July 2001 Rodeo Story



Well, July started with a flicker but ended with a bang! Since the Fourth of July
rodeos were scattered through two weekends this year I decided not to make too many
of them. Instead on the first weekend of the month, I went to Premont, Texas
for a Rope America Team Roping. We were furnishing the steers there so I thought
it would be best if I went to keep an eye out on the cattle. I roped well all
weekend but just came up a little short of winning any money.

The best thing about the whole weekend was at least my entries were covered by
the cattle charge and I got to ride my new bay horse, Schluens (pronounced Slinch).
He is named after John Schluens, aka Grumpy, because he is Grumpy just like John.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, on Saturday Doyle Danford cooked supper for a few of us
and man, let me tell you, we ate like kings. He cooked steak, fish, sausage,
homemade fries and tarter sauce. The tarter sauce must have been really good,
he had to make to batches cause Greg ate the entire first batch with Fritos.

I left Premont late Sunday and tried to follow the cattle truck hauling the steers back.
He must have been going 100 mph though because I couldn't keep up with him.
I called him on his cell phone and told him to wait for me when he got to Rosenberg.
Once I got to Rosenberg he followed me to the ranch and we unloaded the steers.
I got home at 4:30am and needless to say, I didn't go to work the next day.

Wednesday rolled around and I was entered in two local rodeos. I was up at Field
Store in the morning and Needville that evening. The rodeo at Field Store was easy;
they have this really dead box. I broke out for Jon Carroll to win the darn thing
and missed the other for Clint Harkness. We went to Needville that evening and I
did things in reverse order. I broke out for Clint to win first and Jon missed the other.
Man it's late again when we get done so I'm sure glad I had taken the next day off.

Friday I'm up at Belton, Texas its there annual 4th of July rodeo. I'm roping with Jon
and I hope we can repeat as champions of the team roping like the year before.
We draw a steer that someone had a no time on and he doesn't look very good.
I get out great and I get a fast shot at him. I stick him pretty good and when I turn
him he is buried up to his flanks and Jon misses him. Oh well, that's team roping.

While driving home I got a call from Clint about 1:00 a.m. He asks if I knew
anything about my uncle Richard. I asked what he meant and he proceeded to tell me that
he had heard that Richard might have cut off his hand roping calves.
I called my dad and he knew nothing. I called my sister and she knew nothing as well.
When daylight finally arrived, my phone started ringing bright and early from people
calling saying that they had heard about Richard and wanted to know if it was true.
I finally got a call from my sister to confirm that he had indeed cut his hand off.
Richard had slipped coming out off the stirrup and went to reach for the neck and
stuck his hand through the coils. My sister proceeds to tell me he was at the VA Hospital.
I told her heck, they don't put things back at the VA, they cut things off!
I finally got his room number and called him. Brian Carr had stayed with him all night
and he told me on the phone that Richard had 12 hours worth of surgery on the hand.
When Richard had finally gotten to the hospital his hand was like 90% dead but they
were still able to reattach it with high hopes for recovery.

When I went and visited him he looks good, and he is in good spirits, and can wiggle
his fingers a bit. Agnes Ohl (Cody's mom) and a friend of hers are visiting too
when I get there. They stay for another hour and all this time Richard sleeps for a
bit then is a wake for a little bit. I stay for another hour and leave but just as
I am getting into my truck Gene Pizarro calls and says he is near the hospital and to
wait for him. He finally gets there with his girlfriend Kelli and we go up to see
Richard again. I stayed for a little longer and then decide to leave again.
I get in my truck again and Tammy calls and says she and her sister are nearby
and to wait for them. I laugh to myself and wait and when they get there, we go up
and see Richard again. This time when I leave however, I leave for good.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Rebecca, Richards's wife is in Glen Rose, Texas at a
Booger Barter roping and had no idea what happened to him. That is the way Richard
wanted it, so that she could rope and not have to worry about him.
Well anyway, by Sunday she found out, and turned out the rest of her runs and drives
back home to be with him.

It's Sunday and we are going to the horse races today. Gene has a colt running
for the first time and he is going to come by and pick Tammy and I up. We get there
and I bet on a few races and actually came out ahead! Gene's colt ran in 5th place.
He did not do to bad for his first time.

The next weekend is the George Strait roping so I practice a bit a couple of days
and we leave on Thursday evening. I am roping with Clint Harkness and Trey Cruz
for sure and will have to find another run when I get there. On Friday I find another
run and get ready for the roping to start. The steers are fresh this year and really
run and I think the score is a hair longer than last year. My first run is with
Terry Pruitt and we are a 7.4 on our first one. Clint was my second run and we were 5.8
but he caught one foot. Trey was my third run and I did not even hit the horns on
this steer. I guess I scared him when I blew up on him because right when I threw
he jumped to the left and I did not even touch him. In the second round, I missed
for Clint and Terry Legged so there was, no way I was going to make it back for
Saturdays finals. I was frustrated because it should have been easier this year
than last to make it to the finals. A 16.4 on two made it back for Saturday this
year as apposed to a 14.9 last year, and I had made it easily then.

We go ahead and spend the night there and go out to eat with some friends.
We go to a Mexican restaurant and the service is terrible. They dropped half our
food on the floor but that's not the good part. When they dropped my steak,
they had to cook me a new one. I put one bite in my mouth and it was cold.
I quit chewing and cut into my steak, it was raw not rear but raw.
I spit it out and called the manager. He told us our meal was on the house and
he apologized. We went back to the arena and decided to go back and pick up a
movie at Blockbuster. Tim Hill, Ricky Mellman and I went and Ricky picked
"Unbreakable" and Tim and I picked "Finding Forester". We watched them in Tim's
trailer and let me just say I really enjoyed "Finding Forester".

Well Saturday came; Willie Guerrea and Cu Cu Huerta won it all. Jeff Cook and
Trey Cruz won the last hole so at least some hometown boys did something.
Oh yeah, and believe it or not, Richard was able to go home on Saturday also.
Is that not just incredible?

Well on Saturday, Clint and I were up at Rockdale, Texas at a CPRA rodeo.
We leave San Antonio around 2:00pm and head toward Rockdale. Clint ends up winning
last hole with Tracy Estep there. I spin Tommy Morrison Jr a fast one,
he misses him, and I pop it off one fast for Clint.

The next week we are up at Brownwood and Elgin, Texas. They had a heeling
barrier also at Brownwood, Tommy, and me both breakout. Clint and I are 6.8
and just barely miss winning fast time for the night, which was a hundred a piece.
We drive to Elgin to catch the rest of the slack and spend the night and next there.
I break out for both runs there as well. I have to stop doing that!

The next weekend I had a Rope America team roping in Wharton.
I won the fastest time in short round in the 105 and win second in the first round
and first in the average in the 75 roping. This earned me a good check that makes
up for the whole month. It looks like things are starting to come together for me.
I'll let you know how it goes next month!!!

See you down the Rodeo Road,

JR Gonzales



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First Created: 1999 - Last Update: November 22, 2002