Rodeo athletes fall pbr finals issue

Fall 2014

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A Porfolio of Toda y a n d To m o r r o w ’s B r i g h t e s t Ro d e o Sta rs

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PBR | Bushwacker | ISU Girls | Hunter Cure | Wyatt Smith | More!

PBR Edition

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Letter From The

Editor

On this ride we call life sometimes we get bucked off. We find ourselves flat on our backs with the wind knocked out of us wondering what just happened. From down there in the dirt our goals and

dreams can look impossible to reach. This can be especially disheartening when moments before they seemed so close. This is when you find out what you are truly made of. Like the rodeo athletes in this magazine we have to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, find our hat, and get ready for the next round. Several of the athletes featured in this issue show true grit and determination to see their dreams through. Even when setbacks or tragedy strike these rodeo athletes show they are tougher than the rest.

This magazine and company have been such a ride.

They have spun me around, bucked me off and left me to wondering if the ride was worth it. But like many of our featured athletes there were friends, partners and family members there to encourage me to climb back on and go another round. The stories in this issue are inspirational and have definitely confirmed my choice to make another go of it. And I think you will find their stories inspiring too. Rodeo has that unique quality in that it tells a narrative that we can identify with in our own lives. It is a narrative that understands the difficulties that come from pursuing our dreams while balancing all the other challenges life has in store for us. These athletes demonstrate how to do just that.

They overcome career ending injuries and balance road and family life at the same time. Of course it is not without difficulty as you will see from their stories. Many of them faced what appeared to be insurmountable odds and had every reason to doubt, but through an unwavering commitment to see their dreams through they prevailed.

I’d like to at least partially dedicate this issue to my little cousin Kortney Backus, who literally saw her rodeo dreams go up in smoke, and all those like her who have faced setbacks as they have chased their dreams. Their stories may never be featured in a magazine, but like those athletes that are, they inspire us all to work a little harder and never give up.

Thank you, Braun Black, Editor

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 3

Table of

Contents

6

Athletes of the PBR

23

Grant Denny

38

Levi Simpson

53

Wyatt Smith

11

Casey Meroshnekoff

26

Kaytlyn Miller

30

Hunter Cure

Liz Combs

42

Kyle Brennecke

57

15

Ryan Thibodeaux

19

Colby Lovell

34

Cade Goodman

46

ISU Girls

60

62

Shelly Anzick

Sean Santucci

49

Bushwacker

Photos provided by the athletes’ family members.

For information on advertising or other inquiries, visit our website at www.rodeoathletes.com, email info@rodeoathletes.com or call us at (623) 777-9451.

The publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the articles in RodeoAthletes.com Magazine. The information contained within has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Neither the publisher nor any other party assumes liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on this material. Appropriate professional advice should be sought before making decisions. ŠCopyright 2014.

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Athletes of the PBR

Guilherme Marc

Mike Lee

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chi

JRVieira

Fabiano Vieira

By Justin Felisko

It all started in a nondescript Scottsdale, Arizona, motel room, in April 1992, when 20 legendary bull riders agreed to invest $1,000 each to form the Professional Bull Riders.

The goal was to match the world’s greatest bull riders against the toughest and rankest bulls that walked the planet. Those 20 riders wanted to give their fans, riders and bull riding the best stage possible, while bringing the sport to new heights.

They have done just that, and much more over the last 21 years.

Since that fateful night, the PBR has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with millions of dollars on the line and thousands of passionate fans packing arenas across the globe.

The founders – David Bailey Jr., Clint Branger, Mark Cain, Adam and Gilbert Carrillo, Cody Custer, Jerome Davis, Bobby DelVecchio, Mike Erikson, David Fournier, Michael Gaffney, Tuff Hedeman, Cody Lambert, Scott Mendes, Daryl Mills, Ty Murray, Ted Nuce, Aaron Semas, Jim Sharp and Brent Thurman – later passed the torch to the PBR’s first stars, such as Adriano Moraes, Justin McBride and J.W. Hart.

Moraes would become the first World Champion in the PBR, and he is the only three-time champion in the history of the sport.

McBride, a two-time World Champion, would go on to be the richest Western athlete by surpassing $5 million in career earnings.

Hart was the PBR’s first Rookie of the Year (1994) and went on to win the 2002 World Finals event average.

The PBR’s first pioneers and superstars have since handed the reigns over to the likes of Silvano Alves, Kody Lostroh, Robson Palermo and J.B. Mauney – the only rider to cover all eight bulls at the World Finals – and many more.

Alves is in search of his third world title this year. Lason, Mauney dashed his hopes at becoming the first rider to win three consecutive titles when Mauney overcame a 3,056-point deficit to usurp Alves in the standings at the World Finals. Mauney went on to go 6-for-6 in Las continued on page 9 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 7

Guilherme Marchi

Silvano Alves

Fabiano Vieira

JR Vieira

Silvano Alves

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Mike Lee

continued from page 7

Vegas to win not only the world title, but also the World Finals event average. Mauney, Mike Lee (2004) and Renato Nunes (2010) are the only riders in history to win both prestigious titles in the same season.

However, after winning the 2013 world title, Mauney stated that his biggest achievement of last year was conquering two-time World Champion Bull Bushwacker for 95.25 points. The ride ended Bushwacker’s record buckoff streak of 42 consecutive BFTS buckoffs and it will be remembered as one of the greatest accomplishments in PBR history.

“Winning this world title means everything to you,” Mauney said, “but the highlight of this year was riding that bull.”

2014 has been the year for the veterans of the PBR, with four of the top-5 riders in the world standings all 30 years or older. Joao Ricardo Vieira and Fabiano Vieira are in search of their first-career world titles, while 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi and 2004 World Champion Mike Lee have proven that it is never too late to make a run at a second championship.

“Sometimes, believe it or not, everybody has doubt and I am about tired of doubting myself,” Lee said. “I am just ready to live and be free. Enjoy my life and enjoy my moment. Even if all the pressure in the world is on me, I need to enjoy that pressure instead of fight it.”

Marchi said, “Everything you want to do, do with your love, do with your heart, do with your blood and you will be successful. That’s why I have success right now, because I love what I do. Everything I have has come from bull riding.”

Fabiano Vieira has been symbolic for cowboy toughness, opting not to get surgery on his torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder as he remains in contention for the coveted world title.

He has had to change his entire riding style, holding his free arm close to his chest in hopes of keeping the shoulder in place and preventing it from dislocating again.

“2014 is my chance,” he said. “I am 32 years old now and I have a chance this year. This is my year.”

Moraes was the first of many Brazilian riders to come to the United States and leave an imprint on the PBR. Moraes’ dominance helped pave the way for, and inspire, future Brazilians and World Champions such as Alves, Marchi, Nunes and Ednei Caminhas.

Moraes would also serve as an inspiration for Palermo, the only rider to win the World Finals event title three times.

In 1996, the PBR offered a total purse of $1 million at the World Finals for the first time, and in 2003 the organization began paying a $1 million bonus to the World Champion.

The Brazilians were not alone, as top bull riders from Australia – such as Troy Dunn and Brendon Clark– Canada, Mexico and other countries have flocked to compete in the PBR.

Toughness has always been preached by the sport’s forefathers, and that tradition has continued as witnessed by Luke “Titanium Tough” Snyder’s record-setting streak of 275 consecutive BFTS events.

The PBR has not only established its staying power, but has also proven itself a viable major sport for competitors, sponsors and fans alike, thanks in large part to the efforts of many.

Whether it is being broadcast on national television through CBS Sports, featured on ESPN or playing host to groundbreaking events at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the PBR has made its presence known.

In 2010, the PBR showed evidence of its growth and popularity when it surpassed $100 million in total prize money awarded.

Chris Shivers – the first rider to surpass $1 million, $2 million and eventually $3 million in career earnings – brought the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo., to life in 2003 when he attempted to ride Little Yellow Jacket for $1 million. The historic ride, which lasted only 1.5 seconds, was famously coined, “One Man, One Bull, One Million Dollars: The richest 8 seconds in sports.”

He also posted a record 94 qualified rides of 90 points or better.

Shivers, Bubba Dunn and Michael Gaffney share the record for the highest-marked ride in PBR history with 96.5 points.

Three-time World Champion Bull Little Yellow Jacket set the standard for bull greatness in the PBR, but now that title is being battled out once again between two-time World Champion Bull Bushwacker and a slew of challengers at this month’s Built Ford Tough World Finals.

Earlier this year, Bushwacker also participated in a $1 million dollar showdown, but Joao Ricardo Vieira was no match for the championship bovine at the Dr Pepper Iron Cowboy V. 2012 World Champion Bull Asteroid would love to spoil Bushwacker’s farewell tour before retirement by winning his second championship, while Mick E Mouse continues to become a fan-favorite. Asteroid has bucked off 29 consecutive BFTS riders as of the second week of October and Mick E Mouse has never been ridden in 25 attempts.

Then, of course, there is Chicago Bears defensive lineman Jared Allen and his bull Air Time, who has posted two of the highest bull scores of the season.

The formation of the American Bucking Bull, Inc. means that more legendary athletes are on their way to the PBR and the BFTS to battle it out against the athletes of the PBR, including up-and-coming bull riders Gage Gay, Tanner Byrne and Brady Sims.

Twenty-one years ago the PBR legend was born.

Truly, this is only the beginning of the story for some of the toughest athletes in all of Western sports.

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Meroshnekoff Casey Meroshnekoff

By Joycalyn Meroshnekoff

The definition of Gut Check is: a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination. The day I learned what that really meant was July 6, 2013. As Casey’s father and I drove to the hospital to “pick up” Casey after a freak accident at the Folsom PRCA rodeo I remember everything about that drive. After the 8 second whistle and another Pro Rodeo win a pick-up horse clipped the heels of Casey’s bucking horse resulting in the horse falling with him and knocking him out.

During the drive I had many things on my mind.

I was wondering about the rodeos next weekend and would he have to doctor out? As I passed a 24-hour fast food restaurant in the blocks before the hospital I thought to myself, “oh good Casey will be hungry he never eats before he rides and by the time we do all the paperwork to get out of here he will be starving.” I fully expected him to be sitting there with his charming little grin wanting help with the insurance paperwork and other hospital details. Our good friend Jeff Hare met us at the front door and the look on his face told us that this was a very serious situation. This was our family’s test. This was our gut check.

The next few days and weeks were truly a blur listening to doctors and surgeons, waiting and

worrying, not sleeping, talking about comas, the ventilator, studying brain trauma and brain bleeds, learning about the GCS score, mostly struggling to make sense of what was now going to be the biggest battle Casey would ever fight.

This was going to be the ride of his life. continued on page 12

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The year 2013 had started out amazing for Casey – he pulled a check at every PRCA rodeo he entered and quickly filled his permit and bought his card. An amazing 90 point ride in Bakersfield put him in an elite group with only two other bareback riders that had accomplished the feat thus far in 2013, Kaycee Fields and Winn Ratliff, both NFR qualifiers I might add. It looked like all of his dreams would surely come true and he would be qualified for the NFR in no time.

The beginning of Casey’s bareback riding story really starts years earlier. Casey spent every moment of his childhood at his father Alex Meroshnekoff’s side. Alex is a multiple time California State and Circuit champion, clearly one of the best bareback riders ever to come out of the state of California. Without a doubt you can say Casey was raised on the rodeo road. He was often seen sorting stock in the back pens with the stock contractors, starched shirts hanging to his knees before he was old enough to even go to school. Alex’s bareback career was also plagued with serious injuries but in his nearly 25 years of competing Casey was always traveling with him. Casey had a front row seat to really see what it takes to compete at an elite level year after year keeping your body and mind in top form.

At the age of 12 Casey got on his first bareback horse 313 Cheyenne that belonged to Chuck Morris at the Rocking M Ranch in Red Bluff, California. Alex carefully chose every horse Casey got on for the first year hauling horses to rodeos specifically for Casey to get on. He either picked 12 www.rodeoathletes.com

up or chose the pick-up men at those rodeos. Training on the bucking machine every night with his dad and getting on handpicked practice horses Casey was ready in no time to start entering junior rodeos, high school rodeos, and even amateur rodeos. Success came quickly for Casey. Before every ride Alex always tells Casey the same thing, “Show them what you came here for.” He won every junior rodeo in the local area and started high school with a bang. Not only was he a four time California High School Rodeo State Champion in the bareback riding and four time Challenge of the Champions winner in the bareback riding, but he had great success in bull riding, calf roping, team roping, and cutting as well. He was the district All Around Champion his junior and senior years in high school as well. Four trips to the short round at the National High School Finals Rodeo and Two National Championships topped off his record breaking high school career. My husband Alex’s favorite thing to tell people is “I always wanted God to make me a World Champion but I never knew I would have to raise him.”

Casey’s rookie year in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association was no less filled with accolades. He was on the rodeo team with Bruce Hunt at West Hills College in Coalinga, California. He won the bareback riding, bull riding, team roping, and All Around saddles at the West Coast Finals in Las Vegas. It was a great ride home from Las Vegas with 4 new saddles. He followed that up with a National

title as the Rookie All Around Champion and a 3rd in the Nation in bareback riding in Casper at the National College Finals in June of 2013.

So let’s go back to July 6, 2013. As the sun was coming up on the morning of July 7, 2013 we were not certain Casey would ever come out of his coma much less walk, talk, or the question everyone had in the back of their mind, will this kid ever get on a bucking horse again? With the outpouring of prayers and support from all our friends and family we were definitely blessed with many miracles over the next eight months. After several tense days Casey awoke from his coma. He began to talk and recognize visitors and could clearly remember everything that happened up to the time of the accident. Within a week he was out of ICU and in a regular room. After pestering the doctors and therapists like crazy Casey was able to convince them to let him go home to continue his recovery at home with his Dad and I up in Red Bluff, California. In true Meroshnekoff style and much to my dismay within an hour of returning home Alex and Casey were down at the pond with fishing poles in hand. I am not sure who needed that moment of normalcy most, Casey, Alex, or myself, but as I sat on the bank of the pond watching the two of them fish at our home place like I had a million times before the tears streamed down my face and in my heart I knew we were all going to be ok.

As quickly as the physical therapist released Casey to ride a saddle horse we were off and running. There is no telling him to take it easy or slow down. I am not sure when the PT released him to ride a saddle horse he had any idea Casey would go straight to the practice pen and start roping steers. But as anyone that knows Casey knows that is exactly what happened. For the next eight months life was as normal as can be roping several nights a week, hunting, fishing, branding, and all the things summer and fall hold for us.

In early spring 2014 the rodeo bug began to bite Casey HARD! Alex and I did our best to make sure that Casey had all of the information he needed to make a wise in-

formed decision about his future riding bareback horses. Consultations with neurologists and sports medicine experts were done but it was quickly clear that there was no stopping his

return to bareback riding. So back to the bucking machine Alex and Casey went. Nights of working on his glove, his rigging and his muscle memory were back in full swing.

Casey returned to riding in April 2014 and is right back in the driver’s seat pulling a check and winning at most rodeos he enters. No one knows what the future holds, but all of us on Team Meroshnekoff know that our future will be spent watching Casey Meroshnekoff rise to the top of his sport!

Joycalyn is a rodeo wife, rodeo mom, groom, driver, cook, banker, on site paramedic and veterinarian, and on the side is a full time Territory Manager for an Animal Health Pharmaceutical company.

Most important for you to know is she is not a writer!!

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 13

Miller Kaytlyn Miller From a young age Kaytlyn Miller has had rodeo in her blood. Starting at the age of three she rode sheep, chased chickens and rode horses. Kaytlyn has always been determined to be at the top of her game. She has a great love for animals, in fact, animal planet is her favorite television program.

Kaytlyn learned to walk at the very young age of nine months. At around that same time Kaytlyn got very sick and was life flighted to Primary Children’s hospital with HCS-0157 E-Coli, her kidneys were shutting down and we were told that they didn’t know if she was going to make it, the scariest time of our life. She was in ICU for two weeks hardly waking up, they told us what she had was very contagious, so we had to have all our family members tested, her dad and I slept at the hospital the entire time and the staff there was amazing, so passionate and caring no matter who the nurses or doctors were. After six weeks,

Born to Lead The Pack

two blood transfusions, and dialysis for two weeks we were on our way home. For the next two years it was blood work every month and she had to see a specialist every three months.

We hadn’t been home from Primary

Children’s for six months when she inhaled a peanut and had to have another surgery to have it removed. She

proved to us then what a strong little girl she was.

She started to rodeo around four years old and won her first world title when she was eight. She also held the world record in the goat tail untying (goat tail pull) with a 5.73. Kaytlyn is left handed and has had to learn to rope and tie goats right handed, but she picked it up very quickly. Kaytlyn had one of her best horse, the one she learned to rope on, die at a rodeo when she was nine years old. About two years later her good barrel horse broke his pelvis and had to be put down. Her next horse didn’t quite work out for her, but our great friends Teigan, Amy and Gary Adams tried to help her in any way possible. Kaytlyn’s mother didn’t think she would ever run barrels again until about a year ago when the family bought her a horse named Dash from the Holmes family. Dash made Kaytlyn realize that she could continued on page 16 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 15

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still run barrels and be a competitor.

Kaytlyn has had so many good people and horses in her life to help her. She would like to thank them all!

Kaytlyn’s family purchased a large cattle ranch in Nevada in June of 2013. Kaytlyn’s dad and grandparents run it along with Kaytlyn’s older brother. Kaytlyn, her mom and three younger brothers don’t get to go out there much, but when they do she has the best time branding and chasing cows. She gets right in the middle of it all. She is a true cowgirl. From the time she was a little girl she didn’t care how dirty she was, if her hair was done, or how dirty her clothes were. Of course that has change a little but not much as she has grown older. Having Kaytlyn’s dad at the ranch has been hard on her, but he does come support her at most of her rodeos and she loves that. Nothing can replace the bond between a daughter and her dad. Kay-

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tlyn’s family say they have a lot of people to thank who have stepped up to help her from Tony Cannon, Tad Thomas, Milli Twitchell and many more.

Kaytlyn has won some amazing titles in the last few years. She currently holds the barrel racing arena record at Panguitch, Utah.

Kaytlyn set this record five years ago on a borrowed horse of Teigan Adams that she had never ridden before. As a 7th and 8th grader, Kaytlyn competed in the International Ice Breaker Rodeo in Ogden, Utah winning the girls All Around Title both years.

She is also the 3X National Little Britches Girls All Around Champion from 2012 to 2014. We feel her

biggest accomplishment to date is wining the 2014 JR High All Around Champion Cowgirl. Our family Motto is “You’re only as good as your competition.” This means Kaytlyn seeks out the best competitors to compete against.

Kaytlyn loves to play basketball, but knows that nothing can replace rodeo. She keeps a 3.95 GPA and knows that school is most important. Kaytlyn has set very high goals for herself. She wants to have her associates degree by the time she graduates high school.

She then wants to work toward a degree in veterinary medicine, while actively competing in college rodeo. She knows that it is going to take a lot of school, but is very focused on what she wants.

Kaytlyn is a very humble, strong and beautiful young lady with a work ethic in the arena that is second to none. She loves to help all the kids and cheers them on. In this sport she has made so many friends from one coast to the other and she wouldn’t want it any other way. Kaytlyn can have hard luck in one event, but she shakes it off before her next one. Her dad always tells her “the only one that matters is the next one.”

Since starting High School Kaytlyn has already made her presence known. She has stormed out to a 40 point lead in the Girls All Around.

She has won the All Around in six of the eight rodeos she has competed in.

Her points come from being top ten in Barrels, Breakaway, Goat Tying, and Pole Bending. As of the writing of this article she sits in first place with an 8 point lead in Barrel Racing, is ranked third in the Breakaway, and third in Goat tying. The future looks bright for

this little cowgirl. She has put the rodeo world on notice that she is here to compete. We here at Rodeo Athletes have definitely took notice and think many others have too.

Kaytlyn is very excited about the start of her High School rodeo career this year and looks forward to what the future will hold. Her family is very proud and loves her very much. They wish her the best of luck and will be there to support her every step of the way.

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Lovell Colby Lovell An Old Soul...

Colby was born into a family that has a heritage of land and cattle. He was around hardworking people who knew the value of a dollar. From an early age he was on a horse, usually just tied to a gate sucking his pacifier when most kids would be in front of the TV watching Barney. He carried a little rope around with him and roped anything and everything that got in his way. Colby has two younger brothers. His brother Joey was born the same month as him exactly one year later. Two weeks every year he and his brother are the same age often known as “European Twins.” Colby never really had the chance to be a baby.

He was the big brother and often thought of himself as the man of the house.

As life progressed things often looked really good from the outside, but things got tough as they often do for families. The one thing that remained a constant for him was God and his horses. The quote by Winston Churchill is very true for Colby, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Colby is living proof of this. His first horse was a baby sitter named “Star” that had been handed down as good horses often are. Star taught Colby many lessons, the main one being,

“If a good horse trusts you, you can trust them.” Star also gave Colby the confidence to think he was a great horseman.

Those lessons created the foundation for Colby to become the horseman he is today. He rode many good horses in future years where many lessons were learned. You get bucked off; you have to get back on. You don’t get to be a quitter; that is not an option. Thanks To Apache, a Welch pony, he learned that lesson the hard way.

Colby also had the opportunity to ride a little dun horse who’s AQHA registered name was Witch Fletch. Witch Fletch aka ‘Dunnie’ was sired by the World Champion Cutting Horse Jae Bar Fletch. Was he too much horse for Colby? Yes probably, but looking back a relationship was forged. Becoming a winner was possible. Colby’s dad and mom knew that Colby was a natural. His dad spent every weekend taking Colby to open ropings. He was expected to rope like an adult, and there his roping skills were honed.

Colby is a heeler at heart. This is where he got his start roping behind his dad. Colby’s plan is to return to heeling continued on page 20 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 19

mainstay on the high school basketball team where his determination and drive flourished. The winning attitude and never quitting was as obvious on the court as it was in the roping arena. His handling of a basketball was like his roping skills, very natural and hard-pressed. He was a winner on the court and his coach expected nothing less from him.

Upon graduating from high school Colby attended Blinn College in 2008.

While there he realized there was no rodeo team. He joined the NIRA and his mom made him a blue vest to represent the Blinn school colors. He went on to win the South Western Regional championship in calf roping and many All Around Cowboy titles that year, earning him a spot on the national team. Colby was the only contestant at the College National Finals that qualified without a rodeo coach. He was the team and his own coach. He took home a plaque that

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in the near future.

When Colby was in the seventh grade he began showing Brangus, F1 and Brahman cattle. He went on to win his class in the Houston Livestock Show with a Brahman heifer he showed from Windy Hill Ranch in Madisonville, Texas. The most exciting time while showing, was winning Grand Champion Heifer at the Madison County Fair with his Brangus heifer he called Panda.

The junior high and high school years rolled around and Colby competed in junior high and high school rodeos.

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now hangs at Blinn College recognizing his success.

The following year Colby transferred to SHSU but his lifelong goal of qualifying for the NFR was haunting him.

Doing things as he does, Colby bought a plane ticket to California where he borrowed a horse from a good friend and started his bid towards the 2010 NFR. After some searching he found a big paint named “Buffalo” later known to many as “The Buffalo Hunter.”

The first NFR he qualified with Kory Koontz. During the finals Kory competed on a paint stud that Colby had previously owned and college rodeoed on named Doc’s Hickory Flyer. The paint stud contributed to a lot of Colby’s success in college calf roping, heading and heeling. As the 2010 season ended he and long time girlfriend Kassidy Jones got married. Kassidy went to SHSU on a rodeo scholarship and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in marketing.

Looking back so many people contributed and helped Colby get to where he is today but without his attitude to persevere and never give up or lose faith in his dreams he wouldn’t be where he is. It may be that he is remembered for his practical jokes and his contagious laugh, things that follow him to this day.

Colby is one of those people that God blessed with a talent and he has used it to the best of his ability.

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Denny Grant Denny

Keeping your eye on the Target

By Cindy Denny

The first thing I think of when it comes to the Bareback Event is the shear strength required to just maintain eight seconds of thrashing and spurring with passion and not go flying off of the drawn mount. Someone once told me the “G forces” in this event were the same as going to the Moon!

Really, sometimes I think they are going to be launched to the moon as well. Along with the physical attributes there is something much more important than holding onto the rigging, it’s holding onto your dreams.

Grant started his athletic career in a much different arena as a child. Living in the Carson Valley of Nevada, you are staring at the East side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

On top of those mountains, in this area are many ski resorts.

Being the avid skier myself, my kids were going to ski race.

Their grandpa and grandma did that. We are right at the site of Snow Shoe Thompson, who trekked across the mountains to deliver mail to Sacramento through the snow. Boy’s need sports in their lives. I used to tell everyone I had my own lane on Kingsbury Grade. I drove up and down that mountain so many times I thought we should be in a commercial for Subaru.

All that training, along with dedicated coaches, made

those brothers the athletes they are today. Having so much access to true compassion to teach from coaches, the complete drive to be the best, and thankfully a whole lot of talent the little wild beasts became pretty good at the chosen sport. Grant went on to win countless races from the Tahoe League to Far West, FIS racing and the big one, the JO’s, Junior Olympics two times. Grant was fearless. He would go at upwards of 70 miles per hour in the downhill event. He has yet to do the Cowboy Downhill in Steam Boat Springs Colorado. Watch out if he does, he’s so fast you might miss him.

Well after many competitions the snow would melt and summer came around. Now what? Baseball, football, soccer, swim team maybe gymnastics they are pretty rubber like and have great balance? No, this is a ranching community. Lets Rodeo, and did we ever!

With the same drive to be number one in all things we took on rodeo. Now what? No great predecessors to call on for guidance. I love to ride horses. Why not, I’ve been to some rodeos as a kid, it will be fun. We went for it all out. Not just one event but lets do all of them. Do we own a continued on page 24 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 23

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bank? No. Oh well, don’t look too hard and just go.

Just as in ski racing I found some of the best trainers I could. Thankfully there are some really talented people here to give any kid an awesome start to all the rodeo events. NFR qualifiers and title winners, high school to college competitors in the top ranks. In this rodeo community everyone is more than willing to help when asked.

We team roped, sack roped, steer daubed, turned barrels, poles then jumped on sheep, goats, and team roped steers too. Nothing was safe with fur. Those boys roped, tied and rode everything we owned with legs. Having boys there was never a lack for competition in the practice pen.

Dad and I knew nothing about anything to do with rodeo.

Now we know more than we ever wanted. I will be applying for a judging job in the Bareback event soon…

After numerous wins through out the junior rodeos and onto high school years, along with college rodeo, Grant has filled our loft with every kind of tack, buckles, pictures and so many fabulous memories it’s probably enough for two lifetimes.

You would think a kid of this level would have an ego to go along with it. Grant has a much mellower demeanor. He has a quiet personality for the most

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part. But, when the lights go up and it’s time for business all the training throughout his life comes alive. Those 8 seconds become magical. From the first rear out to the last kick, Grant is all there is in the world. His passion for the bareback event comes through, jump for jump.

Do you have the best horse every time and do the judges see clearly, no, but you just keep your eye on the Target.

As a young boy it was the Winter Olympics, now it’s the National Finals Rodeo. The pay off from years of hard work, dedication and true love of the sport has been evident. Grant is a true all around cowboy in every way.

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 25

Cure Hunter Cure

Cowboy to Businessman: Growing up a Champion In and Out of the Arena

Ornery, hard headed, quick tempered and all boy are just a few adjectives used to describe Hunter Cure while growing up and some would say he hasn’t quite outgrown all those traits to this day. Hunter was raised in North Texas outside of Wichita Falls at the edge of big ranch country including the neighboring iconic Waggoner Ranch. He is a true conservative, God-fearing Texan who believes in the importance of a handshake, and family always comes first.

Hunter met his wife Bristi while competing in high school rodeos in the Panhandle of Texas. Hunter and Bristi were married in 2006 and now reside in the small community known as Dundee, about 25 miles west of Wichita Falls, next door to Hunter’s family’s ranch. They have a two-year-old daughter, Halli, and a son, Hayes, that was born in June, in addition to the family’s loyal dog Max and a dachshund puppy known as Lola.

Cure spent the majority of his time as a youngster with his BB gun, on a horse or helping with the family businesses. He was taught early on the value of hard work and the importance of understanding business. That work ethic and business sense have held strong into Hunter’s adult life and were built upon during his time at Texas Tech University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. While there he qualified for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) finals three times and was crowned the 2004 National Champion. Hunter thrives on understanding how things work; whether it be the cattle markets, a piece of machinery, horses or people. He’s very analytical in all aspects of life and many of his peers would agree that this is true of him while in the arena competing as well.

Hunter’s earliest horse memories go back to the paint halter horses that his step father Jeff Williamson’s family raised. He learned what a balanced, well-made horse looks and feels like. He also developed a dislike for paint horses after having to help keep them clean for the show ring. The Williamson’s had a legacy in the American Paint Horse As26 www.rodeoathletes.com

sociation (APHA) after owning Yellow Mount, one of the best-known APHA Supreme Champion horses.

Ironically enough, the first horse Hunter qualified on for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) was a registered paint horse, Dakota’s Cowboy, lovingly known as Eeyore. Bristi remembers the first day she laid eyes on Eeyore. Hunter had flown to Florida and tried the horse a few weeks prior and then had him hauled to Jackson, Mississippi where he picked him up.

The buckskin had four-inch long hair on him that looked like an electrocuted cat, wasn’t a balanced horse, and certainly didn’t look like he could run. She said, “I thought he had lost his mind. I had always known Hunter for being very particular about having pretty, well groomed, well made horses. Eeyore was none of those things when he arrived.” But, after losing his college bulldogging team in a tragic traffic accident in 2007 and narrowly missing the NFR in 2008, Eeyore proved to be just what Hunter needed. After correcting some box issues, Eeyore gave Hunter consistent looks at cattle and regularly took him to the pay window helping him qualify for his first NFR in 2009. This also helped earn Eeyore a slinky to help keep that crazy hair under control.

Hunter’s entrance into the rodeo arena took a winding path. Hunter learned to rope and competed in the calf roping at junior rodeos, but soon found his love for adrenaline quenched when he started riding steers and later bulls. At the time Hunter’s older brother had started steer wrestling so there were horses and cattle around, as well as a lot of time in the practice pen. Unfortunately for Hunter he was a skinny lanky kid that maybe weighed 100 pounds soaking wet. It was quite a feat for him to get steers thrown

down. They would drive to many rodeos only to see him get the buzzer in the arena. He’d slide a steer the length of the arena, never let go or give up, but rarely get one thrown down in those early days. Luckily the hardheaded trait came in handy during that time because by age 16 Hunter had grown a little and had improved his technique enough to be competitive in the high school ranks. This would later lead to a college scholarship to Howard College in Big Spring, Texas.

Hunter credits his success in those early years to having the opportunity to learn from some of the best. He regularly attended Rope Meyer’s and John Schueneman’s schools and was fortunate to live near Dennis and Mickey Gee. There were also many weekends spent at Larry Dawson’s house where his horsemanship skills were improved and he learned how to start young horses.

Rodeo will always be a sport Hunter enjoys, but he also may treat it a little differently than some rodeo cowboys.

While he says the sport is a great place to meet great people and lifelong friends, Hunter knows it is a business and treats it as such. It’s not uncommon to hear Hunter quote Dave Ramsey, as his common sense approach to being in control of financial freedom has had a dramatic impact on the Cure’s. Experience has also taught Hunter there are certain benchmarks you must meet throughout the year to reach your goals and be able to afford to continue to go down the road. It’s no surprise that steer wrestling is hard on your body and while Hunter has been fairly fortunate to stay healthy, a back injury and surgery this summer has only amplified his opinion that education is important and that rodeo is temporary. He’s constantly trying to improve upon his current business ventures to ensure he has a means of providing for his family when his rodeo career comes to continued on page 28 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 27

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a close. Following a shoulder injury in 2011, Cure took the down time to get certified as an appraiser. This has allowed him to have part time work in the winter/spring when the rodeo schedule is a little slower and closer to home, while still allowing him time to help with daily work on the ranch and get in some practice time. A few years ago Hunter saw a need for good quality and well managed horned cattle to be used at the winter rodeos. Meeting that need also provided him with good practice cattle in the most cost efficient way possible. Since that initial year, Cure has grown into a subcontractor that holds contracts at Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin. This venture has worked very well and the Cure’s enjoy and look forward to every year after Christmas when a group of fellow steer wrestlers spend a few days helping get the cattle ready for the winter rodeos. There is no shortage of food, good stories, laughs and work during those few days and the help is always greatly appreciated.

The rodeo road is long and trying on the cowboys and cowgirls that attempt to qualify for the NFR every year and leaving a family at home only makes is more so. Hunter says it’s always a struggle to manage life on the road while keeping track of the family at home. The Cure’s, like other rodeo families, go weeks and sometime even months without seeing each other during the busy summer season. This never 28 www.rodeoathletes.com

gets easy and the families behind these athletes deserve just as many accolades as the cowboys they support. Hunter acknowledges that it wouldn’t be possible for him to follow his dreams without the help and support of his family year after year. When home, Hunter is a homebody and in October after returning from the summer run you’ll be hard pressed to get him off his couch or to travel further than the grocery store (which is 30 miles). In his downtime, he enjoys hunting, catching hogs, spending time with his munchkins and tinkering with whatever project he has going at the barn.

After a great 2013 season and winning the inaugural RFD-TV’s The American, the Cure’s were able to buy some land and are in the process of building a home. And like any good rodeo family there are plans for a spare bedroom to accommodate the occasional weary rodeo drifter.

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Combs Liz Combs

Elizabeth Combs, better known as Liz, was born and raised in Eltopia, Washington. Eltopia is a tiny town in the southeastern corner of the state. It’s not quite what people picture when they think of Washington. There are no pine trees or mountains there, but more like desert, sage brush and farm land, but it’s beautiful in its own way. There, on a ten acre farm is where Liz and her sister, Shelly, grew up. It was here that her parents instilled in them the western lifestyle from the very beginning. They were both rodeo people and had been their whole lives. “They always told us we didn’t have to rodeo, we could do whatever we wanted, but 30 www.rodeoathletes.com

we never wanted to do anything else.”

Liz was always on the back of a horse growing up. Her dad made her and her sister ride bareback until they were five. So, Liz and her my sister would race around on their pony and appaloosa horse with their bareback pads. They actually chose to ride bareback most of the time even long after they got their first saddles.

Her mother tried to get her involved in school sports, but she just could never really get interested. She played basketball for a couple of years, and actually got really involved in track during Jr. High, but ultimately chose rodeo over

other sports. She was also very involved in 4-H for seven years. She showed pigs and entered drawings at the fair. It was a big part of her life for a long time and it was a great learning experience for her.

All through Jr. High and High school, she was involved in all the events at the rodeos, but she excelled most at breakaway roping. She says that became her life, “All I wanted to do was rope, and that is what we did.” She was very successful at it and even won state twice during high school in the breakaway roping. Reflecting she comments, “It’s funny now to think that barrel racing was always the lowest on my

priority list. Yes, it was always a dream to someday be able to run barrels at the WNFR, but it seemed so far-fetched for me because I never had a great barrel horse. I grew up with more than I could ever ask for, but my family had to work for everything we had. We made all of our own horses. I don’t recall ever buying anything that was completely trained.” Her parents taught her that things don’t just fall into your lap. If you wanted to be the best at something, it was going to take a lot of “blood, sweat and tears” her mom would say. Liz credits this as the reason she became successful in the arena at a young age, simple hard work.

After high school, Liz went on to attended Walla Walla Community College for two years before transferring to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. Her life changed dramatically when she moved to Texas. She started barrel racing on one of the colts her family raised and trained, he ended up being just amazing. After having huge success in the college ranks, winning the College national title in the barrel racing in 2011 and 2012, that dream of running at the WNFR in Las Vegas started to feel like something that might be able to be accomplished. She made her first run for it in 2012 and ended up 20th in the world standings. In 2013, she decided to make another attempt for the WNFR, but her dreams came to a sudden halt on June 23, 2013 in Reno, NV. continued on page 32 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 31

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She was involved in a horse accident at the trailer with her main horse, Skeeter. “This is the horse I raised and trained. I never thought he could hurt me, but they are still animals and we forget that sometimes.” As a result of the accident, she ended up with a fractured skull and hemorrhaging between her brain and skull. Thanks to her wonderful traveling partner, Emily Efurd, who called 911 immediately, she was in and out of surgery within two hours of the accident. Liz was told before surgery that the likelihood of having brain damage was prevalent; basically, not to expect to be the same coming out of the operating room.

“I refused to believe that and just prayed that God would guide the surgeon’s hands.” It turns out miracles do happen; there was no sign of brain damage after the accident. Liz thanks God every day for giving her a second chance to live a normal life. It was getting through the months that followed that accident that turned out to be the hardest thing she ever had to do.

Liz found her way back onto a horse just four weeks af32 www.rodeoathletes.com

ter her accident, but wearing a helmet for the first time in her life. She could only just walk her horse for three and half months. Liz got back on her horse Skeeter the end of October and went to her first barrel race in November. It wasn’t long until she was in Denver, CO at her first pro rodeo back exactly six months after the accident in Reno.

“The doctors thought it would be impossible, I was not even supposed to be able to ride for an entire year, but nothing is impossible for God,” Liz tells us.

She is now back on the rodeo trail full time again. It has been a rough year for her and things have not gone the way she planned, but Liz says she knows things don’t always go the way you think they should. “I have overcome so much in the past year, and learned more about life and myself than most people do at my age. Whenever I start to get stressed out about rodeos not going the way I planned, I think back to where I was a year ago, and I just thank God for this life.

Because this is not who I am, this is just something I do, and I am privileged every single time I get to swing my leg over my horse’s back.”

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Summer 2014 33

Goodman Cade Goodman Grab Your Dreams by the Horns

By Johnie & Laura Goodman

Cade Goodman is a 19 year old Steer Wrestler from Waelder, TX. He is a graduate of Flatonia High School and in 2014, as a freshman, he competed for Wharton County Junior College and won the College National Finals Rodeo.

Cade’s rodeo career started at the young age of five. Living where they did at the time Cade and his family would have to leave most Fridays as soon as they got out of school and drive all weekend to hit all the rodeos Cade needed in order to qualify for his local youth finals.

When Cade and his older brother Cody started their rodeo careers they practiced every day they were home. They both competed in speed events, tied goats, and roped. This kept the whole family busy trying to juggle all the practice.

With the brothers being only two years apart it was like having a mini rodeo every practice. They didn’t want to get beat by each other, even in practice.

When Cade was twelve his family moved three hours north to Flatonia, Texas. At this point Cade and his brother were getting to the age that they wanted to play football and basketball, so the move made it more accessible for the brothers to play sports and rodeo at the level they were accustomed to. There were many times they would go to the games with the trailer in tow and leave as soon as the game was over to get to a rodeo.

Cade qualified for the Junior High National finals as an

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eighth grader in the Ribbon Roping and Chute Dogging.

As a sophomore Cade decided to become a steer wrestler.

He had Bubba Bennight and Doug Staton as coaches, and was able to pick it up pretty quick. Cade enjoyed it so much that he decided to quit football his sophomore year and concentrate on steer wrestling, where he set a goal to get to Nationals again. The first year (2011) of steer wrestling Cade took third at the Texas High School finals and qualified for his first National finals rodeo in Gillette, Wyoming.

In Cade’s junior year the football coaches were begging him to come play football again. He did, and this would cost him reaching Nationals in 2012. Cade then realized to make it to Nationals again he would need to just focus on rodeo. At the end of his junior year, Cade’s parents purchased a new steer wrestling horse with more power to take Cade to the next level. His senior year of high school he stopped playing other sports and concentrated on steer wrestling and a shot at his dream of a National Steer Wrestling title.

Since then it has been a dream come true for Cade. His senior year he won the Texas High School Steer Wrestling championship which qualified him for a trip to Rock Springs, Wyoming and a chance at a National High School Steer Wrestling title. On the way to the High School Nationals he made a stop at the IFYR (International Finals Youth Rodeo) where he won the Steer Wrestling championship. Having accomplished those two dreams he felt

good about going into Rock Springs, Wyoming and felt he was prepared mentally and physically for the competition.

However in his first go a broken barrier on an otherwise excellent run of 4.8 put a damper on any hopes of a high school national title.

Cade started his freshman year of college in August 2014 at Wharton County Junior College. He knew that since his dream was to win a national title he would need to make it his focus. He did this by concentrating on each college rodeo one at a time. He started the year out just making sure he caught every steer and placing in the go. By the end of the year he had finished second in the Southern College Region and he was on his way to his first College Nationals Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming as a freshman.

To keep himself focused and tuned he spent the next couple of months competing at CPRA rodeos Looking at the times of past years winners in steer wrest­ ling, he knew you had to draw some good ones and make sure he got them thrown. He used the same strategy and focus that he had used all year at the region college rodeos, just take one run at a time. With a 5.5 on his first steer Cade didn’t place in the round, but knew he did what he needed to do on that steer. In order to help Cade out, his dad filmed every steer that ran in the first round. This enabled Cade to see what the steer did in the first round. His dad did this for every steer in every round. Being able to watch the steers he drew in every round gave him an edge and a game plan on what to do and how to handle the steers that he would be drawing in each go. Knowing if you have a steer that leaves hard or slow, runs straight or goes left or right helps you know what you need to do to adjust your run on the steer. His second round steer he was a 5.9, his third round steer he was a 5.0. This enabled Cade to come back for the short round on Saturday night sitting second in the average. He was 2.0 seconds behind the first place guy going into the short round. Cade knew he had a great week and was very excited about just making it back to the short round. Based on past rodeo experience, Cade knew that he still had a shot at the National title though. Starting his rodeo career at such a young age had prepared him for this moment in time; the continued on page 36

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final run in a competition situation against the very best kids. Cade had won numerous saddles, buckles, and trailers throughout his youth rodeo years, so keeping his focus he knew he just needed to go out there and make the best run he could. He was pleased with the steer he drew in the short round and watched the films on that steer that his dad had filmed all week and knew what he needed to do. He came into the box knowing he needed to get a 5.0 to be tied for first, but if he was a 4.9 or better that would put him into the lead for the average.

Cade’s hazer, Troy Lee Keaton who had hazed for him all week, said “Just breathe Cade you know you got this. You can do it.” When Cade finished throwing his last steer he was a 4.9 which put him first in the average and a contender for a National Title. He knew he had accomplished everything in his power to fulfill his dream. The contestant that was sitting first in the average backed into the box to run his last steer and wasn’t able to get his steer thrown, which meant that Cade had just won the average and claimed his first College National Championship Steering Wrestling Title.

Cade says, “Winning the Steer Wrestling Title at the College National Finals my freshman year is the most exciting thing that I have accomplished so far in my career as a bulldogger. It has been tough and I have worked as hard as

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I could all year long to be the best I can be and it has paid off. As a freshman it was hard at the start not knowing what to expect. When I saw that I had won I was over excited and couldn’t even put my feelings into words.” Cade’s plans for the future are to graduate from college with a business degree, and keep working on his rodeo career. He plans to finish up his sophomore year at Wharton County Junior College and then move to a university where he will keep competing in college rodeo and build into more pro rodeos along the way.

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 37

By Gina Flewelling

Simpson Levi Simpson Reaching for Vegas

By Gina Flewelling

Levi Simpson didn’t always dream of becoming a Professional Team Roper. In true Canadian form he lived out his childhood as a hockey player. But at 13 years old Levi ventured into the team roping world and began developing a passion for the sport. He was 13 when he began heading and entered his first jackpot. He was 13 when he won his first buckle. And yes, he was also 13 when he decided that he liked to reach.

Since that time Levi has earned a reputation in Canada for his ability to throw rope, drop coils and go fast. His competitive philosophy has always been to go for first. Take things one rodeo at a time and do everything you can to win each rodeo. Levi’s approach has repeatedly led him to victory. No Canadian Team Roper feels safe while sitting first at a rodeo if Levi has yet to rope. And with plenty of the 2014 season left, Levi and Ryon Tittel have already beaten the Team Roping Season Leader earnings record in the CPRA. At 26 years old, the young header has raised the bar for professional team roping in Canada.

Growing up Levi had nothing but immense support from his family. They lived in Claresholm, Alberta, but his parents, Frank and Cindy Simpson, own a hunting area in northern British Columbia. When Levi and older brother Chase were young they would accompany their parents to the mountains every year. No other kids were around and it 38 www.rodeoathletes.com

left the boys free to do everything together. They built their own roping chutes, roping dummies, and had their own competitions. They would fish, hunt, and roam the territory. This time together developed an incredibly close bond between the two. They stood up as each other’s Best Man at their weddings. They have always pushed one another to be the best that they can be. Levi credits Chase for teaching him how to rope in those early years.

Once Levi and Chase were older and wanted to start competing more in rodeo their parents would leave the boys at home alone when they headed to the hunting area. The boys worked summer jobs during the day and then came home and focused on their roping at night. They had to learn how to support each other and that support is still evident in the arena today. It was a special time in the Simpson family when Chase and Levi won back-to-back Canadian Heading Championships in 2010 and 2011. Levi’s parents wholeheartedly believe those championships are proof that if you believe in yourself and work hard anything is possible.

Levi still credits his parents for making things possible.

During a dry streak financial loans are readily available. He is thankful to his dad for one of the most important gifts of all, horsemanship. When Levi first started roping his dad always provided him with good horses; this made it easier to have early success. Levi has continued to build on the early

horsemanship he was taught. A good horse can be hard to come by, but Levi currently has two great ones that make it possible for him to keep winning.

Levi’s greatest support of all comes from his wife, Rebecca, a barrel racer herself. The two will have been married for two years in October. She does whatever it takes to see Levi become successful. She works full time at the Halvar Johnson Centre for Brain Injury to help out with bills. She also goes on the road with Levi as much as she can and believes in him more than anyone else. Rebecca credits Levi’s strong mental game as a key attribute to his success.

Rebecca has a great admiration and respect for Levi’s dedication and work ethic. Levi has always found a way to make roping a priority, which can be difficult to do in a harsh Canadian climate. Levi doesn’t hesitate to haul to an indoor building when it’s -30 degrees outside. There have been countless times when just the two of them have been in the practice pen. Levi even managed to find a roping pen to practice at while they were on a recent vacation in Mexico.

Rebecca believes the most important thing she can do for Levi is to keep a positive outlook. She finds it important to encourage him through the tough times as well as the good. She also tries to provide the best care possible for the horses. She believes Levi’s two horses have been a blessing to their lives and his career.

The support in Levi and Rebecca’s marriage isn’t a oneway street. Levi’s mom laughs about his early training as a husband. Before he started High School Rodeo, he would travel along with the family when Chase competed. The family thought it was really great of Levi to be there to help and support his big brother, but before long, Levi could be spotted in the chute during the breakaway roping pushing calves. Then he was in the arena during the goat tying catching loose horses. Soon enough he was even opening the gate continued on page 40

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and leading barrel racers into the arena. Levi’s real reason for tagging along to the rodeos quickly became evident. The family has concluded that this was all good practice because he is now a seasoned veteran when it comes to helping Rebecca with her barrel racing horses.

Levi has one main goal for the future, to make the NFR. He would also like to continue to rodeo in Canada and be at the CFR every year. But, all his focus is currently set on a National Finals Rodeo qualification.

The qualification would mean even more to Levi as a Canadian. Dean Tuftin has been the only Canadian to make an NFR appearance in Team Roping. Levi thinks that in order for that to change, more money needs to be available. Currently he doesn’t think it’s possible to make a living competing at rodeo in Canada. Levi works as an operator for an oilfield construction company in the winter months. Most rodeo athletes still work at a job with a steady income to pay the bills. Levi thinks that more money in the sport would see more competitors roping for a living and excelling because of it.

Most people chasing NFR dreams have a support system. Levi has his parents, brother, and Rebecca be40 www.rodeoathletes.com

hind him. But, he also has a whole country of team roping fans that would like nothing more than to see a Canadian roping in Vegas. Levi’s mom has witnessed his dedication firsthand and knows better than anyone that once he makes up his mind he is unstoppable. With Levi, it isn’t a question of if he’ll reach his goals, it’s when he’ll reach them.

Levi started to believe he was capable of reaching his goals after his first CFR qualification. After an average year, he just barely made it into the finals by finishing the season in 12th place. After an outstanding finals, Levi moved all the way up to 2nd in the Canadian standings. That CFR was a game changer for him and the turning point in his career.

After such a great Canadian Finals, Levi had a newfound confidence. He saw what he was capable of. He decided to try out some rodeos in the States and placed at a few. Since then, Levi has never looked back. He has continued to hit PRCA rodeos and pull checks.

It could be ventured that Levi’s first Canadian Finals was detrimental by shaping his current style. Because he came in so far down in the standings, Levi had to go for broke if he wanted any sort of shot at a championship. He did just that and it proved to be to his advantage. By going for first in every round Levi has found his niche. Not all team ropers can handle the mindset of going for first. Sometimes it only adds pressure. But, it fits Levi’s personality perfectly. Freedom is Levi’s favorite aspect of the western lifestyle. He enjoys the liberty of doing his own thing while living the cowboy life. This carefree approach to life is somewhat required in a person who takes the risk of going for it all each time he nods his head.

There is no telling what the future holds for Levi Simpson. Canadian Championships, NFR qualifications, and big wins could all be on the horizon. He definitely isn’t the type of individual to bet against.

One thing is for certain, if that NFR dream becomes a reality, Levi will have team roping fans across an entire country to cheer him on and stand behind him.

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Summer 2014 41

Brennecke Kyle Brennecke

New Generation

By Jessy Hagey

Kyle Brennecke was born in Lexington, Missouri. His childhood was spent playing outdoors like a lot of small town kids. He grew up the youngest of three boys. He spent most of his days outside playing catch and hunting. Kyle’s favorite memory is when he went hunting with his dad and was able to legally carry a gun. He remembers sitting next to his dad as two bucks walked out of the woods; his father shooting one and Kyle shooting the other. It was a day he would never forget and a tradition he would continue.

Kyle is a first generation cowboy.

When he was young, he was always into sports. From baseball to basketball, he played almost every sport he could. His brothers raced go-carts and he competed in BMX bike racing; all three of them were fearless.

After being introduced to rodeo by 42 www.rodeoathletes.com

friends that lived the lifestyle, it’s no surprise that Kyle became addicted to the sport. He chose one of the most physically demanding events that rodeo had to offer, the bareback riding. Not only did he choose the rodeo lifestyle, different than the rest of his family, but he would also excel in it.

When Kyle was fifteen years old he went to watch a high school rodeo in Trenton, Missouri. When the event of bareback riding had finished that day he knew he had found his calling. Kyle would later say, “You have to be pretty tough to ride bareback horses and that’s what I wanted to do.” From there, Kyle headed to the practice pen where he got on as many horses as he could just to learn how to stay on something that bucked. Kyle started entering youth and amateur rodeos and the more horses he got on the more he knew he was

destined to rodeo.

Kyle was halfway through his senior year of high school when he joined the Missouri High School Rodeo Association and qualified for his first National High School Finals Rodeo. It was at this event that Coach Ken Mason, of Missouri Valley College, sought Kyle out and asked him to join the rodeo team.

Kyle gratefully accepted this scholarship and went to college majoring in Business.

Four years later Kyle had earned his Bachelor’s degree in business and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo each of those four years. What Kyle values most from his time at “MoValley” was what Coach Mason taught him about riding bareback horses and the hard work it took to be great at it. When Kyle first arrived at school he didn’t know how to spur bareback horses very

well, just how to stay on. Coach Mason taught him how to use his feet, and before long it became muscle memory. “At school I was the kid that would get on four or five horses at each practice just to get better,” said Kyle. The repetition in the practice pen and the advice from Coach Mason taught Kyle to become a better rider.

The seconds that added up to hours in the practice pen at MoValley are considered time well spent to Kyle. After all of his hard work in college, Kyle felt he owed it to himself to buy his PRCA card and go rodeo. Kyle has been on the rodeo road ever since. Over the last few years Kyle has learned two important things on the road, how to enter rodeos and that good traveling partners can’t be taken for granted. Kyle has been fortunate enough to travel with guys

that are confident. He says when you travel with guys that are at the top of their game they boost your confidence as well.

In the event of bareback riding, success is part physical skill and part mental game. Of course you need to be talented and you have to draw a horse that bucks hard, but you must also be mentally strong. For Kyle that is one of the most important things he tries to maintain. He says, “I choose to surround myself with positive people. Those that will lift me up and I try do the same for them.” This makes going down the road a lot easier.

Being a first generation cowboy has not been in Kyle’s favor. Unlike some guys that compete, Kyle doesn’t have a family legacy of rodeo. He’s had to work hard to get his name out there in

the world of rodeo. This has been one of the biggest obstacles for a first generation cowboy. Even though his own family does not rodeo they have always continued on page 44

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been very supportive. He is proud of his last name and how far he has already come.

Every year Kyle feels his riding continues to improve. When he thinks he’s riding at the top of his game he always finds areas to improve. He watches the other competitors, those that are ranked at the top, and sees how they ride. Kyle always says, “You’re only as good as your competition.” Keeping an open mind and being willing to learn new things is important to him.

Life on-the-road for a bare back ride is paved with all night drives and sore muscles. One may wonder what keeps a guy going. For Kyle it is simple: he eats, sleeps, and breathes bareback riding. It’s the feeling of being on the back of a bucking horse and thinking “Wow, I’m really spurring this horse!”

It’s showing the judges your talent and seeing the score on paper. Kyle says, “I love the feeling of being in control of something that’s totally uncontrollable.”

This is what pushes him to keep going and makes the many miles worthwhile.

He enjoys giving others positive advice, whether it’s helping them set up a new bareback rigging or building up their confidence.

Kyle wants to be known as the guy that would go out of his way to help anyone.

It’s not just about winning rodeos and making money, but staying humble. Of course the buckles and paychecks are an added bonus, but there’s more to rodeo than that. He thanks the Lord each day for allowing him to do something he loves and giving him the ability to do it.

Looking ahead, Kyle continues to set goals for himself each year. His recent goal was to win his 44 www.rodeoathletes.com

circuit. After a lot of hard work, Kyle achieved his goal and claimed the title of 2013 Great Lakes Circuit Bareback Riding Champion. His future plans include, making a living doing what he loves and fulfilling whatever goals he may achieve in the years to come. He has been blessed with a healthy career and wants to continue it. Kyle wants to thank his family and all supporters who have been there along the way and those yet to come.

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Anzick Shelly Anzick

The best way to tell the story of Shelly Anzick is to start at a big moment in her life, the first round of the 2006 NFR. It is significant not only because she won the first round of her first NFR, but that her brother Donnie Kindsfather was there to see it. Shelly and Donnie grew up in Clyde Park, Montana nestled in the shields valley, an idyllic site if there ever was one. Lush green grass, gorgeous views and what Shelly describes as a “perfect place to grow up”. A place where you never took the keys out of your pickup and every child over the age of seven knew how to drive so they could help their parents or siblings feed cows in the winter. Donnie and Shelly were inseparable as children. They were always getting scolded for “laughing too much” or spending too much time playing with the kittens they found in the barn. But, that moment behind the stage at the Gold Coast awaiting her time to get her go round buckle Donnie gave Shelly a big hug and said with watery eyes, “You did it! You made it all the way!”

Those kind of moments are what Shelly lives for.

The budding horsewoman got her start in the barrel world from her father Bob Kindsfather.

As a child she had many good horses and there are a few that she thinks could have been top horses. She says, “As kids we were just learning and just rode what we had, so who knows for sure.” Shelly learned something from every horse she has owned and her early horses were certainly forbear46 www.rodeoathletes.com

ers of good things to come. First there was Mutt. He was a horse that couldn’t run very fast, turned good barrels, but would sometimes buck between the second and third barrels.

He taught her the determination to stick with it until she got him figured out. Next was Clabber, he was a drop dead gorgeous sorrel with speed, athleticism, and a willingness to do anything you asked. Clabber had many starts on the track, he ran in chariot races, and excelled in every event in the arena.

It was there that Shelly learned what it was like to go fast, what it was like to ride a good one, and what it was like to win. Clabber had it all. Shelly remembers her and her brother Donnie running through the barrels in the pasture and her mom timing them on a wrist watch. To Shelly it’s crazy to think back on how many runs in the pasture those childhood horses really made. It’s what made her good. In her adult life came Buster. He was by Another Feature and he was a superstar in the arena. He not only looked the part, he was the part. He announced his presence and was impossible to ignore. Shelly bought the leggy two year old for $1100 and started the next chapter of her life. By this time in her life she had two children and a growing construction business. The eleven-hundred dollars she paid for Buster changed the trajectory of her life for the next few years. Buster changed a lot of things for Shelly. He was a standout from the beginning.

Even though having two kids meant time was scarce, Buster

showed her that it would be worth it. Over the next several years he took her and the kids places they had never seen before, showed them sights they never dreamt of and took them on a ride she’ll never forget. Buster, Shelly and her ever present companion T-Bone, a French bulldog, found the ladder we all must climb and scaled it to the top rung. Culminating in that moment with Donnie at the Gold Coast in 2006.

“You don’t just get hugs like that every day.” she laments. In 2007 Buster had some nagging injuries and needed a backup so she acquired a horse named Stryker. The two went on an amazing late season run that almost took them back to Vegas, but by time she got the horse it was august 10th and 45 days just wasn’t enough. What she learned from Stryker is that “nothing beats fast!” Shelly is mostly known for Buster, but her current horse Scooter is stepping out of his shadow and making some big waves himself. The opportunity to ride Scooter, who is the son of Dash ta Fame, was given to Shelly

by Tommy and Shirley Martin and Dr. Carl Conroy and his wife Karen. He was a stud, they cut him and let her take him. The two have become quite a

team. Scooter is showing Shelly that “It’s never over until HE says it’s over.” Shelly feels extremely lucky that with the literally thousands of great riders out there these folks singled her out to ride this great horse. She is enjoying the journey from a different perspective this time around. It is more about the fun of the sport now, and it’s much more relaxed. “Getting to the rodeo proves to be the biggest challenge these days with truck problems and such, but it’s something we all have to deal with,” she laughs.

Shelly’s experiences have taught her some important lessons. The first, she says is for us to be who we are. Also, sometimes it’s what we don’t see that teaches us who we want to be. She had to make time for horses and the barrels along with managing a growing business and family. She found her passion, raised her children and now has a grand daughter who is absolutely horse crazy. Shelly has persevered through any obstacle thrown her way to be the horsewoman she is today. For those that have known Shelly she has taught them that when a moment comes by, be in that moment, soak it in and be present. Not because it may never happen again, but because it is your moment, enjoy it! When watching the barrel race over the years, if you were to take a picture or video of Shelly running down the alley way and overlay it with a picture or video of the little pig tailed girl from Clyde Park running to beat her brother in the grass barrel pattern, you’d see the same sparkle, the same smile, the same passion for running the barrels. The difference is, today’s shelly isn’t dreaming of doing it, She is doing it. She has the experience, the knowledge, and is truly in her prime.

Shelly’s horse crazy grand-daughter Macey is starting to talk now and Shelly has opted to be affectionately called “lemon” instead of the usual monikers. Shelly is fun, light hearted, deep and passionate. She really enjoys her animals and those she chooses to love. Shelly knows that every big barrel race is a knife fight to be the best, but as far as those who know her are concerned, she carries a pretty big knife and it is razor sharp. So let the best horse win, because without their equine partners even the best rodeo athletes wouldn’t make it very far in this sport.

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ISU Girls Take College Rodeo By Storm

Something special is happening in Pocatello, Idaho, spe- of Kimberlyn Fitch, Shelby Freed, Megan Gunter and Kiara cifically with Idaho State University Women’s Rodeo Team. Wanner won the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in They are proving to be a powerhouse of tough female com- Casper, Wyoming. Kimberlyn Fitch took the breakaway and petitors in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo AssociaRookie of the Year titles in 2013. In 2014 ISU Women’s tion (NIRA). So, we here at Rodeo Athletes wanted Team finished 6th in the nation with Kimberlyn Fitch to know what it is that has made their program taking 2nd in breakaway (only losing by 2.5 points, 240 to 242.5) and Shelby Freed winning a goso successful and to introduce our readers to some extremely talented young women and round in goat tying. their coaches.

ISU’s true strength lies in the depth of Idaho State University earned the spotlight great female student athletes competing on in 2013 when their women’s team comprised the team. ISU is located in Pocatello, Idaho continued on page 50

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and competes within the Rocky Mountain Region. The ISU Women’s Team has won the region in both 2013 and 2014.

Year-end standings both years have Kimberlyn Fitch winning the All-Around; Shelby Freed as runner-up and Megan Gunter finishing 4th/3rd. Megan Gunter in 2013 and 2014 has also finished as the region champion team roping header.

Cassidy Quinn finished 5th in the region in barrels and the list goes on with all of ISU’s rodeo female competitors standing strong.

This year the team added Jacalyn Walker who was last year’s 2014 CNFR Women’s All-Around Runner-up and finished 3rd in breakaway and 5th in goat tying. The team also added Kindee Wilson who is currently leading the Rocky Mountain Region in goat tying followed by Jacalyn Walker at 2nd. Current regional standings have Jacalyn Walker leading the All-Around hunt followed by Megan Gunter and Kimberlyn Fitch. Shelby Freed is sitting 2nd in barrels followed by Kimberlyn Fitch at 3rd and Cassidy Quinn at 4th.

Breakaway is a similar story with Megan Gunter leading, followed by Kimberlyn Fitch at 2nd and Jacalyn Walker at 3rd.

The ISU Women’s Team has more than a 1,000 point lead on 50 www.rodeoathletes.com

the next closest team.

It begs the question, why do so many talented rodeo athletes chose to compete for Idaho State University? If you ask Melisa Moon, the rodeo team advisor, she credits their success to the strong coaching staff at ISU. Their staff consists of Jared Arave, Bobbie Ryan and Tony Barrington. Jared Arave was the Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year last spring.

When asked about the team’s success coach Jared Arave believes ISU has a keep it simple approach that makes it easy for everyone to do their part. Arave said, “Our success can be found in keeping things simple and in helping student athletes stay out of their own way. We don’t try to change who they are, we just help them be more successful at what they are already doing. Rodeo is a self-motivational sport and each individual is different in how they approach practice and rodeo competition. We work with team members as individuals and try to figure out how we as a team or myself as a coach can help them get better. We accept that each individual has a different approach to practice that works for them. We don’t try to change what has proven successful for them, but to add to what works if we can. We try to further their success by allowing them to be who they are.”

Megan Gunter

Kimberlyn Fitch

Shelby Freed

Melisa Moon states, “Jared is an amazing coach! He makes sure team members have themselves and their horses ready to go to the next level. Jared puts in countless hours at official rodeo team practices in addition to working with team members on an individual basis. At the rodeos Jared is watching the cattle, the score, encouraging, helping and keeping minds in the right place. Jared’s enthusiasm for each team member to succeed is apparent at every rodeo.”

Jared believes having tough competitors at practice every day elevates practice and shows each team member the level at which they need to work towards. Team members push each other and support each other at practice and at the rodeos. ISU is geographically blessed with top student athletes in their backyard and according to Arave, “that helps a bunch as students do not need to uproot and move everything to another city or state. The keeping it simple theme applies to the entire team, we all have a job to do and we each do our job. Melisa does the team paperwork, coaching staff focuses on coaching, and student athletes pass their classes first and then practice and compete.” ISU’s rodeo team is a club sport which affords them some flexibility in their approach to team members. Each member has different goals both in and out of the arena. Student athletes have class, family and often work responsibilities and other demands that are unique to them. Every student athlete on the ISU team has the responsibility to manage their own work load, but Melisa also says, “We as a rodeo program are careful not to add demands that unintentionally distract, sabotage or overload team members.

Our ‘cafeteria’ approach of opt in-or-out works for us. There are of course rewards for opting in and participating in team activities, but no punishment if it just won’t work for the individual. While our approach has its challenges, Jared Arave and the entire coaching staff set the expectation for all team members to get along and to accept and support each other.”

Athletes on the ISU Women’s Rodeo Team are students first. The purpose of going to college is to obtain an education that further enhances the rodeo athletes’ opportunities in life. ISU is tough academically and in fact ISU grants more

Jacalyn Walker

Kindee Wilson

graduate degrees than any other university in Idaho. As a top research university with high classroom expectations, our student athletes must put the time into their course work and studies. This year the ISU rodeo team has 3 team members who are in Master’s Degree programs; Jacalyn Walker, Kiara Wanner and Kindee Wilson. Success in the classroom takes hard work and discipline just as success in the rodeo arena. The characteristics of hard work and discipline found in ISU’s rodeo team members ensures student athletes succeed in the classroom and in the arena. It is no easy feat to be a full-time college student and to be a top college rodeo competitor! The team’s success is a testament to the quality of rodeo student athletes currently at ISU. It is no wonder we here at Rodeo Athletes expect great things out of this group of young women. The coaching and support staff at ISU have provided an ideal environment for them to succeed, an environment that promotes the natural talents of these young women and doesn’t stifle them as individuals. It has set them up for a run at a national title.

We look forward to watching them compete and are excited about what the future holds for them.

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Smith

Wyatt Smith

He may have a list of achievements longer than his arm, a loving family of rodeo regulars who stick with him all the way, and participate in steady charity work helping to keep kids clear of tobacco, but Wyatt Smith will always be so much more than that to his Parents.

Lynn and Valorie Smith had always been lovers of rodeo, so it was only a matter of time before their son, Wyatt, would be hit with the same bug. As a family they toured the states from one rodeo to the next forming a bond that could never be broken.

At that point, Lynn & Valorie had no idea that their son would grow up to be a rodeo champion. What they did know was that Wyatt had a huge heart. And that, together with his determination and strength, he could achieve anything he wanted. So, when he proudly announced that he wanted to be a National Rodeo Champion, they knew that it could happen.

Wyatt would train harder, longer and more often than anybody else. Growing up, there was always a goat somewhere on their property being subject to roping and riding practice. Sometimes even the family dog was being chased down, thankfully not while on the back of a horse. As a youngster, Wyatt would do anything to imitate his hero, Ty Murray.

He would sit studying his techniques and methods for hours. He also watched tapes and read books. If he could, he would have even slept, eaten and breathed like him.

It was this admiration for Ty Murray, which encourcontinued on page 54

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aged Wyatt to learn gymnastics. It was a bold move for a boy to join a class dominated by girls, but Wyatt didn’t care.

If that’s what Ty Murray did to be the best, then that’s what Wyatt Smith would have to do to be the best too. After all, if you have total control over your body then you will have the edge needed to outperform the opposition and Wyatt knew that developing this edge was far more important than what people may think of him learning gymnastics.

When Wyatt wasn’t studying, practicing rodeo techniques, gymnastics, and spending time with his family, he somehow found time to play baseball. He would even spend entire weekends travelling for competitions. Wyatt loved the game and he quickly became a winner, but unfortunately his success in baseball came at a price, his rodeo points began to drop.

Wyatt had a decision to make. A professional rodeo cowboy and a professional baseball player were never going to exist within the same body, so he had to choose between his two passions. In truth, it was the easiest decision he would ever have to make. Rodeo had been Wyatt’s first love, so there was no way he could turn his back on it. His hands bared the scars that proved his commitment. Every decision he made in his life would always factor in how it would affect his career. If it would do anything to hurt it, then there was no way it could carry on.

Lynn & Valorie always admired this about their son. They knew that Wyatt would stop at nothing to achieve his dream, even if it meant having to make difficult sacrifices. He was a young man, he was growing fast, and yet he would forego parties and socializing to make sure that he kept focused. The beautiful thing is, all the hard work, determination, blood, sweat and tears that went into the strict training regime would 54 www.rodeoathletes.com

eventually pay off as Wyatt went on to win multiple National High School Rodeo Championships. But the scary part is, the National High School Rodeo was almost the last event Wyatt would ever compete in.

One morning, when Wyatt was sixteen, he drove himself to his summer job as a landscape gardener. Before leaving for work Valorie had left a brownie for Wyatt on the kitchen counter, which he had gratefully taken with him to eat on his journey. It was this loving gesture that was the catalyst for something that would leave a lasting impact on Wyatt’s life. The brownie slid from the dashboard, and as Wyatt moved to catch it his truck began to veer across the road.

Wyatt did what he could, but sadly it was not enough to stop the truck from rolling over multiple times.

Wyatt was thrown from the truck, landed face down in the dirt, and he could do nothing to halt the truck from landing hard on his legs, pinning him to the ground. It took family and friends two hours to contact Valorie and tell her to get to the hospital as soon as she could.

She had no idea what had happened to her son, or what condition he was in following the accident.

She spent the 30-mile drive to the hospital wondering whether her son was alive or dead. Valorie’s heart sank and an overwhelming feeling of nausea swept through her body as she walked in to the hospital to see a family member speaking with a priest. What had happened to her son? As Valorie walked into his room and saw Wyatt smiling up at her with a sheepish look on his face, she broke down into a flood of tears. It was the relief, adrenaline and nausea all escaping at once. She knew that she never wanted to feel emotions like that again about any of her children. She didn’t know why Wyatt had been spared that day, but she couldn’t have been more grateful that he had. Wyatt suffered torn tendons and heavily damaged muscle tissue in his legs. Valorie may have still had her son, but did she still have her rodeo champion?

Two years later, on the back of his favorite horse, Wyatt became the 2006 Idaho High School Rodeo Steer Wrestling Champion. Those feelings of dread and guilt Valorie had felt that day in the hospital had been completely erased. Instead, both Lynn & Valorie were bursting with pride. From that point on Wyatt became a powerhouse, entering competitions all throughout high school and college and winning countless titles. With each trophy Wyatt brought home, they felt the pride continue to grow. It wasn’t necessarily the trophies that made her feel this way, it was the way Wyatt had overcome his obstacles and persevered, working relentlessly in order to achieve his goals.

In 2013 Wyatt missed qualifying for the National Rodeo Finals by a hairs breadth, but that still did nothing to dampen the pride that radiated from the Smith Family. Wyatt an-

nounced, just like he had done in the back of the car all those years before, that he still wanted to be a National Champion. He also finished 4th in The American, but true to his style Wyatt was willing to relinquish his prize money for the safety of the steer that was injured during Wyatt’s final run.

That’s what Lynn & Valorie love about their son, because even though he has fight and drive, he will still reign it back in order to protect those who need protecting.

It is his passion for helping others that motivated Wyatt to create a series of DVD’s helping to train up-and-coming rodeo cowboys. He included all the same techniques that both, he, and his hero,Ty Murray, would use. He would also train his little brother, Garrett. If anybody needs further proof that his methods are the best, Garrett will happily show you all three of his National High School Rodeo All Around Champion trophies, an achievement which has never been done before.

It isn’t just rodeo that drives Wyatt into helping others. He is also a spokesperson for Project Filter, an Idaho based organization that allows Wyatt to travel around Idaho speaking to young people about the importance of avoiding tobacco.

Wyatt is such an advocate for the cause that he has even persevered with his best friend and managed to convince him, along with countless others, to quit the habit.

So what’s next for Wyatt Smith? He is currently touring the country with the Recking Crew, a group of no-nonsense cowboys who have their goals firmly set in stone, to compete at the NFR. The group includes: Sean Santucci, Tom Lewis and Christian Radabaugh. They practice all day, every day, working from the DVD’s they have prepared and offer on their website at www.reckingcrew.com. Wyatt’s sheer determination has definitely rubbed off on to the other members of the Recking Crew, as they’re on course for their most successful year ever.

He may be a champion, a charity spokesperson, a loving brother, a mentor, a gymnast, an ex-baseball player, a supportive friend and a strong, determined person, but Lynn & Valorie Smith will always see Wyatt as their son, rock and best friend.

Photo by WT Bruce Photography

Jennings Photograph

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Thibodeaux

Ryan Thibodeaux

By Donna Frey Thibodeaux, Regional Sales Manager – Lucchese Boots

Ryan Clay Thibodeaux, a Eunice, Louisiana native, now calls Stephenville, Texas home. He comes from a line of talented rodeo competitors; beginning with his grandfather, Warren Frey; Paw Paw as he is called. He is very supportive of all his children and grand children. Warren won the National High School Bareback Championship in Reno, Nevada in 1956 and was recruited by McNeese University in Lake Charles, Louisiana that same fall. Their team won the National Championship three years in a row. Warren took the Bull Riding National Championship in 1958 and was named the team’s most valuable player. He competed in bareback riding, bull riding, and steer wrestling. He graduated from college in 1961 with a degree in Animal Science, then went back to the family farm where he and Maw Maw Verna raised 5 children and 16 grandchildren.

Ryan watched & supported his older brother Garrett compete in the Little Britches Rodeo Association, High School Rodeo Association, PRCA, PBR Finals. Garrett was on the rough stock end of the arena, competing in the bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. Ryan was always there to cheer Garrett on.

In elementary and Jr. High School Ryan was a very competitive baseball and football player. During baseball season he was part of the traveling team, playing mostly short stop, but pitched and played third base too. The summer of his

fourth grade year he went to Oklahoma to work on the ranch with his Uncle Shawn and cousin and Shane. When Ryan returned home he was fired up to start Little Britches Rodeo, he had ridden a horse at the ranch named Cody, which we purchased for him to rodeo on. The two of them went on to win many events and All Around titles as well as Horse of the Year Awards. Then onto High School where Ryan competed on the timed event side of the aren in Calf Roping, Team Roping, and Cutting. He was recruited by Panola College in Carthage, TX on a rodeo scholarship. While at Carthage, Ryan met a long time friend and competitor, Tye Pride, who took Ryan under his wing and helped him practice and learn how to compete at the amateur and pro rodeos in Texas. After two years at Panola College Ryan was recruited by Texas A&M in College Station, TX, then to Tarleton State University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Services and Development before hitting the road for his rookie year in 2012. Ryan had a good rookie year and decided to stay close to home and finish training a horse that he and Shawn Felton had started. Ryan has been blessed with family and friends that are great moral support and helpful at giving roping advice and cheering him on.

When Ryan decided he wanted to rope, a good roper lived down the road, we called and asked for help. His name was continued on page 58 Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 57

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Lawrence Fontenot. He put in many hours with Ryan at the practice pen. To this day Ryan shares his runs with Mr. Lawrence. We cannot thank Lawrence enough for the hours and knowledge that he has contributed to Ryan’s career. Another person that Ryan has much respect for is Mr. Terry Guillory for all his hours working chutes and heading many steers in the practice pen also. These two men were there from the start when Ryan decided he wanted to rope as well as everyone else in the family. Ryan would put in many hours of practice after school work was done. And in Louisiana when it is hot you have to wait and start a little later in the afternoon.

Like most rodeo athletes, Ryan has had a dream to be at the NFR. But he has had a plan from the start; first compete on a High School level, make High School Nationals, go to college, make the College Finals and earn a degree, buy his pro card and make a run for rookie of the year. A college education and degree were high on Ryan’s priority list. He accomplished all of them in that order. He has had to train most all of his horses. His current mount Tequila, which has been in the makings for four years, has been tough from the start. This will make him a great horse that can handle the road. There are high expectations for Tequila.

I mentioned before other members of our family who are also talented rodeo competitors. There are three uncles who have all done quite well for themselves. Billy Frey from Opelousas, Louisiana rode Saddle Bronc horses as well as anyone. He competed on the High School, College, and Professional levels. He has two daughters who also competed quite competitively on the High School level; Kaitlyn and Kylie Frey. Billy now owns a successful businesses in Louisiana. Shawn Frey is from Duncan, Oklahoma and competed at the NFR from 1988 – 1990 in Bareback Riding. Shawn has two children who also rodeo, Shane Frey competes at the PRCA Rodeos in Steer Wrestling. Sidney is a freshman in High School and like the rest has come through the Jr. Oklahoma & Jr. High School Associations in Oklahoma.

Winston Frey now runs the family farm and his own farming operation in Eunice, Louisiana. He qualified for the NFR in 1993 in Steer Wrestling and has three daughters that cur58 www.rodeoathletes.com

rently rodeo. One of them, Chloe, qualified as a freshman for the National High School Finals this past July. Ryan gave Chloe one of her first horses that she competed on and now her breakaway horse is one that Ryan competed on in the tie down and was purchased for Chloe. There are two younger sisters coming right behind; Millie & Allie. As you can see there is a strong tradition of rodeo in this family.

Ryan is currently on the road with Matt Shiozawa from Chubbuck, Idaho. Matt is having a great summer and it is always good to be traveling with someone that is positive and has a good attitude. Ryan has said he is learning from Matt and his dad Kent when they visit Matt’s home. Allie, Matt’s wife, and their three daughters seem to have taken Ryan in and made him feel at home. The Shiozawa’s are a close family, so Matt takes any chance for his family to tag along or to be at home. Ryan is right at home having the girls around since he has always been very close and keeps in touch with his nephews and cousins. He tries to help all of them as much as he can. Before he left for the summer he started a calf horse for his nephew, Garrison Frey, who is anxious for Ryan to see the progress they have made. Ryan has a talent for horsemanship that I don’t think he recognizes sometimes. There have been times when we could not afford finished calf horses, so Ryan had to make them. But as time goes on, being able to keep your horses working and helping others can take you a long way.

Through Strong family traditions, the support of many close friends and family, and a knack for horsemanship Ryan has positioned himself for a run at his dreams. There is still work to be done, but Ryan has accomplished the preliminary steps to achieving his goals. That is something we can all learn from.

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crops were quite diversified with garlic, mint, sugar beets, wheat, turf, and hay. Today the family grows primarily wheat, turf, alfalfa and grass hay. They also run a commercial herd of mother cows. The entire family is never short on things to keep them busy. Their life style is more active than most.

Sean spent most of his energy in his early years trying to irritate and keep up with his brother. According to Levi he did a great job on the first one. Levi was extremely dedicated to team roping which resulted in him being successful at an early age. Sean states that watching him and wanting to be at the same caliber drove his desire to be an accomplished roper too. He said he contributes much of what he learned to just being around Levi. Sean was definitely strong willed and a busy kid.

Sports of all kinds were instrumental in burning energy and balancing him out. He played soccer, football, baseball, and participated in rodeo.

He grew up riding a horse named Holly that served as a baby sitter too when Sean was young and when he rode with his mom in the mountains.

If they had trouble with the cattle running off Sean’s mom would tie Holly to a tree with Sean in the saddle. After the cattle were gathered to a holding position his mother would come back and untie the pair. Sean’s temperament was usually better when his mom came back than when she had left.

One person worth mentioning that made a major contribution to Sean’s confidence and self-worth is Chari Rasmussen. She was one of his teachers in middle school who followed him into high school at Crook County. Her positive attitude, smile, and infamous laughter were infectious. She always encouraged Sean and believed in his ability to achieve his goals.

As the years passed he grew and so did his ability to help with the cattle and training of young horses. The Santuccis raised horses to use on the ranch and to rope on. As Sean entered high school he competed in the events of cutting, calf roping, and steer wrestling. Finding a horse for cutting was easy, he used his mother’s. The other two events posed some difficulty. For calf roping his parents told him to look around the ranch and see which horse he thought would work. He chose a bay mare the family had raised named Friday and that is where the “one good horse” came into his life. Sean

Santucci

Sean Santucci

Sean came into this world on April 7, 1987 in Winnemucca, Nevada, tipping the scales at 11 lbs. 2.5 oz. He was born into a family that included his parents Brad and Shelley and brother Levi. Sean’s father was a partner in Humboldt Drilling and Irrigation and S&T Farms. His mother Shelley was a real estate appraiser and drove for UPS. Shelly and Brad both had a passion for roping, although Shelley later turned to cutting. In 1989 the family purchased a hay and cattle ranch in Prineville, Oregon and it has been home ever since. Brad spent the first two years traveling between Winnemucca and the ranch on weekends. Once he sold his share of the companies he was able to be at the ranch full time.

The boys grew up working on the farm, a thousand acres of irrigated ground. They learned to drive tractors and hay harvesting equipment growing up. In the early years the ranch’s 60 www.rodeoathletes.com

took her to a young man named Tony Green to train and help him learn to calf rope competitively. Tony must have been a good trainer since Friday served Sean all through his years of high school and college rodeo. The “one good dog” Sean trained is named Dude.

Dude is an offspring of Shelley’s favorite dog Joe. Together they have traveled many miles and moved a lot of cattle.

Sean added saddle bronc riding to his list of events his senior year of high school. It was not exactly the best event for a guy like Sean who is 6’6” tall. It did however give him an opportunity to earn more points towards the All Around title the kids all strive for. The desire to steer wrestle really threw the family a curve. They turned to Dan Ackley, a well known rodeo competitor in that event, for help. Dan was a great mentor and teacher beyond what they could have ever asked for. He came to the ranch weekly and worked with Sean and his horse. If Sean wasn’t ready when Dan got there not one cross word was ever spoken. Dan would just tell him see you next week and turn and drive off. This didn’t have to happen very many times before Sean learned to be ready on time. That gift of being able to teach others has been passed on from Dan to Sean. In the off season Sean enjoys helping others with roping and steer wrestling. The common sense approach has been beneficial in helping him to teach others and make choices.

Sean had a basketball coach who thought basketball should be the only event in one’s life. He wanted it to go all year long. When Sean explained he had work to do on the ranch and wanted to rodeo too the coach told him he was only going to be mediocre at anything unless he committed to one thing. Perhaps to spite him Sean went on to win the Northwest Regional Intercollegiate All-Around in 2008.

Through Sean’s college years steer wrestling definitely became his passion. B.J. Taurscio assisted in learning the ropes of going on the rodeo trail during those summers.

When asked why he would off a perfectly good horse Sean’s answer was simple, “It’s an adrenaline rush!”

Organizational skills was never Sean’s strong suit, but with schools requiring a minimum GPA in order to participate in sports it helped teach one of life’s lessons, choices and consequences. The transition of high school study habits to that of a college kid was a true struggle for Sean.

Academics were never easy for him, being at college and on his own posed some interesting challenges. He had to learn to step up or go

home. His classes were agriculture based with the hope they would be useful once back home on the farm and ranch. His last year at college he enrolled in shoeing and got his commercial driver license.

The greatest influence for Sean that helped him become more organized has been his wife Brittany. They were married in October of 2013 at the ranch in Prineville. She is one of his greatest supporters in life and on the road. Not only has she kept him with clean laundry, she has also been a driver when needed to haul horses for him and his traveling crew. When she is at home Brittany keeps plenty busy managing rental properties and helps Shelley with cattle during the summer months. That might change now that they are expecting their first child in April 2015. A new challenge of balance will come into play in their journey as a family.

Sean has had some tough things happen on the road as he pursued his rodeo career. In 2001 he lost his team of steer wrestling and hazing horses in an unfortunate accident. After that his goals seemed shot down and he came home to the ranch. As life has its ways, he bounced back by leasing and later purchasing a steer wrestling horse named Bill. That led to Sean getting back on the rodeo circuit and things improved from there. In the first years of PRCA competition Sean and his family were so excited when he was ranked in the top 50. Then in 2012 he was ranked 17th and last year 19th in the world. That just shows how far things have come.

Sean has now joined a traveling group known as the “Reckon Crew.” It includes Sean and three other steer wrestlers, Wyatt Smith, Tom Lewis and Christian Radabaugh.

Eldon Day has helped make things happen for these men by driving his team of horses to many of the major rodeos. The guys have won a fair amount of money competing in rodeos in Canada and all across the United States.

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 61

Bushwacker Bushwacker

By Justin Felisko

He’s already gone topless for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. Could Sport’s Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition be next for the PBR’s most famous athlete?

The New York Times did once describe Bushwacker as more “ballerina than bovine,” and it wasn’t the first time he was described as good-looking.

So what will look better: a bikini, or a one-piece swimsuit on the two-time World Champion Bull?

“The ESPN Body Issue was pretty neat,” laughed his owner Julio Moreno. “That was pretty neat. That’s almost as top as the Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. He could have been in that. We’ll put something on him somehow, a bikini.”

It is safe to say you just never knew what was next when it came to the legendary bovine during his six-year Built Ford Tough Series career, which will come to an end following the 2014 Built Ford Tough World Finals when Bushwacker will be retired.

Bushwacker is right up there with the best in the sports industry when it comes to the glitz and glamour of popularity.

He has been called the Muhammad Ali of bull riding by PBR Livestock Director Cody Lambert, and has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan for what he has done for the sport.

When he sees his champion bull enter the arena, Moreno has flashbacks to the 1970s when he watched Ali fight Smokin’ Joe Fraser.

62 www.rodeoathletes.com

“He is like Muhammad Ali,” Moreno agreed. “He knew he was the greatest and he would strut his way through there and get ready for his event. When Bushwacker goes to compete, he is just real calm. He just walks in there, like struts in there, just like a guy walking in for a game – putting his pads on for a football game.”

Bushwacker’s record Built Ford Tough Series buckoff streak will go down as one of the most famous streaks in sports history, and during Bushwacker’s run of 42 consecutive BFTS buckoffs, and 56 overall, he was the king of the publicity castle.

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, “CBS This Morning” and other media outlets all came calling. T-shirts, stuffed animals and other merchandise flew off the shelves to a rabid fan base.

The publicity is a great thing, says Lambert.

“It brings attention to the sport and shows people that the animals are athletes, and the guys that try to ride them are athletes, too,” Lambert added. “It is all real, because it’s not a show. It’s a very entertaining sport.”

PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth said that Bushwacker has been an important figure for the sport from both a competitive and public-relations standpoint.

“When ESPN The Magazine says he has the baddest body in sports, and they compare his vertical leap to LeBron

James, he’s getting us exposure with people who have maybe not been to a live event or watched up on TV,” Haworth said. “Now they’re all of a sudden wondering and asking, ‘Who is this? Who is Bushwacker?’

“When you have that kind of an athlete, it’s great for us to try and get him some exposure, but what’s been good for us is the exposure has been coming to us.”

When J.B. Mauney conquered Bushwacker, ending his record buckoff streak in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year, nearly a quarter of a million people watched the video online within the first 48 hours of Mauney doing the unthinkable.

Bushwacker has done for the PBR nationally what fellow animal athletes Seabiscuit, Secretariat and Smarty Jones did for horse racing.

“That kind of stuff happens when you promote great animals,” Lambert said. “Some of them become very popular and the greatest are supposed to.”

Bushwacker has even gone on to surpass Bodacious as arguably the most famous bull of all time.

“Bodacious got a lot of attention,” Lambert said. “He was dangerous and dreaded by cowboys and got a lot of attention, but he also got a lot of attention for being the champ too.

“He was never as solid as Bushwacker,” he continued.

“There were days when he bucked as hard as Bushwacker, but Bushwacker does it every time.”

Bushwacker first entered the limelight in 2010 when he was the ABBI Classic Bull Champion, and then became a mainstream attraction when he won his first World Champion Bull title in 2011.

It was simply in his blood to be the best; Bushwacker came from a pedigree of success. His father was Reindeer Dippin’, an ornery bull who was only ridden four times in 48 outs. Diamond Ghost had sired Bushwacker’s mother, Lady Luck.

Bushwacker doesn’t need any kind of luck though. He is pure talent and brute strength.

It’s why it came as no surprise when Bushwacker was able to rebound from a potentially career-threatening injury in late 2011 when the World Champion bull underwent two surgeries to have bones spurs and chips removed from both back hocks.

Bushwacker has the heart of the champion, and has garnered the rightful fame that comes along with it.

He is Jordan. He is Ali. He is Ray Lewis. He is LeBron James. He is Tiger Woods.

Shoot, he is all of them, says Moreno.

“I’ve always said Bushwacker was like a Michael Jordan, Ray Lewis,” Moreno said. “But now I am thinking he is everything. He is a Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lebron, whoever. Being in ESPN The Magazine and the Body Issue really put that bull on the map.”

And just like all of those athletes, Bushwacker will forever be remembered as one of the all-time greats.

“He has earned it,” Lambert concluded. “He is that great.

He is that uncommonly great. I don’t think – I am sure he is the best I’ve ever seen.”

Rodeo Athletes Magazine | Fall 2014 63

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