4-2-21 Digital PSN - Hi Res

IN THEIR WORDS JUDITH STEININGER

Rodeo grammar ain’t dad-gum hard as it sounds I can conjugate a verb faster than a crack team can rope a steer. For example: I rodeo; you rodeo; she/he/it rodeos; we rodeo; they rodeo. See what I mean? Rodeo is an elastic word; originally a noun meaning to “Sir,” put the melted cheese in the Frito bag. She also got an A+ because she had correctly taken the noun rodeo and turned it into the verb form known as present continuous! That means she does it constantly. She could have said, “I rodeoed last week,” that’s also correct (past tense). In her case, she will rodeo into the future (future tense).

round up cattle. Through usage by people who do it or watch it, the word is now both a noun and a verb (a thing and an action). Even the suits in D.C. and NYC have absconded with its thrills and toughness connotation as in, “This is not my first rodeo.” Note; they never say, “This is not my first soccer match.” Nah, their toughest ride of the day is in an elevator, but they need to imply they’ve got guts. Most of my in-person rodeo viewing is at a rodeo in Montana. Behind the bar is the local rodeo arena with its rectangular layout. The bleachers run the long sides. At the east short side, the animals are penned; on the west side, the cowboys and cowgirls hang out until their event. Underneath the announcers’ booth, which looks exactly like an extra-tall deer hunting stand, is the chute where the mad bulls come busting into the dirt arena. The air is dusty, but the popcorn and beer are cheap. For the National Finals Rodeo, my family room TV is good; even cheaper beer. The first time I heard a 7-year-old barrel racer interviewed after the junior portion, I was in grammar heaven. That sweet little thing who had just made a run for it, blond hair flying, on a big horse, said to the man with the microphone: “Yes, sir, I been rodeoing all my life.” She got a standing ovation fromme for sticking with her career the whole seven years – that’s precious. Using the honorific,

Ah, rodeo, that mystical word derived from the Spanish noun rodear, can be put into every single verb tense, all 12 of them, which indicates the time the participant rode the bull, sat the bronc, raced the barrels or hung on to a giant sheep. In the noun form, it is a show of cowboy skills, the aforementioned cattle roundup, or an event offering prizes. Heck, it’s even a famous ballet choreographed in 1942 by Agnes de Mille, music by Aaron Copeland. I’ve heard rumors there’s a very expensive shopping street in Los Angeles named Rodeo Drive. But you know what, those big silver buckles from real rodeos cannot be bought on a palm-lined street in California. They are earned with broken ribs, cracked skulls, torn ligaments, long drives with a horse trailer in the back and busted dreams. That’s why everyone longs to be a cowboy or cowgirl, even a rhinestone one. The New York-based Ralph Lauren has made a fortune designing Western looks for that very insight. Grammar is easy. Rodeo is hard. Rodeo on, cowboys and cowgirls. Continue to surprise me with variations of the word. The adverbial form (rodeo-ly) will be tough as steer wrestling-but go for it.

Judith Steininger is an award-winning writer. Her favorite topics are about the West, which explains her gigs with Montana Quarterly. A Professor Emeritus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya honed her explanation skills. Her favorite rodeos are in outdoor arenas, dust included.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/2/2021

ProRodeo.com

6