Hello rodeo fans! I trust that you have had a pleasant January since we last spoke. Wheeeeew I have been busy with my rodeoing! Since my trip to the Tupelo rodeo I have had the opportunity to participate in one of the most fun rodeos that I have had the chance to take part in or even watch for that matter!
The Starkville Rotary Classic Rodeo will forever live in my mind as one of my most favorite rodeos for two big reasons. First of all the rodeo was a wonderful fundraiser for the Starkville Rotary Club’s S.O.A.R. (Starkville/Oktibbeha Achieving Results) program. This program provides scholarships to local college students in the Starkville area. Scholarships are so important especially now and it is so wonderful that the Starkville Rotary cares so much that they will put on an amazing rodeo to help raise funds to send kids to college. The second most memorable part of this rodeo is the media interview that Larry Mullins of Starkville Rotary. Preparation for the rodeo for me began the Thursday before the rodeo when Mr. Mullins and I took a trip to Columbus to visit the WCBI new station to have our mid day interview to promote the rodeo. It was so much fun to be able to go live on the air and not only promote the rodeo but also share my love of rodeo with the viewers watching at home.
When I arrived at the rodeo Friday, I was greeted by Bricklee Miller (she coordinates the events that go on at the horse park) who took me to meet Scotty and Tonya Lovelace (Scotty is the stock contractor for Classic Pro Rodeo and Tonya, his wife runs the clock for the timed events). Tonya and I sat down and discussed what my role at the rodeo would be and I immediately went to work. Scotty provided me with a horse that I would have to say is the nicest horse I have ever met, Chisholm ,who I would ride when I carried in the American flag and when I ran sponsor flags as well. Chisholm was an instant hit with the kids who would soon rename him “Fuzz” because he was a little fuzzy from the winter weather. The kids especially liked it when I would ride Chisholm in the paddock behind the arena, this way, they could pet him through the fence.
Soon the rodeo would end and I prepared for day two of the Rotary Classic rodeo. The second performance started early for me because although the rodeo wouldn’t start until 7:30 that night, the back paddock behind the ally way would be turned into a petting zoo for the kids that came early to the rodeo. The kids came in flocks! I thought that the kids would be more excited for the pony rides than anything else, and true enough, some of the younger ones were. I will however, never forget one exception that trumped the pony rides. I was standing at the top of the stairs at the entry way to the pony rides and petting zoo when I noticed a group of about five boys that looked to be around ten years old. One could easily tell that they really weren’t that interested in the pony rides and that two had been put in charge of looking over their younger siblings. As I watched the boys attempting to act cool while at the same time watching over their younger comrades, I saw something that I will not soon forget. Since the petting zoo/ pony ride area was directly in the path of the contestants rout to pay fees and get their numbers, they would have to walk right next to the kids. About this time a group of three cowboys came walking by and you would have thought that it was Tony Romo or Drew Breeze. The boys were amazed and I saw the look of sheer awe in their eyes.
Soon the rodeo would end and I prepared for day two of the Rotary Classic rodeo. The second performance started early for me because although the rodeo wouldn’t start until 7:30 that night, the back paddock behind the ally way would be turned into a petting zoo for the kids that came early to the rodeo. The kids came in flocks! I thought that the kids would be more excited for the pony rides than anything else, and true enough, some of the younger ones were. I will however, never forget one exception that trumped the pony rides. I was standing at the top of the stairs at the entry way to the pony rides and petting zoo when I noticed a group of about five boys that looked to be around ten years old. One could easily tell that they really weren’t that interested in the pony rides and that two had been put in charge of looking over their younger siblings. As I watched the boys attempting to act cool while at the same time watching over their younger comrades, I saw something that I will not soon forget. Since the petting zoo/ pony ride area was directly in the path of the contestants rout to pay fees and get their numbers, they would have to walk right next to the kids. About this time a group of three cowboys came walking by and you would have thought that it was Tony Romo or Drew Breeze. The boys were amazed and I saw the look of sheer awe in their eyes.
The rodeo kicked off and would soon end. The people that had just hours before been filling the stands with yells and cheers for their favorite cowboys were gone and it was time to pack up and go home, or in my case head to the Dixie National Rodeo!!!! J Stay tuned for more “tails” from the rodeo trail!
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