A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law toted a box out of her storage area, returning it to my wife because, well, it belongs here, not there.

I hauled the box to our basement, which also serves as my office, and I’m glad I did. The box contains several dozen magazines, most of which bear the title of ProRodeo Sports News. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going through the magazines page by page.

Right now, I’m deeply engrossed in the 2001 season, having flipped through the coverage of the Copenhagen Cup Finale, the season finale that was part of the Texas Stampede and took place in the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

So many things have changed in the last decade, some for the better. The world of rodeo has been progressive on some fronts, backwards on others.

Nostalgia has me looking at the standings and the storylines. Remember, this is when Cody Ohl was the all-around and tie-down roping world champion, before Trevor Brazile ever work PRCA gold. This was when Guy Allen dominated steer roping and Blue Stone was winning on the backs of bulls and Speed and Rich were household names.

I’ll continue to read the features and reflect back on what I recall, but I’ll also continue to push for greater promotion for our sport as we look for the future.

It’s how we grow.