"Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bicycle or typing. If your willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life." - Brian Tracy.
Garrison Panzer is a one of a kind individual with an unusual gift for someone his age, and he's making the absolute most of it. He is a native born Kansan, who at an early age never stopped talking, this is not uncommon for a lot of over hyper kids, but Garrison is turning it into a promising career, rodeo announcing. Garrison's rodeo roots run deep, his grandfather judged rodeo competitions and his father team roped, bulldogged and also judges.
Now anybody who has been to rodeo knows that the announcer is a crucial part of the show. They make you laugh, they inform you who's next and they commentate every aspect of the rodeo. Sometimes they even help explain what's going on if you're a newbie to the arena. They are quick witted, sharp tongued, and articulate. All these skills usually take years to prefect and hone in, but for Garrison it seems second nature. The best part is you can't tell how old he is from the voice that blasts out of the speakers, honestly he sounds like a grown man who has been doing this his whole life.
Recently at the International Finals Rodeo 2017, Garrison won the Contract Acts Showcase in the announcers category in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This marks him as one of the youngest competitors to take the title as champ. The competition takes place by two parts the competitors draw names out of a hat and are paired with a rodeo clown and a specialty act. First a panel of judges looked out how he interacted with the clown, and how he sells the specialty act to the crowd then judged him. The competition ranged from 25 years older to 10 years older than Garrison himself who sits at 19 years old.
While this is a huge step in this young man's career, it's not the first time Garrison has outdone himself. The National Little Britches Association is a youth rodeo program that is a start up for many young rodeo kids. It helps develop the passion, and hard work that is a part of rodeo worldwide. Garrison joined the association at the age of five and through his drive for team roping, announcing, and now judging he became the association youth president.
Currently Garrison attends Oklahoma State University as an Agricultural Business Undergraduate. While there he was given an opportunity to announce Oklahoma States College Rodeo. This young man has a bright future and passion for a one of a kind industry. So, just like how Garrison ends every rodeo he says, "Be a blessing because you are blessed".
