“Be a blessing because you are blessed,” said 18-year-old rodeo announcer Garrison Panzer before switching off the microphone, closing the 2016 Kansas Junior High School State Finals Rodeo. Such are the values of the entire Panzer family, who instilled the importance of serving others in the cowboy from Lakin, Kan., at a young age. A family of rodeo competitors, judges, announcers, timers, and secretary assistants, the Panzers have helped in nearly every aspect of the National Little Britches Rodeo Association in their 30 years with the association.
“We absolutely love the National Little Britches Rodeo Association and everything it does for our kids,” says Garrett Panzer, himself a Little Britches alumni and now a rodeo judge and former member of the NLBRA board of directors. “We’ve gotten everything out of rodeo that we could ever want. We haven’t so much rodeoed with the world championships and buckles and saddles in mind, but instead used it as an avenue to help raise our kids and teach them the strong values of competing, being responsible, and respecting the western lifestyle.”
Garrett and his sister, Dia Panzer-Biddle, grew up in Little Britches, while their dad, Dwayne Panzer, served as a rodeo judge for the association, and continues to do so today. Even from a young age, Garrett knew the rodeo lifestyle and values were what he wanted to instill in his future family. “I played college football two years for Dodge City Community College and then two years at Hastings College. After my playing days were done and I found my wife of 20 years, Kim, we knew rodeo was the avenue we wanted to take with our family,” says Garrett. “I think God really blessed us with two great boys to raise,” Kim adds. “When I was pregnant with Garrison, we attended the baptism of a friend, who was born about five months before Garrison. In part of the sermon, they quoted Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ The importance of starting early with a solid, Christian foundation really stuck with me.”
Garrison, the NLBRA youth board president and a ribbon and team roper, was one of the competitors to qualify for the 2003 NLBFR in the newly minted Little Wrangler division. His 15-year-old brother, Hadley, rodeoed for several years before pursuing other sports, but continues to help behind the scenes at Little Britches rodeos and run sound while Garrison announces. The 2016 NLBFR is Garrison’s last as a competitor, but his days with the association are far from over. “I’m in the process of getting my NLBRA judge’s and announcer’s card, and I plan to apply for one of the announcer positions for the finals next year,” he explains. “It’s always been my goal and dream to judge a rodeo with my dad and grandpa, and after this finals, I’ll have a chance to do that.” While he’s qualified for the finals in both his events, Garrison is also announcing the grand entry and portions of the queen contest, along with helping Doug Wade on the production side – and finishing out his third term as the youth board president. “It’s a bittersweet year. I wouldn’t trade any of the ups and downs of the past 13 years for the world. People might say the competition isn’t as tough as others, but if you look at the times and scores turned in, it’s just as tough as many other rodeo associations. And the friendships you build and the rodeo family you have is second to none.”
Beyond Little Britches, Garrison announces rodeos for the NSRA, KPRA, KJHSRA, mini bull ridings, and even the 2016 Oklahoma vs. Kansas Border Bash Rodeo in Guthrie, Okla. “Monty Stueve and I were the two announcers for the weekend, then I turned around and announced the high school rodeo in Lakin,” says Garrison. “I also announced a high school rodeo in McCook, Nebraska, so within a month, I announced a rodeo in three different states. Then I decided to skip a weekend so I could graduate high school, but I have a rodeo to announce every weekend except for three this summer. At first I was worried about being repetitive, but with each rodeo, I’ve gotten more relaxed. I’ve come to realize as long as the contestants are having fun and the crowd is enjoying it, that’s what I need to keep doing!” With the help of his Sports Sound Pro and pointers from several people, including NLBRA producer Janet Honeycutt, he has more than 5,000 songs and sound clips at his fingertips. Garrison announces most of his rodeos from the stand, but he’s debuting his horseback announcing during the NLBFR. “I’ve watched Boyd Polhamus do it a few times, and I can definitely see where you can build a connection with the crowd. I’d like to add that to the performances.”
During the KPRA rodeo in Springfield, Colo., last summer, Garrison announced, while Hadley ran sound, Garrett judged, and Kim was a timer. Garrett’s goal is to judge both the NLBFR and the NHSFR in the same year, while Kim has helped the Little Britches secretaries with their local rodeos the past five years. She plans to continue after Garrison ages out. “I didn’t grow up rodeoing, but my family always had horses,” she says. “My mother was a paraprofessional in Garrett’s first classroom he taught, and she told me I should meet him when I came home from college for Christmas break. We hit it off, and the rest is history! Since I came to be part of the rodeo family, I see so much kindness and generosity. Everyone is more than willing to bend over backwards to help, and I want to pay it forward.” Kim is also the coordinator of the federal programs for her school district, helping migrant and ESL families, as well as coordinating buildings during testing season. Garrett teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to seventh and eighth grade students at Lakin Middle School, while teaching driver’s ed. in the summer, refereeing basketball, and umpiring softball. He has coached football for more than 20 years at both the high school and middle school levels, and became a wrestling coach nine years ago.
An avid athlete, Hadley is attending several wrestling and football camps this summer, and playing baseball on a recreation ball team. “Football is my favorite – I enjoy being around my teammates. I play defensive end, and on offence I play center,” he says. “It’s me and my mom going to games most of the time since Dad is with Garrison at rodeos, and we have some good bonding time.” Hadley will be a freshman at Lakin High School this fall, which Garrison graduated from this spring at the top of his class with Honors. Like Garrison, Hadley will represent his class as the Class of 2020 Vice-President and serve on the Student Council. “We’re very pleased with the young man Hadley’s become,” says Garrett. “He graduated junior high lettering in four sports. Both our boys have learned from sports to compete at the best of their abilities and compromise without compromising their values.”
Throughout high school, Garrison was involved in Student Council (STUCO), band, vocal, golf, and refereeing basketball, while he played lead roles in two high school plays, including King Arthur in Camelot. His cowboy boots even travelled internationally in January when he went on a weeklong mission trip in Guatemala, which included building stoves for the people of Panajachel. A month later, he travelled to England for a week. A recipient of the OSU McKnight Scholarship and President’s Distinguished Scholarship, he’ll be studying Ag. Business at Oklahoma State University this fall and is considering law school in the future. Prior to that, he’s running sound for Jared Slagle at several PRCA rodeos this summer, and plans to keep up his roping through jackpots and helping the college rodeo team.
“It will hit me in August that Garrison’s not going to be able to walk through the door and give me a hug,” says Garrett. “But we’ll be there for him whenever we can. My mom and dad drove four hours to listen to him announce the KJHSRA finals – that’s how our family is. We meet ourselves coming and going sometimes and wonder why we do this crazy life, and I think the result is in the character of our kids. If between Kim and I our boys grow up to be fine gentlemen, then I think we’ve done our job.”
