Rookies get taste of rodeo arena

Everybody has a first time- young rodeo contestants and young rodeo animals need to get acquainted and learn their way around an arena. The Texas High School Rodeo Association Region V held their "Get Acquainted" rodeo this past weekend in Jasper.

About 200 kids from a region that includes most of East Texas and parts of Louisiana participated in bullriding, goat tying, bareback riding, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, barrel racing, calf roping, boys breakaway roping, team roping and pole bending.

Unlike the seasoned animals at the Lions Club Rodeo in the spring, young bulls coming out of the chute didn't know where to go once they dumped their young riders in the dust. Their first instinct was to head away from the cowboys, and a rider had to do some convincing to herd them back through the noise and out of the arena.

The goats, on the other hand, seemed to understand that the quickest way out of goat-tying was to lie still. Young girls, however, consistently misjudged when to dismount, eating up valuable time running a race to reach their goat.

GETTING ACQUAINTED is an educational experience for first time rodeo participantss, kids and animals. Region V held their "Get Acquainted" high school rodeo in the Jasper Lions Club Arena this past weekend. Newsboy photos/Charles Kerr

Fortunately for them, this informal rodeo was for experience, not points. The Jasper Lions Club donated the use of the arena.

Coming up this weekend, Oct. 6-7, will be the second annual Coty Smith Memorial Scholarship team roping at the Jasper Lions Club Arena at 10 a.m. each day.

The Jasper County Junior Livestock will hold a play day Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. in the arena across from the airport. It is for the smallest rodeo hopefuls with events like mutton busting where kids up to age 8 (and not more than 60 pounds) attempt to ride a sheep. For more information, contact Charla James at 384-7866.