Caught the bug

Recently my son competed in his first ever dummy roping. No, it’s not a roping of politicians, although that would be fun to watch. It is a competition for kids to showcase their roping skills on a plastic roping dummy. It’s a good way for kids to be involved in the sport of roping without worrying about them catching a finger in their dally, getting in a wreck or some other catastrophe. Like playing baseball or any other organized sport, kids start with the basics. They learn the fundamentals so that they can play the game correctly. Good fundamentals not only make better players, but they make safer players. You wouldn’t expect an 8-year-old to hit a pitch thrown by Nolan Ryan, just like I don’t expect my son to rope 600-pound steers at a full gallop in the arena yet.

My son was nervous, excited and ready to show off his stuff all at the same time. He had never roped in front of people besides family before, and I reminded him that we were just doing this for fun. The younger age divisions went, including his younger sister. She managed to catch a horn which made her day. The younger guys needed a little help from mom and dad to build their loops, but each throw was a little better than the last. When the younger division had finished, it was on to the bigger kids. Quirt stepped up to the line, built his loop and began to swing. He stepped across the starting line, swung his loop about three times, then threw it catching slick horns. When he turned to look back at me, he wore a smile that was as wide as the brim of his cap.

A few more competitors went and then it was time to tally the scores. Quirt had won first place within his age group. He had won a rope bag, a new rope and a roping glove. It was at this moment that I knew he had been bitten by the roping bug. If you know my son at all, you know that his passions are baseball and golf. He will spend every spare moment he has outside batting balls or swinging his golf clubs. Honestly, his mother and I get tired of him asking us to go play baseball or golf with him. In the days since he won a prize for roping however, he has not once gone outside to swing a club or asked to play catch. His newfound passion is in roping that dummy in the yard. Hour after hour he will be out there with his sister throwing loops and pretending like they are competing in some big rodeo. I grew up playing sports and had a great time doing it but ranching and cows have always been my passion. Seeing my kids take an interest in something I’m passionate about makes my cowboy heart proud.

I have always told my kids that I will support them in whatever they choose to do. if they chose to be tennis players, I’d cheer the loudest at each match. If they wanted to become bird watchers, I’d buy a new set of binoculars and go with them. As parents, it is our job to support our kids. I take pride in making my kids be involved in sports, next year they will be in 4-H, and as they grow up, they may decide to high school rodeo or find new hobbies. I’m their biggest fan, mentor, and I’ll be there to correct their behavior if it isn’t the way their mother and I raised them to be. That’s all for this time, remember to support local youth, and let them learn new things. Keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire and God bless.

Meinzer is a fourth-generation rancher raised on the southeastern plains of Colorado. He and his family live and ranch in Oshkosh, Neb.