Houston Steer Show - Anyone Here Do Any Good?

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JSchroeder

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May 17, 2007
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1,099
Location
San Antonio, Tx
sawboss... how big do you think the calves are  200 lbs or so?about six weeks?
The Austin and San Antonio scrambles aren't sadistic and use calves that meet that description in regularly sized rodeo arenas.

Houston evidently hates kids and uses feeder steers in the 350lb or so weight range in an arena the size of a football field.  Kids these days have it easy though, us old timers had to run around the Astrodome arena that was roughly the size of a baseball field.

After catching easily in San Antonio I didn't catch a calf on the initial wave in Houston.  I was so scared of not catching a calf that I stayed at a full sprint just running around in hopes of passing out or getting injured and getting a hard luck calf.  About the time I had given up all hope, I ran into a calf that seemed to come out of nowhere and we collided (not sure who "caught" who).  It landed on top of me and I still remember whispering "thank you thank you thank you" into it's ear and pecking it on the cheek.  They put me on oxygen for about 30-minutes once I got across the line...
 

STX

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Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
111
chambero said:
STX said:
Took three calves and placed all three, a gert and two charolais

That'll work!  Your kids or calves you sold?  How were your Charolais calves bred?
One was a Lead On X Heatwave and the other was out of a power plus son and an charolais cow. Sorry it took so long. thanks the kids were also recognized for the good herdsman award.
 

CJC

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May 16, 2008
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782
Location
BROOKSHIRE, TX
I caught in the Astrodome one year. Used my head for once in my life (let the other kids get the calves tried); but when I caught the calve I found out he wasn't as tried as I thought he was. Seating up in those seats the arena didn't look that big; but it was big. 
 

jlingle

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Joined
Mar 10, 2009
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249
Location
SW Oklahoma
I've got a good friend who won the "worst wreck" award at the Houston Rodeo one time.  He had a bull knock him out cold, then while being hung up & knocked out, the bull made 2 laps inside the enormous arena with him still attached.  They gave him a free airfare for a year.  Seriously, he'd grab his rodeo gear & walk up to any airport & hand them a credit card he'd been issued, they'd scan it, then he was off.  He always said if he'd been conscious during the ordeal it might've spooked him, but he thought he got off easy 'cause he was knocked out.  He said when he came to, Cody Lambert asked him "Shawn, you alright?"  He said yeah & Cody said "Good, 'cause that's the worst wreck I've ever seen! Congratulations!!"  He still talks about the HLSR with a certain fondness. ;D
 

DLD

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Apr 15, 2007
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Location
sw Oklahoma
No scramble stories here, but my nephew placed third in the middle weight Polled Hereford class.  Wish I could've been there, but we're getting for ready for OYE.  Congratulations to all of you - I know how tough it is.
 

BIGTEX

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Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
1,091
Location
North Texas
JSchroeder said:
sawboss... how big do you think the calves are  200 lbs or so?about six weeks?
The Austin and San Antonio scrambles aren't sadistic and use calves that meet that description in regularly sized rodeo arenas.

Houston evidently hates kids and uses feeder steers in the 350lb or so weight range in an arena the size of a football field.  Kids these days have it easy though, us old timers had to run around the Astrodome arena that was roughly the size of a baseball field.

After catching easily in San Antonio I didn't catch a calf on the initial wave in Houston.  I was so scared of not catching a calf that I stayed at a full sprint just running around in hopes of passing out or getting injured and getting a hard luck calf.  About the time I had given up all hope, I ran into a calf that seemed to come out of nowhere and we collided (not sure who "caught" who).  It landed on top of me and I still remember whispering "thank you thank you thank you" into it's ear and pecking it on the cheek.  They put me on oxygen for about 30-minutes once I got across the line...

I would agree that the calves in Houston are really big.#350 is not an exaggeration. The arena is huge, a least twice as big as Fort Worths' calf scramble. When I caught one in Houston, we had only one kid that had ever caught a calf in our county and it was a girl In my 4-H club, so I had to catch. I use to run 5 miles for 3 months before the scramble. When I finally got one on the ground it was the last calf, so all the kids that didn't catch were waiting for me to make a mistake. They put me on the big screen right before I twisted the calfs ear and bit down on it. The crowd went wild and so did the calf. It was so much fun! In '89 I caught one in Fort Worth and just ran and tackled one picked it up and carried it into the square, one of the committee members told me I had to have the halter on, so I slammed it on the ground and put the halter on. It was lots easier. If you catch one in Houston, you've done something.
 

red

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Jan 20, 2007
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7,850
Location
LaRue, Ohio
so that's why seller's have scramble calf certificates accepted. Always wondered.

I was in our counties pig scramble. I actually caught a pig but in doing so lost my helmet. I was exhausted & couldn't pick the pig up.Two girls stood over me & I heard one say "kick her in the head" well, that got me mad enough that I crawled that pig to the ring.

Can't honestly say that the next year raising & showing hogs was the highlight of my 4-h- FFA years!  ;)

Red
 

chambero

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Feb 12, 2007
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3,207
Location
Texas
I have my own Houston scramble calf catching story.  The short of it is I caught one in 1987 in the Astrodome.  I played football in high school and have never been nearly as tired doing that as I was after running a calf down in the Astrodome.

They actually cut the arena in Reliant Stadium in half for it for the first time this year.  We went to the rodeo twice last week.

Houston does a great job of funneling money to kids through their scramble and scholarship programs.  I'm sitting in an office today largely because of a Houston scholarship.
 

txshowlamb

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Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
514
I am done with the scramble for some time at SA I ended up with a concussion..The Reserve breed Charlaois was raised by a senior at my school then we had another place 8th I personally didnt go but 4 from my school did and 2 of 4 place not to bad!
Brittney
 
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