• Ranchers return to old-fashioned cattle drives to help environment

    By Meredith Birkett

    People sometimes talk about armchair travel. In my case, it was desk chair travel as I opened up a link photojournalist Ami Vitale sent me to her latest project -- documenting the ranching community near her new home in Montana. Suddenly I was in a world where nature takes priority over smart phones, where a person's identity is not formed predominantly by their tweets. Sure, it was some romanticism on my part, but the scenes of neighbors coming together to herd cattle in the beautiful valleys of Montana seem timeless and a world away.

    Ami Vitale

    Barb Pearson's horse takes her hat off as they relax during the annual spring cattle drive in the Centennial Valley. Pearson was helping out the Ruby Dell Ranch, where she's good friends with owners Jim and John Anderson.

    As Vitale got to know the ranchers, she found that some were returning to traditional cattle drives, forgoing trucking their cows in favor of moving them from horseback, and frequently changing their grazing location to try to minimize the cattle's impact on the land. One of the ranch managers, Bryan Uhrling of J Bar L, says it helps to think of cattle as "...mobile composting machines. Their hooves plant seeds, their urine moves moisture from watering sites to arid grounds, and their manure is a natural fertilizer. They are the perfect all-in-one farming machinery."

    I've long been an admirer of Vitale's work, from her early days in Kashmir, to more recent work on maternal health in Sierra Leone and on biologists trying to save rhinos from the brink of extinction. As Vitale shares below, today she is finding inspiration closer to home.

    Aspiring photographers often ask me where they might go to find the best stories. My answer is always the same - get to know your own backyard, what's close at hand, rather than traveling around the world just to capture images of something foreign or exotic.  My rationale is that if you can tell these stories of every day life and focus on what we have in common rather than the obvious differences, then you will succeed as a storyteller. 

    Ironically, I have rarely listened to my own advice and the past dozen years has seen me crisscross the globe playing witness to civil unrest, turmoil, and violence in over 80 countries.  I broke my pattern in 2010 when I moved to Montana and have tried to base myself in this beautiful but austere landscape. 

    The images I am now able to create tell the story about our deep connection to land, the importance we place in stewardship, and a vanishing way of life in the American West. The folks whom I have got to know are remarkable in their fortitude, work ethics, and the neighborliness they exhibit everyday.  It is not an easy story but one that requires patience and persistence to birth - and yet I believe it is as rewarding in the telling as the more sensational events I have had the opportunity to cover.

    Slideshow: These cowboys ride ‘in tune with nature’

    Some Montana cattle ranchers are returning to traditional grazing methods by mimicking how bison used to roam.

    Launch slideshow

    Other stories by Vitale:

     

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  • Branding day starts early, ends late on Nebraska ranches

    Alyssa Schukar / Omaha World-Herald

    Paul Kenner of Wood Lake isn't able to rope a calf as he and others corral and separate young calves from their mothers before participating in a branding at the Burdick Ranch south of Wood Lake, Neb., on Saturday, April 21.

    Alyssa Schukar / OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

    Trent Leichleiter, of Tekamah, Neb., at right, and Kolton Fleischman, also of Tekamah, hold down a calf as Terry Burdick, at left, injects a shot, at the Jim Morris Ranch south of Wood Lake, Neb., on April 22.

    By Jon Sweeney, NBC News

    Omaha World-Herald photographer, Alyssa Schukar, was inspired by the work of National Geographic great Sam Abell when she decided to find and photograph one of the many annual branding days in Nebraska, she said in her blog post.

    Like anything worth the effort, photographing branding is incredibly taxing, but it’s visually loaded and very rewarding when the right elements come together.

    --Alyssa Schukar, photojournalist


    At the Burdick Ranch in north-central Nebraska, the work started at sunrise and ended 12 minutes after midnight. When the day was over, some 900 calves were sorted, roped, immunized and branded. (read the complete story, “It takes a helping hand to brand” at Omaha.com).

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  • Around the NFL: New York makes Giant comeback, Broncos buck Bears in wild finishes

    Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

    Dan Bailey (#5) of the Dallas Cowboys misses a field goal late in the fourth quarter that was blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul (#90) of the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 11in Arlington, Texas.

    From AP:

    "This is huge, another fourth-quarter comeback," Manning said. "Last week we had something similar (against Green Bay) and couldn't hold onto it. This week we held on it and got the win. ... Now we know we have a tough road ahead of us. It's going to come down to the final weeks to win games."

    The Cowboys lost their second straight, both in dramatic, frustrating fashion that involved missed kicks by rookie Dan Bailey, who'd been so good for so long this season. The really bad news for Dallas was running back DeMarco Murray breaking his right ankle, ending his record-setting rookie season.

    "We certainly know we've got our work cut out for us," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a brief statement.

    Read more here.

    Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

    Quarterback Tim Tebow (#15) of the Denver Broncos scrambles against the Chicago Bears at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Dec. 11, in Denver, Colo. The Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10 in overtime.

     

    As for the Tim Tebow and crew, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher isn't overly impressed with the QB who is in only his second season according to PFT:

     Asked for his thoughts on Tebow after the game, Brian Urlacher was succinct.

    “He’s a good running back, man. He runs the ball well,” Urlacher said.

    The Bears mostly kept Tebow’s running in check; he had 49 rushing yards. It was Tebow’s 18 completions in the fourth quarter and overtime that really hurt Chicago.

    Not bad for a running back.

    Check out the rest of the story from PFT and read more about the game.

  • James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Devin Dice, and athletic trainer for the Justin Boots Sportsmedicine Team, treats bareback rider D.V. Fennell in the training room at the National Finals Rodeo this week. The cowboys receive free treatment and supplies during competition.

    Faces of the rodeo: The medical team

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – It’s one of the busiest places you can find on any given night during the National Finals Rodeo, as cowboys and cowgirls come in and out of the room in a steady stream. They are seeking minor things like medical tape and bags of ice, and more serious business such as X-rays or even a trip to the hospital.

    They come to see Devin Dice and his fellow athletic trainers on the Justin Boots Sportsmedicine Team, and it’s a key operation in a sport with competitors facing the constant threat of injuries, from minor to the career-threatening variety.

    “They know that when I’m at a rodeo, they can come see me and they’re going to get taken care of,” says Dice, a 44-year-old from Melba, Idaho. “To me on a personal level, it’s taking care of people. That’s the bottom line.”

    Dice is part of a crew of trainers and physical therapists who care for the athletes not just at the NFR, but also on the road throughout the year. The team operates three trucks that pull 30-foot trailers across the country, traveling an estimated 30,000-40,000 miles and hitting 150 rodeos, according to Dice. His duties go beyond athletic training, as he is responsible for driving his own trailer from rodeo to rodeo as well as the maintenance on his truck.

    “This pays us, but not enough to make a living,” says Dice, who also operates a demolition company. “That might change in a few years, but we’ll have to see what happens. I have a wife and three children, so I try to spend as much time as I can with them. I don’t really have any hobbies anymore because I’m usually doing this or working.”

    Dice says it’s important to build relationships with the athletes. An athlete can duck into his trailer at any point for treatment, advice, or even a quiet place to take a nap. His supplies – including the beer in his fridge -- are free, the costs absorbed by the Justin Boot Company. It’s all part of the package, which also includes some insurance through the PRCA, plus the privately funded Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund that helps cowboys deal with, and pay for, medical treatment.

    Dice says he’ll see 15-20 athletes a night at an average rodeo. But at the NFR the operation is much bigger, as a team of trainers occupies a room inside the Thomas and Mack Center and treats an estimated 30-40 men and women before, during and after each competition.

    Dice says the biggest difference from other athletes is that the cowboys want to get back into action as soon as possible.

    “There’s no workman’s comp in rodeo. Basically if you don’t ride you don’t have a chance to make any money,” he says. “While you might hold out a basketball player for a month, a cowboy you might only suggest 10 days so you can get him going again. It’s a little different in that regard.”

  • Faces of the Rodeo: The men in charge

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman, right, discusses business concerns with a group of bull riders in the locker room on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The athletes were concerned about the PRCA's unwillingness to sanction an event in Houston that was catered toward bull riders.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – Karl Stressman walked into the locker room at the National Finals Rodeo and made the rounds with a group of bull riders, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. He probably didn’t expect it to turn into a heated – if well-mannered -- discussion.

    Such is the challenge of working as commissioner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It’s not easy keeping peace in a sport that is battling some growing pains as it attempts to increase its share of the sporting world’s pie.

    At issue on this day was the bull riders’ desire to compete in an event that wasn’t sanctioned by the PRCA. The athletes wanted a shot at the money from the event, while Stressman is more concerned about his organization’s members as a whole.

    “They have their own sanctioned things. … They’re trying to figure out how to deal with that,” Stressman said. “Where should that money be? In my opinion, that money should be in our kids’ pockets.

    “We’re the biggest sanctioning body in the world and we’re always going to be the biggest sanctioning body in the world. We’re going to fight every minute for what we’re going to put in our contestants’ pockets, so that was the discussion.”

    It’s difficult to make a living in rodeo, as the costs are high, the travel grueling and the system complex. Anyone who pays an entry fee can compete in most rodeos, and every entrant, from superstar Trevor Brazile to the weekend warrior from the ranch down the road, competes in “slack” in the morning, which is a qualifying procedure for that night’s competition. That’s sort of like having Tiger Woods have to compete against a local club pro for a spot in a golf tournament.

    Most of the top competitors think something has to be done to make it easier to make a living.

    “The sport of rodeo has really got to evolve like the rest of professional sports,” said top-flight barrel racer Lindsay Sears, an outspoken athlete who has fought battles over her own sponsorships. “I feel like they’re a lot further behind in going after sponsorships and all that sort of thing. The people here at the NFR, the top 15 people in the world, are not on salary. Every time you go into the arena you have to earn a paycheck. I think that needs to change.”

    Stressman said he would like to see a tiered system put into place where the top competitors go to the highest-paying rodeos, while the part-time cowboys compete in lesser events, but still have a big event to aim for other than the NFR, such as the All-American Finals in Waco, Texas. If a rodeo wants to bring in the top cowboys, it will have to raise its purse money.

    “We’ve got the toughest athletes and we’ve got a family friendly show,” Stressman said. “We’re growing double digits in attendance every year across the United States. How do we convert that to real dollars so the kids get paid? That’s our biggest challenge.”

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Shawn Davis, who is in his 26th year as the NFR's general manager, pose for a portrait in the arena at the Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas, NV. Monday, Dec. 6, 2010.

    Stressman isn’t the only busy executive at the top rodeo in the world. Shawn Davis, the general manager of the NFR, also has a lot on his plate.

    Davis is in charge of the NFR, which he says is an $11-12 million operation. It goes far beyond keeping the competitors happy, as his responsibilities include the care and feeding of more than 700 head of livestock, the shifting around of 4  million pounds of dirt and the overseeing of 1,000 credentialed people, from vendors to maintenance workers to security forces and stock pen workers. He works with the FBI as well as the police forces of both UNLV and Las Vegas metro.

    “Our main security is controlling our own people, controlling the flow of people,” said Davis, who has been doing this for 27 years. “They’re not going to create anything dangerous, but just so they don’t get in the way.”

    The stock pens must be secured 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, 120 tons of hay are needed to feed the animals. Rehearsal times must be scheduled for the side acts that perform during television breaks. His day sometimes begins at 4 a.m. and lasts until midnight, all to keep everything operating in an orderly fashion.

    “I think the main thing is the people you have involved,” Davis said. “We hire the best people. The challenge when you hire the best people is that they’re not used to taking instructions. They’re used to giving them, so to organize them as a team you have to work with them and maintain the respect.”

  • James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Kelli Jackson, left, Miss Rodeo America 2010 and McKenzie Haley, Miss Rodeo America 2011 pose for a portrait at the 52nd National Final Rodeo in Las Vegas, NV on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010.

    Faces of the rodeo: Miss Rodeo is about history and riding, not just beauty

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – Contrary to the common perception, there is more to beauty pageants than looks. That’s particularly true in the Miss Rodeo America competition, where the entrants not only have to be easy on the eyes, but they also have to represent and promote their sport with the savvy of a PR expert, ride a horse like a barrel racer and have a historian’s mind for their sport.

    “Judges are looking for not only looks but ability to ride and knowledge of the sport,” said Kelli Jackson, a 23-year-old from Eupora, Miss., who just completed her reign as Miss Rodeo American 2010. “That means anything from history of rodeo to current stats to who is who within the sport. Additionally, since most people might only see Miss Rodeo on horseback, she has to be an excellent horseman, proficient and able to get on any horse at any rodeo and put on a great show for the crowd.”

    On Saturday, Jackson passed the crown to her successor McKenzie Haley, also 23, a college student from South Dakota. Haley said what separates Miss Rodeo America from other pageants is that “they’re looking for someone who is real. A real person, someone who is down to earth, who is able to relate to many people she may meet throughout the country. I think it’s different because we have a knowledge about something we’re passionate about and are able to share that with people.”

    Like many people involved in rodeo, interest in the sport is passed down from one generation to the next. The same is true for Haley, who said she comes from a line of rodeo queens. She entered her first contest at age 10 and immediately fell in love.

    “I love the Western lifestyle, I love rodeo and I love being able to represent it across the country,” she said.

    She’ll spend the next year traveling to rodeos around the country to promote the sport she admires, especially for the camaraderie among the contestants.

    “In every other sport you see teams competing against each other,” Haley said. “And cowboys do compete against each other, but they’re also traveling with each other and they’re also helping each other out and trying to help their competitor do just as well as them. It’s amazing sportsmanship. I see it at every rodeo I attend.”

    As for Jackson, she plans to get married in the spring, then use the scholarship she earned as part of winning the contest to return to college in pursuit of a master’s degree in public policy and a law degree. She plans to continue to be a role model in the sport she loves, saying she looks forward to raising a family in the rodeo lifestyle.

    “It was the ride of a lifetime for me,” Jackson said. “I’ve always enjoyed sharing rodeo with others. It’s been my passion since a young age.

    “Rodeo is a sport that grew out of an industry, and it’s one that kind of embodies Old Western values. It’s the only type of sport, in my opinion, where you’ll see a family atmosphere. It’s a professional sport where families can come enjoy not only as spectators, but as competitors as well. That’s my favorite thing about rodeo.”

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • Faces of the rodeo: Vet defends treatment of rodeo animals

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Veterinarian Dr. Garth Lamb surveys the stock pens behind the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – There are those who say the sport of rodeo is cruel to animals, that the competition takes normally docile animals and forces them to act in an unnatural manner against their will, enraging simply to put on a good show.

    Those involved in rodeo, however, tell a different story. From the competitors to the stock contractors to the veterinarians, the message is clear and consistent: The animals involved in rodeo are treated well, and that to do otherwise wouldn’t make sense economically.

     

    “These animals are treated as well, if not better, than private ownership of horses,” says Dr. Garth Lamb, a native of Las Vegas who heads a team of veterinarians at the National Finals Rodeo. “It’s hard to find horses of this caliber who do what they want ‘em to do. They’re hard to replace, and the last thing they want to do is abuse them. That’s their livelihood and they take great care of them.”

    Lamb says that he doesn’t see any more injuries than he would come across on a regular basis in his private practice, and that while catastrophic injuries can happen, they can also happen in the normal life of a livestock animal.

    Lamb has worked the NFR since it moved to Las Vegas in 1985. Part of his job is to survey the animals in the stock pens to make sure they are healthy and treat them for a wide range of ailments, from stomach aches and minor lacerations, to more serious injuries like broken legs. He also has a team ready to go on a moment’s notice if an animal is hurt in the arena during competition.
    Lamp says major injuries don’t occur often. “Last year, in all 10 performances, we did not have to do anything,” he said.

    Still, improvements can be made. Stock contractor John Growney said he would like to see tougher rules in the tie-down roping competition that would prevent the calves from being jerked to the ground after they are roped. He cited a rule in Canada that disqualifies a cowboy if the calf’s feet leave the ground, a rule he says U.S. cowboys adjust to just fine when competing north of the border.

    “Calf roping can be the best marketed event in rodeo,” Growney said. “But we’ve got to clean it up.”

    He’s not worried about the bulls and bucking horses.

    “The best bulls, the best horses, they love to be spurred,” he said. “They love a cowboy on ‘em, because they know they want to plant the son of a gun in the ground.”

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • Faces of the rodeo: Flag team gets the rodeo started

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Jenna Smeenk, left, a 21-year-old from Belle Fourche, S.D., and her sister Trisha, 23, prepare before the start of the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas on Monday, Dec. 6. The sisters are part of a 20-person Flag Team that performs at the start of the event each night.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – Every big show needs an opening act, and when the lights go down each night at the start of the National Finals Rodeo, Jenna and Trisha Smeenk are two of the first people the fans see, bursting out of the gate to the roar of the crowd as part of a 20-member flag drill team.

    They fly into the arena in pairs, making a 90-degree turn as they enter the big stage, driving their horses at breakneck speed while displaying complete control and precision with their team members.

    “Carrying flags is a little more complicated than you might think,” says Trisha Smeenk, a 23-year-old broadcast journalism major at South Dakota State. “It’s a lot about precision. Since we’re all going so fast and it happens so quickly, if you’re not together it matters and we get told we weren’t perfect that night. And then we start practicing,” she laughs, “and we stay late.”

     

    Trisha Smeenk is in her fifth year with the team, and Jenna, a 21-year-old studying advertising and political science at S.D. State, is in her fourth. Like many of those associated with rodeo, the sisters come from a ranching background. Their father’s business in Belle Fourche, S.D., has been in the family for three generations, and they have raised everything from cattle and horses to pigs and buffalo.

    The Smeenks were handpicked for the flag team and arrived two days before the competition to get matched with a horse and learn to ride with the other members of the team. Timing is crucial to keep the choreography fine-tuned, so they practice as many as three hours a day. That, plus the performance time, doesn’t leave much time for anything else, but they don’t mind.

    “It’s really cool to be back … with the people you just watch on TV and consider a celebrity, and I think a lot of people would love to be in these shoes,” says Jenna Smeenk. “It’s hard to keep a level head and just do your job without getting too starry-eyed.”
    They also enjoy any chance to be a part of the rodeo culture.

    “I’ve watched the Wrangler National Finals since I was in preschool,” says Trisha Smeenk. “I’ve watched them on TV, and now I get to ride right beside everybody I’ve watched forever.”

    “Just the other day we were walking home to our hotel from here, and somebody we didn’t know picked us up and gave us a ride,” says Jenna Smeenk. “And we wouldn’t do that unless he was driving a dually pickup. You feel like you can trust people who are in this industry, and it’s really cool to not know them, and feel like you can trust them.”

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • Faces of the rodeo: Fans and a legend return decade after decade

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

     

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Legendary calf roper Dean Oliver, 81, an eight-time world champion, still comes to the National Finals Rodeo every year, working as a grip for a television crew so he can stay close to the action.

    LAS VEGAS – With eight world titles in calf roping and three all-around championships on his resume, Dean Oliver is a rodeo legend.

    His name carries a lot of weight, and he probably could use it to score just about any seat in the house at the National Finals Rodeo if he wanted. But Oliver is not the kind of guy to take something for nothing. Besides, to him, he already has the best seat in the house.

    Oliver, 81, has worked as a grip on a television crew for the past 10 years. He takes his job seriously, keeping the camera man’s cable curled up nice and neat and tucked out of the way, not unlike the rope he learned to master more than 60 years ago. The job allows him to roam with the cowboys by the bucking chutes and to bask in the atmosphere he loves.

    “I used to sit up in the grandstand and watch it, then I got a chance to do this,” Oliver says in the measured, relaxed tone of a man at home in his environment. “It’s kinda fun.”

    Unlike many rodeo competitors, Oliver was not born into the sport. His father was a pilot -- not a rancher – near Boise, Idaho. He would fly coyote hunters low to the ground, letting them lean out the door and shoot the predators to keep them away from the sheep. If anything, Oliver expected to end up a pilot like his father. But when his dad died in a plane crash, a 10-year-old Oliver, one of seven children in the family, was thrust into the working world. He worked at ranches and dairy farms, toiling all day for three or four dollars.

    When he was 15, Oliver snuck into a rodeo with his brother and watched a calf roper win $300, and “that kinda planted a seed in me.” Oliver had no background in rodeo, and neither did his family, so he taught himself how to rope fence posts. He soon bought a horse and started competing in amateur rodeos.

    “I wasn’t very good because I didn’t have any calves, but it didn’t take me long,” Oliver said. “I just kept improving that way.
    “When I got to where I was winning a little I bought some calves and then I got to practicing more, then I started winning. I just liked it. It was fun, more fun than working on a dairy farm all day.”

    When Oliver was 25 he bought a farm, paying $60,000 for 80 acres. He has upgraded since then, but still lives just outside of Boise and still raises cattle and hay to this day.

    Oliver has seen much change in rodeo during his 60-plus years in the sport. He says calves nowadays tend to weight about 200 pounds, as much as 150 pounds lighter than they were in his day. He also says the athletes are quicker, and he marvels at the level of talent in his sport.

    “Cody Ohl, Fred Whitfield, Trevor Brazile, Stran Smith, the Cooper brothers, all of them are tough,” he says. “They’re quick. They’ve been roping since they were 10, 11, 12 years old. I never even started roping until I was 20. So you can see the advantage of them.”

    And Dean Oliver has the best seat in the house to watch them work.

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Long-time rodeo fans Berth and Jack Watson take in the action at the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010. Jack, 86, and Bertha, 79, have attended every NFR since 1959, when the event took place in Dallas.

    Some people are rodeo fans, but to place that label on Jack and Bertha Watson would not do them justice.

    The Watsons have attended every National Finals Rodeo since 1959, watching the event in Dallas, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and for the last 25 years, Las Vegas. That’s the same vacation each year for 51 straight years, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Jack Watson, 86, a former bull and bareback rider who also fought in World War II in the Pacific theater, says that he and Bertha, 79, pack their car each winter and leave their home in Ruidoso, N.M., for the NFR. They choose driving over flying because, as Jack puts it, “we’re here 15 days and take too many clothes.

    “I don’t like being X-rayed (at the airport) because I’m bashful,” Jack says with a grin, motioning to his wife, “I don’t want them looking her over, either.”

    They have witnessed many memorable moments in their 51 years attending the National Finals Rodeo, but Jack didn’t hesitate when asked his favorite: having prime seats to watch Freckles Brown ride Tornado in 1967 in Oklahoma City. In a six-year career, Tornado never had been ridden, and Brown, a month shy of his 47th birthday at the time, seemed an unlikely candidate to pull of the feat.

    “He was an impossible bull,” Jack says, shaking his head, “and Freckles was the first one to ride him.”

    But it’s the everyday moments and the family atmosphere that keep the Watsons coming back year after year.

    “The families are all together,” says Bertha. “They help each other, like if you have a son or daughter who wants to compete. So it’s really like now it’s one big family here with all the contestants and their families. That’s what good people are.”
    And they don’t plan to stop coming to the place they love the most.

    “We’re gonna be here at every one,” Jack declares, “because when we die, we’re gonna have them put our ashes out in the arena so we’ll still be here.”

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • From champions to stock handlers, meet the 'Faces of the Rodeo'

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Cowboys enter the arena with flag-waving fanfare during the first go-round of National Finals Rodeo Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    “There’s never a child born at some time in his life that didn’t want to be a cowboy. You can always buy a hat as a little kid. You might get to go to the fair and sit on a pony. Some of them are raised where they have a horse, but there’s always gonna be cowboys.”
    -- Randy Corley, rodeo announcer

    LAS VEGAS -- From the legends of outlaws such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James to the charismatic swagger of entertainment stars Gene Autry and John Wayne, the cowboy life has left an indelible mark on American culture.
    What kid hasn’t donned a cowboy hat and silver star, shoved a cap-loaded six-shooter into a plastic holster and imagined capturing the glory of the Old West?

    It’s a fantasy that harkens to a simpler time, when pioneers worked the land as farmers and ranchers. They lived off what they produced themselves, and their biggest reward came from the product of their own sweat and toil.

    It seems like a long time ago, and it’s hard to imagine living such a lifestyle surviving the sensory overload and short attention spans of modern day pop culture. But it has survived in one sector of American life: the world of professional rodeo. It’s a sport where the majority of those involved are connected to the Western way of life – the backbone of American culture, in a way -- through ranching and farming.

    We will take you behind the scenes of professional rodeo this week at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, where the best cowboys in the world are competing in their version of the Super Bowl. We’ll introduce you to the tough, gritty competitors themselves and try to discover why they compete in such a dangerous sport, risking so much for so little. We’ll also get to know many of the other people involved with the sport, from the former legends to the stock handlers, from the bullfighters to the medical staff and beyond.

    “One thing good about rodeo is it’s the way this country was settled, the Western way of life,” says Dean Oliver, a former calf roping champion who at age 81 still comes to the National Finals every year to work as a grip for a television crew. “I really like the type of people who rodeo and ranch. They’re honest, they work, they won’t cheat you. I like to be related to their way of life.
    “Kind of like the people that came over in the wagon train. They were tough, and cowboys are tough. I respect that.”

    Toughness. Respect. Honesty. They are themes that come up time and time again in Western culture. But how strong and deep is that culture? How does it survive in the flash and glare of the MTV generation? How does a sport keep that spirit of the West alive?

    We aim to find out. So saddle up and ride with us into the world of professional rodeo. Every day this week, we'll post new "Faces of the Rodeo."

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • Faces of the Rodeo: The man who provides the bulls and bucking horses

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Stock contractor John Growney, 62, left his family car business to get into the rodeo business instead, eventually building his small business into one of the primary providers of bulls and bucking horses for the National Finals Rodeo. He stops for a portrait on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

     LAS VEGAS – The stern eyes of the security guard brightened as he saw the thin, gray-haired man hop out of his pickup truck and approach the stock pens. The guard’s no-nonsense demeanor evaporated as he rushed to shake the man’s hand, thanking him for all he had done for the sport of rodeo.

    The man, a smile plastered across his face, laughed off the compliment and exchanged pleasantries with his admirer. Such a scene is not uncommon wherever you see this man, an affable and sharp-witted 34-year veteran of the rodeo business named John Growney. It’s just the effect he has on people.

    A 62-year-old rodeo stock contractor, Growney has the energy of a 25-year-old and the magnetic personality of a car salesman, only somehow more trustworthy. In fact, he once dreaded he was going to end up in the selling cars, as there was a strong call to join a family business started by his grandfather.

    But through his own skills, some luck and perhaps a little help from above, the native of Red Bluff, Calif., eschewed the automobile industry and started his own stock contracting business, eventually building it to be one of the primary providers of bulls and bucking horses for rodeos on the West Coast, including this week’s National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

    “What’s a car dealer’s kid doing in the rodeo business?” asks Growney. “Most people think I was born and raised into this business, and I wasn’t. When I was 28 I got into it.”

    Growney dabbled in bull riding from high school into his 20s. That’s around the time he noticed “Bank of America was giving away money, and I said ‘I want to be in the rodeo business.’ And they put me in it.”

    Having been a rodeo competitor, Growney had a few practice bulls and horses with which to start his contracting business. Eventually, he got enough to put on some amateur rodeos, and two years later a California pro rodeo company that found itself going out of business asked Growney to buy them out.

    Perhaps the biggest break for Growney Brothers Rodeo, Co. came when a legendary bull named Red Rock, landed in his lap.
    “I bought him from an amateur stock contractor who was dying of cancer,” Growney said. “And he went all over Oregon, Washington and California to look for a stock contractor who really took care of his animals, because he knew he was going to sell this great animal to us. So he picked us, and we were already doing really well in the rodeo business, but when we bought this animal called Red Rock, it just elevated us quickly to the top.”

    When Red Rock was named bucking bull of the year in 1987, Growney pitted the animal against the top bull rider that year, Lane Frost, in a made-for-TV, best-of-seven showdown. Red Rock had never been ridden successfully in 309 attempts, but Frost rode the legendary bull in four out of seven tries, and rodeo had itself a hit.

    “It turned out to be the biggest thing to ever happen to rodeo at that time, and rodeo actually reached outside of the rodeo world,” Growney said. “And then George Michael picked us up, and we were on ‘The Sports Machine’ every Sunday after we did one of these challenges. It just elevated us to the top.”

    A year later at age 25, Frost was killed when he was gored by a bull in Cheyenne, Wyo. His career was later dramatized in the Luke Perry film “8 Seconds,” which included a cameo appearance by Growney.

    It’s been an amazing ride for Growney, a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns, not unlike a ride on Red Rock. But the son of a car dealer has found his love, and he clearly enjoys every second of it.

    “I have an uncle who was in World War II and he was 21 years old and a platoon sergeant,” Growney said. “And he said ‘I always surround myself with ranchers and farmers and cowboys,’ because he always knew they’d be there.

    “I think we represent a lot of good and a lot of mannerisms, and I think we’re the kind of people you’d want your daughter to marry. A lot of us are a little rank, but still overall, I love this sport. Every year there are new kids coming in, and here I am and I’m older, and I don’t realize I’m a Mr. Growney. They all want to call me Mr. Growney and I have to correct them that my grandfather was Mr. Growney and for them to call me John.”

    The family car business may have lost an edge when John Growney decided to blaze his own trail, but the sport of rodeo gained a pretty good ambassador in the process.

    See more Faces of the Rodeo every day this week on Photoblog.

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.

  • Faces of the Rodeo: Getting the animals ready for competition

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Stock handler Floyd Campbell, 59, works with a horse in the stock pens at the National Finals Rodeo on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 in Las Vegas. Campbell, a jockey in the Phoenix area, has run an eight-person crew that handles 50 horses for the last two years.

    By Bob Harkins, Baseball editor at NBCSports.com

    LAS VEGAS – In the world of professional rodeo, the cowboys are only part of the equation. Behind the scenes, there is a whole other world in which the animals reside.

    Bulls, steers and calves. Horses for bucking, horses for show and horses for the competitors themselves. Add them all up and there are roughly 700 animals needing to be fed, watered and cared for.

    That’s what brought Floyd Campbell to the National Finals Rodeo this week for a third straight year. Campbell, 59, is a professional jockey based in Phoenix who was hired by the NFR to head an eight-man crew to care for 50 of the horses on site.
    “I like the horse part,” says Campbell. “Whether it’s a racehorse or a buckin’ horse or a jumping horse, I just really enjoy being with the horses.”

    Campbell’s day starts at 4:30 a.m. and continues late into the evening, 18-hour days for 10 straight days. But you won’t hear him complain. He loves the horses and gets to know the personalities of each one.

    “You can walk in the stall with some of the horses and they’ll just look at you like. ‘I wish you wouldn’t even bother me,’” he said. “And other ones will come to you because they like people, they’re happy that you’re there. They’re just like people, they’re all individuals.”

    James Cheng / msnbc.com

    Wade and Carolee Ryan of Woodruff, Utah, pose for a portrait at the 52nd National Final Rodeo, Las Vegas, NV on Dec. 3, 2010. The Ryans are part-time rodeo competitors and also full-time ranchers for Rees Land and Livestock, a company that's been in Carolee's family for five generations.

     

     Wade and Carolee Ryan of Woodruff, Utah, are also a part of the unseen crew that makes the National Finals Rodeo work. Both are part-time rodeo competitors – Wade is a steer wrestler and team roper, Carolee a barrel racer – and also full-time ranchers for Rees Land and Livestock, a company that’s been in Carolee’s family for five generations.

    The Ryans’ job is to run the alternate steers used in the steer wrestling competition. That way, if alternates are needed they won’t be any fresher than the frontline steer when pushed into competition, and the playing field remains level. For the Ryans, it’s a way to stay close to the sport, and the lifestyle, they love.

    “I just grew up doing it and that’s all you know,” said Wade Ryan. “If your dad’s a golfer, you’d probably be a golfer. We were raised around horses, raised in the lifestyle, and that’s just kind of who we are.”

    See Faces of the Rodeo: The cowboys. Get to know some of the top competitors in rodeo, and find out what they love about their sport.