals in 2015.

Then Stidham stepped on the field at Midway and started throwing with the other quarterbacks.

"It was pretty apparent who he was after that," Hulme says.

When he decided to leave Baylor, and when it was clear he wasn't transferring out of haste to another FBS program and didn't want to play junior college football, Stidham decided to hang around Waco and take classes at a local community college to earn his associate's degree and put him one step closer to earning his college degree.

He asked Hulme, who like Stidham played for Briles at Stephenville High, if he could come by and throw with the team. He'd do whatever the team needed, he said.

"Best scout-team quarterback I've ever had," Hulme cracks.

Two years earlier, Stidham was leading Stephenville into the Class 4A state playoffs and was a 5-star recruit and Elite 11 quarterback camper who originally committed to Texas Tech before signing with Baylor. When he pulled away from Tech, he and Copeland got a firsthand look at the ugly side of recruiting.

Media reports around Lubbock claimed Copeland, a Texas Tech graduate, had steered Stidham to Baylor. When Stidham turned 18 prior to his senior season at Stephenville, he moved in with Copeland and his wife, Katy, and they quickly became Stidham's legal guardians.

There's not much more to this than it is: Stidham was 18 and an adult and chose to live with the Copelands. He still speaks to his biological parents, but he says his familial bond is with the Copelands.

When he left for Auburn, he may as well have moved halfway around the world for four-year-old Larsen Copeland. She wouldn't talk to Stidham on the phone or FaceTime for two months because she thought he abandoned her. Instead, she took his picture off the refrigerator and would walk around the Copeland house talking to it.

"I love my family more than anything," Stidham says now. "They've been such a blessing."

Matt Copeland's dad, Mike, was born with one arm and played center field and first base in college. The current athletic director at Stephenville, Mike Copeland thinks hitting a baseball with one arm is easier than doing it with two.

When he was a baby, his mother would put his bottle across the room so he had to crawl and get it and be like everyone else. There are no excuses in life; whatever hand you're dealt, that's what you go with.

More important, no matter what you're dealt, everyone needs a little help. Mike raised his son Matt to believe the most important thing in life is serving others, and not surprisingly, that's how Matt and Jarrett met.

Matt Copeland and his brother, Mitch, hire a handful of Stephenville High students every summer to work building apparel shops throughout the South.

"It's so inconsequential what we've done," Matt Copeland says. "Everything is on him. I swear it is. He is such a unique young man. When he came to live with us, we told him, 'In life you learn from other people's mistakes and don't make the same mistakes twice.' I told him, 'Jarrett, we raise people that want to help other people.'"

So there was Stidham, standing on that field at Midway High, the one-time Elite 11 recruit, throwing scout team for the local high school while biding time until he could restart his college career.

He wasn't any better than anyone else for those eight weeks, and he made lasting friendships with younger players who couldn't believe they were catching balls from the guy who threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns—and no interceptions—in his first college start on the road against Kansas State after taking over for Russell.

Every day at the end of practice, after he'd throw as long as the Midway defensive staff needed, he'd toss the shoulder pads and helmet in the back of his truck and drive away to go study and earn that associate's degree. All part of climbing the mountain.

"He was on a journey," Hulme says. "When I first met with him over lunch, I could tell he was overwhelmed. You could see it in his face. Having a place for him to come and just throw and be around football was really therapeutic for him. Physically, emotionally, everything. It was a big relief for him to come out here for an hour or two and sweat and be around the guys."

Chandler Cox walked into his apartment this spring, and staring back at him was a deer head on the wall. A colorful choice of decoration from his new roommate.

Cox was born in Salt Lake City and grew up in Orlando, and the closest thing he got to deer was the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney World. He had no idea what a 10-point buck looks like, or what a score of 140 means.

"It's kind of hard to miss. It's huge," Cox says.

So is its relevance. When you've scored 140 points on a shot—especially a first kill—you've successfully outwitted one of the smartest big-game animals in the forest. Whitetail deer that big likely have survived at least three or four hunting seasons, a rarity in Texas.

Deer hunting, Stidham will tell you, is as close as you can get to competing in sports. It's you vs. the big game. You have to be smart and patient, have to be willing to put time and effort into the hunt and see it through.

Which is no different than his 10 months at Auburn, where he arrived as a recruiting class of one—he was part of the 2017 recruiting class, but he's two years older than everyone else—and had to fit in quickly to win over his new teammates. And that wasn't the only adjustment.

Stidham went from playing with freedom in a pass-friendly system, to playing it by the book in a downhill run scheme. Baylor's offense has receivers at the numbers and forces safeties to make a choice: Stay at the hash to stop the run game, or move outside to bracket coverage and help cornerbacks.

That quarterback-friendly system thrives with a player who has an NFL arm and can get throws quickly to the numbers in various routes. The Auburn system is bunched, mostly at or near the hashmarks and based on misdirection and deception.

It's not that it's a bad system; it's just that it might not have been the perfect spot for Stidham.

"When you have a guy that has that kind of arm talent, you have to adjust to him to take advantage of what he does best," an NFL scout explains to Bleacher Report. "You're talking about a player who will play in this league and could be a high [NFL draft] pick with the proper development."

The climb up the mountain hasn't been an easy one. It began with an ugly loss to Clemson in which Stidham was sacked 11 times. Eleven times.

The Auburn offense is built around the run game, and Stidham began the season with no ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage. He ran what he was told.

When he threw for more than 400 yards in his first career start at Baylor when the wind was blowing hard off the Kansas plains, Stidham had complete authority to change plays at the line of scrimmage. In fact, he was encouraged to do so if he needed to get the offense out of a bad play.

Slowly, and over the course of the first 12 weeks of the season, Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey have given Stidham more flexibility. They're using more intermediate and deep throws, and defenses can no longer load up to stop Johnson and the power run game.

"It's a process," Malzahn says. "We all tend to forget, because Jarrett is so talented, that he only played in three games before he got here. He's learning and growing in the position."

He's still climbing up that mountain and still in the hunt. He's playing better than ever and is a big reason Auburn could be the first team other than Alabama representing the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game since Malzahn's first Tigers team in 2013.

You go where the hunt takes you. If you're lucky, you'll learn more about yourself than you could ever imagine.

"When you're sitting on that mountaintop and you see the sun come up, there's nothing quite like it," Stidham said.

He's almost there at Auburn. All it's going to take is the biggest catch ever to get there.

Read more Auburn Football news on BleacherReport.com

from Bleacher Report http://ble.ac/2iEJUw4

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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