This young cowboy is a product of Delaware – a state with no rodeo

The evening sun glares as Dawson Mitchell leans forward atop his horse Doc. His lasso whirrs around and around above his head as he closes in on his target.

With one final spin, Mitchell lets the rope fly, aiming for the hind legs of the steer in front of him.

But instead of the sound of plodding hooves and low snorts from the steer, the hum of an engine echoes through the paddock. The rope is met with the sound of hollow plastic as it closes around the steer’s legs.

This is no ordinary steer. It is entirely made of plastic, and its legs hover stiff and still, 6 inches above the ground as it is towed by a four-wheeler operated by Mitchell’s father, Jimmy.

This is no ordinary steer, and Dawson Mitchell is no ordinary cowboy. He is not a product of the American West. He is a rodeo star ... from Delaware.

Despite being raised in Camden, Delaware, without a local rodeo or live cattle to rope within a three-hour radius, the 17-year-old cowboy will stop at nothing to reach his goals.

His dedication and persistence have made him one of the top high school rodeo stars in the country. He is preparing for his third consecutive appearance in the biggest high school rodeo event in the United States – the National High School Rodeo Finals.

Although Delaware may seem like an unlikely state for an aspiring rodeo star to live in, Mitchell is comfortable with life on the road. He travels to surrounding states on the East Coast and beyond to practice and compete.

The countless miles he logs with his horse trailer in tow are a small price to fuel his passion.

On this day, Mitchell is getting in some practice on his uncle Sammy’s farm in Smyrna. It is the farm where his passion was sparked.

“You get used to [the travel]. You really do.” Mitchell says with a shrug as he overlooks the paddock where he just concluded his roping practice.

Sammy Mitchell’s farm is hidden a few miles off of the highway. The barn and collection of paddocks are surrounded by miles of bright green fields and quiet roads that host only the occasional passerby.

It’s a sight few would expect to find just 10 minutes from the crowded intersections of Route 13 in the state capital.

It’s here that Mitchell grew up watching his uncle ride and train horses. Mitchell was 2 when his uncle hoisted him onto a horse for the first time. Soon after, he picked up a rope.

“He was a natural,” uncle Sammy recalled.

From that day on, Mitchell and his rope were almost inseparable. His uncle and anyone who visited the farm marveled at the young boy and his masterful roping skills. “Where’d that kid learn how to rope,” Uncle Sammy recalled one visitor asking.

Sammy Mitchell was equally impressed with his nephew’s quickly developing skills. “He learned a lot on his own,” he said.

Mitchell graduated from guided rides on his uncle’s horses to showing horses at the state fair every summer. He progressed to barrel racing, then bull riding before he settled on team roping as his specialty.

His bull riding career ended two years ago. But he stayed in the sport long enough to sustain his fair share of injuries.

He casually lists the broken bones and other injuries he suffered before he switched to team roping – a much less dangerous sport.

A broken arm, a shoulder tear, his head and back trampled on by bulls …

“It’s been an adventure,” he says.

Despite the risk involved in rodeo sports, Mitchell is undaunted.

“I like the money you win if you do win,” he chuckles. “You get a good adrenaline pump, and it’s just you and your horse kind of coming together. That's what I like about it.”

Team roping involves two contestants on horseback who work together to rope and restrain a 1,000- to 3,000-pound steer.

In some competitions, Mitchell can choose his partner. In others, his partner is a complete stranger.

“You’ve always got a partner,” he says, “which really shows your teamwork, and how to get along with somebody.”

He laughs. “Or how not to.”

In two weeks, Mitchell will travel to Gillette, Wyoming, National High School Finals.

Mitchell will make the 1,800-mile drive, stopping at ranches along the way to rest and feed his horse.

This will be his third appearance at the national event; he qualified during his sophomore and junior years as well. This year, he will compete in the team roping event and the tie-down roping event, in which a participant pursues and ropes a calf on horseback before dismounting and tying the calf’s legs.

Most Delaware residents have never heard of a cowboy from their state. But some participants at the National High School Rodeo Finals have never heard of anyone from Delaware at all, cowboy or otherwise.

“A lot of people don't know where Delaware is around there,” Mitchell says. “They think it's some county in Texas or something.”

He shakes his head, smiling. “They’re like, ‘Oh, you're from Texas.’ I'm like, ‘No. Delaware the state.’”

The National High School Rodeo Finals are the biggest rodeo event for high school-aged cowboys and cowgirls. With approximately 1,500 participants from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand, the pressure of competing in the event is enough to rattle even the most seasoned young rodeo star.

“It gets pretty big, and you get nervous,” Mitchell says. “Ain't nobody can say they don't. It's fun, though. You just gotta set that stuff aside and rope.”

Because of the lack of rodeo resources around Delaware, he has to get creative on days when he can’t travel anywhere to practice.

While cowboys from other states with access to live steer can practice live roping every day, Mitchell makes do with his makeshift four-wheeled, powered contraption.

“To be as good as he is and not have live cattle to practice on is something in itself,” Uncle Sammy Mitchell said. “But if you stop at his house or go somewhere he is, he's got a rope in his hand, twirling around or messing with it.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to hold classes virtually, Mitchell took advantage.

He set his laptop on the bed of his truck and practiced roping a dummy during his teachers’ lectures. When his teacher would call on him to test his attentiveness, Mitchell would answer correctly.

Mitchell’s National Honor Society status and honor roll track record spoke for itself, and he was allowed to continue roping during class.

Along with his discipline and dedication to his sport, Mitchell has a confident spirit that allows him to succeed in his tension-packed competitions.

“He thrives on pressure,” said his mother, Tina. “This sport is individual, but you're not just relying upon yourself. You have a horse that you're hoping is going to turn with you, and it's going to keep going, and not stop.”

No matter which participant Mitchell pairs up with for his team roping competitions, there is one partner with whom he can always trust. His horse, Doc.

Two years ago, Mitchell traveled to Arkansas to purchase Doc, but when he arrived and saw the horse for the first time, the horse had just sustained a potentially serious injury.

Doc’s leg had scraped against a trailer, and his leg was bloody and exposed deep tissue.

Mitchell feared the injury would leave Doc without hope of recovery.

“I was really taking a chance with him,” Mitchell recollected while watching Doc – now fully recovered – tied in the paddock. “I wasn't sure if he was going to be lame the rest of his life or not. But I bought him anyway.”

Mitchell’s gamble paid off, and once Doc recovered, he took on the task of training him for competition.

He conducted extensive research, and with his uncle’s help, he trained Doc to be a talented cow horse. Mitchell’s training work was so good that he has often been approached by people wanting to buy Doc.

“He actually came together a lot quicker than I thought he would,” Mitchell says proudly. “A lot of horses take a lot more time, but I was just letting him do his thing, and he's a beast now.”

On this day, he admires his trusty cow horse from a distance as Doc stands, beaded with sweat from the roping practice under the hot evening sun.

“I love that horse. I know everything about that horse, and that horse knows everything about me …,” Mitchell said, his voice trailing off thoughtfully. “… Me and that horse got a special bond, that's for sure.”

Soon, Mitchell will set off for Oklahoma. After graduating from Caeser Rodney High School this spring, he will join the rodeo team at Northeastern Oklahoma University where he will study agricultural management.

“He wants to become a professional, and he’s not going to do it here in Delaware.” Mitchell’s mother, Tina, says. “If that's what you want to do, then you have to leave. But it's going to be heartbreaking.”

Mitchell’s at-home roping practice seems to be finished for the evening. He has an upcoming tournament in Virginia that will help him prepare for the looming National High School Rodeo Finals.

He could call it a day, but there’s still some daylight left.

Jogging back toward the paddock, he calls out over his shoulder. “Hey, I’m actually gonna rope some more.”

Contact Siera Jones at sljones@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How Delaware produced one of the top high school rodeo stars in the country.