Edward Young was born and raised in Walker, La. and he still calls the town home to this day. He has been competing in the CRA since he was 16 years old, competing in the association’s finals for the first time as a teen. Today, 35, Edward still enjoys competing in the CRA, and makes time to rodeo even with his full schedule. “I love it,” Edward says about of the sport. “I love the competition and the horses. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid. Now it’s my favorite hobby and I do it between raising kids and working.”
Edward competes in team roping as a heeler. For several years he also competed in calf roping, but he says, “I’ve broken far too many bones to step off a calf horse anymore.” Edward’s team roping partner is his longtime friend Lane Holland. They grew up a mile from each other and still live nearby today. Even though both men have children to raise and full time jobs, they still get together once or twice a week to practice roping. “It’s pretty fun to travel with a guy that has become my best friend. It works good for us. We may rope early in the morning or right at dark, be we get it in when we can.”
Two men who have been very influential in Edward’s life and rodeo pursuits are George Milton and Wendy Windorn. “I would be nowhere close to where I am today without those two guys, “ Edward said gratefully. “They are pioneers for this part of the world and I’ve spent a lot of time around them. I’ve known Mr. Wendy all my life – he lived across the road when I was growing up. Mr. George helped me rope when I got to roping. They’re both longtime family friends.”
Edward makes a living as an Assistant Fire Chief in Livingston Parish. He has been a fireman for nearly 10 years. Additionally, Edward is raising his two daughters, Cheyenne, age six, and Katelyn, age four. “Cheyenne lives and breathes horses and rodeo,” Edward says happily. “She is goat throwing, pole bending, and barrel racing in youth rodeos.” His daughter Katelyn has started doing some goat tail pulling, but she hasn’t caught the rodeo bug quite yet. Another member of the Young family is Edward’s team roping horse, an American Paint. “He’s got a real original name,” Edward said with a laugh. “His name is Paint.” Paint has been Edward’s roping horse for nine years and has also proven to be a wonderful sort of babysitter for Edward’s daughters. “I’ll put my four-year-old on him and he’ll walk around and never break into a run. Then I’ll put my six-year-old on him and he’ll run a 20 second barrel pattern, and then I can get on him and rope. He’s proficient.”
While Edward doesn’t have much spare time on his hands, if he were to have a day to spend however he chose, he says, “I’d rope at the CRA slack in the morning, have a good fun day with my kids, then go to a football game that night. I have season tickets to see the LSU Tigers and I see them play whenever they’re at home.”
In pursuit of his other hobby, rodeo, Edward won 2013 Champion Heeler at the CRA finals. He has competed in the association’s finals every year since joining as a teenager. Edward was quite pleased when the CRA started up again after the association was dissolved for several years. “Billy Allemand started it back up and I’m sure glad he did. He’s doing a great job with it.” Edward is the association’s Team Roping Director (Heeler) for 2014, and he summed up his goals for the coming rodeo season by saying, “I want to keep having fun and win as much as I can.”
