The Big News!

"I am very happy to inform you that one of your photos have been selected by our panel of judges as winners of this year's photo contest. The Federation wishes to congratulate all of you on the selection of your photographs as the winners.
As a token of the Federation's appreciation for your participation in this year's photo contest and to recognize the high quality and value of your work, each of you will receive a copy of our 2011 calendar signed by H.S.H. Princess Stephanie of Monaco ... as a token of her and our appreciation for your efforts to capture so beautifully Circus."

This was part of the several emails I have received from the Federation Mondiale du Circque, or World Circus Federation, in regards to my entry in the Second Annual World Circus Federation Photo Contest. The rules were simple: submit a color photo taken in 2010 that answers the question "What Makes a Circus a Circus?"

My photo was selected as one of the thirteen winners and a finalist for the overall grandprize. Although I did not make it the finale, my photo will be featured in the Federation calendar produced for 2011 and also will be featured in a photo exhibition in Monaco during the 35th Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo. With the help of my friend Jack Ryan, we wrote a beautiful summary of my picture and why it answered the question asked by the Federation:

"Our lives are measured by the miles of the road ahead, by the overriding concern for our animals' daily bread and the piercing blast of the whistle from opening to finale.
It's the people who give the circus a face, but personal lives must always play second fiddle to the never-ending demands that create the magic of sawdust and spangles.
A freak snowstorm in northern Texas USA roused the sleeping of the Kelly Miller Circus and called us to arms. All hands pitched in -- as they always must -- to protect the tent from irreparable harm. Save it we did and back down the road we would go, for the day the whistle fails to blow, the world loses its youth and becomes a sadder place."

Thank you very much to the Federation and Princess Stephanie for giving me this great opportunity, to Jack Ryan for helping me write such beautiful prose, and to Casey as well for waking me up at 430 in the morning to help with tent tear down. I now appreciate the gesture and am no longer cursing him (for that reason, anyways). ADDENDUM: Thanks to Jody Sentel for bringing the snow to town and giving us a day vacation after the cancelled shows. She was gracious enough to post my picture on her Facebook page as well back in March, though I would like to point out she did NOT get up for the teardown as the rest of us did LOL.
ADDENDUM ADDENDUM: Thank you very much to Tavana Luvas Brown, who constantly pushed how great of a picture this was (when I thought otherwise) and became my publicist for submitting this picture to both this contest and several magazines as well.
Calendars featuring the winning photographs may be purchased at www.oaba.org for residents of North America and in the Federation’s Boutique at www.circusfederation.org for other world regions.

For an update on my presenting the act, tonight was day eight of working the show. Two more tricks from Casey's act were included earlier this week, everything included minus the third tiger for the multiple tiger backwards hind leg walk. Thank you everyone for the congratulations and the well wishes. I owe it all to Casey and Natalie for giving me this amazing opportunity and supporting me from the beginning, and finally for helping me rise from the goof I was before I started; the goof that Wade displayed recently on his blog.