Triple Trouble: CMSA Eastern Championship Bingo Card
The catch phrase of the week was, “Well that one wasn’t on my bingo card…” But then we literally had enough to make one. Enjoy this article where you get the inside view of a true $h!t show of a week!
Let me just start by saying, I didn’t name this series Triple Trouble because my crew is uneventful. On this particular week, the gang completely lived up to the name. I need to name my next series, “Quiet as a Mouse,” or something that gives a very chill, very ordinary vibe.
Anyway, in my last article, I was UBER excited about the CMSA Eastern National Championship in Shelbyville, Tennessee. My entire entourage of horses was looking and feeling good. They were successful in the show pen, fit, and ready for the long week of mounted shooting.
That quickly changed and it felt as if the week-long event was three years of intense emotional testing. My group of friends went through a range of emotions. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed to keep us from crying. It was the week that just kept on giving — in a not so pleasant way.
There were so many things that happened throughout the week I would have never guessed in a million years. If you told me I should bet my money on any one of these things happening, I would have laughed at you. Hence, the bingo card. The catch phrase of the week was, “Well that one wasn’t on my bingo card…” But then we literally had enough to make one. Enjoy this article, wherein you get the inside view of a true $h!t show of a week!
Canva/CC
Pink Eye
The week leading up to my trip to Tennessee, and most of the week there, I was lucky enough to experience a bout of conjunctivitis (also known as pink eye). What’s worse than having to wear your geeky glasses all week in front of everyone? Having gunky eyes while trying to shoot patterns.
Photo by DeAnn Long Sloan
A Puking Child
This in itself was enough for the week. The entire first day of competition, Kamille was puking all over the place. At the trailer, in the bathroom, and across from the stalls. It’s unclear the reason, probably nerves, but dealing with a kiddo who isn’t feeling well puts a damper on competing.
A Lame Horse
There was no recovering from this nightmare. After Payco’s first run of the weekend, he came out of the arena LAME LAME — like couldn’t walk lame. It was heart-wrenching to watch. After feeling so confident about how successful he was going to be, it all became a distant dream. Horses, man. They always decide to overdo it at the most inopportune times.
My darling gelding decided to really outdo himself by getting a spiral radial fracture to the right front leg. After calling about six veterinarians, NOT ONE would come to the show grounds. It wasn’t until the next morning we were able to get an appointment at a nearby clinic to get Payco’s diagnosis and prognosis. This injury put a real damper on everyone’s mindset and set most of us back from any success over the week.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Stealing a Golf Cart/Near Fist Fight
These two go hand-in-hand so I grouped them together. It’s all fun and games until the person you’re joking with doesn’t think it’s fun and games. Soooo, we decided to take a friend’s golf cart for a joy ride — then proceeded to hide it by pushing it into the courtyard after he took the keys back.
When he couldn’t find it, he got JACKED (this is where the near fist fight comes in). He was so angry, he took it out on one of our male friends. Some aggressive grabbing and pushing went down and the situation de-escalated after our calm friend asked, “Do you really want to do this?” Looking back at the pictures and videos, it’s even more hilarious now.
Photo courtesy of Marcella Gruchalak
Unplanned Dismounts
The week that just kept on giving continued as not one, not two, but three of the people in our group found themselves dismounted from their horses into the soft arena dirt. Luckily, other than a hurtin’ on their pride, each of them walked away without any injury. I could totally screenshot falls and post them here, or even post the videos, but I won’t do that to my friends.
Group Bathroom Selfies
There was a group of us that took a photo in the women’s bathroom late one night because the lighting was extraordinary. I’ll post a photo of me and my friend, DeAnn to show you how great the lighting was, but the group photo will stay tucked away in my phone so the others aren’t questioned.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Burnout Skid Marks/Getting Hit by a Golf Cart
While the entire week felt like we’d been repeatedly hit by a Mac truck, one of my friends actually did get hit by a moving vehicle. During one evening’s shenanigans, the golf cart driver was making questionable decisions, burnouts, chasing, and racing were all included — along with a more than love tap to the back of one of my friends. I wish I would have taken a picture of her legs because she was bruised to the point I don’t know how she was comfortable riding the rest of the week!
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Wrapping a Friend in a Banner
Almost everyone I know (who is over the age of 21) has had at least one night where they drank WAYYYYY too much. This was the case for one of our friends. We found him in the bathroom in less-than-desirable conditions and wanted to get him safely back to his trailer. Unfortunately, his clothing had been through a war and could not be salvaged at that point in time. So, the next best thing we thought we could do was wrap him in a banner so he’d be decent while driving him through the grounds back to his campsite.
Falling off a Banister
This one proves my clumsiness — and my lack of good decisions. I decided to sit cross-legged on a ledge and when my friend made me laugh a little too hard, I tilted back and off I went into the dirt.
Swallowing a Fly
The flies in Tennessee were on a whole other level. They were HUGE, and they were everywhere. We had a fly trap by Payco’s stall — that was really working — however, all the flies migrated to that spot so the area was quite congested with them. As I walked out of his stall one morning, I took a nice deep breath and down my throat went a buzzing fly. It buzzed the entire way down until it got caught somewhere in my throat. Lodged in my esophagus, it continued to buzz. I thought I was going to puke. I even tried at one point, but eventually my stomach acid defeated the little insect.
Not Knowing Where I Was
On multiple occasions, I had absolutely no idea where I was. Driving around, running a pattern, sitting in the stands — it didn’t matter. Confusion sprung up on me on many different occasions — most likely from the stress.
Sleeping Anywhere and Everywhere
I have never been so exhausted that I would catch myself snoozing anywhere and everywhere. You could literally find me at the party asleep somewhere. I slept in front of the stalls, in my truck, on a Theraplate, in the stands — everywhere.
Photo by Kelsey Gibson
Photo courtesy of Marcella Gruchalak
Photo by Kamille Huff
ATM Eating My Money
To finish out my least favorite trip of the year, I returned home and went to deposit $1000.00 in the ATM (because who isn’t BROKE after a long week of competition?). The money went in and a slip came out saying that the ATM could not process my request and there was an error returning the money. I cried… then I filed a dispute with the bank the next morning. Of course, to this very day, it is still being processed.
While going through nationals week, I ate Tums like they were candy. It felt like the smallest inconveniences were huge mountains I had to move. Now, looking back, most of it is quite comical. There were plenty of good times and the company I had was unmatched. However, I’d like my next national event to be a little less…eventful.
