The gates rolled open. Megan Stammann sprinted blindly into a cloud of dust and the thunder of hooves: 14 calves, pursued by 28 teenagers from 4H and FFA groups across Texas.

Megan's honey-colored hair, pulled into a high ponytail, flopped behind her. The sleeves of her extra-large Houston Rodeo Calf Scramble T-shirt billowed to her elbows.

When the dust cleared, the 70-pound teen found herself hanging onto the tail of a 300-pound calf.

Megan was one of about 350 teens who caught a calf in the rodeo ring at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last year. As this year's rodeo kicks off today, a new group of hopefuls is preparing for the prestigious opportunity: catch a calf and you win a $1,500 certificate to buy your own.

The rodeo also brings a return to the ring for the Richmond teen, now 15, and the rest of last year's calf scramble winners, who've discovered that catching the calf wasn't the hardest part of the process. Winning the calf scramble commits teens to a year of raising, showing and documenting the progress of their prize heifers.

Click here to read the full story by Chronicle reporter Jennifer Latson.