The "Big Ass Belt Buckle"

Ok, so there are 3 things that are required to be in the wardrobe in order to live in Texas

1. A Stetson
2. Boots
3. Jeans

Everything else is wide open.  Some of us own a good length of rope.  Some of us even own a whip (don’t ask).

But there’s one thing that sets apart the “royalty” in Texas from everyone else, and that’s the “Big Ass Belt Buckle”.  Everybody’s seen ‘em.  They vary in size from roughly a drink coaster to roughly a desert platter to roughly the roof of a domed stadium.

There’s 2 ways to get these. 

The first way (and hardest) is to earn one.  How do you earn a “Big Ass Belt Buckle”?  Well, win a rodeo.  Do something cowboyey (yes, that’s a word).  Some organizations give them away like trophies.  Some companies give them as tokens of recognition.  But to earn a BABB is not an easy feat.  To earn one means you did something that deserves a BABB.  You hung on to the bull for the full :08.  That’s hard to do.  That deserves the BABB award.

 

Alternatively, you can go out and buy one.  In fact, anyone can.  You can head down to Cavendars and get one for as little as $7.00.  There’s no shame in that, unless you haven’t done anything to earn it.  Just slapping a caddy hood ornament on your old Ford POS doesn’t make your POS a Caddy.  No, I say you earn your BABB.  You do something, and it better be big.  The good news, though, is you can set the bar wherever you like.  You’re awarding the trophy to yourself and someone’s likely to ask you how you earned the BABB.  Better make it a good story.

I’m considering whether or not 2006 is the year I finally concede that I’ve finally done enough to earn a BABB.  In 2004, 2 weeks after the BPMS150, I sat in the saddle on my bike for a solid 95 miles in rain, cold, and wind from Dallas to Lake Texoma State Park across the Oklahoma border for the Red River Challenge.  That was damn hard.  1500 riders set out that day and only 215 finished on their wheels, the rest caught a bus before lunch.  Then I got up and rode another 60 miles the next day.  That was pretty manly, if I do say so myself.  5 months later I did it again out of San Antonio.  That was the year I pulled off the MS150 Triple Crown (all 3 rides, 1 year).

 

For my encore performance on the same ride in 2005 I rode 75 out for the first 100 miles on day 1 into a 20mph headwind.  Then I only got to ride 5 miles with the wind, the rest was at my side.  The weather was nice, except for the constant wind.  That was pretty manly.  But it was no marathon.

 

This year I have a marathon and a few more big events (one REALLY REALLY BIG EVENT that’s not the marathon) scheduled.  If I can pull it off, maybe I’ll finally decide that I’ve earned my BABB.

In fact, I suggest that be the trophy for HRBs at the end of the season.  Some kind of MVP thing.  You guys rock.  You keep me putting the left foot out there every other step I take when I run.