Steers await Garner

Live Oak's Josh Garner and five other District 3 cowboys will test their skills against the best the country has to offer, when the National High School Finals Rodeo begins Sunday in Farmington, N.M.

"We literally just got here," Garner's mother, Kathy, said Friday afternoon by cell phone. "We haven't even found a place to park yet." Garner, the two-time California state steer wrestling champion, has high hopes of placing at the nation rodeo. Last season, he finished ninth.

Joining Garner at the event from the California High School Rodeo Association's District 3 are Austin Tyler and Dillon Everts from Lincoln, Daniel Rice from Acampo, Nicole Tsosie from Eureka and Haley Brum from Galt.

Tyler also will participate in steer wrestling, Everts will compete in bull riding, Rice will participate in boys cutting and Tsosie and Brum will compete in breakaway roping.

The tentative draw has Garner taking the arena floor on Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon.

Unlike the state rodeo, which has three go-rounds plus the short-go, the national event has just two go-rounds before the short go-round, which is scheduled for next Saturday.

"Otherwise, we'd be here for two weeks," Kathy Garner said.

Garner noted last year there were 165 steer wrestlers, while the total number of cowboys expected to compete this year tops 1,500.

Garner said her son and the other District 3 cowboys will hang out together.

"It's a long time to be here," she said, adding her son most likely also will seek out friends he's made from out-of-state in his previous two trips to the national finals.

Garner said there should be time for other activities as well.

"We'll go to Four Corners," she said. "There are some Indian museums we want to see. And, we're right on the San Juan River. I saw a sign where they rent tubes and rafts. I'm sure we'll keep busy."

Still, the focus remains the rodeo and Garner said her son's goal is to come homer with a national steer wrestling title.

"It just depends on the luck of the draw," she added.