Story by Heidi Geesen
Calhan Colorado is the highest non mountain town in the United States at 6535 feet above sea level. It is also home to 14-year-old Cameron Capshaw, the 2021 CJRA Champion Junior Team Roping Heeler, which he won with partner Grady Wilson. Cameron also qualified for the CJRA finals in the Ribbon Roping, Assisted Calf Tying, Goat Tying, and Breakaway Roping. Cameron is an eighth grader at Elbert Junior High School, in Elbert, Co, where he is also active on the football and basketball teams.
Last week this brilliant and very talented young man loaded up with his family, brother Cole, Mother Emelie, and Father Jimmie, and headed to Ft. Worth, Texas. What awaited in Ft. Worth was the USTRC Cinch National Finals Team Roping. Cameron partnered up with another young gunslinger from Kansas, 16-year-old Jhett Vanderhamm. Despite living some five ½ hours away from each other, the two met at the Young Guns in Dodge City, KS, and decided to try their luck on a bigger stage, the 9.5 at the USTRC Finals. Two nice clean runs, in rounds one and three, and an inside leg in round two would be good enough for second high call out of over 560 teams entered. They would knock their short round steer down in a time of 6.44, watch the high call team spit the bit, and boom shoc-a-loca, they were the champs, with a solid time of 32.47 on 4 head. The dynamic duo would take home the largest share of the $284,000 dollar payout, new saddles, new buckles, new Resistol hats, new Horsepower boots, and of course tons of bragging rights.
When Cameron isn’t taking peoples lunch money at local jackpots or junior rodeos, you will find him helping Jimmie and Cole start some colts on the barrels or in the roping. When the colts are all rode and Dad gives the all clear signal, that’s when the dust comes flying from the goat pen. Camo and Cole will spend hours chasing the goats around roping them and when it gets too dark for the goats, they just move inside and start hammering away at the cowboy toy, or whatever else happens to be in the way or within reach of their ropes at that moment. Cameron also is a good braider and makes really nice horse halters, neck ropes, or about anything else you can imagine braiding mule tape into. When it gets too cold to rope that’s when the camouflage and Winchesters come out of the closet, and he goes hunting. With this young man running on the loose anything in El Paso County is either going to get roped or shot. Congratulations to CJRA member Cameron Capshaw and his amazing family on this big time and life changing win! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this Calhan, Co, talent.
