HUMBOLDT ? Monday was a good day for a rodeo.
But rather than bucking broncos, steer rasslin? or raging bulls, the focus instead was on tennis ball drive-through stations, parallel parking and mixer truck bowling.
Such was the setting for Monarch Cement Company?s inaugural driver challenge truck rodeo.
Eleven drivers from across Kansas and Missouri, all from Monarch-owned subsidiaries, took part in the skills course,
Each was judged on their ability to maneuver a large cement truck through a series of obstacles: backing through a line of tennis balls, then driving forward through the same lane; re-enacting pulling up to a railroad crossing; parallel parking; positioning both the front and rear axles on a target as they parked; and positioning the truck?s chute as close as possible to an egg without touching it.
Monarch Cement hosted a driver challenge truck rodeo at its Humboldt plant Monday. Competitions included mixer truck bowling, below. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
The final event drew the most attention ? mixer truck bowling.
Drivers attached a bowling ball to the end of the truck?s extension chute, then drove past a line of bowling pins, first going forward, then again in reverse, in an attempt to knock over as many as possible with the bowling ball.
Each obstacle was worth up to 50 points for the driver.
By the end of the competition, the top two point-earners ? Nick Stine of City Wide Construction Products, Ozark, Mo.; and Matt Hudson of Springfield (Mo.) Ready Mix ? were named champion and reserve grand champion.
Both, and their spouses, won a shot at a national truck rodeo competition in Colorado in the fall.
