The Nebraska High School Rodeo Association is pleased to announce the inaugural “Fort Western Whitaker Award,” sponsored by Fort Western Stores with locations in Lincoln, Nebraska City, and Columbus, Neb., and given in honor of Kyle and Chip Whitaker.
Fort Western Stores will provide a custom trophy saddle to the cowboy excelling in at least three events, encompassing both rough stock (bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding) and timed events (steer wrestling, tie-down roping, and team roping), in coordination with the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, and a $500 scholarship payable to the continuing education facility of the winning high school student. The award will be similar, in nature to the “Linderman Award” of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Kyle, 37, has won the Linderman Award six times, more than any other cowboy. He credits his dad with getting him started in his three events: tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and saddle bronc riding. “I started out doing all the events in high school rodeo, because dad was teaching me, and I wanted to try them.”
Kyle’s dad, Chip, who won the Linderman Award four times, did the same three events as Vern Whitaker – his dad – and Kyle. “In those days,” Kyle said, referring to his grandfather’s time, “it was common for guys to work both ends of the arena. Things hadn’t been specialized. Now if you want to be good enough to make the National Finals Rodeo, you have to devote all your time to honing your skills in one event. It’s a lot tougher to be competitive in more than one event.”
“It’s a tremendous accomplishment, what Chip and Kyle have done in the sport of rodeo, and we’re grateful to Fort Western Stores for working with us to recognize similar achievement at the high school level in Nebraska,” said Jim Wakefield, President of the NHSRA.
Tricia Schaeffer, Nebraska’s National Director for High School Rodeo, says it’s an honor for the association to have the Fort Western Whitaker Award. “It’s great that The Fort Western has come on board. I think it’s a good way to encourage kids to give (the riding events) a try.” And the high school association can provide help. “We’re fortunate that we have people who can give kids instruction, and that’s what it takes, too.”
“Recognizing high school students for achieving what’s considered one of the most prestigious honors at the professional level, shot from an idea to ‘we’re doing this’ in a matter of hours.” said Reed Tuttle, Fort Western Stores Special Events Coordinator. “The Nebraska High School Rodeo Association welcomed the idea with so much enthusiasm that we knew this was something special – the students benefit from the honor and all the hard work and diligence it takes to achieve it.”
About The Fort Western Stores:
Fort Western Stores is a national leader in Western lifestyle apparel and merchandise. The family owned business, founded in 1972 by Carl and Shirley Wohlfarth, has grown from a 1600 square foot retail store into a multi-channel marketer with three retail store locations, extending its reach worldwide through a catalog and the web; visit www.FortWestern.com.
