It was Saturday, February 23, 2019, the final day of the Waimea Town Celebration, a week-long west island event that’s getting better every year. It consists of an outdoor stage with shade seating for a large audience and featuring different Hawaiian musical groups and solo artists, a film festival, outrigger canoe races, lei-making competitions, slow-pitch ball tournaments, ice-cream eating contest, ukulele playing contest and the largest Hawaiian-style rodeo in all the Hawaiian islands. It was this week-long celebration that made us lengthen our stay a few years ago so we could take in this uniquely Kauaiian event.
It was also the final day of the very popular Kauai Paniolo Showdown Rodeo. Paniolo is the Hawaiian word for cowboy.
Hawaiian rodeos differ in several ways from North American rodeos. There are no bucking events or the usual calf roping or steer wrestling competitions. Their rodeos emphasize roping skills, horsemanship, sportsmanship and co-operation. As well, there are as many female as male contestants.
It had been another fine rodeo with good officiating, an experienced announcer and quality food trucks. The rodeo grounds were in flawlessly perfect condition. The weather was perfect too, sunny but not too hot for the horses, steers and competitors.
It was late afternoon, the final event of the rodeo, the Ladies (Wahine) Breakaway Roping. She was the last contestant of the Wahine Breakaway Roping. She was the last contestant of the last event.
The announcer noted that the time to beat for this contestant was 4.2 seconds, a very fast time.
An attractive local wahine was “in the box.” My wife and I had noticed her earlier sitting below us in the grandstand with her smaller children (keiki) and her family (ohana). She had been part of several previous team roping events, with some success, as I recall. She had left her family, going quietly and in plenty of time to participate, then returning quietly after putting away her horse each time. We could see she was a gentle, caring mother.
She had a unique hairstyle, five braids emanating from long, thick black hair that had been pulled tightly back from around her face.
She was the last contestant.
We didn’t catch her name, we did hear she was from Anahola, a small village and area on the northeast part of the island.
She was having trouble with her strongly-built chestnut horse in the box. He was over-anxious, excited and nervous. Suddenly he reared up and at a 45-degree angle, on his back legs, came out of the box. He broke the barrier causing the buzzer to sound loudly. Horse and rider swirled into the arena.
She didn’t lose her cool.
She talked to her horse, petted his neck. They did a figure-eight. She kept talking to him, she calmed him down. They did another figure-eight. She took her time.
The crowd was getting restless, some were leaving for the free entertainment going on at the main stage downtown.
She got back in the box with her horse, causing the buzzer to sound again as they re-entered.
She got the noose of the lariat coiled under her arm just the way she wanted.
Her horse was now calm, but alert and focussed.
She was focussed too.
Now the steer was acting up in the chute, twisting and trying to turn around, his head not pointing in the right direction.
It was beginning to take a long time. More of the spectators were leaving. But she stayed calm, she stayed focussed, she didn’t lose her cool.
Finally, exactly when she felt everything was right, almost imperceptibly, she nodded her head.
With a clang the gate opened and the steer shot into the arena. Her horse leaped forward but he didn’t break the barrier.
There was no time for many loops, one, maybe two and she threw her rope. It landed cleanly over the steer’s head. Quickly she jerked the noose more tightly around the galloping steer.
With one fluid motion she threw the rope away from her as she slowed down her horse and brought it to a stop. The rope uncoiled quickly behind the steer and finally, so it seemed, broke free from the saddle horn, the white tassled end arcing into the air as the flagman brought down his arm.
Most of the fans had now left for the entertainment at the old sugar mill stage. Those that were left cheered and whistled. They knew it would be a good time.
She knew it was a good time too, she patted her horse on his neck as they trotted to the catch-pen to retrieve her lariat.
It was going to be a good time, but would it be enough to beat 4.2 seconds?
The rodeo announcer’s voice came back loud and clear.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said and his voice was rising, “we have a new leader in the Ladies’ Breakaway Roping with a 3.9! And that also means we have the winner of the Ladies Breakaway Roping in the arena right now!”
Those of us left in the grandstand were now standing and cheering.
He said her name and asked her to take the customary victory lap.
Anahola Granola! (The name of a popular breakfast cereal made on Kauai.) Anahola Granola, she did it! The wahine with the five braids in her long black hair did it!
She retrieved her rope and coiled it up casually and expertly as she had done a thousand times before. Then she loped her horse slowly and modestly in front of the grandstand, nodding her head slightly, looking straight ahead as she passed her standing, cheering ohana.
The remaining fans and my wife and I were standing and cheering too.
I saw her reach forward and pat her horse’s neck again as they rode out of the arena.
We never got her name.