Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Geezer Sports

There are senior tours for golf, tennis, billiards, and bowling -- sports that are normally not identified with broken clavicles, necks, and spines. In other words, sports that have nothing to do with rodeos.

On the phone with Darrell Parker, 69, a Point, Texas, resident and defending National Senior Pro Rodeo Association (NSPRA) World Champion 68+ calf roper. Follows is what Parker does, better than anyone else, as described by NSPRA. "After the calf is given a head start, horse and rider give chase. The contestant ropes the calf, then dismounts and runs to the animal. After catching and flanking the calf, the cowboy ties any three of the animal's legs together using a small rope.... When the cowboy completes his tie, he throws his hands in the air as a signal to the judge. He then remounts his horse and they take a step or two forward, which allows the rope to become slack while the calf remains tied. The run is declared invalid if the calf kicks free within six seconds."

I wanted to know how long he'd been at it.

"Quite a while...most of my life," says Parker. "I started roping calves when I was 34 years old, but I'd ridden bucking horses and stuff before that."

"What was rodeo like 40 years ago?"

Parker laughs, "Pretty much the same. The contestants were a little bit different, a little wilder. It's more of a business now. It was a way of life then, a carefree deal for young people."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Carefree left the country in 1998. "Is there enough money in the senior tour to make a living? Can the 20th-best guy, 25th-best guy pay his rent off it?"

"No; it's like going on vacation and taking all your friends with you and maybe win a little money, too."

Parker drove a truck for Safeway most of his life. He worked out of Portland, Oregon, and rodeoed in the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association on the side. After retiring from Safeway, Parker started competing in senior rodeos and traveling around the West. He found -- or ran into -- "a place big enough to keep horses on" in Point, Texas. He bought it and is going about the business of living happily ever after.

A simple observation. "Everybody I've ever met who participated in rodeos has broken bones. More than that. Everybody has something that hurts all the time. How about you?"

"Most of them get broken bones in riding events, not roping calves," Parker says. "I haven't had any injuries that kept me from roping, although I'm getting slower all the time. I can't get off the horse and get down there quick enough, but, in the seniors, we rope a little smaller calves."

"What is this 68-plus group for calf roping? Seems like an odd age for a category." (NSPRA also has a 40s group, 50s group, and 60s group.)

"They let guys come into the 60s group when they're 59 years old," Parker says, "if they're going to be 60 before the end of the year. When you get up around 68 it's hard to compete with them younger guys. So, they created a 68-plus group so guys could rope calves a little longer."

"How many ropers in the 68-plus category?"

"Depends on the rodeo. Sometimes you might see six or seven other guys; sometimes you might have 20."

"How many rodeos did you make last year?"

"About 35."

Whoa. "That's a lot. Close to one every ten days."

"We have a run coming up, two in Utah and six in Nevada. There'll be eight rodeos in 11 days. And I'm going to Arizona next month. There's one rodeo in Buckeye, two at Globe, one at Phoenix, one at Wickenberg, and one at Goodyear."

I smile, thinking of the rodeo in Lakeside. "I like small rodeos. Men driving campers or trucks, pulling horse trailers, driving into a dusty dirt parking lot on a Friday night. Everybody stands in a circle, drinks beer, bullshits with their buddies, rodeo the next day, drive off to another rodeo, stand around, drink beer, and so on. Is the senior tour like that?"

"Yeah; they do a lot of that in the seniors. They have a lot of potluck dinners and things like that."

"How about horses? Do you train yours or buy one that's been broken in by someone else?"

"I've done both. The one I've got now I've trained. The other one was semi-trained, but..." Silence. "After I had him a year, he was a lot better horse than he was when I got him. I won a lot of money on him, but he run into a fence and killed himself."

"What?"

"Yeah, he was playing; I don't know what he was thinking of. He was drinking water and my son's dog run in and nicked him on the heels. He just turned and run right into the fence."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About doTERRA

Next Article

Extended family dynamics

Many of our neighbors live in the house they grew up in

There are senior tours for golf, tennis, billiards, and bowling -- sports that are normally not identified with broken clavicles, necks, and spines. In other words, sports that have nothing to do with rodeos.

On the phone with Darrell Parker, 69, a Point, Texas, resident and defending National Senior Pro Rodeo Association (NSPRA) World Champion 68+ calf roper. Follows is what Parker does, better than anyone else, as described by NSPRA. "After the calf is given a head start, horse and rider give chase. The contestant ropes the calf, then dismounts and runs to the animal. After catching and flanking the calf, the cowboy ties any three of the animal's legs together using a small rope.... When the cowboy completes his tie, he throws his hands in the air as a signal to the judge. He then remounts his horse and they take a step or two forward, which allows the rope to become slack while the calf remains tied. The run is declared invalid if the calf kicks free within six seconds."

I wanted to know how long he'd been at it.

"Quite a while...most of my life," says Parker. "I started roping calves when I was 34 years old, but I'd ridden bucking horses and stuff before that."

"What was rodeo like 40 years ago?"

Parker laughs, "Pretty much the same. The contestants were a little bit different, a little wilder. It's more of a business now. It was a way of life then, a carefree deal for young people."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Carefree left the country in 1998. "Is there enough money in the senior tour to make a living? Can the 20th-best guy, 25th-best guy pay his rent off it?"

"No; it's like going on vacation and taking all your friends with you and maybe win a little money, too."

Parker drove a truck for Safeway most of his life. He worked out of Portland, Oregon, and rodeoed in the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association on the side. After retiring from Safeway, Parker started competing in senior rodeos and traveling around the West. He found -- or ran into -- "a place big enough to keep horses on" in Point, Texas. He bought it and is going about the business of living happily ever after.

A simple observation. "Everybody I've ever met who participated in rodeos has broken bones. More than that. Everybody has something that hurts all the time. How about you?"

"Most of them get broken bones in riding events, not roping calves," Parker says. "I haven't had any injuries that kept me from roping, although I'm getting slower all the time. I can't get off the horse and get down there quick enough, but, in the seniors, we rope a little smaller calves."

"What is this 68-plus group for calf roping? Seems like an odd age for a category." (NSPRA also has a 40s group, 50s group, and 60s group.)

"They let guys come into the 60s group when they're 59 years old," Parker says, "if they're going to be 60 before the end of the year. When you get up around 68 it's hard to compete with them younger guys. So, they created a 68-plus group so guys could rope calves a little longer."

"How many ropers in the 68-plus category?"

"Depends on the rodeo. Sometimes you might see six or seven other guys; sometimes you might have 20."

"How many rodeos did you make last year?"

"About 35."

Whoa. "That's a lot. Close to one every ten days."

"We have a run coming up, two in Utah and six in Nevada. There'll be eight rodeos in 11 days. And I'm going to Arizona next month. There's one rodeo in Buckeye, two at Globe, one at Phoenix, one at Wickenberg, and one at Goodyear."

I smile, thinking of the rodeo in Lakeside. "I like small rodeos. Men driving campers or trucks, pulling horse trailers, driving into a dusty dirt parking lot on a Friday night. Everybody stands in a circle, drinks beer, bullshits with their buddies, rodeo the next day, drive off to another rodeo, stand around, drink beer, and so on. Is the senior tour like that?"

"Yeah; they do a lot of that in the seniors. They have a lot of potluck dinners and things like that."

"How about horses? Do you train yours or buy one that's been broken in by someone else?"

"I've done both. The one I've got now I've trained. The other one was semi-trained, but..." Silence. "After I had him a year, he was a lot better horse than he was when I got him. I won a lot of money on him, but he run into a fence and killed himself."

"What?"

"Yeah, he was playing; I don't know what he was thinking of. He was drinking water and my son's dog run in and nicked him on the heels. He just turned and run right into the fence."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why did Harrah's VP commit suicide last summer?

Did the fight the Rincon casino had with San Diego County over Covid play a part?
Next Article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader