RIDER RUNDOWN with... Nic Jackson

By Katlin Truelsen / CAC Media Group

Maryland bull rider Nic Jackson is looking forward to another summer full of rodeos. He and his siblings have been practicing their skills, which include working with their horses and getting on bulls each week. As the oldest sibling, Nic must take the reins and the responsibilities when they are preparing for the rodeos. After talking with him in Las Vegas last December, we chatted on the phone earlier this month to see what steps he is taking to earn himself another trip to the Junior World Finals.

KT: Okay, Nic, to start, can you tell our readers where you are from?

NJ: I’m from Maryland.

KT: What is your age and grade in school?

NJ: I am 15 and a freshman in high school.

KT: When we talked in Vegas you said you were homeschooled, what does that look like?

NJ: I will wake up around seven and go out and feed the animals. My responsibility is mostly the horses and bulls. I come back in and have breakfast and then start my schoolwork so I can be done at three and head out to practice.

KT: Do you enjoy being homeschooled more than traditional school?

NJ: I do truly like it more. I went to traditional school until about 2nd grade, but since I started rodeo, it allows me to have a lot more flexible schedule.

KT: What does your schooling look like?

NJ: We work with a learning curriculum that we use for our schooling. It covers the same stuff as a normal school.

KT: What does your family like to do?

NJ: Well, my siblings and I enjoy riding and being around livestock. My older brother is 16 and has special needs but enjoys animals. My younger brother is 10 and rides bulls, too. I have two twin sisters who barrel race and do pole bending, breakaway roping, and goat tying.

KT: What does a typical week look like for you guys?

NJ: At the beginning of the week, we do our schoolwork, and then starting Thursday, we start packing for the rodeo because we typically head out early for a Saturday rodeo. If we take the horses, we like to be there at least a day ahead of time.

KT: Do you help a lot with your sibling training?

NJ: I help my brother a lot with his bull riding technique. With my sisters, I do the video so they can see what they are doing and what might need to be fixed before their next run.

KT: Do you and your siblings work well together?

NJ: Yes, I step up a lot on the responsibilities of feeding and helping them with other stuff wherever I need to.

KT: You said you have bulls, are these rodeo bulls or bulls for breeding in a cow-calf operation?

NJ: I own a few bucking bulls and my brother has one as well. We also have a few calves.

KT: I know that it is hard to get into the rodeo bull business because it is expensive. Can you walk us through how you started it?

NJ: I have been doing it for about a year, and I enjoy it. I am currently just buying the bulls and bringing them in.

KT: Do you use them to practice at your house then or go somewhere else to practice?

NJ: We actually have a full rodeo arena at our house, and we use it all the time to practice.

KT: That must make it nice. If you are practicing at home during the week, how far away is a weekend rodeo?

NJ: Our summertime rodeos are about 2-3 hours away.

KT: What does your schedule look like for this summer’s rodeos?

NJ: We are pretty booked up. I have a few during the week, and one almost every weekend.

KT: Are your rodeos similar on the East Coast as they are in other parts of the U.S. like Texas?

NJ: Yes, I would say once we get into summertime the rodeos pick up on the East Coast and they are like the other ones in places like Texas.

KT: What do your qualifying rodeos look like?

NJ: We have a nearby rodeo that is hosted by a ranch and is a seasonal qualifier. Out here we must do more than one qualifying event and they take average out the best scores. In other places, it is different. You may only get one chance.

KT: Do you like it that way or would you rather do the one and done?

NJ: We have always done it this way, so that is what I know but I do like it because you get more chances.

KT: How do you feel when you are riding in a qualifying rodeo for Vegas?

NJ: I just try to tell myself it’s like any other rodeo, and I am there to do one job.

KT: How did you truly get started in this sport? Was your dad in the rodeo?

NJ: NJ: My dad played football in college. I am a fifth-generation cowboy but a firstgeneration rodeo competitor. When I was little, I had an interest in it and it grew on me. When I was four, I tried mutton-busting and fell in love from there.

KT: How did you feel transitioning to bulls?

NJ: I enjoy the bigger bulls now, only because with the little bulls you can make mistakes and get away with them but with the bigger bulls you can’t get away with anything.

KT: What do you mean?

NJ: Sometimes on the little ones you don’t have to ride as well, and you can get lazy, but you can’t do that with the big ones.

KT: What is one thing you have learned from the rodeo circuit?

NJ: I figured out it is basically all mental and I just have to tell myself I can do anything I put my mind to.

KT: Are your chances of making it back to the Junior World Finals pretty good?

NJ: Yes, I have been looking good at the start of my qualifying rodeos. I just have to keep it up and hopefully, I will have a trip back.

KT: What is something you would tell younger bull riders?

NJ: It’s truly all up to God, and in the end, you are just there to do your job. A million other things will happen on the side but focus on the task at hand and let the Lord take care of the rest.

KT: Now to wrap up, I want to ask you some fun questions, what is your favorite color?

NJ: I think blue since that is the color of most of my rodeo equipment.

Kt: Favorite movie?

NJ: Tombstone.

KT: Favorite food?

NJ: Chicken and bacon burgers.

KT: Chicken and bacon burgers?

NJ: They are really good; you have to try them.

KT: I will take your word for it. What about your favorite time of year?

NJ: Summer.

KT: Favorite vacation spot?

NJ: Florida because I like to fish.

KT: Is that one of your main hobbies outside of bull riding?

NJ: Yeah, that and hunting. I do quite a bit of that.

KT: What do you hunt in Maryland?

NJ: We have deer and turkeys and coyotes.

KT: Yeah, we have the same stuff here in Iowa too. Well, Nic, thank you so much for talking with me today, and good luck with your summer qualifiers. Hopefully we will see you in Las Vegas next December.

NJ: Thank you!

For more information about your favorite high school rodeo stars, you can check out the National High School Rodeo Association or the Junior World Finals on Facebook. Be sure to look for a new bull rider in next month’s Rider Rundown.

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

Katlin Truelsen