Australian team enjoys its American experience

By Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer

CHURCH ROCK — It's cold in Australia with winter setting in the Land From Down Under and it's hot with the sizzling temperatures of summer fully entrenched in the United States.

With opposite seasons being experienced in the two countries due to being on the opposite sides of the equator, the drastic weather change was just one of the adjustments that the Australian junior high rodeo team had to make as it traveled to Gallup and Red Rock Park to compete in its first-ever Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo this week.

After being in the United States, which is slightly larger in area than their homeland, for the past two weeks, the Aussies have adjusted well both in the rodeo arena for the national finals and also on the road, traveling and making new acquaintances.

A total of 27 Aussies, 10 rodeo contestants along with their parents and grandparents, made the journey from the world's smallest continent but the sixth largest country which has just seven percent of the population of the United States, for a long 20-hour flight to America. For most of them it was their first-ever trip to the United States.

Toni Locock, the rodeo director for the Australian contingent, says the trip and the experience that goes along with it have been very rewarding.

"It's been really good," Locock said, who is a mining safety officer back in Australia. "We're having a fantastic time with kids from all the country. When we see our flag and hear our national anthem, we feel more welcome."

Leasing horses
Two of the Australian rodeo contestants are doing quite well with Clay Bush, who was leading in the tie-down calf roping heading into today's short go finals along with Justin Locock who posted the winning time in the first go of the tie-down roping.

Both cowboys accomplished it with borrowed or leased horses.

"Both have done really well," Toni Locock said, who is trying to get over a cold she's had for the past several days. "They've done better than we expected and we hope they keep it up for the next go (today). This is the best competition in the world. We do have a lot of rodeos back home but they don't pay as well as over here. We're really pleased having two boys in the top 20 and getting a shot at a title. They both got exceptionally good horses. I got a bit of a cold, but if the boys do well that will fix it (the cold)."

"I'm surprised and to be in the top 20," the 15-year-old Bush said, who competes in chute dogging, team roping, tie-down roping and ribbon roping.

Toni Locock said that through the head office, e-mails were sent to various ranch families to secure horses for her contestants.

"Riding a new horse have been doing pretty well," she said. "The owners have been very accommodating."

Justin Locock, the rodeo director's son who also competes in the same four events as Bush, agreed that the leased horses were the key to their success.

"I would not have gotten that time at home," he said about his winning time of 10.3 seconds. "I was pretty excited (getting first). It felt pretty good when I tied it. The horse I got is a better horse than the one back home. It works better for me."

Bush got his horse from Pam and Tommy Simpson from Las Cruces while Locock is using a horse from Nebraska.

Mikayla Weir got her horse from a ranch in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

"It's pretty difficult to get on a strange horse," she said. "But I got on a really good horse. It was ready for me."

Transporting their horses from Australia to the United States would run about $10,000 Australian dollars.

Adjusting
The Aussies said that it took some adjusting to several differences between the two countries.

"We drive on the right side (of the road and car)," Justin Locock said.

Difference in food was another matter that took some adjusting to.

Bush and Locock agreed that most of the American food is better than back home.

"It's a lot different here," Bush said. "It's a lot cheaper here. Steak and pizza I like it."

Locock agreed.

"It's cheap here," the 6-foot-3 Locock said with a distinctive Aussie accent. "You get more cheese on your pizza here. I like the food better here than home. I'm having a real good time."

Toni Locock added that Americans eat out much more than Aussies.

"You eat out a lot more than we do," she said. "We don't have much take-out. It costs more to eat out in Australia."

Toni Locock says she also noticed subtle differences in the food here.

"Our McDonald's back home is a little different," she said. "It's geared to a lot of healthy stuff. And I love Mexican food. Here it's authentic and it's terrific. It's very good."

"The food tastes different," the 13-year-old Weir said. "I don't like it as much. I'm not too keen on it. The pizza at Pizza Hut tastes different. Taco Bell it's all right. The Mexican food at home is not so hot. Here it's chilly hot."

Weir said that getting ready for the trip was another challenge.

"At home it was freezing cold and I'm packing summer clothes," she said. "I felt funny."

Being so far way, the time difference also took adjusting to.

"We gain a day," Toni Locock said. "We're 16 hours ahead of the U.S."

Also in Australia, the temperature is read in Celsius (C) and not Fahrenheit (F).

A very hot summer temperature is 40 degrees C. compared to 104 degrees F. in America.

"It sounds hot!" Toni Locock said when explained the differences in temperatures.

"Here the days are long and everybody stays up late," she said.

"It heats up too quickly in the morning," Justin Locock said about the blistering morning and afternoon temperatures.

Born in the USA
Toni Locock admitted that her sons, Justin and Clint, really have taken a liking to the American way of life.

"Clint loves it over here," their mom said about her oldest son who will be competing at the upcoming National High School Finals Rodeo in Springfield, Ill. "He said he should have been born here!"

Raising money
Weir, like the others in the group, had to raise the money to pay for the several week stay in this country which will include a quick trip to Disneyland after the rodeo finals.

"We did fundraising," she said. "I raised $4,500 Australian dollars for myself."

Toni Locock, who has been to the U.S. several times once to compete in barrel racing at the North American Rodeo Commission Finals in Denver, Colo., in 1982 said the trip has been great.

"It's a trip of a lifetime," she said.