I was sixteen years old in 1990. I had a 1983 ford 3/4 diesel pickup. It was cream white with a baby blue section down each side. The Heavener rodeo was sanctioned by the IPRA back then and the IPRA brought several contestants to Heavener that went on to have wildly successful rodeo careers. Blair Burk and Speed Williams come to mind as two guys that won Heavener at different times.
Speed Williams set the arena record at Heavener in the calf roping in 1990. He tied a calf in 7.3. He was rodeoing with Clay Hurst and another guy from Arkansas. Speed team roped and calf roped back then. That night at Heavener I’d never seen anyone reach as far and rope a calf as what Speed did, he’s been throwing before leaving the chute way before he made the NFR as a header.
Speed and his crew came down to Don Smith’s arena at Hodgen to tie calves the next morning after the rodeo. I can remember Clay had a piggin string with a bad spot in it and he asked Don if he should use it in the rodeo. Don told him not to let a ten dollar piggin string cost him an eight hundred dollar rodeo.
We got to having tying matches and even though Don was semi retired at that time, he won most of the matches. I was sixteen and most of the time they beat me, but a couple of times they stumped their toe and I got them.
Speed’s record at the Heavener arena stood for about thirty years. A couple of years ago Dillion Holder tied a calf in 7.1.
I don’t know who holds the highest bull ride or bronc ride or fastest run in the steer wrestling or team roping, I never paid attention to it. There’s been so many barrel races over the years I’d be afraid to guess at the fastest time in the barrels.
Each year I get kind of excited just before the Heavener rodeo. I can almost see Cecil Leachman, Chief Steelman, and Clarence Haynes all talking about this or that concerning the rodeo. Cheif and his wife always sat in a certain spot up by the roping chutes. Cecil put in long hours working on the fences and ground, as did all of them.
There’s a lot of memories from that old arena. I’m going both nights and I don’t care how hot it is. I always have a ball.
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.
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