Benefit for
Loveland’s Jaycie Love expected to exceed $30,000
Story by Barbara Baker
NEW RAYMER, CO—The fact that some good
summer rains had generated a good supply of green grass on the was more than
apparent during the 11th Annual Feeders and Friends event held at New
Raymer in mid-August. The cowboys had their hands full during the ranch rodeo,
trying to manipulate steers and cows in the arena that clearly were carrying
several hundred more pounds of body weight than they have in past,
drought-ridden years.
Twenty three teams of five cowboys and a
few cowgirls took their turn in the arena trying to complete five events against
the clock. They had to do team doctoring, team sorting, trailer loading, double
mugging and wild cow milking. To say the least, the feisty cattle did as much as
they could to not cooperate. A number of the teams got hung up on the double
mugging event when the steers just wouldn’t go down without a fight—in a number
of cases, this is when the clock ran out on them The contestants hung in there
as they knew they were battling the heat and the dust and the cattle for a
wonderful cause. All of the activities during the day were part of a fundraiser
to benefit Jaycie Love, an 8-year-old cowgirl from Loveland, Colorado who is
courageously battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. While organizers are still
collecting donations, they estimate that the proceeds from the day, which
included the rodeo, concessions, an auction and a dance, will exceed
$30,000.
Jaycie and her family were introduced and
honored at the event, Jaycie herself riding high in the saddle on her own horse
during the grand entry.
This annual event is the work of more than
100 volunteers who come together each year to raise funds for a family of a
young person who has been unexpectedly hit with circumstances of illness or
death. Ranches and feedlots in the area come forth every year, paying fees to
compete in the event. They rally support from their various vendors, including
feed and pharmaceutical companies that provide to their operations. Families
from Fort Collins, New Raymer, Stoneham, Fort Morgan, Iliff, Peetz, Englewood,
Briggsdale, Flagler and Loveland. Proceeds may be given directly to the family
to help cover rehabilitation expenses, or it may be placed into managed
foundations to be used for scholarship awards in the honoree’s name.
It was a team from nearby Grover, The
Flying T Ranch, who captured first place in the ranch rodeo with a time of
3:51.99 in the arena. The team was made up of Steve Anderson, Kadyn Hicks, Steve
Hicks, Mark Foreman and Shane Hilzer.
Second place team, hailing from Wellington,
CO came to the event from Horton Feedlots and consisted of Brittney Macdonald,
Jordan Mildenberger, Josh Love (Jaycie’s dad), Eric Schneider and William
Huston. Their time was 4:19.
Third place team, traveling all the way
form Colorado’s Western Slope was the Western Slope Cattleman’s Livestock
Auction Team out of Loma, CO. The team was made up of Bill Martin, Ty Tingy,
Josh Nicklas, Lothan Snyder and Conway Farrel.
Fourth place went to Pinneo Feedlot of
Brush, Colorado. The team was made up of Leo Hubbard, T. J. Hubbard, Cody
Frazier, Esquiel Granados and Ramirro Castillo. They were also the fourth place
team last year.
Fifth place team was Porter Creek Livestock
out of Carpenter, WY. Team members were Kyle Breeden, Ty Thompson, Josh Buttle,
Gerrado Garcia and Justin Smith. This team has consistently placed in the top
six, capturing third place last year.
Sixth place team was Eagles Nest Ranch out
of Orchard, CO with a time of 5:18. That team was made up of Mike Geige, Rod
Judson, Brandy Geiger, AR Hubert and JR Bailey.
Ironically, the first three teams to
compete, Pinneo Feedlot, Horton Feedlots and Flying T Ranch, set the pace for
the day, with all three of them placing in the top six. A number of the teams
this year ended up taking no time scores. Much to the home town crowd’s dismay,
for the first time in a long time, a team was disqualified during the contest.
It was the New Raymer favorites, from the Mile High Ranch, made up of Monty
Younglund, Jamie Shoemaker, Kim Banning, Justin Huber and Jamie Clay Shoemaker.
They were disqualified by the judges when the steer they put in the trailer
during the trailer loading event had two ropes on its head. A cowboy had caught
and released it in the arena, leaving one rope on, so when it was re-roped and
drug to the trailer, it had two ropes attached, apparently a very clear
violation of the rules.
Other teams competing in the 2013 event
included Miller Cattle Feeders (Pierce, CO), Guenzi Farms (Sterling, CO), Ehmke
Ranch (Grover, CO), Spear T. Horses (Greeley/Kersey, CO), Mile High Ranch
(Grover, CO), Schramm Feedlot (Yuma, CO), Livewire Livestock (Last Chance, CO),
Elliott Land & Cattle (Greeley, CO), Rocking Anchor Ranch (Akron, CO),
Dinklage Feedyard Proctor #1 (Proctor, CO), Wahlert Ranch (Grover, CO), BeefCo
(Akron, CO); Konig Feedlot (Grover, CO), Rock Barn Land and Cattle (Idalia, CO),
Stauffer Cattle CO (Harrisburg, NE), Dinklage Feedyard (Sidney, NE) and Overland
Trail Ranch (Crook, CO).
The Feeders and Friends organization will
continue to round up all the pledged donations and gifts to this year’s event
and will do a formal presentation to the family in a month or so. The event is
always held the third Saturday of the month in New Raymer.
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