ARTHUR - It takes more than a broken arm to keep Dalton Cox away from the ropes and the reins and the joy and the pain of rodeo.

Despite fracturing both bones in his lower right arm while steer wrestling last month in Kentucky, the 14-year-old Mattoon boy got back in the saddle for the beginning of the state finals last weekend in Arthur.

The injury kept him only out of the calf roping, and he still managed a few go-rounds in steer wrestling and goat tying. A teenager of few words, Cox said he dismissed the cast on his wrist out of "habit."

His parents, Gene and Wendy Cox, were a little more talkative.

"He knows (competing with a broken arm) makes his mom nervous, and he thinks that's funny," Wendy said only half-seriously.

Dalton isn't the only local youth with such gumption. For five Mattoon teenagers, all of whom competed in the rodeo Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds in Arthur, this dangerous sport provides camaraderie as well as thrills.

Points from the weekend's event will be tallied with results from the rodeo next Saturday at the Rockin' A Ranch in Charleston as part of the National High School Rodeo Association of Illinois Wrangler Division state finals.

That means Mattoon Middle School students Dalton Cox, his younger brother Jesse Cox and Kelsey Ewing will stay close to home to finish their quest for those coveted state finals belt buckles.

Meanwhile, Mattoon High School students Cassie King-Cox, who is also Wendy Cox's daughter, and Autumn Gillespie have their sights set on the Illinois High School Rodeo Association state finals mid-June in Altamont.

Cassie has been active in rodeo since the second grade. She competes in pole bending (basically slalom racing with a horse) and cutting (separating a cow from a herd).

She and other longtime rodeo participants said the sense of community is almost unparalleled.

"(It's) the atmosphere, the way everybody's family, the way everybody knows each other, since we've been rodeoing since we were kids," Cassie said.

"And the competition itself is pretty intense. It's a good rush."

Nathaniel West can be reached at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.

In addition to Dalton, Cassie's other little brother, Jesse, performs in goat tying and calf roping. He said he likes rodeo because of "the friends, the events and the competition."

His mother jokingly wonders if this ought to include "girl roping" too. "He and his buddies, they're either chasing girls or bothering girls" at most rodeos, Wendy said.

While the Coxes are veterans of rodeo, Mattoon High School junior Autumn has been in it for just one year.

Even so, she seems glad she was roped into it by Cassie, whom she met several years ago at a noncompetitive riding event.

Daughter of Brad and Penny Gillespie, Autumn said she has always loved horses, and she got her first horse at age 14 after volunteering for many hours at Paradise Equestrian Therapy in Coles County.

But she has only recently taken to barrel racing. "I kind of like the speed, and it just went from there," said Autumn, who plans to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

Most of the local rodeo participants are also members of Coles County 4-H, and they compete in local riding contests at places like the Rockin' A Ranch or the Rainbow Riding Club in Cooks Mills.

"It's a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication," said Autumn's mother, Penny.

Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.