SIX-The Heppner Gaiette-Tlniet, Heppner, Oregon. Thursday, June 7, 1M
Dreams of being the best
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Charlie Sampson takes names for the jackpot Bruce Ford watches intently as one of his pupils
contest which followed the conclusion of the" tries out what they have been talking about in
school.
They came in all shapes and
sizes; tall and lean, short and
tubby. Some were grown men
and others young kids who still
had their baby fat. Addresses
ranged from the suburbs of
Portland to rural routes hidden
away in the sage brush.
But they all had one thing in
common: they were rodeo ri
ders, and dreamed of being the
best, a National Champion, the
cowboy's version of the "Right
Stuff."
The closest some of them had
been to a professional cowboy
was that March morning in the
small arena at the Dodge City
Inn in Boardman. Others had
been following the circuit for
years, but most of them were
high school and college rodeo
team members.
They had one other thing in
common, they were there to
learn rodeo skills from the very
best. The event that had drawn
these cowboys and one cowgirl
together was a rodeo school
featuring instructors with seven
Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association world champion
ships among the three of them.
They were Bruce Ford, four
times World Champion in Bare
back riding; Brad Ujennund
son, two times World Champion
in Saddle Bronc riding, and
Charlie Sampson, one World
Championship in Bull Riding.
Sampson was also assisted by
Jody Tatone, four times Na
tional Rodeo Finals qualifier
and manager of the Dodge City
Inn.
During the three day school,
the students learned arena et
tiquette, how to handle them
selves in the chute, the best
technique for staying aboard
the animal of their choice for
the required eight to ten
seconds, and tips for making the
traveling required easier and
cheaper. They also spent a lot of
time actually riding the ani
mals. But, the major emphasis
was on the mental aspect of the
competition and the belief in
themselves as winners.
To assist in that aim the
students listened to Positive
Mental Attitude tapes such as
"The Magic of Believing,"
"Positive Expectancy to Win,"
and "How to Make Winning
Your Lifestyle."
The instructors also assisted
the students in polishing their
mental imagery. They helped
the students imagine the ride
from climbing into the chute
and climbing aboard the animal
they were going to ride through
to opening of the gate, the
successful completion of the
ride, and the graceful dismount.
The students then put this
mental imaging to work where
it counts - out in the arena on
board a bull or a horse whose
greatest desire was to get that
rider off its back.
The intructors for the recent
World Champion's Rodeo
School held at the Dodge City
Arena read like Who's Who of
the rodeo world: Bruce Ford,
holder of four Professional
Rodeo Cowboy Association
(PRCA) championships in
Bareback riding; Brad Gjer
mundson, two PRCA titles for
Saddle Broncs; and Charlie
Sampson with only one title,
that for Bull Riding, but per
haps the best known outside the
world of rodeo, and Jody Ta
ttone, four times National Rodeo
class.
Finals qualifier and the driving
force behind the school.
In an age short of heroes these
living legends moved among the
students offering a word of
advice here, adjusting equip
ment there, bolstering a shy
one's confidence with a quiet
"well done," and smiling at the
braggadocio of young boys
covering their fear with a layer
of brave talk about what great
rides they had made just last
week.
BRAD GJERMUNDSON
Gjermundson calls Dickin
son, North Dakota, borne when
he gets a chance to be there
which isn't very often. He at
tended approximately 130
rodeos in 29 different states and
three Canadian provinces last
year. t
Gjermundson, 25, is not mar
ried and spends most of his time
either on the road, in the air; or
figuring out how he is going to
get to his next rodeo. N
He does not instruct at very
many rodeo schools but finds
them a very useful way to polish
his own technique. He also feels
that it is a way to repay the
people who helped him while he
was learning his craft, one of
the best Saddle Bronc riders in
the world.
Gjermundson started his
career in high school, moved on
to the college ranks, where he
was the 1980 Collegiate Cham
pion; and then took the pro
circuit by a storm earning 1980
Rookie of the Year honors and
following that with two PRCA
titles in the following years.
BRUCE FORD
Ford, 31, is a soft spoken
individual whose forceful per
sonality became evident only
when he demonstrated to his
students what a good bareback
ride could look like. He became
a whirling dervish of Jlying
chaps and ringing spurs, as he
pulled from his bronc the besl
ride it could produce.
Ford teaches at about six
schools every year, most of
them are held at his home place
in Kersy, Colorado. He slated
that the best part of teaching
the schools was seeing one of his
pupils appear at the National
Rodeo Finals or just doing
really well. He also mentioned
that the schools were a good
place for him to "tune-up" his
ownr iding skills.
Ford comes from a rodeo
family and entered his first
rodeo at the age of seven. His
career has been an illustrious
one which thus far has yielded
four PRCA World Champion
ships, a record hard to match in
the rough and tumble bone
breaking world of bronc riding.
He was accompanied to the
school by his family which
incli'des his wife, Susie, and two
youngsters ages two and four
months. Ford explained that his
family does not travel with him
while he is rodeoing, but this
week at the school was the only
chance he foresaw for seeing his
family during the coming
month.
CHARLIE SAMPSON
"I believe that I can ride
bulls." and with the conviction
ringing in the air of the banquet
room of the Dodge City Inn
there is not a person present
that doesn't also belive that
Charlie Sampson can ride bulls.
Sampson, 26, is a firm belie
ver in the power of positive
thinking and the signed photo
graphs of him riding a bull, he
hands out to his students at the
conclusion of the school are
emblazoned with the words
"You only fail when you have
failed to try.
Sampson is somewhat un
usual In the realm of rodeo as he
comes from an urban back
ground and is black, because of
this he has caught the attention
of national media and has done
things like give bull riding
lessons on TV's "Real People."
Sampson has had one of the
more unusual introductions to
rodeo as he became Interested
in horses during the course of t
Cub Scout field trip to a carnival
that had a pony ring. This took
place in Los Angeles, Califor
nia, and was the first time he
had ever been close to a real
live horse. He spent his quarter
for five times around the ring
and was hooked on horses.
Sampson then got a job at the
pony ring to support his riding
habit and started hanging
around a stable where black
cowboys kept their horses. They
taught him to rope and then
talked him into riding one of the
roping steers.
"I fell off the first one and
cried and then tried another and
this time I rode it," Sampson
related. It was evident that trips
around the pony ring had been
replaced with something a little
more exciting.
Sampson was the least reti
cent to talk about how he felt
about rodeo and what it offered
him. At roughly 130 pounds and
slight stature, athletic oppor
tunities were not readily avail
able to him and be enjoys
getting out and controlling and
conquering 1800 pounds of
angry bull.
Story and photos by Ann Sipe
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Instructors at the "Champion's Rodeo School" were (Left to
Right) Charlie Sampson, Brad Gjermundson, Jody Tatone, and
Bruce Ford.
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Jody Tatone aids one of the bullriding students
in getting his rigging set on the mechanical bull for
a practice ride.
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The area behind the chutes took on the cluttered, crowded
look of a teenager's bedroom as each of the students staked
out a portion of it as their territory. Here reposed their gear,
bags, equipment, cameras, and for some, all the clothes they
had brought with them.
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY I A' I "'Zr7
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TOTAL ANTK3PATCD UTVtNVU r.BS,?0
AVnCIPATED TlftiiiwjT IUMfilllil !
TAX LEVY P1wlteMMriPnMtrTaMtNiBilUdM J. LS , ...
TOTAL nOftm TAX LXVT .000
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STATE Of TOTAL PWOfWTY TAX TO BI PAJRIALLY
OREGON rWDEPtY STATS Of OMOQW "
TAX LEVIES Otw-YarStMUlUn ;Ouu4TuIm
TOTALLY amll
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local total nonam tax to st totally
taxpayers rvKPEP it local taxtatem 1 . I
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TOTAL INPr-TEtT38 J
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ratal Miirili tntf Scrviui
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(otal Etpfndituiri and Htiuirimtnti
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The cowboys express their individuality often through
medium of their chaps.
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Much time is spent preparing for the short eight second ride on a
bull. Here a student works rosin into his bull rope to prevent it from
slipping.
total Peiional StfxKrt (Includfi U Pyioll Com)
otal Mitefial and Sirvkti
il Capital Outlay
fotal All Other tpndiluiei and Hrqwrtmcnti . ,
roial Expenditure! and Requirement!
total Rewuit! Eacepl Piopetty Taaei
rtoptrty Taxei Received
Properly Taaei Required lo Bian,e
tilirruled Pioperi) Taet Not to be Rird . .
potal Property Tax Ley
Levy ithm Tlx Be
One Year Spevial Leviei Ouiude Tax Bte
Berial Leviei and Cotittnuing Leie
(Lev) Pot Piment of Bonded Debt . . .
ACTUAL DATA " ADOTIO luOOIT A -OVIO aunOIT
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A PROPERTY TAX TO BE LEVIED
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ACTUAL DATA AOOrTIO iUtK.IT ArROViD iUOOIT
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Total All Other Expendilurei and Rrq iire-nenti . .
Todl Ekpenditutei and Requirement! ........
Total Rriouaei
Total Prrwnal Service! (Include! all Payroll Com) ,
Total Milenall and Servuci
Total Capital Oullay
Total All Other Exprridiurei and Rru,r"ienti . , ,
Total Ependirurei and Rcjuiremenli
T'lal Retourcei , . . . ,
Total Pmunal Sern.ei (In.ludei all Piwoll Com;
Toul Material and Servi.ci
Total Capital Outlay . . .
Total All Other Exper:urei and Rr.ite-nenti , .
Total Expfiliturei nd Rfq.-emeni!
Total Rrn'urcei
ACTUAL DATA I AOOfTIO iuDOIT ATraOVIO (UIX.IT
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Polish.! "June 1984