Sheep Industry News March 2022

The Last Word KYLE PARTAIN Sheep Industry News Editor

The View fro m Elevator No. 7

I t's said that the only things certain in this life are death and taxes. I'd like to add that sheep producers have come to count on see ing myself and Christa Rochford at the door of most ASI Annual Convention events, diligently checking name badges for admit tance. Our popularity soars when there are free drink tickets to hand out. Some of you might have noticed, however, my absence for the start of the Industry-Wide Welcome Reception on Thursday night in San Diego. Given my recent preoccupation with spending time on the water, some might have assumed I was out in the marina try ing to find my way onto a boat. In reality, I was hovering somewhere between floors five and six of the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina when elevator No. 7 decided to take an unexpected siesta. Moments after the opening session with Dr. Frank Mitleohner wrapped up, I jumped on the elevator to drop a few things in my room before heading back to work the door at the reception. I was supposed to be gone five minutes. I was joined on the elevator by ASI Executive Board members Steve Clements (and his wife, Pam) and Lisa Weeks, as well as Virginia's Mandy Fletcher and Lydia Voss, a Make It With Wool contestant from Minnesota. Steve and Pam exited at their stop, after which elevator No. 7 turned into its own version of Disney's Tower of Terror. Fortunately, there weren't any 13-story free-falls, but there was a loud bang followed by a sudden stop.

I pushed the elevator call button and informed the operator that the car had stopped. She seemed uninterested and then disappeared altogether. The four of us waited patient ly, but after 10 minutes of radio silence we decided to call back. I reminded the same operator that we were still stuck. She seemed a bit more alert and interested this time. I guess she was hoping the car would just spring back to life on its own after our first call. When that didn't happen, we seemed to have her attention. I texted ASI staffers to alert them to my unexplained absence and to see if the could work with the hotel staff to free us. Lydia – the teenager – was texting with several family members and friends. It's my understanding that her grandmother was quite instrumental in seeing to it that hotel staff didn't forget about us. Eventually, the fire department was called. We'd been trapped in the elevator for 45 minutes or more when they pried open the doors to reveal that we were about two feet below the landing for the sixth floor. Just when we thought the situation had been resolved, they said we would have to

Elevator selfie in car No. 7.

wait a few more minutes to make sure the car was secured. Their concern was that if the car were to move while pulling one of us out, that person might be split in half. While none of us had considered that option – after all, the car hadn't moved in nearly an hour – we shared their concerns once that possibility was pointed out to us. A few minutes later, they got the all clear to proceed with our rescue and pulled us one-by-one to safety. As the only man in the car, I was obliged to be rescued last. Anyone who's seen one of those old 1970s disaster movies knows that doesn't always end well for the person in that position, but I was pulled to safety and the elevator never did plummet to the basement. I'd like to thank my fellow ASI staffers for their valuable input during this harrowing time. For instance: • When told by text that the firefighters had arrived, Christa replied, "Are any of them hot?" My response was that of the four people stuck in that elevator, I was the least qualified to answer that question. • New admin assistant Chris Jones reminded me of an episode of The Office where a similar event happened. Dwight on the show then proceeded to establish a "pee corner." Thankfully, we didn't have to resort to that in elevator No. 7. • Zahrah Khan offered to save me some food if it started to run low. • They greeted me with a round of applause when I finally made it to the front door of the reception more than an hour into the event. Like death and taxes, life is guaranteed to throw some adventures our way. For a writer like me, an hour stuck in an elevator is time well spent if I have a fun story to tell as a result.

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