Clearly those of us present today missed the Rapture and people paid dearly for not “getting on up.”

 

Ane’s update:

-Friday dress shopped for HoCo – Homecoming.  -Saturday was soccer filled. Homecoming dance / dinner at Southern Social was REALLY fun.  Sunday watched a movie.  Monday was more soccer.  Tuesday was a winning soccer game.  Week spent testing and getting A’s on tests.  Soccer against St. Louis Park, in SLP, tonight.

 

PRESENTATION: Ted Slather – Extreme Events

 

Jim Holloran introduced our speaker, Ted Slathar, who has been a friend since high school. At that time, they knew each other, but didn’t travel in the same circles, so friendship really blossomed as adults. A rodeo and bull riding was a pivotal moment for their friendship and turned Jim into a fellow cowboy.

Ted Slathar – ExtremeEventsMN.com Click the link for even more details. LINK

Ted identifies his story as no different from anyone else's - views it as a series of failures and successes. WIth age [wisdom] he is realizing the failures as the real teachers. Ted opened with an homage to Michael Jordan and his take on success and failures.

 

Ted grew up on Lake Susan in Chanhassen, back in the day, with a bit of acreage with some horses. As a youth, he saw an impressive rodeo in Buffalo, MN and got involved in rodeo himself in high school.

 

Ted went on to win a rodeo bull riding competition after trying other events, so made bull riding his event, but lost the next twelve rides. He went to a bull riding school to learn. Ted went to CHS and in his senior year was a state champion. College took Ted to UWRiver Falls and he continued rodeoing. After college he took his LSATS and was planning to go to law school, but at the same time his bull riding career was taking off, so for the next six years he took that path. He’s fortunate in his career to only have minor injuries as this extreme sport does cost people's lives. Ted is currently on the board of directors of the Great Lakes Circuit.

 

Ted is married to Erica and has two sons, one daughter, and one grandson. His daughter, Rachel, competed in high school rodeo and at National Finals in high school (all US, plus Canada, plus Hawaii) and qualified twice in her event. As a high schooler she started a silk scarf business that she called Wild Rags. A few months into college she was making more money in the business so changed course and now, at 23, has her own shop in Oklahoma. Additionally, Rachel has started Ride At Dawn (RAD) a non profit to help folks who have been abused through domestic violence and sex trafficking.

Ted’s post rodeoing career has been in real estate and property management. One venture had him underwater on a property and he was renting it. First renter was great, but next was not…bounced checks and all of it. In the course of this, he started Latigo Leasing and Sales that helps folks rent their property. This has been his bread and butter job concurrent with his rodeo work.

 

About 15 years ago, Ted started Waconia’s rodeo and Extreme Events, MN. It’s a three day affair - the first weekend in June. Every event has a cowboy church, a free pancake breakfast, and it’s open to anyone - come as you are. There’s a cowboy church in Shakopee, too. Through a conversation with the owner of Canterbury, they launched a skijoring event where horses, riders, and skiers combine their talents. Entries open January 1 and people can be matched, but most enter as teams. There are about 10,000 - 15,000 attendees. All together, Extreme Events, MN has about six events throughout the year here in Minnesota, other than the circuit finals in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

NOTE: Skijoring is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by an animal (typically a horse or dog) via a rope to navigate a course with gates and jumps, or simply to travel over snow. It can be a competitive event, often called "cowboy skiing," where speed is key, or a recreational activity for humans to exercise with their animals. The name "skijoring" comes from the Norwegian word "skikjøring," meaning "ski driving".