July 21, 2004
Rodeo rough and tumble sport
Rodeo-Fest features horse pulls, bull riding, roping events and speed show
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
It's an elemental battle: man vs. beast, brains vs. brawn.
Rodeo-Fest 2004, held Friday through Sunday at the Interlochen Eagles F.O.E. Aerie 3503, pulled no punches again this year.
Professional events ranged from chute dogging, bareback riding, bull riding and calf roping, pitting cowboys against tons of bucking and snorting animals. Creatures determined to elude capture, throw off annoying riders or simply make trouble if they can.
For Jason Kenyon of Ithaca, those eight seconds careening around the ring require him to be both smart and strong. A veteran saddle bronc rider at 21, Kenyon relishes the rush during his wild ride, clinging to the saddle with one hand using the other arm for balance.
"Once you get used to it, it doesn't seem like a long time," he noted.
Kenyon's matter-of-fact analysis belies the fact that he takes his chosen profession seriously, training hard while taking losses or injuries in stride.
"I've been injured more playing other sports but not as seriously as some of the times in rodeo," Kenyon said. "I've sprained my knee bull riding and been knocked out before."
Wiry and tall, sporting the requisite denim and cowboy hat, Kenyon is at home in the saddle. He basically grew up there and is a third generation rodeo rider, with his mother, uncles and grandfather setting the pace.
Reflecting on the athletics of the sport, he said a combination of timing and leverage is needed to stay aboard the wildly bucking horse.
"Saddle bronc riding is the most hand-eye coordinated event of the rodeo, " said Kenyon, a professional rider who works full-time on the rodeo circuit.
The Eagles F.O.E. Aerie 3503 began holding Rodeo-Fests 18 years ago as a fund-raiser for their many charitable causes. Every year, they donate these profits to organizations such as Catch a Reinbow 4-H Therapeutic Riding, the Special Olympics, Children's Diabetes Camp and the Benzie County Sheriff's Department.
This year the event drew between 5,500-6,000 attendees over the three days, who enjoyed much more than the Mid-States Rodeo events held for two hours each day. Besides watching professional cowboys, other events during the day included kids games, such as mutton busting, dancing, food and open speed shows.
Dorothy DeCoeur of Thompsonville and her family were back in the stands for the 18th year, camping on the grounds to immerse themselves in the full experience. She liked the speed and the potential danger of the rodeo events, finding the combination of excellence and risk compelling.
"I enjoy the rodeo for the sport, my favorites are the speed events and the roping events," said DeCoeur. "I love to see the speed and training that goes into the horses. It also is a great reminder of what some people do for a living every day."
Horse pulls were a new event at Rodeo Fest 2004, a crowd pleaser that pitted beast against seemingly immovable objects.
"That was a great show," said DeCoeur of the horse pulls. "Imagine the power that is harnessed in those great animals. And to think they work like that every day."
Carol VanSlambrouck of Interlochen grew up riding in rodeos and her daughter, Nikki, 18, is a professional rider in barrels and speed events. Her son previously competed in bull riding events.
VanSlambrouck praised the positive influence of the rodeo atmosphere and a now disbanded 4-H chapter that taught her kids to ride.
"This has taught them a lot of responsibility," she said, noting that her family has had up to ten horses in the past but now has only one plus a mule. "It keeps the kids out of trouble."
She also appreciates the character lessons in good sportsmanship the rodeo provides and the close family feeling on the circuit.
"Your horse is not on some days and other days it is you, but rodeo people are just good sports whether they win or lose," VanSlambrouck said.