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WESTERN SPORTS FOUNDATION
PRESENTED BY
Rodeo sports may be largely solitary, but no rider or roper should have to face personal challenges alone. That’s the philosophy behind the Western Sports Foundation (WSF), a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of the nation’s riders and ropers. WSF seeks to enhance rodeo athletes’ health and mental wellbeing through initiatives such as financial assistance for injured rodeo athletes, scholarships, wellness programs, support for those in need of mental health services, addiction treatment and much more.
Founded as the Rider Relief Fund in response to bull rider Jerome Davis’s career-ending injury in 1998, WSF now supports rodeo athletes of all disciplines and at any stage of their careers.
As part of this year’s PBR’s festivities, cowgirl icon Peyton Martin Gay hosted the Third Annual Peyton’s Project Runway benefiting WSF. The western fashion celebration event and auction, produced with support from WSM Auctioneers, included donated items from high-profile PBR athletes. Each year, the event brings the rodeo community together to raise awareness about WSF’s work in giving back to the ropers and riders who make rodeo so special.
WSF’s work has touched thousands of lives, fostering a supportive environment for rodeo athletes in need of assistance. The organization’s services are entirely confidential, meaning athletes don’t have to worry that their industry peers will find out about their personal issues. Offerings range from one-time social media training classes to extended efforts to procure top-tier medical care and financing for injured rodeo athletes.
“We’re here to help any athlete, no matter how successful or how new you are to the circuit,” says Aubrey O’Quin, Executive Director of WSF. In her role, O’Quin personally works with rodeo athletes to help them overcome challenges such as depression, access to adequate medical care and financial hardships stemming from debt.
What follows are three stories of perseverance made possible with help from WSF. Together, they illustrate WSF’s extraordinary work in providing a safety net to help rodeo athletes reach their full potential.
-Aubrey O’Quin
J.R. VEZAIN: “I BELIEVE THAT I’M GOING TO WALK AGAIN ONE DAY.”
In 2018, news of J.R. Vezain’s back injury shook the rodeo world. The PRCA bareback rider, who was Resistol Rookie of the Year in 2011 and had qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo six times, had also only recently learned his wife was pregnant. After a horse flipped on him, he soon found he was paralyzed from the waist down.
However, with a bronc rider’s grit and a “never quit” attitude, Vezain is committed to walking again. And, he’ll do so with help from WSF and other members of the rodeo community.
“There’s no shame in being helped out. It’s a blessing for somebody. You robbed somebody of their blessing if you don’t allow them to help you,” he says.
After the injury, PBR bull rider J.B. Mauney reached out to Vezain to introduce him to O’Quin. WSF signed on to provide Vezain with financial assistance, but that was only the beginning.
In the months after the accident, O’Quin reached out to Vezain to gauge his interest in participating in a medical trial involving the use of an exoskeleton. Vezain signed on, and the study took place in April of this year.
“After the first day of walking in that system, I decided I needed to get one for at home. It was incredible. It was the most real feeling of walking I’ve had, post-injury,” says Vezain.
The exoskeleton had electronic sensors that revealed how much of his own effort he was putting into walking. On the study’s first day, Vezain put in 20 percent effort. But, after walking for an hour a day for 15 days, he’d worked his way up to 45 percent. It was encouraging. An exoskeleton could help Vezain achieve his dream of walking again.
Vezain determined the Indego Personal Exoskeleton best suited his needs, but it costs $100,000, plus an additional
$5,000 in annual warranty costs. He initially planned to raise money by selling his stagecoach and other items, but the community came through again. Lori O’Harver of nonprofit Bronc Riding Nation offered to help finance the exoskeleton, and bronc rider Mitch Pollack turned his Backyard Bronc Bash in Twin Falls, Idaho, into a fundraiser for Vezain.
Although they raised a great deal of money, it wasn’t quite enough. So, Vezain reached back out to O’Quin. WSF then offered $50,000, amounting to half the cost of the system.
“I believe that I’m going to walk again someday, and this was an absolute goal and dream of mine,” he says. “I feel like this is going to be a breakthrough for me.”
At O’Quin’s invitation, Vezain now sits on WSF’s athlete advisory board.
“It was a no-brainer for me. Somebody was willing to help a guy out they didn’t even know... I absolutely try to do my best to give back to them and do my part, too,” he says.
It’s tough for any bull rider to hear they’ll have to sit out for a few weeks and heartbreaking when they learn they’re out for an entire season. Retired bull rider Reese Cates knows this all too well, as 2008’s PBR Rookie of the Year suffered numerous injuries throughout his career.
Whenever Cates was out for an extended period, he turned to WSF, then called Rider Relief Fund. The organization provided financial assistance while he was unable to earn money from bull riding.
“It was something that enabled me to keep going and help keep my head above water during those times,” he says. “And then, whenever I did get healthy again, I was able to pick right back up where I left off without missing a beat.”
He recalls how the organization helped him after a shoulder injury put him out for 24 weeks, spanning most of the 2014 PBR season.
“They took care of me for those six months and helped me pay my bills and allow me to rehab my shoulder properly,” he says. “And whenever I came back at the end of those six months, the following season, which would have been 2015, it was the best year I’ve ever had.”
Now retired from professional bull riding, Cates presently works as a sales manager and runs a lifestyle brand, Unpaved American. He’s grateful for WSF’s support throughout his journey.
“A lot of guys get depressed when they’re out with an injury because they don’t know how to handle it. Their whole life has revolved around the sport. And now they’re broke, busted and disgusted,” he says.
Often, those in need of help will instead turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort. Cates encourages anyone in that situation to reach out to WSF.
“A lot of times, men feel like we are inadequate if we need help. Sometimes, the strongest thing that you can do is actually ask for help,” he says. “At the Western Sports Foundation, their job is to help you.”
When WSF offered Austin Meier an opportunity to participate in a medical study to help identify concussionrelated issues, Meier knew it could change his life. The former PBR bull rider, whose career highlights include the reserve World Champion title in 2010 and more than $1.3 million in lifetime earnings, was experiencing bouts of memory loss and behavioral changes. Having sustained concussions throughout his career, it seemed likely they’d impacted his brain function. In search of answers, he agreed to participate in the study, which included a full medical assessment.
After Meier tested at a genius level, a doctor leading the study knew concussions weren’t the issue. Meier’s heavy alcohol use was impacting his brain function.
“He just told me straight up, ‘You know, for being so smart, you’re really being dumb.’ And he told me, ‘You’ve got to stop.’” Meier says.
Having recently been hospitalized for pancreatitis, Meier was already aware alcohol was taking a toll on him. However, the revelation that alcohol use was affecting his brain was a wake-up call that his drinking could cost him his life.
“That was a big deal for me because it was on the brink of ‘too late,’” he says.
Fortunately, because of the study, there was still time for him to make life-saving changes. He developed the tools to approach personal challenges in a healthy way.
This month, Meier will celebrate 16 months of sobriety.
“Now, my life is beautiful,” he says.
Meier and his wife show their gratitude by participating in speaking engagements, serving as a beacon of hope for families impacted by alcohol and addiction.
“There’s no strength in suffering,” he says. “The courage and strength are in taking what is sometimes a scary, hard step.”
Meier even started riding bulls again, though he’s presently recovering from an injury. Still, he remains determined to ride.
“If God leads me to it, which I think He will, then I’ll get back on as soon as my body is ready,” he says.
-Austin Meier
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT WSF
WSF thrives because of volunteer and donor support. If you want to support WSF and its initiatives, or if you’re a rodeo athlete in need of support, visit www.wsf.org to learn more.
