University of Idaho - Gem of the Mountains Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

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Rodeo is their way of bucking the system and it expresses their philosophy of life, it's a Sublle rebellion ob Tallman is one of the top rodeo announ- cers in the country. And surprisingly enough, he really does look like a cowboy, or what we all think cowboys should look like. He wears Wrangler jeans, a cowboy shirt topped with a brown wool shirt and a red cotton bandanna tied around his neck. True, the jeans have a crease down each leg and the bandanna looks as though it too has been to the dry cleaners, but the guy has cow dung on his red leather cowboy boots. That is the clincher. “I've been in rodeo all my life, Tallman, 35, said. He was raised on a ranch in northern Nevada and started riding when he was about five. Tallman was a rodeo cowboy for about 10 years until he stumbled into the announcing business about I5 years ago. He was riding in a rodeo and the regular announcer was absent. Tallman volunteered to take over the microphone and he's been at it ever since. Coming to the Idaho Western Classic Rodeo was like having a week off, Tallman said. He explained that there are differences between professional rodeo and college rodeo — the biggest is the spirit of volunteerism and cooperation. Tallman said he logs in about 300,000 miles a year announcing about 45 perfor- mances. He said he's Irving to cut that number down to about 25. Some mornings you just wake up wondering where you are ... the miles show a lot more on the inside continued » A little more. A cowgirl has a little more lasso to get over her cali’s head. 'The women's cham- pion was Lori Ruark, a BMCC rider. (Photo by M. LaOrange) Rodeo 29

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Holding on. Bareback riding is becom- ing increasingly popular in rodeo events. The win- ner was BMCC rider Tony Stevenson. (Photo by M. LaOrange) Kid Stuff. Women’s goat tying was also an event at the IWC competition. Here a par- ticipant is almost done. (Photo by M. LaOrange) N Le » Going for broke. A chariot racer urges his team on. Chariot racing usually opens the rodeo, or it may be used during intermission. (Photo by M. LaOrange) Miller time. Heading home after roun- ding the last barrel, Patty Pepper was the 2nd place finisher in the women's barrel racing. (Photo by M. LaOrange) 28 Rodeo

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30 Finishing up. A participant finishes hog-tving his calf. The winner of the cali roping was Scott English, a Blue Mountain Community Col- lege rider. (Photo by M. LaOrange) Rodeo Rebellion than on the outside.” But it seems unlikely that he will ever leave the rodeo announcing business for good. The life of a cowboy means too much to him and the business of an- nouncing has been good to him. He calls himself a “verbal jour- nalist and explains that it's a gift that I have to go on with. Being a cowboy is a unique way of life and the cowboy philosophy is inherent in Tallman's talk. “Cowboys are in the business because they are revolutionaries from a past generation. They do what they do as long as they want to or as long as the system allows.” Rebellion against the system is integral to much of this philosophy — rebellion against joining the real Getting ready. This cowboy, a UI rider, is getting ready to put his lariat over the head of the calf. (Photo by M. LaOrange) world of nine to five jobs behind desks. “The system sucks,” Tallman said. Rodeo, according to Tallman, lets someone practice as a way of life what he would do for fun. This seems to be Tallman's attracton to the rodeo life, a way of life that has been his wav for vears. Colleen Henry E