MYERS Pedal Tractor Pulls, LLC

Just who are the Myers family of Myers Pedal Tractor Pulls, LLC?

 It is about the children and through them the families. We hope to touch some children with the ideas of sportsmanship and character. By following their children we hope to the families come closer together by spending time focused on the kids. In a society that says the adults should be having their fun. This activity takes only an hour or so of time, yet in that time the youngster is the star. When you know how we feel it really lets you know us. One can only imagine our joy to give some of what we so believe in, to the benefit of Children and Families of Iowa by arranging their first pedal pulling at Kidsfest. This is the largest gathering to bring charity to those who most need it. 100% of the fees taken in at Kidsfest go to the needy, because we all give and there are great sponsors. Truly in providing for children we help many more children. This is our ministry and when someone asks, what make them special, I hope it is because of our reason for existing and the good we do.

At this point in our business we are truly a family as the four of us and sometimes extended family are at pulls to make them really special. We have grabbed hold of a comment made at the end of 2009. The person involved said that "because of the way you do things you guys must be the #1 family in pedal pulling in the nation". We know that is going above and beyond, but we are always trying to do our best and it is a goal we work for everyday.

Ken Myers is one partner. Ken is the Secondary Principal at Lenox School. He has spent 25 years in education. Ken started his educational career in Missouri. Then he worked in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota before settling in Lenox. He has always enjoyed coaching and working with children. Ken has been a member of several service organizations over the years. Ken spent a great deal of 2007 working professional pulls and the National pull to build up the experience needed to put on a great show. Now he and the family have a great first year of experience at all levels of competition in 2008. Ken is proud to have become the head of the Missouri State Pedal Pull Association in 2009 and having been selected to have their equipment used and for them to host one end of the 2009 National Pedal Pull in Mitchell SD. The National was a huge success for the Myers family with even more recognition coming in since the event.

Willo Myers is a partner to Ken in life and business. Willo works with Home Health Care and Hospice at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston. Willo has also been involved with service organizations, has helped with Awanas, as well as, other church committees over the years. As with Ken, Willo has come to enjoy the fun all kids have with pulling. So much that Myers Pedal Tractor Pulls was born to make it so all children can enjoy the true fun the girls have had in competing and learning lesson in character and life.

Ken and Willo are also partners in that they are cancer survivors of different kinds of cancer. We say this because this issue does not have to stop you from having a full or in our case overflowing life. We just live everyday. These children came after the fact and we are grateful for everyday we can spend with them. Willo's newest battle with Leukemia has placed even more emphasis on the fact this pedal pulling is a love for us not a business in the traditional sense.Thank God for the miracle of Gleevec. Gleevec is a pill that battles this cancer and allows for out family to remain involved in pedal pulling. God bless those attempting to improve health care as we are only the whim of an insurance company away from disaster, as Gleevec runs $4000 a month. Thanks for all the prayers, and family is a bigger word than we ever know.

Kendra and Kayla Myers are employees of the business putting their pay into their college accounts. In 2005 Kendra and Kayla pedaled for the first time in a little 9 AM pull in Canistota SD where we lived. Kendra qualified for state with a second and Kayla finished third to another little girl that had just started too. Because of a pre-qualification Kayla was also allowed to qualify for state. So we loaded up and started going to a few for practice. the Next pull Kayla upset the girl that won Canistota. It would be 3 long years and about 30+ losses before that happen again. Over the time they became great friends.

(written in 2009) Kendra is 12 years old and Kayla is now 11 years old. Their early interest got us involved in pedal pulling and they still compete at most meets, although, nearing retirement. In three short years they have gone to 6 state meets and Kayla qualified for the 2006 National. In 2006 she was 3rd in South Dakota and 14th in the National a foot out of the top three. They have been around the best pullers and competitors making them pretty good role models for proper conduct in the event. Many times in our off dates we are invited to come to other pulls so the girls in their communities can see the girls pull and learn the level they need to reach to compete at the upper State and National levels. Boys also gain in having the girls push them to their best. Our girls can and will get beat, yet they apply that to experience. they do not practice on the equipment, although, they do check it after adjustments. Their main workout is biking and being in softball and soccer. They gain by taking the challenge of competing against great boys and girls when ever possible, win or lose they learn from those experiences. For instance Kayla's hard headed determination with her friend.

An addition to this note is that through hard work and a lot of guts Kayla was able to win the 2008 National Pedal Pull title for 10 year old girls. Because this was a bit unexpected and the rules at state pulls she placed 2nd in South Dakota and was the Iowa State Champion, after finishing 6th in Nebraska. By the way all states we are sanctioned to run pulls in so we tend to be at the State pull regardless, so the kids participate, for the competition. After Nebraska she got hot. We are proponents of a rule that allows multi state participation in the competition, but moves the qualify position to the next in line if the placer has already gained state qualification. Currently if you want to pull you are forced to claim the qualifying position. And if that is not true no one seems to be saying it.  Nationals had 351 of a possible 1080 actually appear. With this economy you don't go unless you have a real chance. Congratulations to all the State top 5 finishers it was a great year for quality in 10 year old girls as always. Take a look at the results over the last few years for this group of girls - it is hard to stay at the top.

2009 Oh yeah the National Championship was won in a pull off with that girl from that day in Canistota SD. Miranda Painter (Montrose SD) now has a nearly 35 & 3 record against Kayla. But in Mitchell that day it was Kayla 1st and Miranda 2nd. July 11th 2009 they met again at the International and it was as it was the first day they met. Miranda 1st and Kayla 3rd in the world.... To Be Continued..

2009 Nationals Miranda 2nd and Kayla 3rd. Kayla as has been pointed out may be the strongest of all the pullers, but the combination of speed and strength Miranda and Jeanette showed edged Kayla out of the pull off by 1 and 1/2 inches. As one person commented Kayla needs the extra hundred pounds to slow down the speedsters. We know the three girls that finished in the top three have each proved themselves in the last three years to be the best.

2010 finds Kendra a retired National Qualifier taking on more of the work load from her mother - not that she wasn't already working her share. Kayla turns 12 on June 2nd and will start her last run through the schedule prior to retiring June 2nd 2011, with only, hopefully, one more International after that. We are incredibly proud of both our girls, in what they have worked for and their sense of giving back at a young age.

A quick shot of the company with Devil's Gulch in the background, at Garretson SD. Devil's Gulch was to have been a hangout for Jesse James, hence the Jesse James Days celebration June 20-21, 2008. Just minutes from Sioux Falls SD. this is a beautiful attraction. Glad we got the invitation to participate.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE:

We use Red, White, and Blue as our company colors in honor of Kenneth (Gene) Myers. He was born on the fourth of July 1929. Orphaned in the depression, he worked hard to get through the 8th grade in school. He served in World War II at the age of 16. He served as a Drill Instructor during the Korean War. He returned home to drive stock cars on the local tracks with Tiny Lund and several other early NASCAR drivers, he owned the #3 locally. So it was easy to see why we were an Earnhardt household in later years. Gene then married and started a family. Gene and Erma had 6 children, all 6 attended college, 5 earned degrees, 4 went into education, and 2 went on to Masters Degrees. Gene was President of the local school board for 18 years. Retired as Head of Construction for the Omaha division of the Corp of Engineers.

He decorated his house every year for Christmas and was known in Nemaha County Nebraska as Mr. Christmas. You could see it glow for miles around. We remember people calling in later January because they were passing through and ask if he would turn the lights on as they had heard about them. He always did.

He found no greater joy than when he was with children. Thank goodness as he had 6 of his own. Every Christmas was like he was making up for the ones of his youth when there wasn't much around the tree. He never complained about the two or three jobs in the early years. He stayed loyal to his beliefs, the Corp of Engineers and his family. He past away in the fall of 2000. He lived everyday like he was the father in the song by Aaron Tippen, "You've Got to Stand for Something". We will always remember "what ever you do today you have to sleep with tonight" we always want to go to bed knowing we did the best we could for the kids.

We miss you Dad and hope you will smile down on this endeavor in your honor.

We also want to include our late brother-in-law Gary Workman, a three time Purple Heart winner, in Vietnam, in our group of family service men honored along with Dad.

We do what we do not because it is easy or we will get rich. We do this for the children and it is our ministry, community service, and hopefully it can have a positive affect on even a few of our youth.