By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
HUCKABAY (February 6, 2017) – Rodeo is a big deal in Erath County. That fact is evident in Huckabay, where a growing list of professional cowboys and cowgirls have laid their roots and are raising their children alongside families who have been in the area for generations.
Recently, the Huckabay ISD board of trustees voted against a resolution that would have excused student rodeo club members from absences accrued while participating in related events.
The school district has an enrollment of 209 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. It has grown over the years, with additions sprouting from a structure that dates back to 1938-1940 and the Works Progress Administration.
As old as that portion of the schoolhouse is Huckabay’s athletic tradition. The school district’s basketball history that dates back to 1941.
If you ask some longtime residents about school sports, they might tell you two things – there’s basketball and there’s basketball. Ask about residents and you’ll hear stories of hard-working men and women with strong faith and morals.
Take a trip to the small community and you’ll also find a newer generation of Huckabay residents. You will meet some whose families came from Illinois, Oregon, Colorado… They’re also athletes and their sport is rodeo.
You’ll no doubt find a few who moved to the area during their college years to join the Tarleton State University Rodeo Team.
The newcomers are also hard working and family focused. They’re national champion cowboys and world renowned cowgirls. They’ve invested a lot of time and money in their rodeo careers and put a lot of time and effort into raising well-rounded children inside and outside the arena. They’re also investing in Huckabay.
Sure, there are people and families raised in the community who have – and continue to – make a mark on the world of rodeo. Marty Yates, 22, is a Huckabay graduate who has collected almost $600,000 in career earnings. Yates has qualified for the last three National Finals Rodeo (NFR) events, finishing sixth in the world in 2014 and 2015 and fourth last year.
The school district recognizes the importance of rodeo sports and formed its first rodeo club late last year. The board of trustees supported the formation of the club, but voted 4-2 against recognizing it as an extracurricular activity on February 2.
The district website lists seven members – Shane Stegall, president; Chad Hale, vice president; Chrissy Dowell, secretary and members Jeff Heath, Tricia Klein, Greg Stewart and Jason Swatsell.
Stewart resigned about a week before the rodeo club vote, and while The Flash was not present at the February 2 meeting, sources say Heath and Klein were in favor of making the club an official extracurricular.
Making contact with board members to discuss the issue was unsuccessful. There are no phone numbers or email addresses for the elected officials listed on the school website and a request for contact information from district administration were made to no avail.
Superintendent Troy Roberts agreed to speak with The Flash, saying the issue was procedural.
“The Rodeo Club at Huckabay is growing in both size and popularity,” Roberts said. “Our board is a strong supporter of our students and their interests, specifically rodeo as it plays a major role in the identity of our community. The board item was only a procedural item which would address the way the district would record student absences from school to compete in a rodeo event. This decision in no way impacts the ability of Huckabay ISD to sponsor, support and grow the Rodeo Club.”
But, the decision has spurred concerns from at least a few of the school district’s rodeo families.
Presli Bray, a junior at Huckabay High School, races barrels and ties goats. She has followed a line of Bray boot steps into the arena. Her father Kirk Bray is the CEO and president of United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC) and grew up roping and competed in high school and college. Her uncle Ken Bray is the CEO of Equibrand and president of Texas High School Rodeo Association Region III, which includes Erath County.
Becky Bray, Presli’s mother, served a stint on the school board and said the news of the trustees’ recent vote was disheartening.
“It is disappointing the Huckabay Rodeo Club did not receive this status from the board,” Becky Bray said. “As parents, we will continue to support the school and our children in their extracurricular activities.”
Presli is an all-around athlete who also participates in basketball. She has helped the he Lady Indians soar to No. 4 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class A girls’ poll and recently defeat Lipan to secure the District 18-A championship.
Another parent, Craig Hicks, is an active part of the community. He has worn a number of hats – those of a coach with the Huckabay Youth Association, member of the failed bond steering committee and father to Payson, 11 and Clayton, 4.
Payson is an A student and on the sixth-grade basketball team. She is one of two of the basketball team’s eight players who are active rodeo participants. Two or three others hit every possible play day, and Hicks said participation inside and outside the classroom is common for a lot of Huckabay’s students.
He spoke of Jett Barrett who plays junior high basketball and has already made a name for himself as a top-notch roper. Barrett is a young man who professional cowboys say could one day win a world title, and Hicks said he is the epitome of work ethic and manners.
“Jett would be the first person to walk across the gym and shake your hand,” Hicks said. “And all of the rodeo club members are the same in that way. They’re good, respectable, hardworking and involved students and athletes. They’re self-starters, very well-rounded and are the future leaders of our community, so I would say the board’s decision is very disappointing.”
In addition to letting down students, Hicks said the school board’s decision could hamper growth and revenue which are vital to a small, rural school.
“As I understand it, parents are allowed to write a note to excuse their child’s absence as long as that student maintains a 90 percent attendance,” Hicks explained. “But, in those cases, the school doesn’t get paid. If the absence was related to an extracurricular activity, my understanding is that Huckabay ISD would receive that funding. It only makes sense for a school board to recognize this income potential.”
Due to the size of the school and district, which has a tax rate of $1.04 per $100 of value, activities are limited.
“There are lots of wants for the students in Huckabay,” Hicks said. “There’s interest in more sports programs, arts programs, band…”
Such is the case in many schools, budget restraints reduce – or eliminate – opportunity.
“Rodeo is a self-funded activity,” Hicks said. “Participation costs are funded by families, not the district, and with 16 percent of our student base already participating in the rodeo club, we’re not talking about catering to one percent of students.”
He also said supporting the measure could benefit more than the current student population.
“Huckabay is a small school and running a small school has challenges,” Hicks said. “When the board has the opportunity to enhance the district, that’s something they should take very seriously.”
He said academics should always be the No. 1 priority, but making the district more well-rounded could attract students from neighboring districts and other families looking to relocate.
“The board should be focused on decisions that could have a positive impact on enrollment and the schools bottom line,” Hicks said. “This is the Cowboy Capital of the World for good reason, and if other rodeo families knew Huckabay ISD as a district that supports its students, they might be encouraged to move here and enroll their children.”
Professional bareback rider Bobby Mote and his wife, Katie, are also raising their family in Huckabay. Two of their children, Laura, 13, and Trey, 9, participate in rodeo sports.
Mote, a four-time world champion cowboy and 15-time NFR qualifier, said the recent board action wasn’t what he expected.
“I was honestly very surprised,” Mote said, adding there’s a lot to be learned from any sport, including rodeo.
“The thing about school sports, they’re not training kids to be in the NFL or NBA, it’s about the skills they learn,” he added. “They’re learning the results of hard work, responsibility and teamwork.”
He said rodeo also gives students a leg up in continuing their education.
“Getting a basketball scholarship is pretty tough,” Mote said. “Coming from Huckabay, they’re just a needle in haystack. There are more options for rodeo scholarships.”
In some ways, the decision isn’t a shock. Mote, who has become a part of rodeo history while earning more than $2 million, said there have been people throughout his career who questioned the legitimacy of rodeo as a sport.
“Some people think it’s not much more than a sideshow,” Mote said.
But, he also said a similar organization set him on the path to make millions. Growing up in Oregon, Mote joined his school’s rodeo club. He says the members weren’t stellar athletes and they weren’t winning buckles, but they were dedicated. More importantly, Redmond High School provided Mote and opportunity he would not have otherwise had, due to lack of resources.
“Without that, I may not have ended up doing what I am doing,” he said. “It got me started and set me on the right track.”
Mote also said if he hadn’t become a champion in bareback riding, he would have still walked away from Redmond and the rodeo club with skills and character traits for success. He wants the same for his children.
Mote said his 13-year-old daughter has been paying her own rodeo fees for two years and is gaining her own sense of independence and accomplishment. Laura is responsible for caring for own horse in the early morning hours, after school or following time on the basketball court.
“I don’t think she’ll get a basketball scholarship, nothing that will take her all the way through school,” Mote said, adding Laura has a more promising future racing toward rodeo scholarships and potential payouts. “That’s her priority.”
Mote also spoke of benefits rodeo club members have experienced. Recently, another Huckabay resident, Jackie Crawford, put on a free roping clinic
“She is not just a mom swinging a rope,” Mote said. “These kids got an intro from (Women’s Professional Rodeo Association) All-Around World Champion. Some of those kids had never had a rope in their hands and suddenly they’re getting lessons from a successful athlete who is booking clinics across North America. There are a lot of people in our community who fall into the same (champion) category and are ready to show similar support to the rodeo club.”
Mote said the school board can claim to support the rodeo club, but not acknowledging their participation as an official extracurricular activity is an obvious contradiction to that support. He said some of them may not compete to their full potential or walk away from their passion due to lack of support.”
“I see it as a slap in the face,” he said. “I believe the board should really take another look. Part of the community’s role is to get behind someone so they can be successful, not just cheer them on when they’re at the top.”
Guess you guys will have to run for the school board, win, and then have another vote!! Don’t give up!