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Show . -; f .i w r -7 ' jr jr. - s o . , - . r' .- ' V f . . ' m ' . J- '?, , ' '' " . ' ...... .,. . ,.f , v s ,: 4 f rrrrr rr ; at' " -r- i ...?.... i - ' - ill 1 - ' V 4 " Js.- . 1 Fc ' ' Ntv a rJt -.;' )h s0J- BEATS WORKING By ROSELYN KIRK FARMINGTON Lance Robinson, 310 West State Farmington, and his cousin Paul Freed of Salt Lake City have been practicing roping and bulldogging in the Robinson's arena behind their house in Farmington since they were in junior high school. Now both cousins who are now 22 have been signed by the Salt Lake Buckaroos, and began last weekend to participate in Major League rodeo competition. THE TWO cousins are experts ex-perts in calf roping, bulldogging bulldog-ging and team roping. Lance said, although he has done some bronc and bull riding, his specialty is in the timed events where "there is more money." Major League rodeo was first formed in 1977, but drafting for the team was not completed until this spring. It was not until the college rodeo team season was over that Ince could participate. This year he has been a member of the Weber State College intercollegiate in-tercollegiate rodeo team. Prior to that, he spent two years in Kentucky on a mission mis-sion for the LDS Church. When they were college freshmen,, both Lance and Paul rode for the college rodeo team at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. ON FRIDAY and Saturday, nights Lance and Paul began their rodeoing at the Utah State Fairgrounds, the home of the Buckaroos when that team met the Kansas City Trailblazers. Sunday and Monday Lance participated in Wells, Nevada where he won the calf roping event in a rodeo sponsored by the .Nevada Cowboy Association. Lance is used to winning rodeo competition. In 1974 while he was still in high school, he won first place in the National High School finals in the calf roping event held in Wisconsin. In 1975 the team won the Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Regional Championship. WHEN LANCE travels, often of-ten with Paul, to rodeo events they take horses in a nine unit horse trailer. Lance says he always works with three Quarter horses, "Yeller, Red and Bluech," which he has trained for the three events, calf-roping, team roping and bulldogging. For bulldogging, bulldog-ging, he uses strong horses, while a calf-roping horse must be low muscled and be able to stop fast. For practice, Lance often rides other horses in his backyard arena, but has his own calves to practice on. Biff who is 15 and Amy 13, Lance's younger brother and sister often contribute to the practice prac-tice by letting the cows out of the pen for the roping practice. prac-tice. Lance's older brother Clay, 20, who is now on a mission for the LDS Church and Rick 23, both rodeo also. Lance's mother, Gwen Robinson, said that while her Lance Robinson, bulldogs a steer while the hazer on the other horse assists. Lance has been drafted by the Salt Lake City Buckaroos and now competes in Major League Rodeo. husband R.K. "Rick" Robinson Robin-son does not rodeo, he "likes horses" and has always provided horses for the six children to ride. THE FAMILY has about 22 horses, counting those that Lance rides -and practices with. Lance said, the 14-member Buckaroo rodeo team is paid a salary during the rodeo months beginning in April and ending in September. While Lance and Paul are from Utah, most of the team members are from either Arizona or Nevada. The events are set up in two half-time half-time periods and each contestant competes in each of his specialty events twice during the rodeo. The team with the highest number of points accumulated wins the competition. THE Buckaroos compete with other western cities, Tulsa, Denver, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Kansas City who are in the same major league. Contestants participate par-ticipate in seven rodeo events-bareback riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding, team roping, calf roping, rop-ing, bulldogging and bull riding. rid-ing. Although Lance said he "had always wanted to rodeo, he didn't begin to practice until he was about 14. Then the practices were mostly with his brother Clay or Paul his cousin. He spends every weekend rodeoing where he tries to work in the independent indepen-dent rodeos with the Ruckaroo schedule. He and Paul practice five or six hours a day when they are not participating. par-ticipating. LANCE ADMITS that someday he would "like to be something besides a ,cow- . boy," and hopes to become a veterinarian. This year he has been in a pre-veterinary program at Weber State College, but is considering looking for a scholarship in rodeo at a larger out-of-state university next year. "I'd like lo be something besides a cowboy, but I do make a lot of money. Besides I'm free and not tied down to work at one place." Lance said that in rodeoing, the rider is his own coach and trainer, but that has changed somewhat since he signed with the Buckaroos. The rodeo team has the same trainer as the Golden Eagles Hockey team and works out using isometrics and running. He has always kept in shape by running and lifting weights.'"! practice "running down the rope" to stay fast for the roping event, he said. WHILE IN high school, l ance rode with the Golden Spike Rodeo Club in Ogden, since rodeo competition was not very intensive at Davis High School. While on his I.DS Mission in Kentucky, lance' was in the Thoroughbred horse country and now has purchased a stud. He has three other Thoroughbred horses. He said a Quarter Horse mix with the , Thoroughbred line for speed is an excellent combination for rodeo riding. Lance, who has been rodeoing rodeo-ing since he was 17, said he has been injured several times with a broken ankle, broken ribs and a broken wrist. "My brother Clay has had the most broken bones in the family," he said. Biff, 15, said he might become a rodeo rider too. "I guess it's just natural," he said. "In our family as soon as Mom would let us out of the house, Dad put us on a horse." |
