The Young and The Rodeo

About the Book

Introduction: "The Young and The Rodeo" is the tale of a journey that took me into the world of rodeo through the eyes and experience of the next generation of rodeo superstars, cowboys and cowgirls. It contains personal highlights and individual stories that help explain why rodeo continues to thrive in a modern, high-tech world of video games and smart phones. It is not a detailed examination of results, instead this is a view of the sport from the eyes of those that compete in it. It is also not a hard-news analysis, rather it is a look at what makes rodeo so special and why regional and community rodeo competitions designed for young people is a flourishing segment of the sporting world in the tri-state region of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. I will also introduce the reader to several amazing young people who love the sport and want to share that love so that others can understand why they feel the way they feel. Hopefully, you as a reader will discover what I discovered and understand why I have fallen in love with the sport - and those young people that keep it alive.

About the Author

A longtime journalist, I have found that every community and region of our nation has a unique story to tell. One of the primary stories in the region of Arkansas, Mississippi and north Louisiana is the love affair with horses and the nation's rodeo heritage. I wanted to tell that story through the eyes and experience of the region's young people that are involved in rodeo. I have been in journalism, primarily newspaper journalism, since 1980 and have received numerous professional awards for my work. I took a six-year hiatus to work in travel as an agent because travel is a deep love of mine; however, the printed word pulled me back into journalism in 2005. Having covered nearly every sport, interviewed Hall of Famers and Olympic athletes, attended events from recreational swim league meets to PGA tour events and reported on the biggest and smallest of news events I wanted to explore a world that was new to me - rodeo. That exploration led me to write this book. I currently live and work in southeastern Arkansas, just minutes from the Louisiana border and the Mississippi River Delta. I have found that a rural community may not have everything urban centers possess, urban centers like Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans, but there are still events to cover and stories to write every day and every week. I am a true Southerner although I was born in Chicago and my parents are from New England. My family moved to New Orleans about two months before my third birthday and I still consider that my home. I have lived and worked across the South, and I feel most at home whenever I can go to the store and get authentic Cajun spices, real grits, fresh French bread, sweet iced tea and Mississippi catfish. I have to have a King Cake in February, pulled pork barbecue in July, Hot Wings while watching SEC or ACC football in October and the sounds of the blues or jazz every night of the year.