DATE: Saturday, October 4, 1997             TAG: 9710040379

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE ABRAMS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   67 lines

COWBOY CULTURE STUDENTS LEARN A LEATHERY SIDE OF BLACK HERITAGE

The calves outran the kids for a while.

In the end, though, the mooing little animals weren't fast enough to elude the throng of schoolchildren chasing them Friday morning at Princess Anne Park.

Desiree Wilkins, 12, was one of the quickest in pursuit.

``I just ran,'' she said. ``I used my skills.''

The Great Neck Middle School seventh-grader was among more than 2,000 area students who visited the park Friday for the second annual Beach visit by the Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo.

She joined a few dozen other children on the field for the ``Calf Scramble,'' a wild chase that drew the morning's biggest cheers and laughter.

The object of the game: Be the first to pull ribbons from the tails of two calves without getting ``that green stuff'' (a.k.a. poop) on your hands.

The prizes: shiny Pickett belt buckles.

To be sure, Wilkins liked the buckle and was relieved to have avoided animal wastes. But she said the real glory came in successfully running around the arena without making a fool of herself.

``It takes a lot of courage,'' she said, still breathing heavy, ``to get out there in front of all those people.''

Courage. Togetherness. Fun.

Those were the defining characteristics of student day at the Pickett rodeo, which gets its name from the Old West's best-known black cowboy.

Pickett is credited with inventing some of the cow-roping techniques seen in modern rodeos. One trick earned him the nickname ``Bulldogger.''

Today's steer-wrestling, or bulldogging, stems from the tricks Pickett did without recognition in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He died in 1932 in Texas when a horse kicked him in the head.

The rodeo's local stop, sponsored by the African-American Cultural Council of Virginia Beach, continues today and Sunday at the park.

On Friday, the students - from more than 20 Hampton Roads schools - paid $5 to get in.

The event kicked off the cultural council's '97 Festival of Pride. The council is dedicated to the celebration of black heritage in Virginia Beach.

``This is important because it raises awareness of kids and people,'' said Freddi E. Moody, council president and co-founder. ``It's not just entertainment. It's for educational value. It shows kids you can learn and have fun.''

Strawbridge Elementary School teacher Andrea Wilson said she brought her 15 special education students to the rodeo because they probably didn't know black cowboys existed. Until last year's event, she said, she didn't know about them.

``It's enriching,'' she said. ``It's informative. It's good for everybody.''

La'Taya Williams, 13, a Great Neck Middle School student, said seeing the black cowboys perform taught her about her heritage.

``They've established a lot for us,'' she said.

Classmate Michaela Hernandez, 14, said the program taught her a thing or two about the Old West - even if she doesn't intend to grow up to be a cowgirl.

``It's a multicultural experience,'' she said. ``It's just a day of fun.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color Photos

BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot

A cowboy wrestles a steer to the ground Friday in the bulldogging

competition at the Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo. The rodeo

is named for a famous cowboy and inventor of Western techniques.

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