story by Ruth Nicolaus
The Lammers boys, Nathan and Wesley, love horses, love rodeo, love going to school, and love helping out their neighbors.
The Elbert, Colo. cowboys, members of the Colorado Junior High School Rodeo Association, are thirteen and eleven years old, respectively.
The boys team rope together, Nathan as heeler, and both do breakaway roping, goat tying, and ribbon roping. Nathan chute dogs and Wesley rifle shoots. Nathan’s strength, he believes, is the chute dogging, in part because his dad did it and because he enjoys it a lot. He can’t wait to steer wrestle in high school. Wesley’s best event is team roping; he likes to rope with his brother and it gives him a shot of adrenaline.
The brothers ride Cash for the goat tying and heading (for Wesley); Batman for the breakaway and ribbon roping, and Pudge for the heeling (for Nathan) and sometimes for the breakaway.
They are students at Elbert Middle School. Nathan is an eighth grader and loves having a small class. There are only fourteen kids in his class, compared to his school last year, where there were 530. “It’s a big change but I really do love it.” Wesley’s favorite subject is woodshop class; he has no dislikes with school subjects. “I like them all,” he said. Nathan prefers math class, and likes a bit of a challenge, too. He’s doing algebra this year, and “it’s making me work hard for what I need to do, instead of flowing through it easy.”
Both boys play basketball, run track and are on the honor roll.
Their dad is a good cook, and they love it when he grills steaks. Nathan likes his with a side of mashed or baked potatoes and asparagus. Wesley loves the caramel rolls his grandma makes, and Nathan loves the strawberry cheesecake his dad makes. Wesley loves peach tea and any kind of soda, whether it’s Pepsi, Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper, and Nathan prefers sweet tea. Both boys like M&Ms, and Wesley likes red licorice, too.
Their favorite trip was to Guthrie, Okla., to the Little Britches Rodeo Finals where they competed this year. It was the first trip for both boys, and Wesley placed sixth in the second round of goat tying. Nathan won the second round of goat tying and together they placed second in the second round of ribbon roping.
They make several annual trips to South Dakota to visit their grandparents, but both boys loved a trip a few years ago, when they got to visit Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Cosmos Mystery Area, Bear Country, and other fun places.
The boys love to help out their neighbors, Ken and Renee, with outdoor work, like working on lawnmowers and other machines, painting outbuildings, and mowing. Ken and Renee are their “Colorado grandparents” because they have no grandparents in the state.
Their dad appreciates each boy’s unique talents. Nathan “has a lot of drive to get better at what he does,” Monty Lammers said. “I don’t have to nudge him too much (to practice.) He works hard to make sure he’s at the next level.” Nathan is more of a night owl; he does the evening chores.
It’s the same for Wesley, Monty said. “He’s super dedicated to practice. He’s up at 5 am, out of the house before everybody else, roping the dummy, tying goats, and feeding horses. He usually has everything taken care of outside in the morning.”
Both cowboys are mature, too, which Monty appreciates. “They’re pretty social and interact with adults well.” He’s proud of his sons.
They are also the sons of Erin Lammers.
