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IRCA Finals Thursday

9/8/16 Night one of the IRCA rodeo finals. It was abeautifl 70 degree evening in Adel. We arrived plenty early, Jadyen and Morgan checked in together and got their new finals coat. That right there was so cool, her own sponsored coat with finals contestant on the back. This was a thrill to get a coat and to just be there. An honor and a privileged. So many miles of roads traveled, hard work, sweat, grit, determination, tears, disappointments, hours of riding, conditioning, to get to this point. To be one of the 15 elite riders in the state such a thrill. The boys found Mason and Tyson N. and found sand. I had the boys bring their sand trucks because I knew Adel had truck loads of sand for them to play in. I sent the 4 boys up to play without going with them, little did I know the sand had more water than sand. It was more like playing in mud. By the time I found them they were in  it and filthy. Oh well, boys will be boys and they were having fun. The rodeo started with all contestants in the arena for grand entery. The arena is huge and all on horseback were quite a sight. The ground was perfect sand that was just damp from rain. The pattern was huge, the biggest ever and so far from the gate to the timer and to the first barrel.


Morgan is Jayden’s friend and her number one competitor. It is so hard to have your friend be your rival. The two girls are neck in neck going into finals for Rookie of the Year. Jayden only has a couple hundred dollar lead. Morgan ran second with the fastest time of the night. She hit the second barrel and it slowly leaned at a 45 degree angle before leaning back. It was crazy. On a normal night in normal ground that barrel would have tipped without a doubt. The wet sand helped it stick. Talk about luck! I thought Morgan might place over the weekend, but never dreamed she’d win a round. At that moment I knew the Rookie of the year was no longer in Jayden’s hands. I am reminded of a popular song by Tim McGraw, Always be humble and kind. That is exactly the attitude we all should have and I have to remind myself, that is how God wants us to be and I need to work at that. It does not come naturally or easy! After Jayden ran I sat on the bleachers and could not move and did not want to until I was ready. The disappointment, the frustration, the shock waves went through me. Then I prayed and thanked God for a safe run and reminded myself ," it is an honor for Jayden to even be here and how amazing she has done. I am ok, it is ok, I can go now and quit sulking. I can go to Nelson’s and congratulate them and Morgan. I can be happy for her." And that is what I did. Mark is competitive by nature, that is how he is wired. It is hard for him to just get over it and accept defeat. It takes him hours and days, unlike my minutes. Jayden has a wonderful outlook and can stay positive. She has a good head on her shoulders and finds the good in any situation. That is the Lord in her and I love when it shines through. She is awesome, we can learn a lot from her. Jayden gave Ace a bath before we hauled home and got to bed around midnight. Most of the contestants have living quarter trailers and stay all weekend. Very few leave. We were all tired and ready for a good night sleep in our own beds.

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