story by Ruth Nicolaus
Newt Hummermeier – photo by JJJ Photo
The best part of Newt Hummermeier’s day is his work study class.
The cowboy, who lives five miles outside of Chappell, Neb., and is a member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, only has to attend school till noon. After that, he comes home and spends his time working for his dad on the family’s feedlot and cow/calf operation, helping at Garry Watt Performance Horses, and training his own horses.
Newt, a senior in high school, is a tie-down roper and team roper. He heads for Morgan Peterson, his partner, but if she isn’t at a rodeo, he’s willing to head or heel for whoever might need a partner.
Of his two events, tie-down is his favorite. He rides an 11-year-old mare named Bling who he hasn’t owned for very long, as his old roping horse colicked and died last year. To head and heel, he ropes off a nine year old gelding named Spiderman. Spiderman is also his backup tie-down horse. Spiderman is a good heel horse, but with a little time and training, Newt hopes to make him better at heading.
His mornings are spent at Creek Valley High School in Chappell, where he has two welding classes, a weights class, government, and English. The welding and weights classes are his favorites.
He has shown cattle since he was eight years old. He mostly shows crossbreds and has earned grand champion and reserve champion at the Sedgwick (Colo.) County and Deuel County Fairs. He enjoys the progress shows the most. He quit showing last spring, but loves to fit cattle, and jumps at the chance to fit bulls for spring sales.
Newt’s favorite teacher was Mrs. Karla Criswell at Revere School in Sedgwick, Colo. She was the first person to recognize that he had a reading disability. She and her son have been family friends for a long time, and Newt goes to high school with her son.
This fall, he plans to attend Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyo. He will major in an ag-related field, and hopes to come back to run the ranch some day.
He qualified for the state finals last year in the team roping and played basketball his freshman and sophomore years.
Newt has a younger sister, Jo, who is sixteen and also a NHSRA member, and an older sister, Danielle Lamb. He is the son of Dale and Lanna Hummermeier.
