FROM BIKES TO BRONC RIDERS

FROM BIKES TO BRONC RIDERS This unique, high performance training academy is geared towards action sports. Their goal? Getting you, to yours.

By JENN WEBSTER Photos courtesy of BRAD CLIFFORD

For a period of time, travelling the world as a professional bike racer offered a thrilling mix of self-discovery to a Manitoba native, hell-bent on bucking the norms. Hailing from a family firmly rooted in the ranching lifestyle, Brad Clifford grew up with cattle, bison, grain and horses all around him. Still, an inner calling seemed to beckon him away, as Clifford drifted instead toward action sport athletics. After the bikes, skis followed and once again he found himself hurtling towards another trajectory in life. Clifford toured the world for the better part of 15 years in pursuit of extreme sports but early in 2020, his mother would receive a cancer diagnosis and he once again found his life charting a new course.

“From an early age, my mother was obsessed with the western lifestyle,” he tells. “She showed and jumped throughout my entire childhood and still does to this day. But in early spring of last year, she was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma.”

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Clifford’s mother, Sherri, was blindsided by the diagnosis. In February 2020, she went in for a routine check-up after not feeling well and based on an abnormality, her doctor decided to send Sherri for a biopsy. Upon receiving the results, medical professionals realized Sherri’s body was riddled with cancer.

As he explains the chain of events, his foot begins to tap rapidly.

“I suppose all the damning signs had been there, but as a rancher she still has animals and land to take care of. It’s hard to say if she was being hard-headed about going into the doctor, or if she just had things to take care of and work to do.”

Needless to say, Clifford knew it was time to come home.

RANCHING ROOTS

Originally, Clifford grew up in central Manitoba on a bison and cattle ranch near Riding Mountain National Park. His family branched out and began ranching in Saskatchewan as well – one ranch exists north of Prince Albert and the other is southwest near Grasslands National Park. All of the ranches run bison and cattle, which are mostly Black Angus.

“My great grandparents and grandparents started the operation, but my mom is heavily involved,” he explains. “I pick up the slack, as do my brothers.”

When Clifford went back to ranching in early 2020, he remembered his roots. His mother’s love for rodeo and horses quickly began to take hold of him again, although he was now a 30-year-old man.

“The horses have once again taught me about calmness and the fact that we must have a healthy respect for their being, in order to have a symbiotic relationship with them.”

All throughout her treatments, Sherri continued to ride and work alongside her family to get the ranching duties looked after. To date, she has endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiation. The treatments will be ongoing until Sherri’s doctors discover if she’s in remission or not.

“Until then, I choose to focus on the positive,” says Clifford. “While my mom has been fighting for her life, I have an opportunity to learn from her again. This situation has allowed me back into the rodeo world and has created incredible opportunity for progression in this sport.”

While Clifford never really took to competing in rodeo sports at an early age, his younger brothers have been heavily involved throughout their lives. Clifford preferred racing bikes, skis and even played hockey (although he is known to get on a few bulls and broncs these days). The quest for an adrenaline rush continues to run in the family.

When Clifford attended the University of Regina, he was on the varsity track team. It was during his time there that he met Cory Horsburgh (Calgary, AB), an Olympic caliber wrestler and strength and conditioning specialist.

“He was on the wrestling team in Regina and I was on the track team. We hit it off and maintained a relationship over the years because we were both so interested in sports and training to get the most out of our bodies,” Clifford explains.