West Lyon Students Compete at
National Rodeo
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| Darin Koedam | Michael Van Hill |
by Jill Funke
Watching the stride of the horse as it breaks through the gate after a running calf is breathtaking, and witnessing the perfect timing and flawless delivery of a lasso to rope the moving bovine makes the event look as easy as breathing, when in reality it is very difficult without a great deal of practice. As soon as the weather is warm enough in the spring, and until the weather gets too cold in the fall and winter, many cowboys and cowgirls are outside spending much of their free time practicing to improve their skill and give them a better competitive edge. During the winter months, some cowboys and cowgirls can even be found in the barn practicing roping. Considering the amount of practice required to succeed in rodeo, it should come as no surprise that many cowboys and cowgirls have made the rodeo their priority. This year, two cowboys who have put rodeo first in their lives, qualified to compete at High School Rodeo’s National event.
Darin Koedam and Michael Van Hill came into the spring ranked 11
th in the state. By the time they reached the Iowa State High School Rodeo, they had moved up to 5th place. Throughout the year, teams compete at eight rodeos in the fall and about ten in the spring. Based on their scores, teams earn points that determine their state placement at each event. Because the scores are added together as the season progresses, Darin and Michael watched their rankings move up after good performances, and gained more momentum to work even harder to reach their goal of competing at nationals. At the state event, the team went from their seasonal 5th place finish into 2nd place, which qualified them to make the trip to Springfield, Illinois for the National High School Rodeo the 3rd week in July. In addition to the team roping event with Michael, Darin held the 2nd place slot all season in cutting, and was also eligible to compete in that event at nationals.Although they didn’t place at nationals, the cowboys and their family had a great time seeing all of the other competitors from 43 providences and states including Australia, Alaska & Hawaii. The experience was something that the boys and their families say they will never forget. One high point of the trip was the picnic that all of the families from Iowa held to get to know each other.
Even though rodeo requires a large time commitment from both competitors and their families, parents say that being involved in the sport teaches their children a large amount of responsibility. When they are responsible for caring for horses during all types of weather, they learn about horsemanship and animal welfare as well.
Over Labor Day Weekend, the Plum Creek Rodeo held its annual High School event. Drawing approximately 200 competitors and their families, the rodeo grounds are transformed that weekend into a mini city. Luckily, the new building housing concessions and restrooms was completed just in time, and helped keep many a spectator and contestant dry during the periodic rains on Sunday. However, the moisture didn’t stop the competition, as rodeo goes on in most weather conditions excluding lightening storms.