RIDER RUNDOWN with...Tate Watson

By Katlin Truelsen / CAC Media Group

North Carolina cowboy Tate Watson just wrapped up his second Junior High Finals with a runner-up finish in bull riding. This all-around cowboy qualified in three events, including bulls, bareback, and breakaway roping. In his interview, Watson talks about his experiences in Perry and how he plans to use his top finish to fuel his work going into next year.

KT: Alright Tate, can you start us off by telling us how old you are and where you are from?

TW: I am 13 years old and will be going into 8th grade and I am from Western, North Carolina.

KT: And you just wrapped up an impressive junior high rodeo season. Tell our readers how you did.

TW: Yeah, I ended up being the 2023 Reserve World Champion in the bull riding.

KT: That is fantastic, congratulations! What prizes came with that win?

TW: I won three buckles, a little over $2,100 in cash and I got two scholarships totaling $1,000.

KT: And where are your scholarships for?

TW: They are for any college I want to go to when I am older.

KT: How does the National Junior High Finals Rodeo work, can you explain that?

TW: The rodeo is a week long. Everything is divided into two rounds of six, so you ride two times, and they take the top 20 back for the short go.

KT: And what did you have to do to qualify for the Junior High Finals from your state?

TW: You qualify through the National High School Finals Rodeo Association and must place in the top four in your event to go to nationals.

KT: Can you explain to me a little bit about how the averages work? So, you ended up 4th on your first bull and then came back and won the short go, which put you in the reserve spot?

TW: Yeah, in the First Round, I got 72 points, and in the second round I got a score of 62. So, I had 134 going into the short go and scored the highest score in the short go with 72 points to win the round and be Reserve World Champion. Only the top 20 in the aggregate got to come back for the short go-round in each event. I was 5th in the aggregate going into the championship round.

KT: Did you qualify in any other events besides bull riding?

TW: Yes, ma’am, I also qualified in the bareback and breakaway roping.

KT: What did that look like for scheduling when you were in Perry?

TW: Well, there are 12 performances total, so each round has six performances. I rode Sunday night in the breakaway roping, Monday morning in the bareback, and Tuesday morning in the bulls, and for the second round it flipflops, so I rode Thursday night in the bull riding, Friday night in the bareback and Saturday morning in the breakaway. It works out pretty well.

KT: And how many guys riding at your state qualified in multiple events?

TW: We had about 20 cowboys and cowgirls make it in multiple events from North Carolina.

KT: Did anyone qualify in more than three events, or you were elite in that?

TW: I know of at least three cowboys and cowgirls that qualified in four events. Quite a few people qualify in more than one.

KT: What do you see yourself doing for next year? Will you continue to do all around, or do you plan to spend your time focusing on bulls to see if you can win your last year in junior high?

TW: I am going to try to go for all-around, but my first love is definitely bull riding. I’ve had more success at bull riding so when times get hard, I always go back to my bull riding to get my confidence up. It’s where I feel most comfortable.

KT: How will you split up your time when you are preparing?

TW: I’m going to work hard on my horsemanship and roping and on my bareback, but anything I do in rodeo helps me get better at all my events, especially bull riding.

KT: What is it you did in your preparation that was different from last year?

TW: Last year when I was in Perry, I was just excited to be there and wasn’t as focused on the goal of winning. This year, I went with the intention of competing. There were a lot of extra fun things going on during finals week, but this year my focus was on riding and as the week went on and I realized I was in a position to be at the top at the end, it made me even more focused.

KT: How will you use your momentum from your win to push yourself for the rest of the season?

TW: Bull riding is a lot mental and the rest of it is muscle memory. Perry gave me the confidence to move forward and go anywhere and compete with people my age.

KT: Outside of competing in your events, what were some of the other things you had a chance to do throughout the week?

TW: There were a lot of things going on. They had a volleyball tournament and a fishing tournament, and there were water balloon fights constantly. It was pretty fun.

KT: Besides winning, what would you say was the best part of your experience in Perry?

TW: My best friend got to come with us, and I got to hang out with him when I wasn’t rodeoing, and I also got to hang out with my other buddies as well and watch all the other performances.

KT: And what about the rest of the summer, what is your schedule like?

TW: My sister is riding at the IFYI (International Finals Youth Rodeo) in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and then after that, I just have some junior rodeos to go to.

KT: Do you get to go anywhere else this summer; go on vacation or do any other traveling?

TW: No, ma’am, we usually stick pretty close to home when we aren’t rodeoing because that is a lot of travel.

KT: That makes sense. And we heard that you know some of the other riders that we featured in our piece a few months back, Elijah and Huntly Jennings, how did you meet them?

TW: It was a long time ago, back in 2018 when I was at a bull ride in South Carolina. I didn’t know them then, but that is where we met. And then about a year later at another rodeo, Elijah broke his leg, and everyone went with him to the hospital, so Huntly ended up hanging out with us and we became good friends.

KT: Do you ever hang out with them outside of rodeos?

TW: Yes, ma’am. They only live about an hour from us, so I have been to their house a few times. They were the first people we talked to after I won the Reserve World Championship, and they were just as excited as we were.

KT: It is good to have friends like that for sure. To wrap up, we have some fun questions to ask you, so readers get to know a little more about you outside of the rodeo. First up, what is your favorite color?

TW: I would have to say blue because my first pair of chaps was blue, and I really liked them.

KT: And what about your favorite food?

TW: Steak because it is cowboy food.

KT: All right, what about places you like to go when you aren’t on the road rodeoing?

TW: My family and I like to go to the lake.

KT: Tell us your favorite movie.

TW: My favorite movie is probably Top Gun II.

KT: You are one of the first riders to tell us something other than Eight Seconds!

TW: Well, I like that one too.

KT: Last question, what is one thing that most people don’t know about you?

TW: I like to play the guitar.

KT: That is cool! Well, Tate thank you for sharing your story from the Junior High National Finals and hopefully we will get to catch up with you next year when it is in our home state of Iowa.

TW: Yes, I hope so too. It was nice talking with you. Thank you for interviewing me.

KT: To hear from more of your favorite junior bull riders, you can check out the National High School Finals Rodeo page or the Yeti Junior World Finals on Facebook. Be sure to look for a new rider highlighted in our Rider Rundown next month.

Katlin Truelsen is a member of the CAC Media Group and specializes in digital and print media. She is currently a high school junior and lives with her family on a diversified grain and livestock farm in Eastern Iowa.