IN THE HEAT OF THE SEASON

Well it’s June, and in Rodeo that means another chance for MEGA MONEY. For those who have chosen to try and make the NFR it’s a chance to get an advancing foothold towards the big goal. For others (June-July 4th) it’s a time to bust your balls and never look back.

“Cowboy Christmas” (June through the 4th) is an opportunity to excel or reestablish yourself regardless of what happened the past winter or spring. Typically the idea is about trying to post a fast time somewhere and jump ahead, catch up, or at least acquire future entry fees. Of course, as with any time in rodeo, you’re either rock’n-&-roll’n on a downhill go or you’re constantly “recalculating” the GPS.

A good June run on a competitor’s summer tour is like a good June rain on a rancher’s summer pasture (grass grows/greener pastures). Garnering a World Championship at the Reno Rodeo not only puts a nice jingle in your pocket, it puts a nice jingle in your spurs and sets the stage for what I consider the best season of all in rodeo—the period just after Cowboy Christmas.

Embarking what I call the majors (Nampa, Salinas, Salt Lake, Cheyenne, Ogden, Calgary) with a relaxed mind and checkbook, (as opposed to stressed-out and starving) makes a big impact on a competitor’s summer-tour, but nevertheless, you bring your “A” game to these rodeos and expect to do some opportune damage. Most of them are 2-headers and a final, and because these summer majors are where the cream begins to whip, you don’t enter the arenas--in fact you don’t even enter the competitions--without a plan. Unless winning doesn’t matter, you’ve got to be prepared, professional, and proficient, o adios amigo.

Back in the day, if a west-cost team roper didn’t have a good Salinas it got mighty dry. The next nearest “Team Roping” rodeo didn’t roll around until Albuquerque come late September. Consequently, he could head out on a redemption-run through the Midwest hitting every Tom Green County Fair on the map and hopefully still have a horse and a vehicle when he finished. Today’s team ropers have the luxury of a mandated event. With the “75-rodeos” rule one hasn’t much worry about the time of year. Which brings me to a question I’d like to propose to my readers: Why can’t they let a guy rodeo all he wants AND THEN pick his best 75 rodeos of the season?

I welcome and look forward to any discussion or inquiry on this subject via my email or blog page found at (www.camarilloteamroping.com)

Best’a luck this summer…

Make it happen!

The Lion