GoHorseShow.com always enjoys learning fun, non-horse related details about people in our industry. Rock Star Horse Shows recently had an entertaining post on their Facebook page asking people to share a fun fact about themselves. We wanted to ask more exhibitors this question and we’re glad we did! The answers varied wildly from being a playwright award winner to being invited onto the television show, The Bachelor. Check it out!
Lainie DeBoer–I am a two time national speed skating champion and competed in the 1984 Olympic speed skating trials.
Dave Miller–I won a Kennedy Center Award in playwrighting my senior year in college…they only named around 12 winners nationally at that time–making me one of the top 12 young playwrights in the country that year…and I train horses for a living. Funny how life changes.
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Leigh Pratt–I’ve always thought that the ultimate job for me would be as a deep sea fisherman for
marlin, all types, but I think blacks would be the most thrilling.
Darcy Reeve–My grandma (my dad’s mom) invented the underwire bra. She was living in New York City with my grandpa during WWII and worked for a fashion designer who in the end took all of the credit for her work!
Cathrin Gutmann–In my teens, I played the drums in a rock band and I was the only girl band member.
Erena Lanza–In my free time I design and make leather goods such as bracelets, belts, and dog collars.
Brittany Barker–I was a state champion gymnast before I really got involved with horses. I got “bit” by the horse bug and passed up an opportunity to become and elite gymnast and have a shot at the US team. A year later I won the Indiana State Fair with my pony and ten years later I won the AQHA World.
Liz Barnard Hay–When I was nine years-old, I was a flower girl in a royal Egyptian wedding in Cairo Egypt. My Dad’s company, Telcom Engineering, which designed, engineered and installed telecom infrastructure, was awarded the contract to upgrade Egypt’s telecommunications system in a joint venture between the United States and Egypt. Through this contract my Dad became friends with some of the top leaders in Egypt. In 1979 the son of one the leaders was getting married and our famliy was invited to the wedding and I was asked to be a flower girl in the wedding. I was 9 years old and I don’t remember a lot about the wedding, but I do remember that at the reception they had a lot of belly dancers!
Candice Hall–I once won a burrito eating contest…. 15 1/2 huge beef burritos!
Parris Rice–I played soccer for nine years and have had two surgeries because of it. The most recent one I just had yesterday.
Joni Nelson–I hate my food to touch. I even think that my stomach has separate compartments. I always ask for my sides on separate plates at restaurants. Those compartment plates for kids, perfect gift for me!
Jennifer Simpson–I was selected by ABC to be on Season 4 of The Bachelor. I wrote ABC back respectfully declining…I didn’t feel a “love connection” toward that season’s bachelor, Bob Guiney. My family was not happy about the situation, as they were looking forward to the hometown visits! They wanted Bob Guiney to come to our house. Me, not so much! I’m still single… Hmm, maybe should have reconsidered!
Holt Pope–I used to sing in the same show in Myrtle Beach where Josh Turner got his start. It was called High Steppin Country and Josh was about three seasons before me. I performed for two years while Josh was building his career and then he hit it big. When I did the show I was the youngest cast mate they had. I turned 16 on the opening night and I did it for 2 years. It was a great show for local talent between the ages of 16-28 to perform. We didn’t get paid much at all, but the experience was amazing! It was an outdoor amphitheater in Myrtle Beach and it was a summer show on the ocean so it was a blast going to work!
Dakota Diamond Griffith–I am a former Miss Hawaiian Tropic. It was sort of like Toddlers and Tiaras meets a hula skirt. Basically, my mom designed and made my costumes, put a couple rollers in my hair, and shoved me on the stage. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wear a “flipper” because all of my teeth came in early!
Cheryl Hawkins–I lived in New Zealand for four years and did three day eventing. My dad was in the Air Force and he got transferred to New Zealand. My favorite part was the cross-country. I always wanted to stay there long enough to wear the top hat and tails in the dressage, but my dad got transferred back to the States in four years and it takes a lot longer than that to reach that level.
Carey Nowacek–Most people may or may not know that Amanda Brightwell and I are cousins. Though lots of people mistake us for sisters, we aren’t even blood related. We have been best friends since we were about five and have ridden together and played softball together since the day we met. Both of our grandparents (her dad’s dad and my mom’s mom) were single so we schemed up a great plan to set the two up. Our parents decided to help us also, and one night we invited them both to one of our softball games. Thankfully, Bright (Amanda’s nickname) and I are such great matchmakers that they got married in August of 2005. That is the great story of how Brightwell and I became cousins. Not only do we get to be family and best friends, but we even get to show each other’s horses now. It’s the best of both worlds.
Nicole Barnes–While I’m not riding or working at NSBA, I spend most of my free time at my family’s business – a dog boarding and grooming facility. The biggest draw is our indoor aquatic center for dogs (yes, a swimming pool)! We are the only facility in the midwest that offers a swimming pool…it’s used for rehab, weight loss, and just a fun time for the dogs and owners!
Diane Chilton-Harper–I’ve had tea or a drink at every hotel except Russia from the Sean Connery 007 movies. It was fun to have high tea at the Peninsula in Hong Kong and a drink in the Bahamas!
Lisa Krohn–Other than the fact that my dog was on Letterman’s Stupid Pet Tricks (which I think most horse people know), an interesting tidbit is that I was friends with the actor Gregory Peck for about 8 years (prior to his death). We hit it off when he was at our theatre for an event, and kept in touch by writing and sending small gifts to each other. He invited me to his home when I was judging in Santa Barbara and I spent the day with him. His wife was there and son, Cary, stopped by too. We had a magical day. The nicest, most kind and down to earth man I’ve ever met….and I’ve met a lot of celebrities in my business.
Johne Dobbs–When I am home I love to garden….it is my “therapy.” I try different species of flowers, herbs, tomatoes….even had a little crop of pumpkins this year. I guess it is the farmer in me….digging in black dirt and producing beautiful results is my relaxation.
Emily Cramer–My mom and step-father recently started a farm project on an island outside Seattle. While visiting for the holiday, I helped process and package the nearly fifty turkeys they raised for island residents’ Thanksgiving dinner. It brought a whole new meaning to Thanksgiving turkey!
Jeff Johns–One thing kind of different about me is I like to swim with sharks. Most people get really scared of them but when you’re in the water and they are swimming around you it has almost a calming effect. I think it gives me so much adrenaline that it relaxes me. I found out that I liked swimming with sharks last year when I was in Tahiti and went on a couple of shark dives. Someday, I plan to travel to South Africa to do a cage dive with Great Whites.
Whitney Doubleday– During high school, I was very involved in a program called Youth In Government. Youth in Government, or YIG, is aimed at teaching students about the government as well as getting them involved through having them write bill and proposals and debate them at the state conference. During my junior year in high school, I teamed up with a girl from California, Emily, and we wrote a proposal for the National Issues Forum section of YIG. Our proposal made it through the first three assemblies and all the way to the general assembly. After it was all said and done, our proposal was ranked top three in the state conference, which was very exciting.
Peyton Bivins–My uncle was a Texas Senator and later US Ambassador to Sweden. We visited him and he was close to President George W. Bush. In the summer of 2009, Jeff Burley and I were driving home from the Redbud and I received a call from George W. Bush who was in Amarillo visiting my uncle at the time.
Carrie Russom Quraishi–I am a Mountain Dew addict. I have to have it first thing in the morning the way most people need their coffee…
Beth Cosentino–Well, this October I hurt my foot cleaning my room, and missed showing at Congress because I ‘tore ligaments.’ I just went back to the doctor and they said I fractured my foot. Who knew cleaning my room could be so dangerous!
Ruth Ellen–I traveled 27 flying hours on five airplanes and three different airlines to scuba dive with whale sharks for two hours in West Papua, Indonesia.
Jenna Dempze–I am a HUGE George Strait fan. I’ve been to see him five times and I’m going for a sixth time in January.
Theresa Moran–I waited until I was almost 19 to get my driver’s license….no regrets.
Sharnai Thompson–I believe I’ve been to 2 out of the only 4 universities in the US that have two word names but don’t have a state or city in the name. Southern Methodist and Wake Forest. I was also Little Miss South Carolina.
Lara Yungclas–I love to weld and in high school, I welded a garden trailer that dumps from scratch. It ended up with a purple ribbon at the Iowa State Fair.
Charlie Cole–I was on Family Feud and I did the speed round. It was much scarier than showing at the World Show the first time. And, yes we won!
