Opinion: Rodeo and family – pillars of Texas culture

Yours truly always assumed that the state sport of Texas was high school football. It turns out that this is not the case, it’s actually rodeo, which makes a lot of sense, especially in this part of the great state of Texas. Rodeo is also the state sport of Wyoming and North Dakota, both of which try to emulate Texas.

Anyway, this past weekend I had the great pleasure of driving my Aunt Yvonne to White Deer Friday and Saturday nights to attend the White Deer Rodeo. Her grandson and great grandson (my cousins) were participants. Aunt Yvonne’s grandson, Jimmy Ray King worked the chutes during the bull riding competition and her great-grandson, Chaison King, rode a bull in Saturday night’s competition.

Both Jimmy and Chaison currently reside in White Deer and are part of the wonderful legacy left by Jimmy’s father and Chaison’s grandfather, Larry Wayne King – a cousin that I loved dearly and miss to this day. Larry Wayne was the chief deputy of Armstrong County when he was tragically killed in the line of duty. More than a decade later, Larry’s son Marcus, was also killed in the line of duty – while serving as an Armstrong County volunteer fireman. The King family has surely made two very tragic sacrifices for Armstrong County and Texas. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten.

Larry’s widow, Jeannie, lost both a husband and a son as they were protecting our state and community. Yet, she has been able to remain a remarkably uplifting and caring person, someone who continues to make this area a much better place. Both Jim, and her daughter, Lanita, continue to serve the people of Texas with distinction and compassion. Lanita is now a nurse (perhaps the highest calling of all) in Amarillo, and Jimmy puts his life in danger on a daily basis when he is called upon to extinguish dangerous gas pipeline leaks.

Chaison, a remarkably good looking young man, is both polite and respectful of others. You can tell that he was raised right by his mother and father. His grandfather, Larry Wayne, would be extremely proud of him and his beautiful sister Chancie. Yours truly is rather shocked that he shares so many genes with these two young people. They are both good looking enough to be movie stars or models and yours truly strongly resembles the south end of a north-bound mule. How in the world can that be?

Anyway, back to the story at hand: Chaison is a bull rider and a rodeo cowboy. He is a great example of my assertion that rodeo cowboys are the best athletes in the world. Any way you look at it, rodeo performers must possess great athletic ability as well as excessive amounts of personal courage. Their opponents are far superior to the mere human opponents that football, baseball, soccer, and basketball players must compete against. You can also include ropers and steer wrestlers in that group of superior athletes. Another local athlete with exceptional capabilities also participated in the bronc riding. Colton Kingston, the former outstanding football player from Hedley also did himself proud.

It was compelling to watch father and son work the White Deer rodeo. Jimmy worked the chutes during the bull riding competition and Chaison rode the bull – a monster, ill-tempered beast if I ever saw one. Of course, as is often the case in bull riding, Chaison was thrown just before the buzzer, and was sent flying through the air, landing rather abruptly and in some disarray. As the bull bore down on Chaison with the intent of stomping him into the dirt, the bull fighter, better known as a rodeo clown, jumped in front of Chaison, most assuredly saving him from serious injury. The bull then hit the clown instead, violently knocking him into the dirt of the arena. The rodeo clown, Reese Mitchell, repeatedly gave up his body as he saved several bull riders from being stomped into puddles by the ill-tempered bulls.

During the course of the rodeo I was able to meet relatives that I’ve not had the opportunity to meet in the past. They are the descendants of Jeannie and Larry Wayne King, as good a man as has ever lived, and a man that I miss. Even though he sacrificed his life just as it was in full bloom, he and Jeannie left a beautiful and priceless legacy. Their children and grandchildren are the kind of good, high character, and high purpose people who make this world a much better place. They are some of the people that make the Panhandle of Texas such a great place to live.

Rodeo is the state sport of Texas, and is a wonderful representation of Texas values. However, the family unit is the most priceless and sacred pillar of Texas and Texas values, and combining the two makes for an incomparable and heavenly experience. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to meet another part of my family, and I’m thankful that I was able to share a nice slice of Texas culture with them.