There's more to rodeo

By Kylene Scott

There's more to rodeo than cowboys and horses. It's a way of life, a heritage.

Students at Dodge City Community College are finding out just that. The DCCC rodeo team, along with Rodeo Coach Kent Crouch and his wife Danielle, have been producing a series of summer ranch rodeos in southwest Kansas. Their work will culminate with the series finals Sept. 11 and 12 in Dodge City, Kan., at the Roundup Arena.

Besides learning about producing rodeos, students attending DCCC also have an opportunity to learn about horses, livestock and rodeo, as well as the ranching heritage that goes along with it.

"Even if a kid didn't come (to DCCC) to rodeo, they need to come and get involved," Kent said. "I want to have a place for kids that want to learn and be a part of it all."

In previous years, Kent has helped students get experience with ranch work--branding, cattle handling, colt starting and horsemanship. He said when the students get involved, it opens their eyes to the work involved in raising and caring for livestock.

"There was one student who went out on a limb and helped us at the branding. He could rope, but was not very knowledgeable (about the branding aspect)," Kent said. "He really came out of his shell and had a ball."

Kent is working to build a program at DCCC that incorporates all things cowboy, not just rodeo. Ranch work, branding, horsemanship and training all are incorporated into the program somehow.

"We are trying to promote all kinds of cowboy things," Danielle said.

And it's important for students at DCCC to realize the farm and ranch aspects of where their food comes from, especially in a town based on agriculture like Dodge City.

"This is what Dodge City is all about. All the little things add up," Kent said. "We want to build a program with the ranch stuff, and it ties in with the ranch rodeo series."

The ranch rodeo series is in its fifth year, and initially started as a way to raise funds for the rodeo team, and is still doing just that. The team has traveling expenses associated with the cost of going to and from the college rodeos sanctioned by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

"We want the kids to be a visible part of the community and the rodeo," Danielle said. "They help with promotion (of the finals) and they are the labor crew."

Getting the kids out in the community is important, and it helps the kids improve their life skills, as well as promoting DCCC.

"This is one opportunity to get them out there," Kent said of his rodeo team and students. "It works out good for them to get out in the community."

Kick off

The events for the CCRR finals will kick off Sept. 11 at the Dodge House with a dinner, a kids' dummy roping contest and recognition of the inductees in the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

"We added this event this year so the teams can relax and interact with sponsors, as well as honoring the inductees," Danielle said. "We are very proud of our heritage."

The meal at the Dodge House will cost $7, and Danielle asks those wanting to come to please RSVP, so food planning can be arranged.

"It all just goes together," Kent said, of the inclusion of the new events. "We are just very proud of our cowboy heritage."

The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 12 at 2 p.m., at Boot Hill. Each inductee represents a different area of the life of the cowboy. The 2009 inductees and their respective categories are:

--Bill Barnes, Elkhart, Kan., Working Cowboy;

--Harold Dawley, Dodge City Kan., Cowboy Historian;

--H. Russell Moss, Coffeyville, Kan., Cowboy Entertainer/Artist;

--Wayne Dunafon, Westmoreland, Kan., Rodeo Cowboy;

--Duane Walker, Canton, Kan., Cattleman/Rancher;

For more information on the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, please visit www.boothill.org or contact Boot Hill Museum at 620-227-8188 or info@boothill.org.

Cowhand's and Corriente's Ranch Rodeo Finals

Teams for the CCRR finals consist of four team members, and in order to qualify for the finals, teams must have earned points at the seven summer rodeos.

"We set up our events to be a fair representation of how things are done on the ranch," Kent said. "But we also set things up to be fast."

Danielle agrees.

"We try to emphasize cattle handling and horsemanship," Danielle said. "We're trying to (help) keep the horseback cowboy traditions alive."

The top 12 teams are invited to enter the CCRR finals. As of Aug. 5, according to the event's website, www.cvhorses.com, the top 12 teams are:

1. Flat Broke Bunch, 39 points;

2. T-Bone Feeders, 38 points;

3. Rafter JB Ranch, 35 points;

4. Sombreros, 35 points;

5. Rocking KC Ranch, 28 points;

6. Brookover Cattle Co., 17 points;

7. Kan Sun Feeders, 15 points;

8. CSA Cattle Co., 14 points;

9. Burlington Livestock Exchange, 13 points;

10. Young Guns, 9 points;

10. Lazy TY, 9 points;

12. Bar T Ranch, 7 points.

An additional event to the series finals will be the "top hand challenge." The winner will be awarded a custom buckle, and is only open to members of qualifying finals teams. The top hand challenge will be held Sept. 12 at 10 a.m.

Kent said the contestants would be completing designated tasks in a pattern, with the fastest time winning. Penalties will be assessed for incomplete tasks or a broken pattern. Finalists will move onto a special round of competition during the rodeo Sept. 12 to determine the overall winner.

"I think that a guy who can focus and be the best hand will probably win. They have to be cool-headed and smooth," Kent said.

The group is also selling chances to win a one-night stay and two tickets to the Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, Nov. 12 to 15. Hotel and tickets are for Nov. 14. The drawing will be held at the finals, Sept. 12. To purchase tickets for the drawing, contact Danielle at 620-376-8546.

Without the sponsors

The Crouches have worked to find local sponsors for their series, and appreciate each and every one of them.

"When sponsors believe in what you are doing, it makes it so easy to go talk to these people," Danielle said.

"The radio station contacted us during our first year," Kent said. "They wanted to help us."

Kent said sponsors like the radio station are good for everyone. The series received the exposure it needed, as did the DCCC program.

Sponsors of the CCRR appear on their website.

Tickets for the CCRR will be $5 at the gate for adults, $3 for kids and children age 6 and under are free. For more information, contact Danielle at 620-376-8546, or visit www.cvhorses.com.

Kylene Scott can be reached by phone at 620-227-1804 or by e-mail at kscott@hpj.com.

Date: 9/4/09