Student excused from school to attend national event

I'm glad to hear that our paid high school faculty has found a way for Jake Oxford to make up days that will be missed while attending the USTRCA finals in Oklahoma City at the end of this month.

I'm sure the stress of make-up days will not even come close to the feeling of backing his horse, Jag, into the heel box of what is considered to the be the super bowl of team roping.

Jake has been learning and practicing for several years to get to a position some of us only dream about. Jake buys his own horses and gear and has paid the $2,000 entry fee to compete with 8,000 of the top team ropers in the United States. I assure you this trip won't be cheap.

In August Jake took his new horse Jag to Spokane, Wash., to the U.S. Team Roping Championships and returned home with two title buckles, a silver plated halter, a real nice check and three shoot-out positions at the Oklahoma finals.

As World Championship Team Roper Walt Woodard put it, and I quote, 'If you rope and you are not at Oklahoma for the U.S. Finals, it's because you got into a car wreck or something. You should not miss that event.'

From all of us that hopefully helped along the way, good luck to you. We sure would like to see the hometown boy bring home the money.

Guy Patchen Jr.

Bonners Ferry