story by Ruth Nicolaus
Evan Richter is the reigning champion header in the Nebraska Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The Ogallala, Neb. cowboy finished first in his event, with heeler Ali Vaughn, for the 2019- 2020 school year. He’s hoping the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo will be held this summer, so, if he finishes in the top four in the state this year, he can represent Nebraska in Des Moines, Iowa.
Evan, who is fourteen years old, also competes in the breakaway roping, chute dogging, and ribbon roping, roping for runner Dakota Glinn. This year, because Ali is now a high school freshman, he ropes with Sutton Schrunk.
For the heading and breakaway, he rides a ten-year-old palomino mare named Cosmo. The family has owned the mare for the past five years, and she is Evan’s favorite. “She’s a sweetheart,” he said. “She’s super nice.”
For the ribbon roping, he rides Flintstone, a six-year-old gelding, who is his brother’s horse. Flintstone can be a little stubborn, he said, but fun to ride.
Evan is an eighth grade student at Ogallala Middle School, where he loves being around his friends and physical education class. He is not a fan of science class, however. He plays football, basketball, is on a traveling basketball league, and is on his school’s honor roll.
For fun, he loves to shoot long-range rifles and hunt nearly everything: deer, pheasants, ducks, geese, quail, prairie chickens, grouse, and coyotes.
The best food Evan’s mom makes is her beef and noodles, and he loves twist ice cream cones for dessert. To wash it all down, he likes raspberry tea, and sweet peppers are his favorite vegetable and watermelon his favorite fruit.
The most fun he’s had on a trip was skiing in the Snowy Mountain Range in Wyoming three years ago. He’s pretty handy on skis, and the family did some night tubing under the stars and moon, which was great.
The family has two German shorthair pointers named Harlee and Bailey. Bailey claims Evan as her “person.” The family also has two barn cats.
His parents, Chris and Marcie, admire their son for his good attitude. “There’s always a smile on his face,” Marcie said. “He’s happy-go-lucky, and he gets along really well in any situation.” Evan is able to handle his emotions after something bad happens. “He doesn’t really get upset easily. He shakes it off quickly and moves on.” He has a lot of friends, because they love to hang out with him. “I like that he’s always smiling and has a good attitude,” Marcie said.
He’s a hard worker, too, his mom reports. “He practices hard and likes to rope the dummy.”
When he grows up, he plans on going to trade school and possibly studying electrical or welding. He hopes to rodeo throughout his adult life.
Last year, he finished in the top five in the breakaway roping.
He has an older brother, Jace, who is a high school junior and competes in high school rodeo.
