It was a scorching hot August afternoon as 22 teenagers, dressed in blue jeans and T-shirts, sat atop horses and looked over the rodeo ring at River Valley Ranch in Manchester.

In the stands were parents and friends, all waiting to see just how much cowboy, and cowgirl, had emerged over a week of Rodeo Camp.

For five days, the teens had set aside cell phones and iPods, mall shopping and movie-going, and embraced a life of bull riding, pole bending, barrel racing, steer wrestling and cattle penning.

Now, it was showtime.

Lauren Anne Laslett, a Westminster High School junior, chose to ride a bull in the show, and prepared herself for the task -- the goal was to stay aboard for eight seconds. In the stands her parents, Julie and Ray Laslett, watched with a mix of pride and a dose of trepidation.

"Bull riding is dangerous," said Julie Laslett, "but so is getting into a car. Lauren Anne is tough, and she has come to this camp for several years, so she seems to know what she's doing. She loves it."

When the moment came, the gate opened and Lauren Anne held tight to her bull. She wasn't able to stay aboard for the full eight seconds, but that didn't stop rodeo announcer John Zeigenfuse from giving her great flourish upon completion of the ride.

The crowd, too, gave enthusiastic approval.

Encouragement, risk-taking and self-satisfaction are among the chief rewards at the Rodeo Camp, which concluded the second of two summer sessions at River Valley last week.

Young adults ranging in age from 12 to 17, and hailing from as close as Carroll County and as far as Virginia, came to the ranch for a change of pace and a cowboy-sized challenge.

Zeigenfuse, who also serves as director of programming at River Valley, said simply sitting on a bull and grasping that rope in the gate is a challenge for anyone -- and a real confidence-builder for many of the teens.

"We have some students who come to camp and have never ridden a horse or bull," he said. "So even though it may not seem like they are doing anything fancy, just riding the horse or sitting on top of the bull shows that they have come a long way."

Ride 'em, cowgirl

Danielle Leggett, a junior at Century High School, has been riding horses for 12 years, but was more accustomed to English style, very different from the western style taught at rodeo camp.

She said she enjoys the camp because it's a change of pace from what she's used to.

"For the rodeo, I chose to compete in bull riding and barrel racing. I chose barrel racing because my horse, Thinner, is amazing and pretty fast," she said. "I chose bull riding because all my friends at home told me I have to do it, and plus it's a thrill to try to stay on the bull for eight seconds."

River Valley Ranch opened in the northern most tip of Carroll County in 1952 as a cowboy summer camp for youth.

The ranch, a Christian camp registered as a nonprofit religious organization, has evolved into a facility providing camps including Rodeo Camp, Cowboy Camp and Horsemanship & Trail Riding. For those not interested in horses, there are options such as Paintball Camp and Adventure Camp. Each camp has a fee depending on its length and features -- the overnight, week-long rodeo camp costs $540.

The ranch also hosts concerts, corporate retreats and other special events throughout the year.

According to Horsemanship Program Director Morgan Decker, about 320 campers take part in camps at River Valley Ranch during summer sessions, with about 200 camp employees.

"Each rodeo camp session is different, based on the personalities and experience of the campers," said Decker.

A rodeo instructor for the past three summers, Decker said she loves spending time at the camp, and enjoys seeing campers return each year.

"It's really interesting and certainly never boring. It's really neat to watch them each progress throughout the week, and then to show it all off in the rodeo on the last day of camp," Decker added.

That 'cowboy thing'

Northwest Middle School eighth-grader Melinda Reynolds was a tenderfoot at camp this year -- it was her first time -- and said her motivation was really to learn to ride a horse.

But along the way she also came to love barrel racing because, she said, it helps her practice turning and controlling the horse.

Camp Horsemanship Director Jason Charles said campers generally like team penning -- a fast-paced event in which teams of riders on horseback have to separate cattle from a herd in an allotted time. The teamwork and camaraderie required really help the riders bond as a group. Other favorites for the campers include bull riding -- because it's dangerous and exciting -- and barrel racing because it's fast.

"Rodeos seem to be increasing in popularity in general," Charles said, then added with a chuckle, "and there are always people who are into the cowboy thing."

While the campers themselves see the week as a chance to try new things, test themselves physically and make new friends, their parents see it as a way for them to step back from modern life and experience something truly different.

Lauren Anne's father, Ray Laslett, noted that campers are not allowed to bring electronic devices to camp -- that includes cell phones, video games and portable music players.

He said he likes the idea of creating an environment for kids where they are required to function without technology, where they have to make their own fun.

With dust still hanging in the air and campers saying goodbye to their horses, friends and camp counselors, Lauren Anne generally had to admit that her dad was right.

"I would prefer to have my cell phone, but it would ruin the experience," she said.

"If I had my cell phone I would text all the time and not focus on what I'm supposed to be doing," she concluded. "Not having my phone allowed me to concentrate on camp."

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