Beginner and world champ

World champion bull rider and Grand Coulee Dam area native Shane Proctor helps a young cowboy learn the proper way to ride a horse during his eighth rodeo school April 5 at the Nespelem Rodeo Grounds. "It's been a great success," Proctor said of the two-day event. "I hope the kids can learn a lesson about the arena and about hard work." Why would someone want to get on top of a bucking bull? "It's a self-driven deal," Proctor explained. "They want to rise up to the challenge to conquer something that shouldn't be conquered." Proctor said he received a letter from a young man who was going to drop out of high school, but said the rodeo program had helped motivate him to work hard and get his diploma. "If we can even just reach one kid each year, I think the program is a success," Proctor said.

- Jacob Wagner photo