While attending the Salinas
California Rodeo, competing in the Gold Card team roping, I visited with a
bunch of my comrades (old and new), which I enjoy doing very much these days,
since I’ve semi-retired from the rodeo business. Along the fence I bumped into a young
all-around cowboy/friend of mine, Lane Santos, who is just starting out in the
professional rodeo world. He told me he
was there, roping with his uncle Blaine (Santos) in the team roping, and when I
asked him about the calf roping, he gave a reason that I immediately remembered
having once myself.
 |
| Frank Santos, DVM |
Back in the day, before I’d
gone pro, I wanted to compete at Salinas, except nobody could work Salinas on a
permit (anymore). Salinas stopped taking
permits (around 1959 or 60) and I told Lane he had his grandfather to thank for
that. I explained, they stopped taking
permits because the last time they let a guy compete on a permit he beat ‘em up
so bad, there wasn’t a pro left standing.”
The pros used to let all the young guys in that they could, to build the
purse, until one time they got their tits in a ringer. Them old pros had never heard of a young gun,
named Frank Santos, who was getting a college education. He was putting himself through school by
working rodeos on a permit. As a result
of the Frank Santos massacre, the pros vowed, never again would they allow
themselves to be slaughtered by someone on a permit. Hence, they stopped accepting permits.
In mentioning his grandpa,
Lane pointed over my shoulder. Low and
behold, there sat Frank Santos on his horse, carrying his rope and ready to do
battle. Frank was up in the Gold
Card. I walked over and told him I was
just talking to his grandson letting him know he had his papa to thank for not
being able to compete here on his permit.
I also shared with Frank a
discussion I had earlier with Martin Lucero.
Martin asked me how long I’d been coming to Salinas, and when I did the
math on that (1968 to 2012), I summed up 44 yrs straight I’d been working
Salinas. With that, I told Frank, “I
ought to be the oldest guy coming here.”
Frank quickly set me straight
with an historical story. He clarified
that he was the oldest guy competing there (he’s 3/4s of a century old), and
then said, “But I can tell you one better than that. I bet you can‘t find anybody a horseback
competing today that is wearing a Salinas buckle dated 1950.”
In that instant, amidst my
thoughts about whether they even gave buckles back then, I glanced toward his
belt and noticed, sure enough, he was wearing that distinguished Salinas
Champion “1950” buckle.
Frank’s first time at
Salinas, he was 12 years old competing in the Junior Stock Horse class (in
1950). Today, Frank was competing in the
Gold Card as strong and as fierce a competitor as any of us. He’s been my hero since back before I
competed pro, my hero and my mentor. To
see and listen to his rodeo wisdom as the years go by is astounding. He continues, still, to go at it with a
subtle, yet eminent flame of desire to win and is still very capable of beating
any of us. Frank depicts the true spirit
of rodeo-cowboy heroism, and vast over-sight has left him not yet inducted into
the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, but he’s definitely at the forefront of my personal
Rodeo Hall of Fame.
The point of my story,
however, is that Salinas belt buckles have been famous throughout rodeo. Trevor Brazil has won championship buckles at
most major rodeos, but only just this year won his first Salinas belt buckle,
which he told me was a significant achievement to him. Some of us have been fortunate enough to win
buckles at Salinas, and I bet there’s not one who doesn’t cherish that award as
a lifetime dream. Still, to be competing
for another Salinas buckle in 2012 while wearing a Salinas buckle from
1950--are you kidding me? That’s an
impressive, unique feat that only one guy in the world can claim.
That’s all I know…
Rope Smart!
The Lion
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