Yes, I’m a storyteller, and it’s awesome to be such.

But one of my greatest joys comes prior to the storytelling, when I’m involved in the reporting and information-gathering. That’s when I get to hear of others’ passions and, in essence, allow them to tell me their stories first.

Today I’ve visited with two contestants who own a combined five world championships; I also chatted with a stock contractor, a bullfighter and a committeeman. Not all the conversations involved the same subject, but they were all related, obviously, to rodeo.

I learn about what it means to rodeo in Canada, what awards mean to livestock owners and how to deal with all the things needed to produce a June rodeo in west Texas.

Over the next few days, I’ll take those conversations and add them to the storylines I’ll produce, and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

For now, though, they’re all mine.