Roping Up

Rodeo Life: How does it feel to make the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in your rookie year?

Slade Wood: It’s a dream come true and what I've been dreaming about since I was a little kid. There is no better feeling.

RL: What would it mean to you to walk out of your first NFR with a World Champion buckle?

SW: I've dreamed about this ever since I was a little kid and now there is actually a chance achieve it. I'd be speechless – I wouldn't even know what to say or what to do.

RL: How has it been competing against more veteran ropers? Have any of them given you any advice and showed you the ropes of professional rodeoing?

SW: They've helped me a lot. Just roping against those guys that are so good makes you rope up and rope better than you normally do. They're right there pushing for you just as much as they're pushing for themselves.

RL: With just fractions of seconds being able to make or break a win and one rodeo being able to make or break your place in the standings, how do you stay mentally sound before and during a run?

SW: You just have to go in with a lot of confidence and know that you can win. You have to go out of the arena, whether you won or not, knowing that you can still win next time. Things happen, and if it went your way then just stay humble and keep going; if it didn't go your way, figure out what went wrong and fix it for the next time and just keep your head up. Never lose your confidence.

RL: With your dad being a four-time National Finals Steer Roping qualifier, how has he inspired and helped your career as a professional cowboy? What is it like following in his footsteps?

SW: He definitely showed me that it doesn't come easy. He’s been hard on me which has helped a lot because he knows what it takes to be successful. He's been able to show me what I need to do to get to be able to make the Finals and rope against the best in the world.

It's been good. I'm glad that I could make the Finals already in my career to prove to myself that I have a chance of doing what he did and hopefully taking it further.

RL: Is there anything about the rodeo lifestyle that you thought you knew but turned out to be different once you really immersed yourself in it?

SW: There's definitely a huge difference between youth rodeo, amateur rodeo and Pro Rodeo. I've learned a lot this summer. Pro Rodeo is more competition. But the guys out here they want you to win just as bad as they do themselves. If they do good, you cheer them on and if you do good, they cheer you on. The level of competition is by far greater than any other level of rodeo.

RL: What is the greatest thing you’ve learned so far in your rookie year?

SW: There are definitely ups, and there are definitely downs. When you're down, you have to keep your head up and keep thinking that you can win even if you’re on a losing streak. And every time you are on top, stay humble and be the same person winning as you are at the bottom losing – the same person that everyone is cheering for.

RL: How has it been competing professionally straight out of high school? What has been your greatest challenge so far?

SW: There was a huge adjustment. With Youth Rodeo, you would go to a rodeo on the weekend, have one or two runs, and then go home and practice and have your horse tuned up. At the Pro Rodeo, you hardly go home all summer and you have to fix what you can at the rodeo. You're competing every day at all these different rodeos and you have to fix what you did wrong, keep your horse working, and try to go win.

RL: How did it feel winning the first round and ultimately placing second at Cheyenne Frontier Days?

SW: One of my biggest goals is to win to Cheyenne. To come back in the short round and have a chance to win it, having already won the first round, was a dream come true because that's the one rodeo this year I had my mind set on wanting to do good at. That jumped me from 20-something in the World to almost the top 15. I was more than happy place second and that I almost won. I couldn't believe it.

RL: What advice do you have for the new guys coming into their rookie year about the rodeo industry?

SW: To keep your head up and when you have a chance to learn, learn. Take advice from everyone – you don't have to do what everyone advises, but listen and try to see if it works for you. These guys know what they're talking about and they've been doing it longer than we have. When there's a learning experience, learn from it. Keep your head up. Things will turn around if they aren’t going your way, you just have to wait for your time to win. And when it's your time, you have to capitalize on it.