The
Missing P
An Interview with
Trey Yates
Rodeo Life: You’re coming up on your second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) qualification. What did you learn from your past attempt at the World Title that will help you this year at your run for that gold buckle? Do you feel that having previous experience competing at the WNFR gives you a leg up in the competition? Trey Yates: I didn't really know what my goal was the first year I made the WNFR, it was just kind of a blur. It was an exciting moment in life – a dream come true and I lived it like a dream. We roped ten steers and won the average. I shouldn't say I have a higher expectation or expect more out of myself. I want to go have a good time and rope the steers we draw. We just go do our jobs and let the chips fall where they will. That's my goal: to do my best to rope two feet every night. Experience is always a plus, but you can't go there knowing what to expect or expecting
anything because the Thomas and Mack is a unique place, it is small, things happen really fast, and it's a reaction game. You just have to do your best to prepare. We work really hard to try to develop muscle memory and put our confidence in our horses and our roping and hope that puts us in a position to win. RL: With your family being so active in rodeo throughout your life, especially your dad with 21 NFR qualifications, did you always know you were going to grow up and be a rodeo cowboy? What would it mean to you to bring a World Champion Title to the Yates legacy? TY: I did not. I never had a plan. I’m just kind of a day-to-day person. I know what my goals are now. But no, it probably wasn't until about 16 that I wanted to be serious about roping. I liked everything about roping and rodeoing when I was that age because I'm a social butterfly. I liked to go to the High School rodeos and see my friends and I liked roping because it was what I was doing while I was there. But my family never pushed roping or rodeo on me. Whatever I was going to end up doing I was going to put forth my best effort. I was going to have a big support system behind me, whether it was golf, tennis, soccer or football, just anything. I'm going to do it 100%. I never had that pressure to rodeo at a young age and it opened my heart to solidifying that that's what I wanted to do, and I did my best to run with it. I'm very thankful for my family. They have a huge work ethic and I've tried to attain that. The gold buckle is the only missing puzzle piece to our family. That's the only win really missing amongst our family. There have been wins at Reno, Cheyenne, Pendleton, any of the majors whether it's a single event or an All-Around they've done it. The list goes on and on. My dad has told me many times that he wouldn't take anything back in life or trade it for buckles. He found a way to make a living and ran with it. Money was an objective for them; they didn't have a lot of money back in the day when they were rodeoing. But now my dad has put together a huge thing with his horse show and he's made it where I'm able to go rodeoing. I'm very thankful for that. I'd be lying if I said I haven't dreamt about winning a gold buckle but at the end of the day, it's just about roping and having fun. RL: How did it feel to have the fastest run of your career at the Fiesta Days Rodeo this year? How do you plan to bring that energy into the Thomas and Mack Center this December? TY: I had never been three and Tyler Wade told me, “Don’t worry partner we’re going to be 3.” That night we knew we had a good steer. It was probably one of the most relaxed time of g
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Rodeo LIFE
