Tracey is an active member of the local club since joining. She attends regular club meetings and state SDSA meetings, and state events such as the State Convention and Governors ride every year, since joining the club and SDSA. Her participation and leadership includes the following:
Local Club Leadership:
Tracey has been serving as the Town & Country Snowdrifters Club Secretary since fall of 2015.
Part of the organizing committee that hosted the 2013 SDSA Convention.
She also helps her husband, Brian sign 12 miles of trail from Arlington to Lake Preston presently and now an additional 19 miles of trail from Bryant to Hwy 81, for the trails that are maintained by Town and Country Snowdrifters. In the past they also signed the trail from Oldham to Ramona to Highway 81 for a total of 16 miles.
Outside of participating in club and state meetings she has coordinated many activities at the club level such as club poker runs, serving on the organizing committee for the first JHORA kickoff event, co-coordinating the club summer campout in fall of 2017 and the club snowmobile ride in the Black Hills in 2018.
Co-coordinated the recent ATV/UTV Poker run, Membership Drive and Fundraiser Event in fall of 2020.
Served as club delegate at the State Convention
She has organized selling\tracking of state association fundraising football books, 50\50 tickets, and Everyone Wins tickets at the club level.
State Level Leadership:
Helped host Governor’s Ride either via the local club breakfast or helping SDSA leadership, Tracey from 2013 – 2018.
State Convention in 2013 organizing and contacting the vendors along with helping with the registration table for the convention.
Developed SD State Report & Economic Impact Report for legislators and dignitaries for the DC-Fly-in packets for 3 years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Served on organizing committee for High Marker Fundraiser Event at SDSA Convention since 2018 – 2020
2017 ISMA Grant co-writer for $4,000 for promotional purposes of SDSA
Served on SDSA Membership & Marketing Committee 2017-2018
Advisor to YETIS from 2017-2019
Developed New Awards T-shirts & Design for SDSA 2019
Developed Design and Koozie order for SnoCross 2020
SDSA SOP’s revisions in 2016, helped President Brian Erickson re-write/type them
SnoCross event committee participant 2018-2020
National Level Leadership:
Attended DC-Fly-in for 3 years, helped facilitate Strategic Planning Session in 2017 at ACSA mtg in 2017.
Participated in 2-ISC Conventions
2016 International Snowmobile Convention (ISC), served on organizing committee as treasurer/accountant, served as co-MC for event with Brian Erickson, helped produce the Morning News Report each day, helped with coordination of FOSPAC event.
2019 Chaired ACSA National Awards Committee and co-produced / narrated awards video
Tracey has been active in fundraising for the club and SDSA at different levels. Within the club she has coordinated poker runs selling pre-poker run hands, registering participants, collecting food donations, in addition, she helps sell club football books. In 2013 she organized and contacted the vendors for the state convention hosted by the club, proceeds went to help defray convention expenses. Most recently, she co-coordinated the ATV/UTV Poker Run which raised over $1,885.05 in donations to offset Medical expenses for Clay Misar (youth battling cancer), along with collecting 2 large boxes of food for the Kingsbury County Food Pantry.
At the SDSA level Tracey was one of the core organizers of the High Marker Fundraiser Event for SDSA since 2018 which has raised over $1,768.05 in the two years since establishment for SDSA. She has also helped sell 50\50 tickets, state football books, and Everyone Wins tickets. The Erickson’s have donated silent auction via 2 Gift Baskets loaded with various male or female items to the State Convention and also has purchased items at the Fundraising Auctions during the State Convention on a regular basis.
Tracey helps with numerous club and SDSA sponsored events such as the State Conventions and Governors Rides. At the national level she has stepped up and volunteered on the organizing committee for ISC which the state hosted in 2016, along with coordination of the ACSA awards in 2019 and representing the state at the DC-Fly-ins for three years. She has attended various open house events at snowmobile dealers promoting membership in the State Association. Safe riding and teaching others how to ride safely is important to Tracey. She takes the time to help new and beginning riders understand the basics of snowmobiling enabling them to become lifelong snowmobiling enthusiasts. She has helped at the clubs youth Snowmobile Safety Training in 2015 and overseeing the youth snowmobile rides at the 2020 SnoCross in Deadwood.
Tracey also helped initiate the start-up of the YETIS youth snowmobile group and helped recruit Johnny & Audrey Rider as club Coordinators. Tracey served as a YETIS advisor from 2017-2019.
Tracey’s involvement at all levels local, state and national has not went unnoticed. Her attendance at National functions such as ISC, DC-Fly-ins, local club and state meetings, ours and other clubs poker runs, the State Convention or Governor’s Ride is duly noted. Outside of state and club meetings or events, Tracey enjoys taking snowmobiling trips with her family to destinations such as the Big Horns, West Yellowstone, and the Black Hills of SD, as well as riding the local trails in eastern South Dakota.
Describe how the snowmobiler promotes club membership:
Tracey continues to reach out to friends, colleagues and even people she barely knows to encourage them to join SDSA. She has helped her husband at the SnoCross event for 3 years working to recruit new members to SDSA and promote the organization. She has gotten Extension co-workers to become more active in SDSA or join SDSA. The recent ATV/UTV Poker run held by the Town & Country Snowdrifters co-chaired by Brian and Tracey Erickson was initiated as a way to grow club membership. They were able to obtain eight new memberships that day.
Outside of snowmobiling, Tracey enjoys being outdoors participating in, riding ATV’s and motorcycles, camping, fishing, horseback riding and hunting on a regular basis with family members and friends. The Larsen family (maiden name and family) has hosted an annual Duck Feed for 81 years; Tracey has played an integral role in organizing the Duck Feed for the past 21 years for the family. She also helped coordinate the Larsen family reunion in 2013, which is held every three years and hosts over 150 people throughout the three-day event. Helping the Erickson family around the farm planting and harvesting is something
she looks forward too as it allows her time “out of the office” and instead she gets to work alongside her husband Brian.
Additionally, she is passionate about the next generation of young agricultural producers. Encouraging many young people to consider careers in agriculture, by talking to incoming college freshmen and various groups such as Rotary and Kiwanis. In addition, she is an avid promoter of agriculture to urban populations both young and adults informing them about agriculture and where there food comes from. Hoping they will gain a better understanding of the people and practices behind the food products consumed in daily life. She has also been a life-long promoter and trainer of ATV safe riding principles and safe farming principles. Teaching at numerous SOFY (Save Our Farm Youth) camps throughout her career. In addition, she has been a coach and instructor of 4-H youth teaching them the basics of Dairy Cattle Judging and evaluation, which increases self-confidence, decision making and public speaking abilities of the youth, while simultaneously selecting appropriate type dairy cattle. Presently, she serves as the coach for the SD Dairy Ambassador program. She continues to be an active board member on the Central Plains Dairy Foundation Board, the SD Dairy Field Representatives Association, the Dairy Fest organizing Committee, advisor to the SD Dairy Producers Association along with serving on the Trinity Lutheran Church of Arlington Board of Trustees.