story by Ruth Nicolaus
Grant Turek is the 2019 Nebraska High School Rodeo Association tie-down roping champion. The 18 year old cowboy, a resident of St. Paul, Neb., has won the state tie-down roping title the last three years.
He rode two horses this year: Cat, a thirteen-year-old sorrel, is his reliable go-to horse. O.J., a black gelding, is less experienced, but came through for his owner this past year. “He really worked good this spring,” Grant said. Cat is more consistent and works well with stronger cattle, but O.J. is starting to prove his worth.
Of his two horses, he’s had O.J. the longest. He’s been putting time in on the horse, who is learning. “He’s started to come around,” Grant said.
A 2019 graduate of St. Paul High School, Grant played basketball and was a member of student council, the National Honor Society, and FFA. He served as historian for the National Honor Society, and was on his school’s honor roll.
This fall, he will attend Gillette (Wyo.) College, where he has received a rodeo scholarship. He plans on earning an ag business degree.
Even though he has won three consecutive tie-down roping titles, this year was no easier than previous years. “It was the same process, I guess,” Grant said. To be a state champ, “it takes a lot of hard work in the practice pen, making your run every time. That’s the way I look at it, I guess.”
Grant’s favorite food is his mom’s chicken fried steak. His favorite dessert is his Grandma Bee’s homemade salted nut rolls, and he loves to drink water and iced tea. Twin Bings are his favorite candy, and he loves corn on the cob and potatoes.
He estimates he’s won about fifty buckles, but the one he wears is from a win during his freshman year at the Dawson County High School Rodeo. There’s no sentimental reason for it, he just hasn’t ever changed it.
The most fun Grant has had on a trip was to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. “It was pretty fun. It was a good time.” He also enjoyed his time at the National Junior High Finals in Gallup, N.M. where he competed three times. After college, Grant would like to get into the insurance business and continue rodeoing. He has an older sibling, Megan, who is 21 and a student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. He is the son of Jeff and Sheila Turek.
