Bustin’ to bull ridin’

Rodeo performers as young as 6 and as old as 70 converged in Gridley Saturday for the first day of the two-day Tri-County Junior/Amateur Rodeo a the Butte County fairgrounds.

More than 200 contestants participated in events such as mutton bustin’ and steer daubing for the youngster to steer wrestling and bull riding for the older cowboys.

For most, it’s two days of thrills and spills, not to mention bumps and bruises. For Chant DeForest of Wheatland, it’s three days of excitement.

DeForest opened the weekend Friday night quarterbacking Marysville High’s junior varsity football team to a 26-2 win over rival Lindhurst. In that game, DeForest threw for one touchdown and ran for another.

Twelve hours later, DeForest was atop a horse flicking a rope at a steer.

“Both are physical sports,” DeForest said, and he’s taken his lumps in both.

“I was hit in the head while bulldogging,” DeForest recalled about his first concussion.

In his first football game this fall, DeForest also suffered a mild concussion.

In the rodeo arena, DeForest keeps busy participating in team roping, steer wrestling, calf roping and cutting.

DeForest normally competes in District 3 in the California High School Rodeo Association. Two years ago he was the junior high all-around champion, while in his first season in the high school division last year, he finished third in the all-around.

The Tri-County event is different from the CHSRA in that people of all ages can participate, including DeForest’s father, Charles DeForest. The two competed together in team roping.

“It’s fun roping with family,” the younger DeForest said. He added he also has roped with his older brother, C.J. DeForest, the 2004 and 2005 District 3 champion who is on the West Hills Junior College rodeo team in Coalinga.

Charles DeForest also enjoys the experience.

“I used to rope quite a bit,” he said adding he doesn’t get the opportunity to do it that much any more because of his ranch and construction work.

“I used to high school rodeo,” DeForest said. “I’m just living through my kids now. Both are better than I ever was.”

Another former high school rodeo star also was last year’s all-around champion Megan McGinn, who is captain of the rodeo team at Feather River College in Quincy.

“This has been kind of a reunion,” McGinn said of the Tri-County rodeo.

While she enjoys college rodeo, McGinn admitted she really misses high school rodeo.

“I really miss the people and the families,” she said. “The people are really close-knit in District 3.”

If McGinn spent a little time looking back, others definitely looking forward.

Jadon Bloomfield of Yuba City, 6, was making his rodeo debut, competing in mutton bustin’, a six-second ride on some of the “rankest” sheep in the valley.

Bloomfield lasted only three before he did a face plant on the arena floor.

“I want to do it again another time,” Bloomfield said afterward, adding the best part of it was “when I fell off.”

Bloomfield’s father, Mel, said his son became interested in the rodeo after seeing bull riding on television.

“He saw it and said, ‘Dad, I want to do that.’ So here we are,” said Mel Bloomfield, adding he has no doubt his son will be riding bulls someday.

Dimitre Kent, 8, also might be riding bulls someday. Kent, who moved to Red Bluff two months ago from Gridley, competed Saturday in calf riding.

“My dad got me started,” Kent said. “He used to ride bulls.”

He couldn’t help zinging the old man.

“Hey dad, isn’t this the same arena where you got trounced?”

The danger and excitement of bull riding is the allure.

“It’s fun to watch the bulls,” Kent added. “They buck higher and there’s more action.”

Getting youngsters involved in rodeo at an early age is what the Tri-County Junior/Amateur event is all about when it was started more than a decade ago.

“We just wanted to put on something for kids,” said Chris Schaa, one of the organizers of this year;s event. “I’m still here even though my kids are all grown up. I really miss seeing my kids doing it.”

Charles DeForest understands what Schaa means.

“Rodeo really brings the family together,” Charles DeForest said.