Rodeo is and forever will be a sport I hold near and dear to my heart. Without it, I wouldn’t be attending college here at the University of Wyoming, and I probably never would have become involved or especially have chosen a career path in agriculture. So how did a competition of roping a calf or running a horse fast around a few barrels have such a large effect on my life, and how is it relevant to agriculture in any way, shape or form? Here’s how.
When asked where I was raised, I say a small horse ranch, which is really all it is. There is no production ag, cattle ranching, or growing of any crops. There has and always will be a lot of horses, a barn, an arena equipped with a roping and bucking chute, some calves and steers to rope, and usually a few random animals like alpacas, chickens or goats running around. Rodeo was really just a hobby my parents invested a lot of time into for my brothers and I when we were little, and for that we’re very lucky. We spent countless hours training horses to do what we needed them to do for when it came time to perform on them. We spent too many hours traveling to and from rodeos cooped up in the pickup together. Most importantly, we learned the value of hard-work, and what can happen when you give something your all. Without rodeo, my family might not be my best friends in the world. Without rodeo, I wouldn’t have traveled around the country gaining the experience and relationships that made me into who I am today. Without rodeo, I wouldn’t have chosen to come to school here, mostly for the purpose to compete on this specific rodeo team so that I could carry on the family tradition.
Without rodeo, I wouldn’t have chosen Agricultural Communications to study as my major. Getting to travel around states such as Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming, I saw first-hand how these states revolve around agriculture. There’s more cattle in most of these states than there are people, and a heck of a lot more un-incorporated area than the opposite. I noticed that a lot of my friends grew up on ranches, and that ranching is the reason rodeo ever came about to be a sport. As I grew older, I saw how many people don’t realize how large of an impact agriculture has on their economy, state, and life whether directly or indirectly. I decided to become informed on the matter, and became deeply involved in FFA and Ag classes, though I didn’t know a whole lot about the areas myself to begin with.
I’m now becoming well-rounded in the different areas of Ag; plant sciences, animal sciences, Ag business, and even family and consumer science. My mission is to inspire kids who, like me, have an interest, but aren’t sure what Ag really is, and what it’s about. So many rodeo contestants I have met in my lifetime are either farmers, ranchers, or work for one of the two. It’s clear that the two lifestyles go hand in hand. They both involve a lot of hard-work, dedication, and humbleness. The western way of life is one I am very proud to live, and one that I love learning more about everyday.
-Madison Clark
