story by Ruth Nicolaus
Dominick Schmidt loves animals, loves agriculture, and he loves junior high rodeo. The thirteen-year-old cowboy, a resident of Orleans, Neb., competes in the breakaway roping, goat tying and ribbon roping, roping for his sister Jaylea. Of his three events, he considers himself best at tying goats.
For his events, he rides a horse named Partner, who was trained by his dad. Partner, a thirteen-year-old dun, is good at ranch work and is really “energetic,” Dominick said. But he’s not crazy about the box and the barrier. “He doesn’t like standing in the box with the barrier pulled,” Dominick said. “He doesn’t like it, but he will go through it.”
As an eighth grade student at Alma Public Schools, the best part of the day is ag class. Dominick starts FFA this year, and he is excited about that. His favorite teacher is Mr. Robison, the ag teacher, because “he is kind of laid back, and it helps that what he’s teaching is my favorite class.”
Dominick plays junior high basketball and is a member of the Republican Valley Livestock 4-H Club, where he shows cattle and his horse. This summer, he showed two heifers and three steers at the Harlan County Fair. His heifer Peaches, an Angus, got a reserve champion ribbon.
There are a variety of animals around his house and his grandpa’s farm, and Dominick loves most of them. The family has four dogs (Izzy, Kia, Sophie and Bella), two goats who used to be roping practice till they got too big, about 500 head of cattle, eight horses, and cats. Dominick is not a fan of the cats.
The best dish his mom makes is peach cobbler, and his favorite food is a cheeseburger. He likes Mountain Dew, raw carrots, strawberries, and his favorite dessert is brownies with vanilla ice cream. He likes ice cream with his peach cobbler, too.
His favorite place to be is at the fair and rodeos, where he’s “around people my age who are interested in the same things that I am.”
His parents, Jason and Ashley, love their boy very much. “He’s the most kind-hearted teenager you’ll ever meet,” Ashley said. Dominick drops everything to play with his little brother, who is five years old. “He’ll stop what he’s doing to help him rope or help him do anything. He’s always looking out for his siblings. He’s always willing to help and he’s there for anybody.” He’s also honest, she said.
He would like to attend the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis when he graduates from high school, and when he chooses a career, he’d like to farm and ranch, tie-down rope, and ride saddle broncs. “I like the agriculture industry,” he said.
Dominick started junior high rodeo in the spring of his seventh grade year. It was a bit nerve-wracking to start, but not too bad. “I knew I’d have fun, and I had friends who already did it.”
He has an older brother, Tyson, who is seventeen, two younger sisters, Jaylea, age eleven, who also competes in junior high rodeo, and Kaylinn, who is nine, and a younger brother, Crayton, who is five.
