story by Ruth Nicolaus
Samuel Florell is the first person in his family to compete in rodeo, and he loves the sport. In addition to the competition as a saddle bronc rider, tie-down roper and team roper, he loves the people and the travel. He’s met some wonderful people, made good friends, and seen places across the state that he never would have seen if it wasn’t for rodeo. Rodeo and travel “broaden you and open your eyes to different things,” he believes.
A member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, he is strongest in the team roping but has made the most improvement in the saddle bronc riding. He heels for Thayne Kimbrough, and his heel horse is named Dashboard, because the horse stops a lot. Dashboard started as Samuel’s reined cow horse but was switched to heeling. “He’s a pretty easy horse to get along with,” he said. “His background in reined cow horse goes along well with the dynamics of heeling.”
His tie-down horse, Chuck, came to the family four years ago. The palomino was broke and Samuel finished him. In Chuck’s first years, he was “pretty green,” he said. “It took a lot of work to get him where I was comfortable with him at rodeos.” Chuck is improving. “He’s progressing into a really good horse. He’s been a learning experience. I learned a lot as I trained him, and got better at roping myself.”
Samuel is a senior at Amherst Public School. He enjoys his small school and community. “We take pride in how we do in school, on the wrestling mat, the court, and the football field. We love to compete but we love to be good people on top of that.”
He is involved in FBLA, FCA, is vice-president of his FFA chapter, plays football, and wrestles. The Amherst football team has made it to playoffs three of the past four years; Samuel plays running back and linebacker on the eight-man team. In wrestling, he’s qualified for state every year and as of press time, was ranked second in Class D in the 145 lb. division.
One of his favorite classes in school is welding, because he loves to work with his hands. He’s making a grinding stand for a wheel grinder for the shop at home, and later this school year he’ll make some spring-loaded walk-through gates for the corners of the corrals, “to make things more efficient.”
In the summers, he can be found on the family operation, helping his dad and granddad. They raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and cattle.
Samuel’s mom makes a lot of good dishes, but his favorite is chicken and biscuits, with biscuits from scratch. He also loves his mom’s Texas Sheet cake. His favorite beverage is ginger ale, and he loves to snack on beef and deer jerky and summer sausage. As for desserts, he’s a connoisseur. If he has his way, desserts are eaten first, to make sure there’s room for them. He loves peach cobbler, angel food cake, and finding anything that pairs well with ice cream.
Last year, he competed at the state finals in the saddle bronc riding and light rifle, and went on to the National High School Finals Rodeo in the light rifle competition.
This fall, he plans on going to college, probably at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to pursue a degree in animal science or ag business with a grazing systems minor. He has received an academic scholarship for college.
Samuel has an older brother, Brandt, and a younger sister, Ava. He is the son of Clint and Melissa Florell.
