Cowboys of the area gathered together on a recent evening to support one of their own – a younger one – as she prepares for a chance to win at the rodeos in Las Vegas.
Sweet Home resident Jim Crotts helped organize “A Night with the Cowboys,” a cowboy poetry fundraising event for Violet Nunes on Oct. 19 at the Senior Center.
Poets who presented published and original poems were Crotts, Duane Nelson of Tygh Valley and Crystalin Christensen of McMinnville. As Crotts explained, cowboy poetry is the recitation of “songs and stories, and the things that we’ve seen and done and sometimes just heard about.”
He said about cowboys, “We are kind of the original ‘Here, hold my beer and watch this’ outfit, especially when it comes to roping big, wild cattle and riding rank horses.”
Their stories, sometimes rhythmic and rhyming, elicited the sense of being part of an inner circle of cowboys on the cattle drive, gathered around a fire and under the stars somewhere in the great outdoors as these poets shared stories and musings of life as a cowboy. Insights included imagery of wild-eyed horses and daring men, long hours and harsh weather, the wonderment of a woman being able to hold her own while herding cattle, driving cows down dangerously steep terrain, wranglings, and undertones of political jabbings.
Nunes, 17, started rodeo in 2021, spending much of her experience riding her gelding Dunny, whom she described as “awesome.”
“He’ll eat anything; he likes chips,” she shared.
Over the course of the past several years, Nunes has ridden with her mare, her gelding and a friend’s horse, giving her the experience of competing with the different horses’ characteristics and winning some events while losing others.
Nunes is a senior through the online Oregon Charter Academy with goals of pursuing rodeo after she graduates. She will compete with Dunny in the Vegas Tuffest Jr. World Championship on Dec. 5 and 7 in breakaway roping competitions and, she hopes, on Dec. 10 in the short go (final round championship).
The dining hall at the Senior Center was filled with folks from the area who came in support of Nunes, providing financial support by “filling the boot” with cash and purchasing a meal.
“It’s really indicative of Sweet Home to support a local girl,” Crotts said. “That happens all the time here in this community. I’m so pleased and proud of our little town.”
