Learning the Ropes

With screams of “ye-aaaaah” and clouds of dust that rival a thick, coastal fog, students on horseback drive a reluctant herd of cattle from a grazing pasture toward the rodeo arena, a route they both have traveled many times before.

But the venue is Woodland Hills, not Montana, and the cowboys are 17 Pierce College students. They gather around Ron Weschler, who each Tuesday teaches a class in the art and techniques of rodeo. The class is offered for credit to students who don’t mind getting more than just a little dirty once a week.

Most students in the co-ed class have experience in the saddle, and some have even worked with cattle in the past.

Weschler, an instructor of animal science, offers insight and instruction in the art of roping, driving, riding, wrestling, and choosing the best fly spray for your horse. He stands on the edge of the rodeo arena as student after student walks up to him asking advice as if he were the all-knowing Ben Cartwright.

The students will have their skills put to the test this week when some of them compete in a rodeo sponsored by the Intercollegiate Rodeo Assn. Open to the public, the two-day annual competition will be held Friday and Saturday at Pierce College at 7:30 p.m. Students from nine schools will compete in events such as barrel racing, women’s breakaway roping, team steer and calf roping and bull riding.