Richland's Lennon Cook signed his letter of intent to compete on the Three Rivers College Rodeo Team during a ceremony at Richland High School.”He came to me his junior year and started talking to me about going to college and being on the rodeo team,” said Three Rivers Rodeo Coach Chad Phipps. “I started paying attention to him. The one thing that he has here, he is a bull rider. We won a national championship in bull riding last year.”

“What I look for in a bull rider is someone who has the heart and the grit,” said Phipps. “That is some thing you can't teach. The rest you can teach. The heart and grit, either they are born with or they are not. As time progressed after watching him, I don't know anyone with more heart or grit than him. That's all it takes to be a champion is a big heart and a lot of grit.”

“Desire is of the head, dedication is of the heart,” continued Phipps. “He has got a lot of dedication. So not only does that work good for him, it works good on a team situation with a rodeo team. Rodeo is not normally a team deal. When you get somebody like that and you have a team atmosphere it is infectious and others will pick up on that. That is one of the things we are tickled to have.”

Cook has been bull riding competitively for about 5 and a half years. Richland does not compete in rodeo so Cook competes outside of school.

“I went down to a rodeo in Illinois and Chad (Phipps) was one of the judges there,” Said Cook of decision to attend Three Rivers. “He came over and talked to me, he was the first coach to notice I was riding. (There is) something about the first coach that really sees something in me always just drew me to that college.”

“Not really much to it then to try,” Cook said of his experience riding. “You gotta have a lot heart and a lot of want to.”

Cook said he has had just about everything happen to him while riding, from broken bones to being knocked out.

“I am willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to go,” said Cook.

Cook had the support of his mother Jennifer Hux and grandmother Dana Hux at the signing.

“They have really pushed me to be who I am today,” said Cook. “I really wish my grandpa could have been here today but he was watching on video.”

“They have just pushed me and inspired me,” said Cook. “I really wouldn't be who I am or what I am today without them.”

Three Rivers competes in ten rodeos a year, five in the spring and five in the fall.Three Rivers will host its home rodeo in Sikeston on October 5,6 and 7. The event will be held at the Sikeston JC Bootheel Arena. The Sikeston JCs partner with Three Rivers to host the event.

Josh Ayers - Dexter Statesman