Jon puts on a clinic at the CWU Rodeo

This is Jon. Like we've done in so many year's past, the Guddat family took in the CWU rodeo at the Ellensburg Rodeo arena. Great place, great action and cheap entertainment as well.

The CWU Rodeo Club usually has some sort of competition for the kids sometime during the weekend. Last year was the Easter Egg hunt since Easter fell on the same weekend as the rodeo. This year was the stick horse race. Initially the girls were hesitant to compete, but they warmed up to the idea after seeing other kids line up.

The girls being introduced and interviewed by the rodeo's announcer. Rodeo announcer - add that to the list of Jon's bucket list of professions.

Finishing up the stick horse race...

My girls, chillin' in the spring sun. Adelyn wore a shirt that said "Cowboy Wanted". Delaney wore "Rodeo Girl".

Family photo.

This was taken just moments before the calf scramble. It is my feeble attempt to continue to show college kids I'm still boss. I'm 35, the next youngest guy was probably around the 30. After that, it was a drop off of about another 10 years easily. No matter, and as the below video will prove, I was in the thick of things. In a calf scramble the object of the competition is to grab a ribbon off of one of the 15-20 calves that were roaming in the arena. Sounds easy, except for the fact that calves don't like being chased by college kids and a out of shape 35-year-old. Last year, I was caught in the cross fire of a few converging cattle and that was my claim to fame. This year, I actually grabbed a few tails, but unfortunately couldn't get the prized ribbon.
Below are two videos. In video one, Brittany is getting a few last-minute words before the competition. In the second video, I'm the guy in the light shirt who loses his hat early on in the run. Don't worry, I found my hat, and most of my pride elsewhere in the arena. The guy at the very end of the video in the green checkered shirt is Louie Bruketta, a current CWU linebacker and former all-state football player (and state champ 215 pound wrestler) out of Kittitas. He got a ribbon and the coveted prize of an Iron Horse Brewery gift card. Great local beer: Irish Death and High-Five Hef are my favorites.