Photo courtesy of Allyson Lozares
Kevin Lozares competes in calf tying with his horse, Porpoise.
Town Crier Editorial Intern
Rodeo. Golf. No matter how hard one tries, it isn't easy to find a connection between these two vastly different sports.
Launching a tiny white ball from a well-groomed fairway is a lot different from pushing a sweaty, trained horse to victory. But Kevin Lozares has found a way to succeed in both. Whether it's the Junior World Golf Championships or the Livermore Rodeo Jamboree, Lozares has excelled.
The Mountain View resident and soon-to-be seventh grader at Pinewood School shifts back and forth between country clubs and ranches throughout the year.
And lucky for him, the scheduling works out.
"My rodeo competitions are almost always on the weekends and the golf tournaments on the weekdays so I really don't have a problem with the time," Lozares said.
However, that's not the only thing that allows him to thrive. It seems both golf and rodeo riding are in his blood. Lozares' father is the head pro at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course and his grandfather was a professional bull rider and owns a ranch.
"I'm fortunate that I can often refer to them when I need help with rodeo or golf," Lozares said. "I have many opportunities that most people my age don't."
Lozares began golfing, rodeo riding and other sports when he was only 5 years old.
"I played all types of sports, from baseball to basketball," Lozares said. "But as I got older, golf and the rodeo just seemed natural to me. And that's why I decided to focus on them."
Since then, Lozares has come a long way. He's won several golf tournaments and rodeo competitions. And Lozares has made a name for himself in each sport.
"There are many awards and prizes in sports, but that's not why I compete," he said. "I compete for the love of the sport."
Lozares said he appreciates the differences in these sports.
"Rodeo is like a team sport - it's you and your horse," Lozares said. "If the horse doesn't cooperate, you can't win. On the other hand, golf is serious and individualized."
But has he considered concentrating on just one sport?
"Both of the sports are so exciting, so fun, I couldn't imagine giving up either one," Lozares said. "And because they're so different, that's what makes them exciting. I hate to be one-sided, and by competing in both rodeo and golf, I become two-sided."
Lozares has aspirations of making the pros in at least one of these sports, but he wants to attend college first.
"College is key," he said. "Even though I'll be engaged in one of the sports, I also plan to get a degree as well."
If Lozares makes it to the pros in one sport, he intends to keep the other as a hobby.