Talk Humboldt: Youth Rodeo Organizer Marco Luna

His own daughter dreamed of being a barrel rider, and ever since then he’s been helping local youth find purpose in a centuries-old pastime. "Just like any other sport, you have to get signed off by your principal at your school, maintain a grade point average, and you can't be in any trouble or have any disciplinary issues. So it's just like any other sport." Part athletics and part lifestyle, the local rodeo scene starts in 5th grade and can proceed to the professional level. Luna, who is the president of the California High School Rodeo Association's second district, tells Keith and Tom about rodeo’s roots, its future, and what it does for Humboldt County youth.

Transcript:

Tom Jackson: Well, hello, I'm Tom Jackson with Cal Poly Humboldt, and I'm here again today with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Keith Flamer, President of the College of the Redwoods. Good to see you.

Keith Flamer:
Good to see you too. Tom, it's always good to be with you.

Tom Jackson:
Here we are today with Marco Luna, the current California High School Rodeo Association District Two President. Good to see you, Marco.

Marco Luna:
Oh, it's always a pleasure to get out there with you two guys. It's always a lot of fun. We have a lot of interesting things in common, so thank you for the invite.

Keith Flamer:
Absolutely.

Tom Jackson:
Well, Marco, we're going to talk about rodeo. How did you get into rodeo? Tell us a little bit about that backstory of yours.

Marco Luna:
Well, I'm a native third-generation from Humboldt County. My parents had a Mexican restaurant. You know, my dad was from Mexico, and my uncles… they had a passion for livestock and animals. I had a daughter who was pretty athletic. She did all the sports, and we got into rodeo. I actually told her one day, ‘Look, this is too much, going from softball to soccer to rodeos...’

I had to ask her to make the decision of what she wanted to do. She finally came to me and said, "Yep, I'm going to do rodeo, Dad." I asked her how she came to that decision, and she said, "I had a dream that I was a barrel rider."

And I said, "That's good enough for me."

Tom Jackson:
Marco, we use the word rodeo as if we know what it means, but not everyone really knows what rodeo is. Can you talk about that so we all kind of get a good education on what we're talking about?

Marco Luna:
Yeah. Well, there's a long, long history of rodeos. The ranchers and the cowboys used some of these events when you were out in the pasture. Back in the day, if you had a sick calf, you had to go get it, rope it, and tie it down. And years ago, when they had to settle those horses down, a lot of different cultures had different ways to gentle those horses.

We try to do it very humanely. There are 11 events that they compete in, everything from barrel racing, pole bending, and goat tying. Just like any other sport, you have to get signed off by your principal at your school, maintain a grade point average, and you can't be in any trouble or have any disciplinary issues. So it's just like any other sport.

Tom Jackson:
Marco, can you say a little more about the California High School Rodeo Association and what they do?

Marco Luna:
Yeah, absolutely. The California High School Rodeo Association has nine districts, and we are District Two. Our District Two includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. We compete against all the other districts. Our kids will compete against each other once a month from all those different counties. What we're ultimately doing is trying to find the best of the best.

So when my top five junior kids go to Red Bluff for the state finals, they're competing against the other districts. Once they all get together, they take the top four to make up the California team representing California. They go to nationals. It's gotten so big that it includes four provinces, Canada, Mexico sends a team, and they fly kids in from Hawaii. So there are a lot of kids that the high school rodeo affects, and you know, those kids are chasing their dreams.

Keith Flamer:
I have a daughter. She's 41, and I remember the days when she would rush home from school not to say hi to her father, but to say hi to our horse. It's calming. She speaks to the horse like it's part of her heart. If you could talk to us about the connection that horses and people have and how rodeo has changed so much, with people loving their animals—not just horses, but cows—and how that has helped change the whole culture of rodeo.

Marco Luna:
Yeah, that's a good point. I, too, have seen that passion. There are times when I just go in the barn on a rainy day and brush them down, and there's just something about the smell of a horse.

Keith Flamer:
And the barn. I love the smell of a barn, I have to tell you.[laughs]

Marco Luna:
Yeah. I mean, you're talking about a 1,200-pound animal that could be like big puppy dogs. They're very supple. They'll drop their heads and start licking their lips. There's something therapeutic about that.

And you talk about where rodeo has come from and the care and well-being of animals. If you can go to a ranch or visit any of us on our farms, and see how well cared-for they are, I think you would understand. They come running to me, so it's therapeutic.

Tom Jackson:
So we're here today with Marco Luna, the current California High School Rodeo Association District Two president. If we could talk a little bit about the safety of the rider–can you talk more about how that has changed over the years?

Marco Luna:
That's a good question because these animals are strong and fast, and they trip. It's pretty scary. There are so many rules. We actually have rules about the types of boots that they wear. We don't want a horse to stumble and someone to get hung up, so you stay away from rubber-type cowboy boots and go with leather, things like that. They do have the option to wear helmets. Even the pros, a lot of them are wearing helmets and the big Kevlar vests. One of the state rules is that you have to have an ambulance on site. We also keep some medicine there for the animals to help calm them down if something happens. But for our kids, the ambulance is there.

Keith Flamer:
Let's talk about high school rodeo. Talk to us about the things that you try to instill in your rodeo folks.

Marco Luna:
Well, obviously, we're trying to instill the highest standards that we can. We're preserving this way of life that a lot of these kids live, but more importantly, we're trying to produce good humans.

Tom Jackson:
Marco, are there any favorite events in rodeo that just speak to you?

Marco Luna:
You know, to be honest, they're all special. I get to see these kids grow. They learn and become better horsemen and horsewomen. That's why we do it, right? We do it for the kids.

Keith Flamer:
Hoopa Rodeo, Fortuna Rodeo, Orick Rodeo… I know there are rodeos everywhere. So talk to us about how important the local rodeos are. Also, could you talk a little bit about the difference between the Fortuna Rodeo and the rodeo held in Hoopa.

Marco Luna:
Well, those are all similar and run by their own organizations. Obviously, the biggest one around here is going to be Fortuna. Hoopa is getting going, there are some good things happening up in Hoopa. I just heard that they might be putting in a covered arena as well.

You have to consider the economics—look at the money it brings to those cities, to the grocery stores, to the restaurants. So it brings a lot to those towns. And then between the high school rodeos and those pro rodeos, you have college rodeos. Rodeo is big. There are also gay rodeos, a big African-American rodeo circuit, and I've been to a couple of those. There’s a lot of history there too.

Keith Flamer:
There is, yes.

Marco Luna:
So, it's kind of like the Indian circuit. The Native American communities have their own circuit. It's big. There’s a lot of room to rodeo.

Tom Jackson:
Marco, thank you.

Marco Luna:
Oh, thank you guys.

Keith Flamer:
I so enjoyed this conversation.

Marco Luna:
Me too.