story by Ruth Nicolaus
Dean Schroder loves competing in the steer saddle bronc riding.
The thirteen year old cowboy, a member of the Nebraska Junior High School Rodeo Association, lives in Taylor, Neb., and is in his second year of junior high rodeo competition. His favorite parts of riding steer saddle broncs are making the buzzer, and the camaraderie he finds behind the chutes, with his buddies.
Dean is an eighth grade student at Loup County Public School in Taylor. His favorite thing to study is math, and his least favorite subject is English. He plays football, basketball, wrestles, and runs track, and is a manager for the high school football team. He is on his school’s high honor roll.
Dean’s favorite teacher is Mrs. Gumb, his fifth and sixth grade teacher. She “was a hard teacher, but fun,” he said. She gave students a lot of homework “but really prepared us for seventh and eighth grade.” But along with the hard work, she made sure her students did enjoyable activities, including art projects and parties every month.
This past summer, Dean worked alongside his dad as part of the fencing crew. His jobs were to lay out posts and tamp them down, which gave him good muscles, and he didn’t have to go to the weight room at 6 am to lift!
He was careful with the paychecks he earned, putting most of them in the bank, but keeping some out for spending cash. When he went with his family to the National High School Finals Rodeo, where his brother J.W. rode broncs, he had the chance to spend a bit on fun things like a hat, coffee cup, rosin, and binds for his saddle.
When he grows up, he’d like to be a rancher like his dad, and raise bucking horses.
He competed at state finals this past year, and missed making it to the National Junior High School Finals by two points.
He is the son of John and Belinda Schroder.
