NFR Post #6 The Thomas and Mack...It's All Different When You Get Inside

Amazing, that's what I can say about the NFR.  The excitement of the crowd just oozes out of everything.  Eyes wide open.  Oh my!

But what I want to say is when you get on the inside of the Thomas and Mack, it's all different.  When  you walk down to the floor and you look at it up close, it's small; it's so small, no, it's tiny!  The arena is tiny.  The four walls are all so close together. There is very little room to turn around.  I do not not know how they get those horses turned around in ANY event.  It's near impossible.  But the barrel racing pattern has got to be the smallest most of these BIG horses have ever run.

The Crowd:
The crowd is beyond excited.  They've been waiting for days for the first event.  They are donning their cowboy hats and boots.   It's finally here.  They are pumped!  Their hearts are racing.  They are on their feet.  A rider rides in on horseback and posts the American Flag in the center of the arena.  The crowd is quiet.  A prayer is said.  The Star Spangled Banner is sung.

The Contestants:
Huge anxiety for some; just another day at the office for others; they said so in their interviews.
The announcer calls their name.  Then, two heart rates shoot off the charts.  A prayer is said by the believers.  The horse cannot wait to get inside the arena to do his job.  He's bouncing off the walls and his front feet are off the ground.  The rider waits.  She holds him back until just the right moment.  Then she releases his reins.  The bit falls loose in his mouth.  The cowgirl spurs him on.  She lets him go.  There's an explosion.  He's off.  The horse runs in at the speed of sound; the rider kicks, whips and sometimes hollers.  Then everything slows to almost a stand still.  The crowd takes a deep breath.  The racers turn.  The crowd breaths, cheers.  Again the rider kicks, spurs, and whips, and the horse blasts off like a rocket for 3 more seconds to the second barrel, slows to an almost stand still, turns, on a dime, and then they do it all AGAIN.  Seriously!  After the last turn at the third barrel, if their run is clean and no barrels are down, the crowd goes wild, screaming, clapping, hollering, cheering the horse and rider on to victory.  Again the rider kicks and whips as they race out of the arena.  As she races down the alleyway, the cowgirl listens for her time if she ran out with all three barrels standing.  If she didn't, she's shaking her head in disbelief.  They slow.  They stop.  They take a breath.  The rider gets off.  The horse drops his head and heaves.  They are finished.  In 14 to 15 seconds it's all over...until tomorrow night.

Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

An Inspiring Story AND a Lesson Learned

"Grit" a positive, non-cognitive trait, based on an individual’s passion for a particular long-term goal or endstate coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual’s path to accomplishment and serves as a driving force in achievement realization; "perseverance," "hardiness," "resilience,” “ambition”.

A woman with grit, determination, and a passionate desire, that's how I would describe Lee Ann Rust.   The definition of grit above could not more positively identify her I don't think, including powerful motivation!

Last year at the NFR, I saw the barrel racing rookie of the year, Lee Ann Rust, step forward and accept her belt buckle.  She inspired me.  As I read her story, she seemed like a great person to know.  She's close to my age and when at the time in her life she actually could, and when she had a fabulous horse that might could take her, she set her mind on running barrels at the NFR.  I guess almost every girl who has ever barrel raced has a desire and a dream to run in the National Finals Rodeo!  I know I have had that dream.  As I began to follow her, I realized she was coming to Odessa to run in the rodeo there.  I decided to try to meet her.  I found her on Facebook and we "became" friends.  We had numerous conversations via email.  Lee Ann is a strong believer in "The Secret".  You'll have to read the book but it's about how your thoughts attract your outcome.  Since she was coming to my area, I invited her to sleep over and have a home cooked meal.  I figured she would probably be tired and need a comfortable bed to sleep in and a hot shower.  Unfortunate weather occurred and it snowed in Odessa and Midland.  Staying off the road was the best thing that evening.                 

I was able however to drive over to see her run the next morning.  The weather was cold, but sunny.

Harley and Lee Ann coming clean around the first barrel in Odessa, Texas 2012.  Unfortunately she hit the second barrel and did not get a time.

I walked over and met her at her trailer.  We visited and she showed me around.  We then went into the barn and I met Harley.  Here he is modeling the new halter he won at the Texas Circuit Finals just before the end of his first year of competition for the NFR.  Just listening to her talk about her upcoming week and her upcoming year wore me out.  Watching her load all her stuff up, load Harley, manipulate that huge rig around all the other rigs was just this side of crazy.  It is a LOT of work.  You HAVE to be on a mission to work that hard.  And Lee Ann is truly on a mission.

Just as Lee Ann was about to leave, a gal on horseback snapped this photo of us.  Me and Lee Ann, standing outside the barn after her run at the Odessa Rodeo.  She's a great gal I am blessed to have met her.

The lesson for me?  While I would love to hear my name called out in the "Thomas and Mack" arena in Las Vegas, after watching Lee Ann document her travels on Facebook since January, I don't believe I have in me what she has in her.  That's not necessarily a bad thing for me, it's a lesson in how hard those girls work and how deserving those girls are that make it to the Thomas and Mack.  They have ridden many a barrel pattern and traveled thousands of miles across the United States and into Canada to accomplish what they have.  It is not just fun, it is hard work.  It is their job more or less and they have to love it to do it.   I'm impressed, I'm astonished, and I'm amazed.  I'd had a little thought of wishing Lee Ann would have asked me to "ride along" so I could have documented the hard work of a barrel racing rodeo cowgirl, but I'm not sure I could have even done that.  She had many sleepless days and nights getting from one place to the other.  She did a good job of letting her FB fans know how she did and where she was on the road.  Everything you read or hear about her every where she goes states what a great gal she is.  She never meets a stranger.

While I am still prayerful that I have not run in my last barrel racing in competition, I am doubtful it will be at the NFR.  But I am grateful to know someone who will be!

Lee Ann is currently sitting at #12 in the Women's Pro Rodeo Association standings for barrel racing with close to $70K in winnings.  The top 15 barrel racers qualify.  Unless something unforeseeable happens, you and I will be watching my friend Lee Ann compete in the 2012 NFR.

To Lee Ann, who I am priviledged to call friend, my hat is it off to you!  Although I would love to go to Vegas (maybe still maybe) and cheer you on in person, you can be sure I'll be hollering and crying with excitement from my living room in south central Texas as you round every barrel.  I'll be living vicariously through you, each time you come down that famous narrow, long, blind alley at the Thomas and Mack.  On day number 10, as you round that third barrel for the last time, give Harley a little kick for me, as I urge you on.  I'll be prayerful for all clean runs and that you'll be picking up a big check and a saddle, and hopeful you'll soon be headed home for a good rest, a home cooked meal and some green pastures for Harley.

"You are a great champion; when you ran the ground shook; the sky opened and mere mortals parted, parted the way to victory where you'll meet me in the winners circle and I'll put a blanket of flowers on your back." from DREAMER

2 Peter 1:5-7

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.