The Garden City Telegram
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Marshall: A day at the rodeo ranch
Published 7/10/2009 in None : Columns
By BRETT MARSHALL
Garden City Telegram
Sometimes, as a sports reporter, you find yourself covering the same sports — football, basketball, baseball, track and field, just to name a few of the regular events we write about.
Every once in a long while, you find yourself at an event that you really don't know too much about (at least we tell ourselves that) and it catches your fancy.
Such was the case with me about a month ago when the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association came to Garden City for the Beef Empire Days Rodeo, making a three-day run at the Fairgrounds Arena.
I really didn't expect too much as I was scheduled to cover the Friday night segment while our two other reporters -- Jason Elmquist and Mike Kessinger -- would take care of the Thursday/Saturday competition.
Something happened, though, and I guess for lack of any other description -- I got lassoed into the sport.
I'm sure there are a variety of reasons why the rodeo roped me into being more than just a casual observer. The people with the PRCA, the local volunteers with the Beef Empire Days organization, and the family and rodeo hands of the stock providers all made me feel more than just a casual welcome. They went out of their way to accommodate many "naive" questions as I tried to learn more and more about rodeo terminology and the different events.
By the time Friday night's competition was complete, my story written, and heading home, I had made up my mind that I would go back on Saturday night for the last performance.
That Saturday morning, I accidentally met up with Jim Korkow of Korkow Rodeos, the stock provider from Pierre, S.D., and some of his hands. I mentioned to him that I had hoped to get behind the chutes to get a first-hand view of what it was like on that side of the fence at a rodeo.
Jim, his son T.J., and the others, accommodated my every question and made sure I was in the right places at the right time that night.
Little more than a week later, I was to begin the first of what would be a two-week vacation from the daily duties of being the sports editor here at The Telegram.
Thus, I decided to head to the northern plains for some golf, some sightseeing and much needed rest and relaxation. Once I noted where one of my golf destinations was taking me, I realized I would be within a 45-minute drive of the Korkow Ranch, just north and east of Pierre.
I made the telephone call to Jim a few days before my departure and made arrangements for a visit to his home and ranch. And I'm sure glad I made the trip. For a full day, I was exposed to anything and everything about rodeo and ranch life, including hunting prairie dogs. A tour of his 20,000 acre ranch included viewing more than 300 horses and 200 bulls that are raised and prepared for use at rodeos all over the country.
They had a big steak cookout the evening I was there and a wonderful breakfast cooked on a big griddle the next morning. The short stay was just that -- too short. I hope to go back and perhaps ride the next time. A day at the ranch proved to be educational and relaxing. You might want to try it sometime.
Sports Editor Brett Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@gctelegram.com.
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