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About TracyHometown: Lexington, S.C. |
Q&A with Tracy Gates
After only one Women in the Outdoors event, this volunteer was hooked on the NWTF and now reaches others by coordinating events in South Carolina.
NWTF: Tracy, tell us a little about you.
Tracy Gates: I graduated from of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and currently work at a hazardous waste management company in their information technology department. My husband, Bruce, and I have been married for nine years and have three children — Miranda (23), Megan (20) and Briar (6). At one time or another, all of us have enjoyed hunting and barrel racing together. This year, Miranda harvested her first buck, and Briar took his fourth deer. Last year, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources filmed one of Briar’s hunts for television when he shot a five-point buck from a ground blind.
NWTF: That’s great! So how did you first get interested in the outdoors?
TG: I enjoyed hunting with my dad growing up, but Daddy wouldn’t let me take a gun. I always just sat with him. I had never seen a deer or a turkey until my first trip to the woods with Bruce.
My first deer hunting experience with Bruce turned up three does, and I saw two birds on our first turkey hunting trip. It only took one trip for me to witness two birds drop from their roost into a full-blown strut, and I was hooked. Turkeys are amazing creatures! Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to harvest a doe, three eight-point bucks and a small gobbler.
NWTF: Besides the NWTF and hunting, what keeps you busy?
TG: My very active son, Briar, who loves to barrel race with his mom and dad, hunt with his dad, farm with his Pa, play with his John Deere tractor toys and watch and reenact old western movies. We live on my in-laws’ 72-acre farm and own eight horses, eight dogs and two goats. I’m also the secretary for the Midlands branch of the Quality Deer Management Association.
NWTF: What initially drew you to the NWTF’s Women in the Outdoors program?
TG: My husband picked up an event registration form at our local fishing shop and signed me up. The first Women in the Outdoors event I attended was the inaugural event at Buck Ridge Plantation in Orangeburg, S.C. My oldest stepdaughter, Miranda, went with me, and we had a blast. I fell in love with the program! Between the fellowship, accommodations and the opportunity to try new things, the registration fee was an unbelievable value.
NWTF: What about the Women in the Outdoors program fueled your desire to continue to volunteer?
TG: It’s been incredible to witness women try something new. I’ve seen women shoot a gun for the first time, become empowered to defend themselves, and qualify for their concealed weapons permits. Those same women had previously feared even having a gun in their homes. I’ve seen a lady who could barely walk climb on a horse and ride it. Talk about an emotional bond! You can’t buy the feeling you get from seeing a person overcome something that once made them feel powerless.
NWTF: What do you think the biggest misconception people have about the Women in the Outdoors program?
TG: That it’s only about hunting. The program offers so much more!
NWTF: What Women in the Outdoors events has your chapter hosted recently?
TG: We coordinated a canoeing event down the Congaree River in Columbia, S.C., which was an awesome experience and something I will certainly do again. We also offered a concealed weapons permit class this year. The instructor gave everyone one-on-one guidance, and all the women qualified for their concealed weapons permits.
NWTF: Why do you think it helps to have a large committee?
TG: Everyone excels at something. I’m good at creating promotional materials, but I’m horrible at asking sponsors for money. Although it’s intimidating for me, we’ve had women on our committee who were great at getting donations and sponsors. Other committee members have contacts who can recommend instructors. When you can go outside your network of friends, it’s amazing how many people you can reach and get involved in your event.
NWTF: What happens when you don’t have enough people on an event committee?
TG: Coordinators can find themselves overwhelmed with responsibility. For example, I find it difficult to hang advertising posters since we travel nearly every weekend to a horse show somewhere. But when you have committee members to help with just that task alone, it is a tremendous benefit. And it’s rewarding to see high attendance numbers after working so hard to organize an event.
NWTF: What’s the secret to organizing a committee when hosting a Women in the Outdoors event?
TG: Always respect everyone’s input and, more importantly, if the only thing a committee member offers to help with is stamping envelopes for invitations, remember that contribution is one less detail the event coordinator will have to manage. Chapters everywhere are thankful for any help they receive, from hosting events to helping with fundraising banquets. And if you think your contribution is minimal, you are wrong. All volunteers are valuable.
NWTF: What are people missing out on by not joining the NWTF?
TG: They’re missing out on the fellowship and sense of belonging to the NWTF family. In October 2005, Bruce and I were involved in a serious car accident that left him out of work. In December of that same year, I lost my job, so we were both unemployed with a 2-year-old son at Christmas. Our NWTF and barrel racing friends stepped up and offered us anything we needed, from money to pay our bills to food for our table. Even though we didn’t have to take them up on their offers, it was still heartwarming to know we would be taken care of if we needed it. — Melanie Swearingen