HOUSTON – One family was living with relatives for four months after Hurricane Harvey. The Speis family said it was a lot of hard work every day since the turkeys and their other animals were at their home living in the barn they rebuilt.
They would drive back multiple times a day to take care of the turkeys and prepare them for the competition at the rodeo.
"It’s kind of a family thing we’ve been doing since my dad was my age,” competitor Ryan Speis said.
It's a family tradition for the family from Woodsboro to raise animals to show at different rodeos.
"Animals have just been a part of their whole entire life,” Ryan's mother Carmen Speis said.
This week, Ryan and Justin are competing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
It took months for the high school students to raise turkey and prepare them for competition, all while they’ve been out of their home after Hurricane Harvey destroyed it and their barn.
They got the turkeys after the hurricane, but they had cattle that survived the storm.
“Our house had to have a new roof and be completely gutted to the studs. We basically had to do our whole home,” Carmen Speis said.
The family, including the teenage boys, showed their strength and determination.
“They can make it through adversity and show others a hurricane doesn't get them down if they’re still able to compete and do it with a positive attitude,” Ryan said. "It teaches you how to fight. You think you can't get through, but you’re going to get through. You've got to keep going. Pray to God, you’re going to get through it.”
The Speis brothers didn't get as far in the competition as they’d hoped, but they’re already looking forward to next year with their turkeys.
In the meantime, they'll show cattle in another rodeo in a couple of weeks.