 "Photo: Ken Muir")
When the dust settled Thursday, a professional rodeo had come to town.
The ABC Rodeo took place Thursday through Saturday at the City Bank Coliseum.
About 300 cowboys and cowgirls competed during the shows, including members of the Texas Tech Rodeo team.
Chance Honey, a junior agricultural communications major from La Junta, Colo., competed in the steer wrestling division this weekend.
"I've been doing steer wrestling since I was about 14," Honey said. "I like the rush and challenge of it and how every rodeo is different."
Steer wrestling involves getting a calf to the ground by hand with no ropes involved, said Honey, who placed third during the weekend rodeo.
Riding horses always has been a part of his life and family, he said, even though he gets injured from time to time.
"When I was little, I got kicked in the head by a horse," Honey said. "It doesn't make me want to stop riding, I just pay more attention and still look out when I am behind one."
The Tech rodeo team competes throughout the year in college-division rodeos and has a chance of competing at national rodeos, Honey said, but professional rodeos are open to college students who are not a part of the team as well.
"Rodeos happen year round," he said. "At the professional rodeos hopefully I might make some money, but you can't rely on just it."
However, competing in rodeos is a full-time job for many students on the team, he said. Between practicing, taking care of a horse and driving to different competitions most weekends, members need to "have a real love for it."
"A lot of maintaining the horses is involved," he said. "Practice for an hour or two for a competition, which lasts about three to four seconds."
Chris Guay, who has been the Tech rodeo team coach for the past 11 years, said rodeos involve a lot of talented competitors, and he is proud the Tech team is among them.
Professional rodeos bring in a lot more athletes than the collegiate rodeos, he said. The students work really hard, and it's a great recruiting tool.
"We have a great education, good coaching staff, and a lot of scholarships and general support for our members," Guay said. "Our region, the Southwest region, is the biggest because it has the most national teams."
The students make the team what it is, Guay said. Many students find success after graduating and leaving the team, which makes him proud to have coached them.
"We help portray the history of rodeos at Texas," Guay said. "Being around a lot of good people makes it worthwhile."
Hunter Cure, a 2006 Tech alumnus and former member of the Tech rodeo team who participated in the ABC ProRodeo during the weekend, lives in Dundee and earns his living as a professional rodeo cowboy.
"I broke the barrier this weekend in steer wrestling, which is like getting a speeding ticket," Cure said. "It's a time delay, so I didn't place."
Steer wrestling is straight manpower, he said. Success is up to the individual. In a year, he will have an opportunity to compete in 75 to 80 rodeos and travel throughout the United States and parts of Canada.
"All people should experience rodeos," Cure said. "It's a different lifestyle than urban life and a different culture that people should experience in order to broaden their horizons."
Be the first to comment on this article!