Keeping Stories Alive
Glen Freels may have grown up near the city, but there was no keeping the cowboy inside him from emerging.
Glen grew up in a suburb of Atlanta but found himself spending every break from school with his uncle Mickey Freels in Tennessee. Although his dad roped a little, Glen had no horse experience, but his uncle Mickey was a calf roper and began to show Glen the ropes. Glen quickly became hooked.
When you first talk with Daryl Matthews, a few things immediately stand out. He has a pleasant demeanor, he is proud of his family, and he sure loves to rope calves.
This passion for calf roping has been a lifelong journey and has turned into a shared family dream, with his two daughters, Bailey and Kyla both enjoying roping. While Bailey now has a separate career, Kyla continues to pursue breakaway roping and was recently named world champion at the International Finals Rodeo 54 in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Rodeo is in their blood.
Cassie Chapman’s voice is full of love and thankfulness when she speaks about her family, her husband, and her roping. A tough breakaway roping competitor and current Director of Breakaway Roping for the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), Cassie is no stranger to the IPRA or the world of rodeo.
In fact, she is a third-generation rodeo athlete, with her grandparents on both sides being involved with horses.
For LaFayette, Georgia’s Zeb Chapman, horses have always been a family affair. From growing up with his dad deeply involved in the horse and roping world, to roping with his sister, and now through continuing the family tradition with his own roping, horse training, and marriage to breakaway roper Cassie Chapman.
Tori and Robbie Murdock are a North Carolina calf roping power couple whose dedication to quality competition, advocacy, and community education is well known along the East Coast.
Respectively from Villanow, Georgia, and Statesville, North Carolina, they make their home together in Statesville but spend plenty of time burning up the rodeo road as competitors in the Southern Rodeo Association (SRA) and the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA).
This past weekend, talented cowboys and cowgirls from around the country gathered in Topeka to compete and connect with old friends during the 60th annual United Rodeo Association (URA) Finals. With the support of businesses and individuals sponsoring events, the hospitality of the staff at the Stormont Vail Events Center, and the devoted attitude of its members, the weekend was full of high-quality stock and professional competition in a family friendly environment.
While Monty Dyer’s passion for rodeo is apparent, he modestly states he’s just done it so long he doesn’t know how to quit. Truly a lifelong cowboy, his dad put him on his first horse as a child growing up in Ottawa, Kansas. His dad rodeoed and focused on rough stock events such as bareback and bull riding until Monty was born and he switched over to calf roping exclusively. Monty followed in his footsteps, taking on calf roping as a young man and continuing to hone his craft today through competition in the United Rodeo Association’s (URA) over 40 division.
In the cow horse world, there are different types of people. There are folks who thrive off the adrenaline of the crowd, and there are folks who need no encouragement other than the love of the game. The latter are the ones who have the most heart and grit, and know a buckle is no substitute for a job well done under tough conditions. While a mixture of both is healthy and the lines certainly blur, it is the purest appreciation of the sport that will keep it alive and thriving for future generations. As a young woman with a love for the game and an ongoing desire to learn, I was especially encouraged to get to know Oklahoma calf roper Tony Graves, who exhibits the finest characteristics of the industry.
