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03-24-2006, 02:36 PM
Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping
By: Ben Moffett – Contributing Reporter
© 2006 Ben Moffett - Reprint Permission Granted
Call them ranchers, the horse crowd, or just plain rural folks. Whatever you call them, they are real special people.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/cowgirl_with_tied_up_cow_md_clr.gif
Just ask the Benjamin family of Magdalena.
Clint Benjamin would have been a senior at Magdalena High School this year, had he not succumbed to leukemia as a sophomore. The son of ranchers Si and Cassandra Benjamin of Magdalena, he often roped with his older brother and sister, Cole and Laci, starting first as a header, then as a heeler.
He played basketball for the Steers and still had time to help out on the ranch. He loved bow hunting. He was capable of roping and branding livestock and pitched in with several older siblings to do the less glamorous chores of a cow-calf ranch operation.
Today Clint's memory is not only alive, but growing in rodeo circles and among his classmates, now seniors.
Recently the third annual Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping at the Sierra County Sheriff's Posse Grounds at TorC, drew 902 teams, up from 764 in 2005.
The ropers, from across New Mexico and into West Texas, vied for donated saddles, buckles and other prizes with all the profits going into a scholarship fund for a member or members of Clint's Magdalena "Class of '06" and the Leukemia Research Fund.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/cowboy_with_tied_up_cow_md_clr.gif
Clint's classmates wanted to recognize him, too, and did some major fund raising of their own.
As a result, at least one or two members of Clint's graduating classmates will be awarded a scholarship upon graduation..
Two young Magdalena High graduates have already benefited from the scholarship fund. Richelle Winston, now at NMSU, and Rachel Montoya were previous recipients.
The idea of a scholarship fund was initiated by several local individuals including Kim and Kenny Milligan, who wrote out a $500 check as seed money, and Kenny's sister, Colleen Grayson, who understood how to make it happen as president of the Magdalena School Board.
"It was and is a community wide effort," said Grayson. "A lot of people who are very close friends, ranching and roping folks and the school, all contributed."
A partial list of contributors to the fund is listed at the end of this article. "The list isn't complete by any means," said Cassandra Benjamin. "It keeps growing. We are still in the process of putting it together."
It's a long list, even without the hundreds of competitors, and ample evidence of how the ranching community truly "cowboys up" when the chips are down.
[Here’s what Paul Harvey would call “The Rest of the Story”. – Ben Moffett]
Project Summary, Winners and Supporters
The Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping Competition is held in honor of the late Clint Benjamin, a leukemia victim. It raises money for scholarships for Magdalena High students, where Benjamin attended school. Some of the money raised also goes to the Leukemia Research Fund.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES -- Ropers from the heart of southern New Mexico ranch country made off with the top prizes in the recent third annual Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping Competition at the Sierra County Sheriff's Posse Rodeo Grounds.
Award winners at the third annual Team Roping Competition included:
Kyle Pratz of Deming and Jarred Evans of Las Cruces won saddles in the Saturday competition, and Cort Smith of TorC and Ernest Armijo of Socorro took Sunday honors.
Tiffany Whetten, a New Mexico State University student was named top header in women's competition. Chancey Miller was top heeler.
And last but not least, here’s a still growing list of those who donated time, money or resources to these projects:
The Golden Spur Lounge, Magdalena; Clark's Feed, Magdalena; Pine Knot Saloon, TorC; JM Electric, TorC; Los Arcos Steakhouse, TorC; Michael and Kerry Bullock, Hope; VF Construction, TorC; Phil and Tammy Jo Treadwell, Deming; and Jack and Brenda Doil, Monticello; Ernest Lucero, Magdalena; Sissy (Cissy??) Pound and the Pound family of Magdalena
Also Monette Ford, Socorro; the Class of 2006, Magdalena High; Kenny and Mary Ann Treadwell, Deming; Fast-Stop, TorC; Greg and Brenda Torres, Monticello; Kerry and Tami Garrett, Winston; Tom and Fran Miller, Veguita; Hersel and Irene Welty, Dusty; Mike Hudson, Socorro, Matt Gregory.
Sierra Feed, TorC, Sid Savage, TorC; SmithCo, TorC; Cherrill's Western Apparel, TorC; Billy Bond; Bobby Lucero, TorC; Bar 2 Construction Company, TorC; Travis and Tammy Keihne, Datil, Darell and Shonda Welty, Dusty.
Also, Bill Hill of Reata Silver, Tularosa, who makes buckles and other items as prizes for rodeos, and Mike Chavez and Karen Harris whose 33 Bar Roping Company of Belen put on the event.
By: Ben Moffett – Contributing Reporter
© 2006 Ben Moffett - Reprint Permission Granted
Call them ranchers, the horse crowd, or just plain rural folks. Whatever you call them, they are real special people.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/cowgirl_with_tied_up_cow_md_clr.gif
Just ask the Benjamin family of Magdalena.
Clint Benjamin would have been a senior at Magdalena High School this year, had he not succumbed to leukemia as a sophomore. The son of ranchers Si and Cassandra Benjamin of Magdalena, he often roped with his older brother and sister, Cole and Laci, starting first as a header, then as a heeler.
He played basketball for the Steers and still had time to help out on the ranch. He loved bow hunting. He was capable of roping and branding livestock and pitched in with several older siblings to do the less glamorous chores of a cow-calf ranch operation.
Today Clint's memory is not only alive, but growing in rodeo circles and among his classmates, now seniors.
Recently the third annual Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping at the Sierra County Sheriff's Posse Grounds at TorC, drew 902 teams, up from 764 in 2005.
The ropers, from across New Mexico and into West Texas, vied for donated saddles, buckles and other prizes with all the profits going into a scholarship fund for a member or members of Clint's Magdalena "Class of '06" and the Leukemia Research Fund.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/cowboy_with_tied_up_cow_md_clr.gif
Clint's classmates wanted to recognize him, too, and did some major fund raising of their own.
As a result, at least one or two members of Clint's graduating classmates will be awarded a scholarship upon graduation..
Two young Magdalena High graduates have already benefited from the scholarship fund. Richelle Winston, now at NMSU, and Rachel Montoya were previous recipients.
The idea of a scholarship fund was initiated by several local individuals including Kim and Kenny Milligan, who wrote out a $500 check as seed money, and Kenny's sister, Colleen Grayson, who understood how to make it happen as president of the Magdalena School Board.
"It was and is a community wide effort," said Grayson. "A lot of people who are very close friends, ranching and roping folks and the school, all contributed."
A partial list of contributors to the fund is listed at the end of this article. "The list isn't complete by any means," said Cassandra Benjamin. "It keeps growing. We are still in the process of putting it together."
It's a long list, even without the hundreds of competitors, and ample evidence of how the ranching community truly "cowboys up" when the chips are down.
[Here’s what Paul Harvey would call “The Rest of the Story”. – Ben Moffett]
Project Summary, Winners and Supporters
The Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping Competition is held in honor of the late Clint Benjamin, a leukemia victim. It raises money for scholarships for Magdalena High students, where Benjamin attended school. Some of the money raised also goes to the Leukemia Research Fund.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES -- Ropers from the heart of southern New Mexico ranch country made off with the top prizes in the recent third annual Clint Benjamin Memorial Team Roping Competition at the Sierra County Sheriff's Posse Rodeo Grounds.
Award winners at the third annual Team Roping Competition included:
Kyle Pratz of Deming and Jarred Evans of Las Cruces won saddles in the Saturday competition, and Cort Smith of TorC and Ernest Armijo of Socorro took Sunday honors.
Tiffany Whetten, a New Mexico State University student was named top header in women's competition. Chancey Miller was top heeler.
And last but not least, here’s a still growing list of those who donated time, money or resources to these projects:
The Golden Spur Lounge, Magdalena; Clark's Feed, Magdalena; Pine Knot Saloon, TorC; JM Electric, TorC; Los Arcos Steakhouse, TorC; Michael and Kerry Bullock, Hope; VF Construction, TorC; Phil and Tammy Jo Treadwell, Deming; and Jack and Brenda Doil, Monticello; Ernest Lucero, Magdalena; Sissy (Cissy??) Pound and the Pound family of Magdalena
Also Monette Ford, Socorro; the Class of 2006, Magdalena High; Kenny and Mary Ann Treadwell, Deming; Fast-Stop, TorC; Greg and Brenda Torres, Monticello; Kerry and Tami Garrett, Winston; Tom and Fran Miller, Veguita; Hersel and Irene Welty, Dusty; Mike Hudson, Socorro, Matt Gregory.
Sierra Feed, TorC, Sid Savage, TorC; SmithCo, TorC; Cherrill's Western Apparel, TorC; Billy Bond; Bobby Lucero, TorC; Bar 2 Construction Company, TorC; Travis and Tammy Keihne, Datil, Darell and Shonda Welty, Dusty.
Also, Bill Hill of Reata Silver, Tularosa, who makes buckles and other items as prizes for rodeos, and Mike Chavez and Karen Harris whose 33 Bar Roping Company of Belen put on the event.