Friday, March 26,1993
The Battalion
Page 3
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Top - Texas A&M team roper, Chad Magee,
leads a steer to a gate otter his run in Thursday
nights rodeo.
Top Right - David Drake, of Southwest Texas
State University, rides in the Diamond Shamrock Bull
Riding contest. After the bull riding, rodeo clowns
performed in a bull fight with Mexican fighting bulls.
Right - Texas A&M saddle bronc rider Miles
Gibbs, sinches up his saddle before riding Thursday
night at the Brazos County Rodeo Arena.
Fear Right - Rodeo clown, Mark Swingler sits
inside the barrel awaiting for the next bull rider to
come out of the chutes. Mark has been a rode?o
clown for seven years.
Bottom - Laura Connor rounds the number two
barrel during the first night of the Texas A&M.
University National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
Rodeo.
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Let s Ride
By MELISSA HOLUBEC
The Battalion
The challenge of saddle bronc rid
ing is one that few people have the
courage to attempt. Texas A&M
sophomore Miles Gibbs faces that
challenge most weekends of the year.
"It's exciting," Gibbs said after com
peting last night in the Texas A&M
University National Intercollegiate
Rodeo Association Rodeo. "Bronc rid
ing gives you an adrenaline rush, a
kind of natural high."
Gibbs was one of a hundred NIRA
members to compete in the A&M
rodeo's opening night. Students from
Hill College, Southwest Texas State
University, Warton County Junior Col
lege, McNeese University, and other
colleges in the NIRA's southern region
will be competing through Saturday
night. Events include saddle bronc,
bareback and bull riding, calf and
team roping, and steer wrestling for
men. Women compete in barrel rac
ing, goat tying and break-away rop
ing."
"This is a different kind of talent,"
A&M sophomore Shannon Fite said.
"A lot of work goes into each event.
What you see is the finished product."
Fite, who has been involved with
rodeo events all her life, competes in
barrel racing.
"I get lots of personal satisfaction
from rodeoing," she said. "It helps re
lieve stress."
Organizations which sponsor rodeos
often hire rodeo companies to relieve
members of the extra stress gathering
livestock, announcing events and oth
er details can cause.
For the last five years. Bad Compa
ny Rodeo, Inc. has produced the A&M
Rodeo. The A&M rodeo is one of only
two college rodeos the Sonora-based
company will produce this season in
addition to 13 professional rodeos and
nine bull ridings,
"We only produce college rodeos at
Texas A&M and U valde because we
feel that, they try to produce class A
rodeos," Altizer said. ”We try to pro
duce those two just like the pro rodeos
we do."
But as with any organization, being
a member of the rodeo club requires
work. Both Fite and Gibbs helped
work shifts at opposite ends of the are
na. After Gibbs finished his event, he
took a shift working in the arena for
the bull riding competition while Fite
sold programs at the entrance gate.
"Since we are putting the rodeo on,
we have to be on committees to help
work," Gibbs said.
But rodeoing is more than a week
end of competition.
"Most of us live, eat, drink, sleep,
and dream rodeo," local competitor
Jesse Byler said. "I competed until Oc
tober when I was injured, but I still
travel the circuit as a fan."
For some competitors, rodeoing
ranks even above education.
"I put rodeo first," said Kris Watson,
a freshman at Hill College in Hillsboro.
"I know it's not right, but that's how it is
with me. It's what got me to school."
Parents influenced many college
competitors at a young age. Some
still follow their children to rodeos and
offer support.
"We come to all the rodeos we can,"
said Susie Grimes, mother of Hill Col
lege sophomore Johnny Grimes. "We
haven't missed a college rodeo yet."
Grimes and her husband John said
they are fortunate that they are able
to go to as many rodeos as they at
tend.
"There are a lot of parents who
come, but there are also a lot who
can't for one reason or another," she
said.
Parents watch as competitors
progress and relationships develop be
tween their children and students at
othei schools. Johnny Grimes ropes
with A&M junior Kyle Kelso. Each
partner practices with school team
members during the week. When
rodeo weekends come around, Grimes
and Kelso work together as a team.
"We each practice during the week,
but we rarely get to practice together
before we compete," Grimes said.
"You have to go on blind faith."
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Photos by
Darrin Hill
and
Kevin Ivy