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You are here: Home / Auctioneers / Sherry takes 1st runner up in Virginia State Champion Auctioneer contest
Aug 09

Sherry takes 1st runner up in Virginia State Champion Auctioneer contest

Sherry Truhlar 4 Comments

benefit auctioneer Virginia Sherry TruhlarIt’s been three years since I last competed in the Virginia Auctioneers Association (VAA) State Champion Auctioneer contest. In 2009 I took 3rd place (2nd runner-up, as they say). 

You can see photos from that event here.

Since then, I’d not entered the contest.

In part, I’ve been busy growing my business.

But another reason was that I hated the heat. The facility — though very nice and the owner always arranged for this awesome BBQ — wasn’t air conditioned. There I’d be, in a light wool suit with string-y hair from my sweat and the makeup melting off my face.

The men were uncomfortably warm, too. But they have short hair and no makeup.

So even though I liked the competition, I had that memory rolling around in my head. It wasn’t something I was eager to repeat.

But two weeks ago I was in Spokane, WA competing in the 2012 International Auctioneers Championship (IAC) contest sponsored by the National Auctioneer’s Association. (I made it into the finals in that competition, too.)

While there, I struck up a conversation with the current reigning Virginia champion, Taylor Linkous. He asked if I’d be competing in the Virginia contest. 

“I’m a bit of a sissy with that heat. I really hate wearing a suit in it,” I said.

“Oh Sherry, that’s no excuse,” he said, “They moved the contest. It’s in air conditioning.”

Well, shucks. He was right.

So I drove south to Richmond this past Saturday — the normally two-hour drive took FOUR hours, thanks to traffic — to compete in the 35th annual Virginia Auctioneer Championship contest. 

And I won 1st runner up! 

I’m excited about this for a few reasons.

  • I made a slight improvement over my 2009 performance.
  • This year, money was awarded in addition to a trophy. I got $300.
  • Unlike in the international competition which is only women, I also compete against men in this contest. In fact, I’m primarily competing against men. These Virginia guys are good bid callers, so I have to up my game to keep up with them. (This year one other contestant was a female, which was a nice surprise to have two women in the competition.)
  • I’m a benefit auctioneer, and I’m competing against people who aren’t. Why does that matter? Because they have quicker, more fluid chants which are generally favored in these competitions. Think about this: Auto auctioneers are selling three and four days a week. In contrast, I only have an auction about 50 days a year!  Some of these guys get a lot more “on the job practice time” than I do. (As is typical in these events, I was the only full-time benefit auctioneer in the contest.)

Anyway, I was pleased with my performance so I can’t beat myself up over anything I did or didn’t do. 

And I want to congratulate all of the finalists, whom I’ve listed below. 

Sherry Truhlar benefit auctioneer Virginia Auctioneer Champion 2012 finalists

The line-up is from right to left, so Brian is on the right, and H.L. is on the left.

  • Champion: Brian Damewood (Purcellville, VA)
  • 2nd place: Sherry Truhlar (Alexandria, VA)
  • 3rd place: James Anderson (Bristol, VA)
  • 4th place: Ben Yoder (Stuarts Draft, VA)
  • 5th place: Josh Puffenbarger (Stuarts Drafts, VA)
  • 6th place: H.L. Wenger (Harrisonburg, VA)

Thanks for encouraging me to enter, Taylor.

And to all 14 contestants, I applaud your courage for stepping up and competing. It can be nerve wracking when you’re being judged by others in your industry. Way to play!

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Copyright © 2012 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved

About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and education, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

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Comments

  1. Cyndi Papia says

    August 9, 2012 at 7:07 AM

    Congratulations, Sherry! Whether you do auctions four times a week or 50 times a year, anyone who has you as an auctioneer is getting the best in my book!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      August 9, 2012 at 8:40 AM

      Ahhhhh 🙂 Thanks, Cyndi!

      Reply
  2. Skot Pare says

    August 14, 2012 at 10:10 PM

    Congratulations for not only placing second but for doing so in what is clearly a male dominated field. Great job!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      August 14, 2012 at 10:37 PM

      Thanks, Skot! I’ll be in your area (New Castle) conducting a benefit auction on October 20. If you find yourself wanting for something to do that weekend, I know the NH SPCA would love to have you attend.

      Reply

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Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

Krystal Fenwick
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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

Diane Albano, Director of Development
St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)
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Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator
St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)
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Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement
The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)
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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)
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If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member
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The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee
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We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events
The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)
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Sherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year! Some of the tidbits: You added EXCITEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT… You added EXPERTISE and FUN… You helped the evening FLOW, in a wonderful and positive direction… You were FUN,… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

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Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

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You have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, … she got the bidders to bid without being rude/pushing, … I loved observing her, I just watched her, … she did a great job.’ It was… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

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Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” The following year, she herself ‘stepped up’ and became one of the gala… Read The Rest “Geri”

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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering.   Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

Cynthia Steele Vance
Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)
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