John Beck was born in a sod house in the Nebraska Territory sometime in the late 1800s, although state records can not substantiate the exact date. His parents put him on his first horse at 6 months and he has been hooked ever since.
As a youngster, John and his brother Jerry started practicing Steer Riding on small calves and from there competed in 4H Barrel Racing and set many high school records in the state of Nebraska.
John began competing on the IGRA circuit in 1985 as a member of the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association and won his first All-Around Cowboy title in 1986. In fact, one of his first partners in Steer Decorating was the late David Pizzuti, who later gave up competition and became a favorite bullfighter on the circuit.
Since joining CGRA, John has been a very active contestant for the past 15 years. During those years, John has served as CGRA's Rodeo Events Committee chairman many, many times, organizing gymkhanas and training seminars each year.
While competing on the IGRA rodeo circuit, John has won the IGRA Trustees' Sportsmanship Award in 1987 and again in 1997. He is also responsible for replacing Wild Cow Milking with the Wild Drag Race event. He claims he saw it played out in a dream, so we know that he doesn't dream about sex-but dresses. It was this event that led John to expose his love for women's clothing, especially those full-figure dresses. Even today, John's alter ego "Mimi" can be seen at various rodeos throughout the Midwest.
While we all tease John about his collection of tacky dresses and wacky makeup, we also admire his affection for horses and his love of rodeo. The next time you see John, don't forget to call out "Nellie, Nellie, Nellie!"
