Young cowboys go national

A pair of local cowboys are getting ready to represent the Mid-Valley at the world's largest rodeo.

For the fourth time in as many years, Live Oak's Josh Garner qualified to compete in steer wrestling at the National High School Finals Rodeo. The event takes place from July 19 to 25 in Farmington, N.M., and will features more than 1,500 contestants from 41 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia.

"It's pretty cool," said Garner, a recent graduate from Horizon Charter School. "You've got to practice and stay consistent."

Garner will be joined by a friend who will also be representing the Mid-Valley. Clint Tipton, who recently walked across the graduation stage at Marysville High will also be making the trip to the Southwest to compete in tie down roping.

"I'm pretty excited," said Tipton, who qualified for the event for the first time after finishing third in the state.

Garner has been a fixture on the local rodeo scene for years. His specialty — steer wrestling — is an event based on time.

The event involves cowboy (Garner), a helper called a hazer and a steer which comes out of a chute. The cowboy positions himself to the left of the chute and the hazer to the right. When the steer exits, it's the job of the cowboy, who is on horseback, to catch the steer as fast as possible and put it on its back with all four feet and head straight.

"My brother (Jeremy) got into (steer wrestling) his sophomore year, so I was always around it and then I fell in love with it," Garner said. "I used to like calf roping, but now we steer wrestle."

Tipton is quite partial to roping. His event is also timed and involves catching a runaway calf with a rope while on horseback, then tying up three of the calf's legs, which must remain bound together for six seconds.

"It's nice because you don't have to worry about your partner," Tipton said of the event, which doesn't require a hazer. "You just go out and rope."

While each prefer different events, both have been involved in rodeo since childhood and plan to take their skills to Feather River College next year, where they will compete on the junior college's rodeo team.

Though Garner has experience on a stage this grand —including a ninth place overall finish his 2007 — he will not have to battle not only the steers and other competitors, but his knee as well. Garner tore his medial collateral ligament in April and will be wearing a brace.

And while that will be a challenge, the luck of the draw is an even bigger factor, he said.

"I still have to draw the right animal," Garner said. "A lot of it is practicing and working hard, but the other 50 percent or more is drawing the right steer."