Day Five



Simone & me
 C&M 2011

   It's day five of the 2011 C & M season.  This is my 8th (non-consecutive) season on the show and I've always really liked it here.  I have a lot of history and wonderful memories from my years here and I know the girls and I are in for another fun season!
  Opening day went off pretty smoothly.  For me personally I was nervous about the dog act.  I have to be ready for anything when I put one new dog in the line up...but two!!  Well, I just couldn't imagine what I was in for.  Charlotte & Dixie II did so well at home in practice.  Everyday they performed their behaviors with ease.  I even invited some of my friends from church and their little ones over a couple of weeks ago to watch an extended practice.  It was a good opportunity to see how the new perfomers would react with people watching, hearing the chatter of kids and their claps.  I was overjoyed with how well everyone did.  The dogs all seemed rather unaffected with my friends watching and clapping for them.
  But the show is always a different story.  You can take every precaution you can think of in case something goes wrong.  You can prepare for just about any unexpected happening...but you have to get through the first show and see just how things go before you get any idea of how your new ones will be afftected by the ring, the tent, lights, music, announcements, etc.  Well, my girls did just fine!  Charlotte looked around a little bewildered while she pushed Otto in the baby buggy, but she got her bearings quickly and trotted back to her seat easily.  It didn't take Dixie II long to figure out circus life is right up her alley.  She can lounge and chew on raw hides all day, play with other dogs at her leisure and there is a healthy supply of (her very favorite) cheesy ham loaf when she pushes a barrel.  By her second show, when she saw me coming with her harness and leash she got so excited she nearly jumped out of her fur.  I think in her mind: show = cheesy ham.  She's not hard to please.  I just had to hit on the right treat that lit her fire!  Dixie's a doll and I look forward to working on more behaviors with her this year.  Holly and Chilli are sure still in training and I'll be sure to included their progress and all their behaviors in the future. Pictures of the dogs are soon to come.
  I am also ringmastering the second half of the show.  This is a job I have always enjoyed and take great pride in considering my dad.  I have always tried to live up to Dad's expectations and I think he was pretty well pleased.  I take so much of what I say in pitches and stalls, announcements, etc from him.    He was so happy to help anytime I had a question.  After having not announced since 2006, I surprised myself that it all came back to me.  I have come to rely on memory too much when it comes to remembering sponsors and other announcements that change periodically.  Yesterday I started writing those things down.  (I don't want to be caught with mic in my hand and that "deer caught in the headlights" look trying hard to remember what I'm supposed to say.) 
  As I mentioned in a previous entry I'm sharing the announcing with Simone this season.  She announces the first half of the show and performs her outstanding traditional single trapeze (toe hang, heal hang, neck hang on the bar, neck spin) act in the second half.  (Years ago I gave Simone my gold cape and trapeze bar.  I absolutely cannot express how honored I am the she uses these things that were so dear to me at one time.)  She certainly carries on in my dad's footsteps with the mic in front of her.  Never at a loss for words and interjects humor at just the right time! 

  I remember when Simone first starting announcing back in 2006.  I tried to help her as much as I could from so far away but when C & M opened that year I couldn't get a call through to Simone.  I forgot to tell her one thing...I wanted to tell her that I thought it would be so special if she closed the show the way in which Dad ( and I ) did.  He used the old Irish proverb, "Good-bye, good luck and my the good Lord hold you all in the palm of His hand."  I remember Danny and Tavana were going to see the show open that season and I frantically tried to reach them in order to talk to Simone about closing the show.  The second I called Tavana, she didn't answer...she held her cell phone up and I heard Simone's voice over the mic as she closed the show the way Dad used to.  I remember being so moved and tears welling up in my eyes.  I think about Dad everyday.  I know I speak for Simone when I say we carry on in his footsteps with great pride.  And a lot of humor.

"You're Irish, you have a silver tongue...use it." -- Phil Chandler

(He was telling me to put my own spin on ringmasterting