When Montgomery City resident Maverick Van Horn qualified for the National Kids Pedal Pull Championships on Sept. 28 at Mitchell, S.D., he and his family were looking forward to making the 600-plus mile trip up north.

So the Van Horns decided to take their motor home and enjoy a five-day vacation that included the trip to the World’s Only Corn Palace, where every year families from Ohio to Colorado cheer on children driving toy tractors while dragging weighted sleds.

“We decided (to go) two weeks before the event,” said Chelsey Van Horn, Maverick’s mother. “What an opportunity.”

Maverick, a 6-year-old and a first-grade student at Montgomery City Elementary School, turned in a strong showing at the national event, placing in the top 10 in 19 feet, ¾ inches. There were over 30 competitors in the boys age 6 category.

“The sled was loaded down, and at the end I spun the tires until I couldn’t go any more,” Maverick said.

Maverick didn’t get a trophy since he didn’t place in the top five. But he earned a lanyard with a medal.

“He did excellent,” Chelsey said.

Maverick has been very successful in pedal pulling since he started at age 3. During the summer, he placed first in the Montgomery County Fair and Middletown Reunion.

Chelsey said she and husband Eric thought it would be a good idea to see how Maverick would fare in a state-sanctioned event. So they signed him up for the pedal pull competition at the Missouri State Fair in August.

“We found something that he’s good at,” Chelsey said. “So we wanted him to feel like he can do the best that he can. He can go out and do anything. We want him to feel like we support him in anything he does.”

Maverick qualified for nationals by placing fourth in state competition on Aug. 18. He got fourth after he was in a pull-off with five other competitors. The top four finishers advance to nationals.

“Once he qualified at state, we were shocked,” Chelsey said. “We were like, ‘Wow.’ Then, we decided, ‘Let’s go.’ This might be the only year he will do it. Maybe he won’t be able to qualify next year and we would miss the opportunity. I think it’s great.”

Maverick prepared for nationals for a month.

“Once he qualified at state, we decided to find an old tractor from my in-laws,” Chelsey said. “Then, Eric researched the ratio and the gearing and he bought the equipment to build one. So we have a homemade-built tractor.”

During the trip to South Dakota, the Van Horns stayed in a farm in Nebraska. They visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Chelsey said Maverick, who will turn 7 on Nov. 1, enjoyed the long trip.
“For him, it’s like an adventure,” she said. “He likes to get out of school and go with us.”

The national competition was held at an attraction that is visited by thousands of people across the nation.

“Everything is made of corn and kernels and pieces of corn,” Chelsey said. “It’s really amazing. Every year, they change out the front of it because it’s all made of biodegradable corn. So they change and they make different patterns and seams and portraits of corn every year.”

Jackson Sanoski of North Dakota finished first in the boys age 6 category, followed by Mason Curtis of Iowa, Noah Gessel of Ohio, Tripp Hustedde of Missouri and Grayson Kraft of Iowa.

Chelsey said even though he was disappointed that he didn’t get a trophy, he enjoyed the experience of competing in nationals in South Dakota.

“He’s a good boy,” she said. “He’s brave. He’s willing to do anything. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders.”