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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Rodeo's Hard Work Pays Off

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    Wyatt Greene is a 3-foot-8, 45-pound smidgen of a boy in a big hat.
    Greene, the epitome of what Mountainair's Gymkhana Rodeo is all about, gave it a go in the 0-to 6-year-old division on Sunday. He participated in the fifth rodeo of a six-part series, one rodeo each month starting in March, at the Mountainair Rodeo Grounds.
    Greene, the 6-year-old son of Gymkhana secretary Sonia Greene, competed in barrel racing, pole-bending, goat-tying and flags. He said he did "fine" astride his horse, Kokie.
    But Wyatt, a Mountainair Elementary first-grader-to-be, said he needs to "practice (reaching from his mount) to get the flags" off the barrel.
    The local Gymkhana board of directors— headed by its president, Red Kingston— have put in a lot of work and dutifully sought funding for improvements to their arena. They want young cowpokes, like Wyatt, to be able to enjoy the sport of rodeo for a long time.
    Some of the board's realized goals were celebrated Sunday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A bright-white, brand-spankin' new crow's nest was used for the first time, and nine stadiumlike light poles, about 33 feet tall, stood sentry duty around the arena's perimeter.
    "It's really nice," said Chandi Langley, an Estancia High rising senior who took second in 15-18 flags. "We're like family here, help each other out."
    Kingston said the rodeo board used money from three sources: the state Legislature, Gov. Bill Richardson's Rodeo Initiative and matching funds from Torrance County. The total included $32,000 for the outdoor lighting and $47,000 for the 216-square-foot crows' nest. The two-room edifice, with one room for the secretary and one for the announcer and a computer operator who inputs results and times, has exterior stairways to get up into the 13-foot-high (from ground to floor level), built-on-stilts structure.
    "We had a big turnout for the ribbon-cutting," Kingston said. "Tito Chavez and LeRoy Candelaria were here from the (Torrance) County Commission ...
    "And Kris McNeil from (Congresswoman) Heather Wilson's office was here, and Mayor (Vel) Gilley was here from here in town."
    But all that merely accentuated what already has been accomplished in Phase I of the project. The lights were put in in March, and the construction of the crow's nest was completed last week.
    "What we want to do in the future is put in some covered bleachers, and then have some horse stalls put in," Kingston said. "Then we'd like to put in some electrical outlets where people could stay near their horses and spend the night."
    That might seem like a tall order. But it also appeared difficult when Kingston— in a June 2005 story in the Telegraph— addressed the need for the crow's nest, lighting and a new roping chute, the latter added via sponsorships, such as advertising on the arena railings, two years ago.
    Gymkhana's leaders have their minds set on creating a class facility. For example, a public-address system, which now booms out the announcer's voice, was donated.
    In addition, a load of donated white sand has been spread inside the arena to soften the competitors' tumbles. The new turf replaced clay that would harden into something akin to concrete.
    The next Gymkhana Rodeo will be held Aug. 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m. and continuing until about 7 p.m. The events will include calf daubing, breakaway roping, ribbon roping, barrels, poles, flags, goat-tying, steer stopping, lead line and sheep and calf riding.
    "We've had, on average, around 130 to 140 contestants each month," Kingston said. "And we've had a few new ones coming."