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Now in their 20’s, lifelong friends (from left) Orry Lemmons, Ethan Lemmons, Kyle Davilla and Rhett Davilla have taken part in CV’s Rowell Ranch Rodeo since they were six years old.
By Linda Sandsmark
SPECIAL TO THE FORUM
Two pairs of brothers, born and raised in Castro Valley, will be milking wild cows and riding horses in this weekend’s Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
Lifelong friends Rhett and Kyle Davilla, and Ethan and Orry Lemmons all started out at our local rodeo when they were six years old. Now in their twenties, three of the four have to hurry home from college to participate.
“They’ve been at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo since they were toddlers together, playing in the sand,” says Ethan and Orry’s mother Janet Lemmons. “They’ve gone on all the way to college rodeo and beyond.”
When the four boys were young, their parents went to Joe Silva’s Roping Arena out on Cull Canyon Road every Saturday. Michelle and Tony Davilla and the Lemmons family made a sandbox there for the kids to play in.
“All the parents roped, and when it was our turn we’d hand off our babies to each other,” remembers Janet.
The bond between the two families also extended to horses.
“Tony and Michelle had an older ranch horse named Fuzzy that we bought for my boys when they were 10 and 12 years old. Dear Fuzzy was the best horse. He taught Ethan and Orry how to rope and ride,” she says.
What all four boys have in common is a love for the cowboy life and rodeo. Each also has his own talents and specialties. Though some of them are finishing college finals, they’ll all be at their home-town rodeo this weekend.
Orry Lemmons is the oldest at age 24. He graduated from Castro Valley High in 2006 and attended two years at Feather River College in Quincy on a scholarship.
He won another rodeo scholarship to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he finished his last two years of college. He’s a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), and his events are tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling.
Rhett Davilla, 23, graduated from Castro Valley High in 2007. He works on his family ranch out on Eden Canyon Road, and is a member of the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association.
Rhett participates in ranch bronc riding and wild cow milking at Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
Kyle Davilla, 22, is a 2008 graduate of Castro Valley High, and has gone on to make quite a name for himself in college rodeo. Kyle was the Steer Wrestling champion at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Poly Royal Rodeo earlier this year. He’s a member of the PRCA and was recruited with a scholarship to Feather River College in Quincy, California, where he’s a steer wrestler on their rodeo team. Kyle will be in Rowell Ranch’s wild cow milking event.
Ethan Lemmons, the youngest of the group at 21, graduated with the class of 2009 from Castro Valley High. Ethan received a scholarship from Feather River College to be on its rodeo team. After two years there, he received a college scholarship the farthest from home, at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.
He’s a PRCA member, bull rider and saddle bronc rider, and will also participate in wild cow milking and team roping at Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
The Lemmons and Davilla families go way back with the Rowell Ranch Rodeo. All the boys started there at the Junior Rodeo, which is held in August for children from six to 18 years of age.
As kids they rode calves, tied goats, and “chute dogged” steers. From Junior Rodeo they went on to High School Rodeo, where all have competed at the state level. It’s no wonder the boys have succeeded, with supporters like the Davillas and Janet Lemmons.
Lemmons, who bought Rowell’s Saddlery and Western Wear from Walt Rivas when she was just 18, also brings a rodeo education program into the schools.
It incorporates anti-drug, anti-gang, and anti-bullying messages, as well as an invitation to join in the fun. She says rodeo is a family activity and everyone is welcome to take part.
“Rodeo isn’t just the western lifestyle,” she adds. “Some people are also from the cities and suburbs. Anyone can be a cowboy. You don’t have to live it every day. And Rowell Ranch Rodeo is a huge family event.”
More information on the Rowell Ranch Rodeo and its events is available at www.rowellranchrodeo.com, or at 510-581-2577.
Two pairs of brothers, born and raised in Castro Valley, will be milking wild cows and riding horses in this weekend’s Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
Lifelong friends Rhett and Kyle Davilla, and Ethan and Orry Lemmons all started out at our local rodeo when they were six years old. Now in their twenties, three of the four have to hurry home from college to participate.
“They’ve been at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo since they were toddlers together, playing in the sand,” says Ethan and Orry’s mother Janet Lemmons. “They’ve gone on all the way to college rodeo and beyond.”
When the four boys were young, their parents went to Joe Silva’s Roping Arena out on Cull Canyon Road every Saturday. Michelle and Tony Davilla and the Lemmons family made a sandbox there for the kids to play in.
“All the parents roped, and when it was our turn we’d hand off our babies to each other,” remembers Janet.
The bond between the two families also extended to horses.
“Tony and Michelle had an older ranch horse named Fuzzy that we bought for my boys when they were 10 and 12 years old. Dear Fuzzy was the best horse. He taught Ethan and Orry how to rope and ride,” she says.
What all four boys have in common is a love for the cowboy life and rodeo. Each also has his own talents and specialties. Though some of them are finishing college finals, they’ll all be at their home-town rodeo this weekend.
Orry Lemmons is the oldest at age 24. He graduated from Castro Valley High in 2006 and attended two years at Feather River College in Quincy on a scholarship.
He won another rodeo scholarship to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he finished his last two years of college. He’s a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), and his events are tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling.
Rhett Davilla, 23, graduated from Castro Valley High in 2007. He works on his family ranch out on Eden Canyon Road, and is a member of the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association.
Rhett participates in ranch bronc riding and wild cow milking at Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
Kyle Davilla, 22, is a 2008 graduate of Castro Valley High, and has gone on to make quite a name for himself in college rodeo. Kyle was the Steer Wrestling champion at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Poly Royal Rodeo earlier this year. He’s a member of the PRCA and was recruited with a scholarship to Feather River College in Quincy, California, where he’s a steer wrestler on their rodeo team. Kyle will be in Rowell Ranch’s wild cow milking event.
Ethan Lemmons, the youngest of the group at 21, graduated with the class of 2009 from Castro Valley High. Ethan received a scholarship from Feather River College to be on its rodeo team. After two years there, he received a college scholarship the farthest from home, at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.
He’s a PRCA member, bull rider and saddle bronc rider, and will also participate in wild cow milking and team roping at Rowell Ranch Rodeo.
The Lemmons and Davilla families go way back with the Rowell Ranch Rodeo. All the boys started there at the Junior Rodeo, which is held in August for children from six to 18 years of age.
As kids they rode calves, tied goats, and “chute dogged” steers. From Junior Rodeo they went on to High School Rodeo, where all have competed at the state level. It’s no wonder the boys have succeeded, with supporters like the Davillas and Janet Lemmons.
Lemmons, who bought Rowell’s Saddlery and Western Wear from Walt Rivas when she was just 18, also brings a rodeo education program into the schools.
It incorporates anti-drug, anti-gang, and anti-bullying messages, as well as an invitation to join in the fun. She says rodeo is a family activity and everyone is welcome to take part.
“Rodeo isn’t just the western lifestyle,” she adds. “Some people are also from the cities and suburbs. Anyone can be a cowboy. You don’t have to live it every day. And Rowell Ranch Rodeo is a huge family event.”
More information on the Rowell Ranch Rodeo and its events is available at www.rowellranchrodeo.com, or at 510-581-2577.
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