Northwest teens attend Rodeo Bible Camp at Benton Fairgrounds

Bible studies and bull riding are an unlikely combination when you think about what teenagers look for in a summer camp. But about 45 youths from throughout Oregon and Washington are enjoying both at the Benton County Fairgrounds this week.

The teens, ages 14 to 18, arrived Sunday for a five-day “Rodeo Bible Camp.” On Monday afternoon, they were honing their pole racing, bareback riding and goat roping skills before a small crowd of their peers and enthusiastic instructors.

Tyler Thompson of Yoncalla decided to try bareback riding for the first time. An experienced steer wrestler, the 18-year-old decided it was time for a new challenge at this year’s camp, which he’s attended for three years.

The experiment lasted only a few seconds. After slowly limping to the side of the dusty arena, he said, “I think I broke my butt.”

He wasn’t going to give up. The recent high school graduate told the camp’s founder and director, Mike Clark, he intended to enter the bareback event in Thursday’s showcase rodeo. The older and more experienced horseman just smiled.

Clark said he started the Rodeo Bible Camp in Eugene nine years ago after taking his own sons to other rodeo camps outside the Northwest and realizing there was nothing like it here. “I believe the Lord spoke to me and told me to do something,” Clark said.

Mainly a trail rider himself, Clark has been able to recruit a staff of about 60 volunteers over the years to help run the annual camp. Many of them are semi-professional rodeo cowboys. It’s also a family affair that involves his wife, their three sons (now in their late 20s), two daughters-in-law and his own mom and dad.

The camp, which had been held in Eugene until this year, usually attracts between 80 and 100 teens. The numbers are lower this year because of the transition to a new site, Clark said, but he’s confident it will be full again when they return next year.

Even though it costs $32,000 to host the event, campers only pay $190 for the week. Donations make up the rest.

Each day begins with breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by a Bible study until 10 a.m. Then the teens work on their rodeo skills until lunch and again in the afternoon. Before they eat dinner, they tend to the animals. Many of the teens bring their own horses to camp, and a number of stock animals are brought in as well.

After dinner, they attend a worship service led by a different cowboy, church or band each night. Before the lights go out around 10:30 p.m., they participate in a variety of activities, such as watching a movie or playing volleyball.

The Bible studies are designed to teach the students who God is, and that he has a purpose for each one of them, Clark explained.

“We’ve got this image that if you’re a cowboy, you can’t be a Christian,” he said. “But you can. You can be a Christian and do whatever you want to do. The question is what has God called you to do or be?”

Clark acknowledged many of the teens have no church background, but that he makes it clear from the start that the camp is all about Jesus; rodeo is second.

“When they leave here, I want to give them a new hope and a new direction in life,” Clark said.

A lot of the campers return each year. Thompson, who is attending his last camp, said he’s come back to learn better rodeo skills and because he enjoys “learning about Jesus.”

Clark said his biggest satisfaction comes from watching the students grow and mature. “Kids come back and by that fourth or fifth year, you can see their lives are changed,” he said.

At the end of the camp on Thursday, the teens perform in a rodeo that is open to the public. Each camper can choose to compete in two out of 13 events, and many of their families will be there to cheer them on.

Winners are awarded decorative belt buckles that are displayed in the camp office all week. A “Most Improved” horseshoe award is also given out in each event.

While the Bible studies are the most important part of the week, everybody also wants to put on a good rodeo, Clark said.

One of the favorite events among the girls, Clark said, is “chute doggin’.” About a dozen girls have already signed up for this year’s competition.

Each girl takes her turn standing beside a steer in the chute and when the gate opens, she grabs hold of his horns, twists his neck around and flops him to the ground. The steers weigh up to 400 pounds, but with the right technique, girls weighing far less can put them down, Clark said. “It’s pretty amazing to watch,” he said.