By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Coastal Texas weather was well-suited for a rodeo. The air was crisp and cool in the arena at John Brooks Park in Hitchcock Saturday. RVs and horse trailers filled the grassy parking areas, riders galloped inside the arena and children with their families enjoyed themselves, hanging out before the start of the evening’s events.
Young rodeo riders came from around the region. A couple of them came down from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and another is reported to have come from California to participate in the rodeo.
Galveston County’s very own rodeo hall of fame inductee, Harold Cash, corralled World Champion bull rider Charlie Sampson to participate in a team roping contest and to provide some encouragement to the young rodeo riders.
In 1982, Sampson became the first Black American cowboy to win a world championship in professional rodeo as a bull rider. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996. He served as the Grand Marshall for Tucson Arizona’s La Fiesta de Vaqueros’ parade in 1995.
Saturday evening’s rodeo offered a family-friendly experience and the added blessing of having Chris Carter as its official announcer. His tranquil yet robust voice opened the event.
Carter has years of rodeo-announcing experience, but the compassion for people that his voice conveys may have been developed in his vocation as a pastor. He serves as pastor at True Vine Missionary Baptist Church in Crosby, Texas.
The Evening included barrel racing. The event featured some very young riders whose spirits could not be broken. They dashed out of the gate atop their horses and rounded the barrels, coming back into the gate, hoping they had the best time.
A few of the riders knocked over some barrels. That was when the spiritual leader who announces rodeos very deftly said something like this:
“The cowboy had some bad luck. Give him some applause because all he will be going home with is what you give him right now.” Which he said something similar for every cowboy or cowgirl that didn’t do as well has they hoped.
Next came the calf-tying event and other roping and tying events roping finally, the grand finale — bull riding.
A bull named Hurricane had not been ridden in two years, and one fearless bull rider mounted the bull hoping to hold on for a count, but the bull bucked off the rider too soon.
Carter was speaking his closing words when he learned another fearless bull rider was willing to attempt to ride Hurricane the bull. There was money to be won by a rider if he or she could stay atop for eight seconds.
The crowd that had risen to leave the arena returned to their seats and waited eagerly with their cell phones held up, hoping to capture a bull rider staying atop Hurricane for the required time. Unfortunately, the second rider was also thrown before scoring the needed time.
At the end of the evening, attendees and participants were pleased with an event that honored both past Black cowboy heroes and young rodeo riders, some of whom were Black and others who were not.
Here’s a list of the winners at the 2025 Harold Cash Living Legend Charity and Scholarship Rodeo:
- Junior Break-a-Way- Jermaine Walker Jr.
- Junior Tiedown – T.J. Davis
- Girls Break-a-Way -Azja Bryant
- 40* Break-a-Way – Derrick Poole
- 40+ Tiedown – Russel Gary
- Open Break-a-Way – Poppa Calhoun
- Double Aught – Robert Gary
- Open Barrels – Dusky Hall
- Junior Barrels – Jessie Wright
- Pee Wee Barrels – Jesie Wright
- Wrangle Barrels – Kalii Poole
- Open Tiedown – Jamil Baker
- Steer Undercoating – Krishaun Adair
- Team Roping Header – Isiah Hall
- Team Roping Heeler – Camish Jennings
