Page 19 - Been There… Done That!

Been There... Done That!
would be to get that attention. Too young at the time to do anything like that, I focused my attention on calf roping. I got pretty damned good. I practiced hard and one day roped my grandparents’ milk cow. That got me the ass-whipping of the century. I explained that to Grandma a hundred different ways, none of which worked, so I was back to roping fence posts and anything else, but not the milk cow. The tough part about Grandma’s whippings was that she made me cut the switch myself.
In the State Park, a man named Tex Varner had a riding stable and some rodeo stock and he let me practice calf roping there. Later when I was thirteen, my mother and Carney took my horse and me to the J Bar H Rodeo in Camdenton, Missouri not knowing competitors had to be members of the Rodeo Association. A big man, Harry Nelson, told us I couldn’t compete. Then, Jack Kipp, a saddle maker in Camdenton told Mr. Nelson that I was pretty good. As my chest began to swell, Mr. Nelson told my mother that if she would sign a waiver, I could get to exhibition rope. The first great day of my life was when nine ropers went before me and then I heard my name announced and came out of the box and roped my calf with the fastest time. It was quite an achievement, but maybe there was a little luck too. I found out later in life that a lot of great things are based on success, but a great coach said: “a win is a win.” My motivation from my memory is that I can still hear the applause.
I assume music became such a significant part of my life because it was always around as a lot of people in our family were musically inclined. I can recall them playing the guitar or my grandmother playing piano in the church. I do remember my cousin Lexi Tannehill
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