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Roping cattle for Christ
Nov 06, 2009 (The Graham Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
editor@grahamleader.com
Allen Bach has accomplished everything he could have dreamed of in rodeo.
A four-time world champion, Bach has competed in 30 National Finals Rodeos and has won more than $2 million in his career. While he still competes, his biggest goal has changed. Now, Bach is working to change lives.
Over the last week, Bach has hosted the Allen Bach Camp of Champions Mentorship Camp at the Young County Arena. The camp will continue through this week.
At the camp, Bach and other champion rodeo stars are teaching boys and young men the fine points of being a champion roper, but they are also teaching the students how to be men.
"We're trying to teach them to be young men of integrity, to treat other people right and to have balance in your life," Bach said. "When you have God in the center of your life, he can balance things out."
Bach has been competing professionally on the rodeo circuit since 1978. He raised his children at rodeo arenas around the nation and understands the pressure associated with a rodeo life. Bach also understands the best way to survive in rodeo is to have God as the focus of everything you do.
As he has grown older, Bach has watched as God has moved through the rodeo circuit. Today, he and other cowboys spend their time not only fighting to win titles but fighting to win souls. At Bach's camp, he had other rodeo mentors visit -- some for a few hours, others for days -- to share their rodeo skills but also their love of God. The leaders of the camp represented 150 National Finals Rodeo appearances and more than 30 world titles.
One of those attending was national steer wrestling champion Rope Myers. Myers said he came to the camp to spread the gospel of Jesus.
"This is the next generation of stars in the rodeo world," Myers said. "They're going to be that because of their talents and abilities in the arena. If we can introduce them to the Father, they can use those talents and abilities for the kingdom."
Steer wrestler and roping star Cash Myers joined his brother at the camp for two days. He said working with Bach and the others made the three-hour drive worthwhile.
"It's just a neat deal to get to be around a group of guys who are learning and growing not only in their roping but also in being men," Cash said. "This is just an opportunity to be around other guys who have had success in the arena and live for the Lord. They are kingdom guys."
Rope Myers said while the lure of training with champions like Bach brings the kids out, they learn so much more than roping.
"They also get to see the light of the world pour into them," he said. "That's what it's about. For us instructors, we probably get more out of it than the kids do."
Bach said after years of mentoring young cowboys, he is still blessed.
"When we're in this environment, we can't help but get blessed," Bach said. "We learn all the time."
Bach said having champion cowboys who are willing to drop everything they're doing to mentor kids is something unique to the rodeo world. In many cases, cowboys are instructing those who will be doing their best to beat them a few years later.
"It says a lot about our faith," he said. "The Lord puts it in your heart to multiply yourself. If I can bring purpose into these guys, it gives them a purpose to win a world championship."
Speaking from personal experience, Bach said being a world champion can be a lonely life. Without God, it can be even harder. Bach said he uses his titles as a means of spreading the gospel.
"When you win a world championship, you have a lot of influence," he said. "People want to listen to you."
Over the two-week camp, the 20 roping students listened a lot. Bach had their days planned out with plenty of time in the arena and also learning. Bach said he is trying to help prepare the men for the pressures they will face on the rodeo circuit and in life.
"There are different types of pressure, and we try to show that with the kids," he said. "This is a very good life-training camp. We're trying to teach them to make good decisions."
By making the decision to live for Christ, the students will join a growing number of rodeo participants who ride for Jesus.
"God's really using our rodeo family to impact communities all over the place," Bach said. "God has raised up a team of us. We're some of the best in every area of rodeo. We've become like family."
The impact of Bach's relationship with God is not limited to the United States. One of the campers in Graham, Soof Pletkevich, traveled from Israel to participate.
"I came to Texas to be a better roper," he said. "I'm here to learn from the best. On the way, I'm meeting good people and learning about life."
Pletkevich admitted being a rodeo roper is not common in Israel. Pletkevich breaks horses and teaches horseback lessons at home, but he wanted to do more. He saw Bach at a clinic in Israel and decided to head to Texas to learn more. He is spending three months in the state to learn as much as he can.
"I didn't really know what I was doing," he said. "I learned a lot of details and what to look for when I'm roping. I would definitely like to continue to rope in Israel and make it more popular."
For the next week, Bach will continue his work to change lives. He said having a place like Graham and a facility like the Young County Arena makes his camp possible.
"This community has been so amazing to be able to open this facility for guys like me to use it," Bach said. "It is such a blessing to use this facility. The outreach this community has, to be able to bring in camps like this, most people don't realize. You can imagine the lives that are impacted right under this roof. Those lives will impact other lives."
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http://www.grahamleader.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Graham Leader, Texas
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