By JANE HOUIN
Ohio Correspondent

MARIETTA, Ohio — If it were not for his Uncle Dale, 12-year old Marietta cowboy Gage Wolfert would not be where he is today. The reining overall all-around championship cowboy in the Rocky Fork Rodeo Co. youth rodeo association says it was because of his uncle that he became interested in rodeo.

“Uncle Dale had horses and friends in the rodeo,” Wolfert said. That was how he first became involved with the youth rodeo association five years ago.

Since that time, the sixth-grader at Warren Elementary has competed and excelled in a variety of event at the Rocky Fork Rodeo Co. rodeos, including chute dogging, down and back, steer daubing, advanced dummy roping and goat tying.

And his skills in those areas cannot be disputed: Two years ago he was the all-around cowboy in his age division, and last year he won the title of all-around cowboy at the Rocky Fork Rodeo Company Finals, as well as the overall year-end all-around championship across all age divisions – earning himself a championship trophy saddle.

“The best part of participating in the Rocky Fork rodeos is having fun,” said Wolfert, who has also learned sportsmanship and respect for his fellow rodeo competitors. “Kids should consider joining Rocky Fork Rodeo Company because it makes them tough.”

That toughness can certainly be seen in the events in which Wolfert chooses to compete. Both the chute dogging and steer daubing are precursors to professional rodeo’s steer wrestling event, often called the “tough man’s event” because it involves a cowboy running down a steer while on horseback, jumping from the horse onto the steer’s back and wrestling that steer to the ground.
In steer daubing, Wolfert hones his skills in the horsemanship part of the event by chasing down a steer and running past it while using what looks like an oversized Q-tip to mark its back.

The chute dogging event develops the groundwork necessary for professional cowboys to then wrestle the steers to the ground. In this event, contestants start on the ground with the steer, release it from a chute and then must wrestle, or throw, the steer to the ground with all of its legs pointing in the same direction.
Both are timed events in which the fastest time wins.

Similarly, Wolfert’s other events are timed, as well. In the down and back, he races his horse Bud from one end of the arena to the other in an attempt at the fastest time.

His other two events are precursors to calf roping. In the advanced dummy roping, contestants start atop a wooden “horse” and see who can rope a dummy of a calf in the fastest time. In goat tying, contestants race their horses down the arena, dismount, catch a goat that it staked at the far end of the arena and then tie three of the animal’s legs together – just like the groundwork done by professional calf ropers in competition.

Wolfert, the son of David and Heather Wolfert and Jeff and Jessica Cline, hopes to capture the all-around championship title again this year. But he also enjoys skateboarding and participating in his church youth group and the science Olympiad. He also volunteers for Easter Seals camp.

Wolfert was among the more than 100 young cowboys and cowgirls competing at the Rocky Fork Youth Rodeo Finals the last weekend of September.

For more information about Rocky Fork Rodeo Co., including a schedule of events and membership application, visit www.rockyforkrodeo.com