Rodeo cowboy Tim Slater of Concord Township and his quarter horse, Dan, are looking forward to competing in this year's North Washington Rodeo. The annual rodeo parade will be held tonight.

Butler County is filled with a variety of people doing interesting things. This weekly feature offers snapshots of some of them by asking them five questions. The latest installment appears below.

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The North Washington Rodeo begins tonight with a parade, but the days following will feature bull riding, calf-roping and other fast-paced events.

Among the competitors is 49-year-old Tim Slater of Concord Township, who has competed in steer wrestling for 28 years.

Slater was listed as national champion seven times between 1997 and 2008 on the American Professional Rodeo Association website and in 1996 won the International Professional Rodeo Association finals in Oklahoma City.

To wrestle a steer, Slater is timed as he dismounts his fast-moving horse, grabs the steer's horns, then digs his heels into the dirt as he wrestles the steer to its side.

Here, Slater tells what it's like during the mere seconds it takes to complete the job.

QUESTION: Can you tell anything about the steer when you see it leave the chute?ANSWER: You know if it's running fast: I know that. Some of them will stop right out there, so you've got to read that: when they're going to stop. If they stop and you don't, you'll go past them. A lot of it is reaction. Everything is different every time.

QUESTION: Are there different strategies and styles for wrestling a steer?ANSWER: It's all basically about the same. It's more about technique than it is power. You slide them, stop, lay them down on their sides. Some guys don't slide far enough. Some slide too far.

QUESTION: Have you ever been injured?ANSWER: I've been pretty lucky. I've only had one knee surgery. I tore the ACL and MCL in my leg. Knock on wood, it's been great for (the last) 15 years — nothing but a few bumps and bruises.

QUESTION: How do you qualify to compete in state and national events?ANSWER: You join an association. The North Washington (affiliation) is the IPRA — International Professional Rodeo Association. It is also co-sanctioned by the American Professional Rodeo Association. When you win, whatever dollar amount you win adds up to a point. The top 15 (point earners) in their respective finals compete.QUESTION: Do you have any superstitious rituals you do before an event?ANSWER: A lot of times I'll just picture how it's going to go in my head: like a prerun of how I want things to go. Sometimes I've got lucky shirts I swear by. Right now it's a checkered red, white and blue (button-up) shirt.For more information on the rodeo, to go www.nwvfd.com/rodeo/default.htm.