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In the company of other eager kids his age and others more than twice as old, Chett’s eyes concentrated on his competition from the shade beneath his cowboy hat. Butterflies were in full flutter as the “Star Spangled Banner” echoed over the loudspeakers as he held his hat tight against his chest.

Today would be the day the young cowboy would claim his buckle, or least that was his and many others’ hope.

Kukla and more than 70 other young cowgirls and cowboys put their skills to the test in a wide range of events at this year’s Dickinson Roughrider Youth Rodeo, held at the Stark County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Learning the tricks to rodeo is like learning to ride a bicycle for the first time, except instead of two wheels it’s a 2,000-pound, four-legged horse. Learning to fit in the saddle without falling off is just one of the many skills young, upcoming cowgirls and cowboys demonstrated.

Rodeo events included stick horse racing, dummy roping, boot racing, goat tail untying, sheep riding, barrels, poles, flag racing, goat tying and breakaway roping.

Ages 0 through 13 came together and were busy throughout the day as most competed in all of the events for their age bracket. The events were split with age groups from 0-4, 5-7, 8-10 and 11-13.

As the saying goes, practice makes professionals, several participants were returning to the rodeo to perfect their skills they’ve learned since their first rodeo. For five-year-old Chett Kukla, who began the rodeo scene when he was three, this year was a big deal for his parents because it was the first year he was doing all the events on his own.

“It’s fun to watch them. He enjoys it,” Chett’s mom Sydney Kukla of Killdeer said. “It’s fun watching these little guys start events.”

But for Chett Kukla, this year’s rodeo is just another test and he said, with a chuckle, that “it wasn’t a big deal” for him.

“I really like the sheep riding and the barrels; I went really fast on that,” Chett Kukla said while sitting on top of his horse with one hand on the saddle horn.

Landyn Geiger, 7, from Grassy Butte was also one of the cowboys who competed in several events from dummy roping to barrel racing. But riding his horse “Chip” is one of his favorite aspects about coming to the rodeos, he said.

Geiger’s mom was especially excited to see him participate.

“(I enjoy) just watching them grow and watching them learn… they work and work so hard and all of a sudden they just get it and it makes sense,” Geiger’s mom said, adding that they try to practice at home a couple times each week.

Russ Jordre of Dickinson brought his two sons Kasen, 7, and Cooper, 4, to the Dickinson Roughrider Youth Rodeo and was also proud to see his children pick up on what they strive diligently to achieve.

“They had a blast,” Jordre said. “… (It’s important for them) to learn about riding horses and animals and being good sportsmen.”

As each cowgirl and cowboy awaited their name to be announced on the monitor to mark their turn, they sat on top of their horses, cheering each other on from the hole. The Dickinson Roughrider Youth Rodeo was not only a way to practice those western skills, it was a day filled with positive encouragement and building on those little tricks to what makes a future cowgirl and cowboy.

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