October 12, 2024 Lotawana Patrolling the Pond
by Mike Miller, Member, Board of Directors Lake Lotawana Association, Sergeant at Arms
The LotaSmoke Edition
In a season when everything in the world seems to work to divide us as a nation and as people, along comes an event at Lake Lotawana designed to build community and connection. Enter LotaSmoke! Kyle Twenter, Vice President of the Association and one of the lead organizers of LotaSmoke called it, “A family friendly fall festival …off the water.” He couldn’t have said it better. I had the opportunity to join many of you at the 2nd Annual LotaSmoke event this past weekend. Fellowship, Family, and Food is the tag line for LotaSmoke, and it delivered! In only its second year as a Lake Lotawana Live event and fund raiser for the Lake Lotawana Parks and Recreation, it feels like LotaSmoke will soon become another iconic part of the Lotawana experience much like Lake Lotawana Days. And although we were about 2000 feet as the crow flies from any sparkling water, the spirit of being on the Lake followed the smoke all the way to Stafford Field.
Typically this column is dedicated to the Rules and Regulations of Lake Lotawana that keep us all safe on the water. BBQ competitions are a fitting place to talk about rules. And if possible, drawing the appropriate parallels to Lake rules may work. Or not. There are a lot of rules that go into competitive BBQ. Tasters have to be “certified,” to do what most of us just enjoy for fun…eating barbeque! It turns out what we all might “like,” to eat in a BBQ brisket isn’t always what wins contests. Passion for BBQ and the intricacies and nuances of what makes a good “box” to deliver to the judges takes years to perfect and passion to pursue. Seeing the teams in action and having the chance to interview many of them over the course of the competition, it was clear that great BBQ requires a passion for the process that goes well beyond delivering a great box to the judges. It’s about creativity, consistent attention to detail, knowing the rules, and connection with others. Be it the people on the team or those that come to support the team, the connection and competition in this case goes hand and hand. When I asked many of the participants about the “secret” to success in a BBQ competition, most shared a few prime tips. From temperature to time to talent, there were a range of opinions on the secret to success. Chad Nadler of Nadler’s Meats and leader of, “The Meat Sweats,” team believes it’s always the meat. Of course! And good for him. He also was having quite the time in 90-degree weather wearing velour sweats. The irony of Chad’s team name and the cold weather gear in hot weather isn’t lost on me.
While I wasn’t a member of one of the competitive teams, I was embedded with a team that eventually finished 5th overall. Slow and Easy (Scott Greene, Brad Mitchell, Chris Ratigan, Scott Dunnum). I watched and took notes as they delivered every detail of their plan across four types of meat in their elegantly designed system by American Barbeque Systems. This experience gave me up close and personal connection to the raw energy and ideation that goes into each step in the process. Team Slow and Easy wasn’t alone in their passion for the process. Other teams like the eventual 2nd place overall winner, Whiskey Bridges, led by Zikomo Fields with Laurie Runkle, Mickey Booth, & Josh Sartin, also spoke to the passion for the process and what it takes to get to the next level. “Just a little correction in my brisket from last year to this year…and a little help from American Fire BBQ in Lee’s Summit.” Once again, BBQ success seems to be a function of a love for the process, experience, and connection with others. Tamn Good Eatin, the winner of the overall competition also suggested learning from year-to-year as a secret to success. Ryan Jordan shared, “Something as simple as red-tipped lettuce can trip you up. You learn that once.” Like most things in life, rules matter and so does passion for what you’re doing.
Rules also mattered when it came to the Best Party of the competition. The rule to win? Gather enough tokens to take the prize! And if there was a time to break the rules it was definitely with the Best Party Award. That went to, “Always Rubbin’ Sumpin,” the 70s retro party. When I spoke to Katie, an unlisted best supporting crew member and the visionary of the team theme, she credited the team for, “…Showing up!” Once again, passion for the process and connection was a consistent winner.
Like many events and other great times at the Lake, LotaSmoke required a ton of effort from everyone involved in the planning and another ton of effort from everyone who participated. The smoke has now cleared but my experience talking with everyone involved provided me with a few new life lessons. First, consistency is consistently a winner. Second, connection is always better than disconnection. Brad Scott, part of team Meathead said it best: “It’s all about the fire and not the smoke.” I don’t know if that was the secret to his team’s first-place award-winning ribs, but metaphorically speaking Brad’s definitely got a point. In a world that seems to want to disconnect us and tear us apart, if we chose to follow the fire that comes with connection and not the smoke that can divide we all will be better for it. Events like LotaSmoke will continue to bring our community together and be the consistent fire that fans the conversations and connections.
Saw you in the Field. Will see you on the Pond!
*Note: Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences at LotaSmoke. I have a lot of great material and content to use throughout the upcoming winter season.
This Week’s Safer Seven Rules Quiz: Topic of the Week? Negligent Operation.
This month’s focus is on Negligent Operation Section III, Part I. There is no way you can be negligent while operating a smoker. The best smoked meat requires focus and attention to detail. Negligence defined is, “Failure to take proper care in doing something.” Can’t happen when you’re cooking low and slow…and should NEVER happen when you’re on the water. Let’s test your knowledge about the rules on negligence.
- You can be cited for negligent operation if you hit a dock or run into a buoy. True or False?
TRUE. Section III, Part I, p. 15. Endangering docks and buoys fall into the category of negligence and can receive 6 pts.
- You’re pulling a water skier and a someone on a fishing boat cuts in front of you about 300 ft away. You take their lot and block number. The fishing boat operating negligently. True or False?
FALSE: Section III, Part I, subsection 1, p.15. No watercraft shall cut in front or across the path of another watercraft on a fixed course, unless maintaining a distance of 150ft.
- You see a boat across the lake weaving back and forth. Someone falls out. Water Patrol was nearby, and you watch the interaction. Should the boat that lost a person overboard get a citation? True or False?
TRUE. Section III, Part 1, subsection 2, a.1, p. 15. Unsafe conduct which might cause the operator to lose control or cause a person to fall out of the watercraft.
- Weaving in and around sailboat races is considered negligent behavior. True or False?
TRUE. Section III, Part 1, subsection 2, a, 4, p. 15. Operating a watercraft through or near a sailing competition race, while not part of that competition, in such a manner which endangers the life, limb, or property of any watercraft taking part in said race. (3 pts).
- You’re taking a friend out on a pontoon ride. While you’re driving down the main channel he decides to pull a joke on you and jump off of the boat. Water Patrol pulls you over and provides you with a citation for 3 points. Did they do they apply the rules correctly? True or False?
TRUE. And tell your buddy he’s not invited back.
- “Plowing” is defined as operating a watercraft at a speed and in a fashion creating a wake while not pulling a skier or another boat. True or False?
TRUE. Don’t plow on me! Plowing near docks causes major damage. You can get 3 pts. for plowing.
- You’re on the water and hear a boat party with loud music and lots of screaming and yelling. It’s dark and around 10pm. Calling the Water Patrol is a good idea to get it to stop. True or False?
FALSE. Loud noise, screaming, shouting, and loud music is prohibited after 12 midnight. Section III, Part 2, Subsection 2, a, 8, p. 15. Operators and passengers shall not make excessive loud noise after midnight. Noise is excessive if it disturbs the peace of others, including screaming, shouting, and loud music.