Balloonmeister-Dan Sherrill

"I started crewing on this balloon," Sherrill tells the story, "and basically we were all learning together. It was an interesting year what with the mid-day flights over football games, flights over and around rivers and lakes; a lot of experiences that, well, after that year I swore I would never do ballooning commercially again!"

Few people know it, but Sherrill was also drawn to the Balloon Federation of America through this early partnership. "One of the brothers who were partners in this balloon was in sales and catering for the Hyatt Regency. The year before the BFA had conducted its first national convention in Reno and was planning another. Well, this guy heard about it and went and pitched the BFA and convinced them to have that convention in Knoxville. That was my first experience with more than one balloon at a time as about 100 came to town for the meeting."

Sherrill went on to work closely with the BFA to publicize the national convention. It was also here that he would first meet two of his lifelong friends in ballooning, Lesley Pritchard and Portis Wooley. Wooley was a dealer for The Balloon Works in north Texas and Pritchard was soon to move there herself where she would open a repair station and ride business.

Coincidentally Sherrill also moved to Texas shortly after the convention; he went to Austin where he had an opportunity to join a brother in the restaurant business. Today he runs two restaurants in the state's capital city that he still calls home. However, the move to Texas almost saw Sherrill exit ballooning.

"The first two years there was no time for ballooning and you know when you get away from something you forget about it. Fortunately the restaurants started going strong and I was able to get back to flying and traveling," says Sherrill. Soon Sherrill was immersed in ballooning. In 1983 he was a co-founder of the Central Texas Ballooning Association. A year later he organized his first Austin Balloon Festival that would be followed a few years later (in 1989, 90 and 93) by the highly successful Harris Branch festival. In 1991 Sherrill landed a contract to organize the Maryland Preakness Balloon Festival. His success with this and other events he has run played a large part in his recent selection as Director- elect for the US National Championships. To prepare for this role he will serve as the assistant director at the upcoming Nationals in Columbia, Missouri; and as staff for the Team Championships in Georgia and the World Championships in Battle Creek.

His interest in working competitions on a national level began when the North American Championships were held in nearby San Antonio, Texas in 1990. Sherrill attended CD board meetings then and was amazed to find all of the labor that goes on behind the scenes to put on such an event. Now he says he is prepared to make a five or six year commitment to the US Nationals.

"I'm real proud to have the opportunity that now presents itself," says Sherrill. "Sitting in those briefings as a pilot I've always had tremendous respect for the competition Director.

"It's a little bit scary and I know the first time I walk out there in front of those pilots I'll have some butterflies. But I'm going to try and surround myself with good people and do the best job I can." While he enjoys the role of organizer and balloonmeister, Sherrill has never quite forgotten his love of competition flying. In 1988 he went to the US Nationals and finished a surprising 8th to claim Rookie of the Year honors. The next two years however found him slipping back into the 30's and wondering what he was doing wrong, or what he had done right in his first year. When his commitment to the BFA is over, look for Dan Sherrill to make a return to the sky.

"Yeah, I'm going to do it again," he says. "But I'm 44 going on 45 and I didn't used to have trouble seeing the maps. Now I find myself moving the map back and forth trying to focus, so there's no question the time clock is ticking. But like everyone else," says Sherrill, "that national title is still a dream."

Career Highlights:

Commercial license in 1978
Co-founder Central Texas Ballooning Association in 1983
First place winner (tie) Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 1987
Cameron Balloon Representative of the Year in 1988
BFA Rookie of the year in 1988
Member US World Championship Team 1989
Founder of the San Antonio Ballooning Association in 1990
Member, US Team, North American Championships, 1990 & 92
FAA designated flight examiner, safety counselor and BFA flight instructor
Safety Officer, US Nationals 1994
Assistant Director, US Nationals 1995
Director-elect, US Nationals 1996