a couple weeks ago i got to cover the rodeo. not the big one at the BJCC where all the big dogs ride, but the local one... regional at best. no endorsements, no big checks like in Happy Gilmore, and no real fame. just guys (and girls) traveling around from small town to small town doing what they feel like that have to do. the purse on this rodeo was $5,000. $5,000! to almost die! and that you have to split among the other winners.
there are few times in my life that i felt like i have been truly submersed in another culture (another was when i worked for the JCCEO). really what i mean by that is there are few times i've been submersed in culture. most of us are so homogenous and vanilla that we really don't belong to any real culture, myself included. i think that made me have even more respect for them. they did this because it was a part of who they were and how they were taught to live.
if you've never seen a rodeo you must go. i wouldn't suggest the big ones that tour around the big cities. find a small town or county rodeo. you will see what i'm talking about. i guarantee no matter how different you think the experience is, you'll come away respecting them.
here are a few shots. also, i felt like a slideshow with some appropriate music would help define what i'm talking about. Here it is.
4 comments:
Corey,
Really enjoyed the slide show - it was just like being there.
Gosh! I will always love cowboys! That is all so fascinating to me!
These pictures are truly amazing. I hope that you are able to get some of them published, beyond just the one or two that was in the paper. I am in awe of the way you caught the action, the faces, the mood, of the whole thing. Really, really, such wonderful work. People should see these.
p.s. love the lyric too--very appropriate for a certain couple I know and love :)
i don't think your blog is lamo. i'd come here a lot more often if you'd post more. i like your posts. and pics.
keely
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