Rep. Peña: Remembering 2009

Wishing You An Enjoyable Christmas

Enjoy the Holidays and be Safe

My Cowboy Hat is in the Ring

"My hat's in the ring. The fight is on and I'm stripped to the buff." - Teddy Roosevelt, 1912

To throw my hat in the ring is an American phrase which means to enter a competition, especially to announce your representation for a political post. The phrase originated way back in the early 19th century. The 'ring' pertains to the 'boxing ring. This was probably necessitated by the crowds and noise at such events; you'd be missed if you simply tried to shout out a challenge or push your way through the crowd and into the ring.

"Throwing your hat in the ring" is a way of announcing that you are ready to take on anybody from the crowd. The first use of the phrase was reportedly in the year 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt declared his intent to confront William Howard Taft for the battle of the US presidency. Since then, the phrase "throw my hat in the ring" has caught on.

Well on Friday we made it official by filing. We made our official announcement at "The Boxing Gym" in the Hidalgo County Square in Edinburg, Texas.

The gym is just down the street from our office and we thought it would be fitting to highlight an Edinburg business while at the same time having a little fun with President Theodore Roosevelt's famous quote. It of course comes out of boxing history so the location seemed appropriate.

My thanks to Victor Garza who sent me this photo.