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Show Or. James F. Allen is also Etnowra f cis Cowboy Jim Alien, fhe calf roper Most doctors of medicine wouldn't dream of being a cowboy because they might damage their fingers, but one doctor, James F. (Jim) Allen of Vernal is a professional rodeo cowboy. "There are only two other MD's that I know that rodeo, and one lives in California and the other one lives in Colorado. There are about six or eight veterinarians in pro rodeo. I compete in calf roping and team roping, but bull riding and bull dogging are a little too risky for me. I've had over 21 broken bones and I've lost two fingers in rodeo. I injured my pelvis and I came back too early. I roped a big black calf and my horse stopped a little too suddenly. I had roped my calf and had the coU in my hand and the coil got pulled across my fingers and cut them off. I got thrown against the saddle horn when my horse stopped suddenly and because 1 was in a lot of pain due to my injured pelvis, I didn't let go of the coil and lost the fingers. However, loss of fingers is quite common in calf roping and team roping, but it is also common in construction work. My patients get quite upset with me when I get injured," in-jured," stated Jim Allen. Doctor Jim Allen has done quite well in the sport of rodeo. He captured first place in the calf roping contest at the Dinosaur Roundoup Rodeo in 1979 with a time of 10.7, and placed second in the 1977 rodeo with a time of 9.1. He beat Tom Ferguson, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all-around cowboy, and Roy Cooper, national calf roping champion, in the 1977 Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. Ferguson split third and fourth with Jack Parsons of Arizona at 9.3 and Cooper didn't place at all. Allen became a professional in 1974. "In order to win in calf roping you have to have a good calf. I drew a good calf in 1979, which allowed me to win. Cooper and Ferguson didn't have calves as good as I did in 1977," remarked Allen. "There are local' cowboys who are just as good as the guys who do it for a living like Ferguson and Cooper. Local guys don't get to travel as much. Jack Hannum, former Clearfield and Union football coach, is an example. He became a pro in 1972 and he limited his traveling. Then he started traveling and he went to the national na-tional finals. He competed in the finals three times, twice in bull dogging and once in calf roping." The 30th annual Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo will occur in Vernal at the Uintah County Fairgrounds, July 3, 4, and 5. The rodeo will begin each night at 8 p.m. and a parade will be held all three days at 6 p.m. The rodeo is PRCA approved and the stock will be provided by D.A. Swanny Kirby. D-Bar-T Western Store is rodeo headquarters and family night will be July 3. A dance will be held after the rodeo on July 4 and 5 and jackpot team roping will take place on July 5. Mike McKee is the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo Committee president. "The added money has been increased in-creased to $1,000 in each event in the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. It's going to be a $6,000 rodeo and that should bring the top hands in," commented Allen. "There have been some good contestants con-testants and animals in the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. Swanny Kirby had two outstanding bulls in Dry Valley, Mighty Mouse and had a top horse by the name of Purple People Eater. They were Uintah Basin animals that were raised by Chalmers Walsh. They were good bucking animals. As a boy I used to love to watch the Frost Brothers, Jim, Joe and Clyde from Randlett. Clyde was a national finals contender in the saddle bronc and Joe was every bit as good a rider as Clyde, but he didn't travel as much. Jim was a good bull rider. Floyd Lyons, another local cowboy, beat Toots Mansfield, who was a national champion from Texas, in calf roping in the late . 50's or early 60's in the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo." Allen, added, "I've always been impressed with guys like Roy Cooper and Tom Ferguson. They always look good. Harley May of California was another outstanding cowboy, who took part in the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. He competed many years ago and he would win about every event. He won bull dogging, calf roping and saddle bronc and placed in bareback bronc riding. We have a lot of good talent here in the Uintah Basin. Mac Jessen, Altamont; Gary Goodrich and Wane Workman are outstanding calf ropers. Sherwood, Reggie and Lynn Cuch are outstanding bronc and bull riders. They can go anywhere they want because they are that tough." Lynn Cuch won first place in the saddle bronc event in 1979 at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. Jim Allen took part in the sport of rodeo before he became Doctor James F. Allen. Allen lived in the big city until he was in sixth grade and then he moved with his parents to Parker, Arizona on an Indian Reservation. "An old man by the name of Bill Langendorf used to let me ride his horse. I didn't own my first horse until I was 13 years old. Langendrof gave me the horse when I was getting ready to move to Utah in 1956. We moved to Ft. Duchesne and that's where I got started roping. I never entered rodeos in anything, but bull riding. I competed in bull riding just like most kids do today for the thrill of it. Wane Workman started me roping. I went into his grocery store in Roosevelt because he had a horse for sale. He asked me to come out to his place to rope and that got me hooked." Allen was graduated from Utah State University and attended four years at the University of Utah. He served his medical internship in Seattle, Washington. Allen takes part in calf roping and team roping, but there are such events as bull dogging, bull riding and bronc riding that he refuses to compete in because he has an obligation to his family and to his medical career. "Bull riding is the most dangerous professional sport in the United States of America today. Bull riding is more dangerous than football, hockey or any other rough sport. There are more deaths and injuries in-juries in bull riding. Last year there were three deaths in Utah in bull riding," stated Allen. "It's just like the soldier going to war; you think you are going to be lucky and not get hurt. Rodeo is a release for me from the pressures of medicine, but I love the medical field and it is my main priority. 1 like rodeo because of the challenge, thrill of it and the release. Calf roping is the most challenging sport. You have to deal with the calf, roper and the horse." Vernal's Allen captured third place ir calf roping in the Wilderness Circuit in 1977, which includes Utah, Nevada and Idaho. Allen took part in 30 rodeos last year and won three of them. He placec in four others. He nabbed third place ir the average in calf roping in th Wilderness Circuit in 1979. Matt Foley, a friend of Jim Allen anc a contestant and fan of rodeo since the 1940's, remarked, "Doctor Jim Allen is one of the best calf ropers that I have ever seen. I have seen him rope calves in seven seconds. He went to Deari Oliver's roping school in Idaho. Olivei was a world champion calf roper years ago. Oliver visited Allen about a yeai ago and said that Doctor Allen is one ol the best calf ropers in the nation. If he wasn't a doctor and was going full time in rodeo, he would be among the tot ropers in the country." "Some young cowboys and cowgirls who are already tough are: Rex Wilkins, Brett Siddoway, Rick Massey, Derrin Gardiner, McNeill family, Lori' Kristy, Cory, Cary; Bobette Warren anc Cindy Young. There are many othei cowboys and cowgirls who are out' standing today and some who were top hands in the past," stated Jim Allen T |