story by Ruth Nicolaus
Cole Laible breakaway roping – photo by JJJ Photo
Cole Laible is a ranch kid, through and through.
He’s spent the last six summers in the hayfield for a neighbor, and when he’s not working for the neighbor, he’s helping his dad around the ranch or with the family’s windmill business.
Tie-down roping is his favorite event, but the 14-year-old, a member of the Nebraska Junior High Rodeo Association, also competes in the ribbon roping, goat tying, chute dogging, and as a heeler in the team roping. Cole learned much of his roping skills from his dad and his dad’s good friend, Miles Garwood.
With the money he earned in the hayfield, Cole bought the horse he rides, a 16-year-old bay named Jose. He paid for half, and his parents paid for the other half. Cole uses Jose for all his events.
As an eighth grade student at West Holt Junior High School in Atkinson, Neb., school “is not my favorite thing,” he admits, but “I go. I enjoy going to school, and doing sports.” Cole plays as a fullback and linebacker in football, wrestles at 115 lbs., and does the pole vault, among other running events, for track.
His favorite subject in school is social studies, thanks in part to his teacher Mr. Nemetz. “We have a really good social studies teacher. He’s enthusiastic. Every day he comes up with something new to do. He’s fun.” Cole looks forward to having Mr. Nemetz for high school social studies next year. Of all his teachers, his overall favorite is Mrs. Rossman, his fifth grade teacher. She was fun and planned lots of activities for the students, and was fair to students. “She was a teacher who would work with every kid, not just help those that were better in class,” Cole remembers.
For fun, he loves to hunt deer, duck, and geese, and go fishing. Any deer he and his family get goes to the processor, who mixes in pork to make deer bologna, which Cole loves. His mom cooks the ducks and geese.
He also likes to help his dad with welding and building things. He helps make windmill towers for the family business, and has built auto-gates for cattle and a charcoal grill. He may choose engineering as his future career, because he loves to build things.
Cole is on his school’s honor roll and is a member of the Shining Stars 4-H Club, where he does a variety of projects, including welding, showing sheep and horses (mostly Jose), photography, and woodworking.
Last December, he had the chance to attend a private clinic with Roy Cooper and his sons Clint and Clif. He really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Cole has an older sister, Emma, who is sixteen. He is the son of Mike and Jeanne Laible. The family lives in Atkinson, Neb.
