Courtesy Photo/Nancy Clark
Mabank ISD student Grady Clark shows his prize-winning steer Oreo at the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 7.

Courtesy Photo/Nancy Clark
Dustin Clark (from left) and family Nancy, Grady, Callen (front row) and Jolie stand with Oreo (behind) celebrating Grady Clark’s accomplishments at the Ft. Work Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 7. 

MABANK–Celebrating hard work and tenacity is something that we as humans do not get to do every day, unless it is the Olympic season, World Cup season, Super Bowl time or in Texas, the annual Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. 
And then, how many times do we get to do this celebration right here in our own community? Thanks to young Grady Clark’s hard work and determination, we can do some celebrating right here in Mabank.
Clark is the 12-year-old son of Dustin and Nancy Clark, both from the Mabank area. Dustin Clark is an experienced rancher, 19-year Mabank High School Agriculture Teacher and now Mabank ISD Director of Maintenance. Nancy Clark is the principal at Central Elementary in Mabank ISD. So, it is no wonder that when Grady Clark was asked where he learned how to work with cattle, he pointed to his dad. Clark has also been a member of the local FFA (Future Farmers of America) since he was in the third grade.
For Clark this most recent journey began when meeting a steer he named Oreo. The one and half year old European Crosses was purchased and a partnership began. Clark and his dad decided that they would prepare Oreo for the most difficult show in Texas, the hair show. The hair show is when the steer is judged by quality of hair and structural features, which is very difficult in East Texas due to the high humidity.
Preparing a winning steer is an everyday task, something this 12 year was ready to take on. Every morning of everyday Clark and his dad are out feeding Oreo at 6:30 A.M., who eats a high protein diet with a mixture of 12% protein and steam rolled corn. Clark said, “in the afternoons, we’d get down there (to the pen where Oreo stays) about  5:00, wash and blow him.” Clark said that he scrubs Oreo with Dawn dish soap and  a shampoo called Whiteout, which helps with the white on Oreos legs. After a good scrubbing Clark said we have to use a beast blower, it is big, it’s like a vacuum cleaner with a vacuum hose. Clark explains that it takes about 30 minutes to do one side of the steer, so a total of about an hour to blow dry the whole animal. Clark said this routine started out to be twice a week but in January, just before the arrival of the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, the steer gets his beauty treatment four to five times a week.
Once Oreo is clean and dry he and Clark go to the arena on the family property and practice. They practice walking, training the steer to get use to a harness and walking in an arena. Clark explained that the practice in the area is to show certain positions of the steer, this is so the steer will be accustomed to the judging process during the competition. After practice, Oreo is fed for a second time and then released in his pen. This process is every day, seven days a week, no matter what the weather is and the young Clark is doing it all, with the help and supervision of his dad.
On show day, at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Oreo’s beauty treatment takes hours  with brushing, bathing and trimming. When ready to show Oreo and Clark walk into this tunnel called the promenade. Clark said, “It’s like a pre-stage before you go in the arena. So, there’s probably a thousand people watching. You walk in, there’s like this curtain and then you walk in [the area] and the judge is standing there. And if he goes like this, [pointing at the steer] that means you’re pulled. And then once he [the judge] does that, he’ll circle the steer around two or three times, and then he’ll pull which ones he doesn’t like.” Clark continued with what the judge did next, ”he pulled [numbers] 13, 12, 11, and then I was 10. I was like, oh yay, I made show.” Clark continued to describe the event, “And then as soon as the judge said, you’re in the money hole, sir, then it hit me.”  Clark said, “A money hole is where a bunch of guys can get together and spend their money on one cow.” And spend they did, Clark walked away with a sizeable profit and a grateful heart for all his hard work and family support.
When Clark was asked about why would a 12 year old do this, his answer was, “The outdoors life is a lot better.” He also said the wanted to thank his family for supporting him.
Congratulations Grady Clark. We will all be looking forward to seeing what you do with your next show.