Roveskey “Fatty” Hickman

hometown: SHUQUALAK, MISSISSIPPI Proffession: PRO

ROPER & RANCH MANAGER

Shortly after he competed in season 2, Fatty and his wife had their second child. A short time after that Fatty’s wife lost her job and Fatty had to take a step back from competing in ropings to support his family. He currently still manages an 1100-acre cattle ranch full-time. Now that Fatty and his wife are both working again, Fatty hopes he can get back to his passion for roping in professional rodeos.

ROB: HOW DID YOU GET THE NICKNAME FATTY?

Fatty: Honestly, I was always a chubby, fat kid. When I was a kid we always had to shop in the husky section back in the day because none of the regular kids’ clothes would fit me.

ROB: HOW DID YOU GET ON THE SHOW THE FIRST TIME AROUND?

Fatty: During the first season, I filled out an application through one of my friends and it just took off from there. I went through some interviews. And then boom, here I am. Watching the first season is the reason I wanted to compete in the second season.

ROB: WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF BEING A COWBOY?

Fatty: Grit and determination. Regardless of what it is, everybody has to have some heart in the job for whatever they’re doing. Some jobs pay more than others, but in order to make the money you need, you need to sit down and do it. Cowboys raise the cows from the ground up whereas most people just go to the grocery store to buy a steak or ground beef. Cowboying is not something we do, it’s more of who we are. I’ve had jobs in plants, selling furniture and I’m a certified welder but I can’t stand welding. I am a cowboy through and through.

ROB: ARE YOU A FIRST-GENERATION COWBOY?

Fatty: I’m somewhat of a first-generation cowboy, but I guess I’m a thirdgeneration horseman. My dad’s a team roper and he rides and trains horses. His father had cattle and was more of a cattleman with no horses. So I guess I took both of them and put them together.

ROB: ARE YOU STILL RODEOING?

Fatty: I’m a team roper. I go to a few rodeos around home now but I used to travel around the southeast. For my day-to-day, I’m a ranch manager. The family that owns it is great. This is my sixth or seventh year with them and it feels like family. They call my kids their grandchildren. It’s a great feeling.

ROB: DO YOUR BOYS WANT TO BE LIKE YOU?

Fatty: I hope they do. And I hope they don’t. I have a passion for cowboying. I love it and you have to love it to do it. I don’t just want my kids to do it because I’ve done it, I want them to do it because their hearts are in it. I would love for them to pick it up but at the same time, I’m there to support them in whatever they want. I’m one cowboy out of three children. I had scholarship offers out of high school but I decided I want to be a cowboy and I took a rodeo scholarship and ever since then I’ve been working.

ROB: WHAT MADE YOU COME BACK FOR THIS SEASON?

Fatty: When I played football in high school, and everybody played other sports, you leave it on the field and leave it on the court. Well, the reason why I went home on my season was because of my roping abilities. I didn’t catch the cow and that’s what I do, I team rope. I feel like I have a point to prove because I don’t feel like I gave them my all. I made a lot of friends and the camaraderie was great but as far as performance goes, I don’t feel like I performed my best. More than that though, I want to prove the point to myself that I can do it.

When I first got the call to come back, I was actually kind of skeptical about it. I told my wife that I didn’t know if I wanted to do it again. And she’s one of the main reasons why I’m here. She told me I had to do it again. She’s been the driving force behind it for me and it’s been great having her support. She just doesn’t know how much that means to me.

ROB: ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT TO PREPARE FOR THE SHOW THIS TIME AROUND?

Fatty: I just bought a different horse. With cowboying, there’s no preparing for what we do in our everyday life. We catch cows and we sort cattle. I’ve been preparing for this for the last 20 years of my life.

ROB: WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS IN LIFE?

Fatty: I want to raise my family in the cowboy lifestyle. I’m a horse trainer and team roper but eventually, I want to have our own operation and I’m not looking for this big, big operation. I always tell people I never plan on retiring because I don’t work, I enjoy life. I’m a cowboy but I enjoy life. If I ever stop working for someone else, I’ll still want to push my own cattle around. God blessed me with this lifestyle and I’m going to use it as long as I can.