MEEKER | Long weekends on the road, countless hours with horses and the dedication required to compete at a high level are all part of life for the Watson family as Whit and Greta continue to grow in junior high rodeo.
That hard work paid off recently at the Colorado State Junior High School Rodeo Finals in Craig, where Whit Watson qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in team roping alongside partner Haze after advancing to the short round in three events.
Whit also reached the short round in ribbon roping with Odessa and calf roping, while Greta Watson continued showing growth in barrel racing and pole bending with her mare.
For their mother, Dessa Watson, watching the two develop through rodeo has been rewarding.
“Watching Whit and Greta grow in rodeo is so fulfilling and also slightly stressful,” Watson said with a laugh. “I recently read a quote that said, ‘Give children the space to show their capacity, and they will,’ and you really see that at junior high rodeos.”
Watson said rodeo teaches responsibility, dedication and discipline while also helping young athletes develop confidence and character.
“These kids are in fifth through eighth grade and they are out there making rodeo look easy,” she said. “Horses and rodeo teach kids a heck of a lot of responsibility, dedication and discipline, and they also give them the space to develop their sense of self and their character through time with their animals, with us and with their rodeo families across the state.”
Greta recently began competing on a new horse acquired from Meeker native Melanyi Wagnild, something Watson said has been exciting to watch.
“Greta recently acquired a new horse from Meeker native Melanyi Wagnild and it has been so much fun watching her learn and grow on such a cool horse,” Watson said. “She competes in barrels and poles.”
Whit has continued expanding his events as well.
“Whit competes in team roping and this year he added calf roping and ribbon roping,” Watson said.
The rodeo season requires major commitments from the entire family, with many weekends spent traveling across the state.
“It requires a ton of dedication and some real choices about other sports and activities,” Watson said. “It takes a lot of their time, and honestly all of our time.”
To help manage the long rodeo weekends, the family purchased an older living quarters trailer to travel together.
“The rodeos are Friday through Sunday so we got ourselves an older living quarters trailer that makes the experience more fun and close knit,” Watson said. “These weekends are the time we get to spend together as a family with our kids, our horses and our friends.”
Watson also credited the friendships built through rodeo, specifically mentioning the Ivy family from Meeker.
“Families like Herb and Teya and their kids Kalee, Rylan and JB from Meeker make every mile worth it,” she said.
While rodeo can be expensive and time consuming, Watson said the experiences and memories make the sacrifices worthwhile.
“It is expensive and it is a commitment, but this is what we get to do with our kids instead of a tropical vacation every year,” she said.
Whit’s qualification for nationals in Guthrie, Oklahoma, was a particularly emotional moment for the family.
“We are beyond excited for Whit,” Watson said. “He has had a rope in his hand since he could hold a spoon. Roping is just a part of who he is and we are so grateful we get to support him in that.”
Watson said rodeo continues teaching life lessons that sometimes parents cannot.
“What I will say is that rodeo and horses are teaching them what I cannot always get them to hear from me,” she said. “When your horse reflects the effort you put in, that is a pretty honest mirror.”
For the Watson family, the weekend in Craig became about much more than results alone.
“It was extra special for so many reasons,” Watson said. “Sometimes it really does take a village, and this weekend we felt all of that love and support from our family and friends while we got to watch our kids and their horses have a great weekend.”
Watson said the experience is even better when shared with other local families and hopes more Meeker families join them on the road in the future.
“It would be so fun to have more Meeker families on the road,” she said.
“Time spent with family, friends and amazing horses is what makes all of it worth it.”
In the end, the results were only part of the story. For the Watson family, the real win was time together on the road, watching growth in the arena, and seeing Whit and Greta build confidence one run at a time.
