Yup, them thar words are the Wright ones for this time of the year. For those of us that started out with baseball, we couldn't afford real baseball's or the bats, so the Nephi Jones boys used a 2 X 4 as a bat, and rocks to hit out in the field behind the Nephi Jones residence. It was difficult to get our brothers and buddies to play in the field with a pair of old socks to catch the rocks! Getting hit with or catching a rock hurt, so we started looking for a safer sport. That was when we walked up the street and started to hang out with Joe and Ross Garrett, helping them herd and milk the mild cows at Spin Mac's milkhouse. In turn, they permitted us to "try" to ride their steers. Us Jones boys and Blake Garrett knew we were going to be just like Dean Oliver, the famous Rodeo Champion during our youth. Then later on, I was helping my father stucco a home in Mona, Utah, that he would call the "Olivers", and I was so excited to help, as I figured it was the home of Dean Oliver! I found out later it wasn't, but still got hooked on rodeo as being the true American sport and after seeing the "Un-American BS with the other sports people, I soon lost all interest in that kind of stupidity. Another very American sport was going to Alaska to watch and help our brother-Gary B. Jones race in the 1,000 miles across Alaska in the Iditarod race! It was difficult to watch that grueling competition, but when he gave me a chance to gather his dogs, they were just like the Painted horse that Bob Garrett let me ride rounding up cattle a couple years ago. When the Garrett Boys took the horses out without old Paint, she didn't like that and it took a cap full of apples to settle her down. A true cattle horse and a racing dog or built to go after it and they paw the ground demanding to work for their hay. Sometimes I think they have better work ethics that what we teach our kids of today! Today, we wanted to send out a "Atta Boy" to all the cowboys from Utah who are looking good at the competitive sport of Rodeo which seems to be more popular than ever. The cowboys are moving to the small rural areas of Utah and America to get back to Ruralville. Like the three Fullmer brothers of once rural West Jordan, Utah, the Fullmer brothers were the top boxers of Utah, and those Mormon brothers made Utah shine. And I had the privilege of being a friend to Gene and even my son Justin interviewed him for his 4th grade essay on meeting a famous person. Gene made his farm work with Mink, then horses, but became the world champion in the Middle Weight Champion of the world. As I was driving him to Ogden to address a conference of Law Enforcement Officers, he first asked me to pull around the homes of his brothers so I could meet his mother. They were fond of each other, and what a thrill to see what a gentle giant that Champ was. Like John Wayne, he was tough when needed to be and gentle when it was right. Now back to rodeo. As I checked the computer stats this morning, I found that the top three World Rodeo contenders in Saddle Bronc are Rusty Wright, Stetson Wright and Ryder Wright. Stetson is out with an injury, but should be ready for the finals in Las Vegas, which the Nephi Jones Family attends and cheers for. Down the line in Saddle Bronc is another couple of the Wright boys including Statler and Spencer Wright, as well as a cowboy from downtown Axtell, Utah who is married to a Juab County gal.
SO CHEER ALL THE UTAH BOYS ON. THEY ARE ALL OUR LOCAL HERO'S, AS THEIR WIVES AND SISTERS DO THE FARM WORK. GOD FIRST, THEN FAMILY AND RODEO! EVERTTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW.
DEAN OLIVER-RODEO CHAMPION OF MY YOUTH
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