Rodeo Moms AND ALL MOMS AND DADS are the best in the world about making excuses for their kids. Especially with regard to sports. It's NEVER the kid's fault. It's usually the coach's fault with regard to sports. Just sit in the bleachers at a softball game sometime.
In rodeo we hear things like, "Well, her horse was hurt tonight, otherwise she would have surely smoked everyone's sweet behind and won a big fat check." :) This is some classic Trish talk right here. "Gosh, she really drew a runner. What a crappy set of calves." "If she could draw better, she'd win every time." "Well, if the ground wasn't so terrible she would have won the whole thing." I'm sorry that her horse is just so smart, and he safetied up and that's why we didn't win." "She's just feeling sick tonight. She didn't ride her best feeling ill and all." People, I have said them all. Okay, some of those are really dumb but I've said some dumb stuff too and you get the point. I'm not saying that any of things things weren't in fact true, I'm just saying, it doesn't matter. YOU DIDN'T WIN. BE QUIET AND OWN IT.
Moms aren't the only ones. All the contestants and players and employees and people... are just as guilty. Barrel racers are a tick famous for it though so I'm picking on them the most. And calf ropers. Let's be honest with ourselves here shall we? And again, I'm not saying they are wrong with their complaints, I'm just saying...tough titty said the kitty, win anyway. IT'S CALLED RODEO. It is simply the human part of the sport. It's not perfect. But with all the imperfections, somebody managed to find a way to win didn't they? Somebody won anyway, in spite of the bad ground and the crappy cattle. Somebody out roped, out rode, out played, out thought, out hit, and out worked..YOU. They won it anyway. In spite of the bad ground.
This whining and complaining has got to stop. It's exhausting. I blame it on "the participation award." Seriously. This was the most ridiculous thing ever invented. I'm sorry but if you don't win, you don't win and these teachers and coaches and churches giving EVERY CHILD A PRIZE for just showing up, has created this world of complainers and people that believe they should get something for nothing. I'm sorry, life doesn't work that way. Winners work harder than everyone else. Winners, rope the calf that ducks off left and winners run and win on crappy ground. They analyze the situation, adjust, and they win.
In Junior rodeo, if one child wins a saddle in more than one event, they don't get the prize. Instead of just giving them the money, they give the first place saddle to second place, OR THIRD and so on. I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. If you win the saddle, you win the saddle. If you are savvy enough to win four events, well everyone else needs to get back in the practice pen! GOLD BUCKLES ARE FOR FIRST! SADDLES ARE FOR FIRST! I lost my mind when I had to deal with this little gem of a rule when my girls were young. It's wrong. And it's what's wrong with America. Our children think they are owed something because they've been getting these awards for just showing up. Nobody owes you anything!
Life doesn't work that way and by doing things like getting an award for "showing up," we are sitting them up for failure. There is always going to be bad ground no matter where you go and what you do. THIS IS LIFE. But you have to to adjust and sometimes, do something completely differently. Sometimes you even have to do things you really don't want to do. Nobody promised you a prize. Nobody promised you that life was going to be easy! Today Emma and J.T. spent over an hour pulling maggots out of a calf's leg. I don't think that was on their list of fun things to do today but guess what? Life happened. And life is sometimes dark, and creepy and crawly and not wrapped in a big medal or gold buckle. It's dirty and sad and scary and we have to know how to accept loss. The calf will probably die but instead of just shooting her, they doctored and wrapped legs and filled her full of electrolytes. I've never been more proud of them than I was today. Trying to save that life. That's winner material right there.
We aren't always going to draw the straight running calf or the first run on perfect manicured ground. However, how we choose to react to those situations develops our character. We can adapt and win anyway, or we can put our tail between our legs and mope out of the arena. And if you don't win, how you choose to treat the ones who do, is also a reflection on you. What goes around comes around.
Is there such thing as luck? Dang right there is and I'd love to have it rubbed all over me. But hard work pays off every time. Stop making excuses for yourself, your kids and your friends and get to work. Go big or go home and stop the whining. Bad ground is just life. Make it work.
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