Rodeo Time, Ya'll! - 2/17/07

A few things I didn't know when I woke up this morning:

#1- Important Blue Creek holidays are ranked as follows: Christmas, Rodeo Day, Easter....etc.

#2- The bravest cowboy I have ever known is a 5 year old girl who ignored her fear and got on the back of a bucking baby sheep and smiled after she was bucked off 2 seconds later.

#3- When a little boy says, "Daddy, I wanna be a cowboy when I grow up" that is an attainable goal. There are job openings here and it's a very competitive field!










#4- It doesn't snow in Belize, but that doesn't keep kids from being pulled by a horse-drawn sled!















#5- There are a few kids in Nathan's Junior High class that won't make great cowboys someday--they already are!















#6- Sheep can be aggressive! "I am Jesus' little lamb" has taken on a whole new meaning to me!















#7- There is a reason rodeos are held in corrals (most of the events today took place in an open field). When the calf gets spooked, it runs as fast as it can in any direction away from the cowboy, even if it's right into the crowd!







#8- Calves are very offended at the thought of wearing underwear!





Nathan and I spent the day at a Rodeo hosted by Blue Creek. We brought two local kids along with us. Kenny, a boy I am tutoring, and his sister, Leslie. Their parents own the restaurant, 3 Flags, and would be serving food at the rodeo. This meant their kids wouldn't be able to go because they wouldn't have time to supervise them. That just didn't seem fair to me, so we brought them along with us! Most of the participants in the rodeo were locals, but some people came from as far away as Spanish Lookout, Belize, a town about 3 1/2 hours away.

As far as I can remember, I have never been to a rodeo, and although this one did not include any bull-riding, it was a thrill I will not soon forget! Men and women participated in events such as calf roping and barrel racing. They also had shovel racing, where there is one cowboy riding a horse and one cowboy riding a shovel being pulled by the horse! As far as I could tell, the key to this event was to stay on the shovel and in the event that you fall off, avoid losing as eye on the edge of the shovel or face planting in a cowpie. Other events included children. There was sheep riding--and I had no idea sheep could be so aggressive. One small sheep, apparently more familiar with the work of Gandhi than the others, must have decided if it would simply lie itself down on the ground and refuse to move, the child would eventually get off and leave it alone. Another sheep did not have the same passive, non-violent approach to the event. He threw himself head-first into the walls of the small enclosure, throwing his rider into the metal bars. In another event, an old truck bed liner was tied behind a horse and the cowboy dragged one child at a time around the arena. The goal was for the child to remain standing and, or course, not fall out of the truck bed. While watching this event, I thought it was make a great commercial for the durability of Rhino Linings! And of course, since this is Belize, this was all done without even the smallest child wearing a helmet! Ah, what a different world in which we live!

The final, and by far the most humorous event was the "calf dressing" event. Teams of two went into a small arena, had to catch a calf, put men's underwear on it, and drag it across the arena to a pre-designated position. The team to complete the task the fastest was awarded $100! I don't even know if words can describe in words how hilarious this was to watch!

It was a wonderful day! Horses, Belizean sun, a nice breeze, kids, friends, palm trees, and fun all served with your choice of rice & beans, BBQ chicken, or ceviche. Another wonderful memory for us to cherish!