¶ Bullfighting Career and Starting Age
Prox gamble 들어 DMG 816 , affirmation Dexter and Draper , how are ?
you , I'm doing good .
I mean great day Well off day is a great day Any day , correct ? Yeah , yeah .
I mean we try to keep things good around here , keep the positive energy , and just try not let things affect us so we don't have control over All right .
You're in Utah , a lot of I mean the water . It has to be the water , correct ? Yeah , because there's a lot of rodeo studs , athletes that come out of there and it just seems like you , just you guys just roll with the punches , man , is it the water or is it just ?
yeah , I mean I would give a lot of the success to the high school rodeo association that's coming up . I mean it's just the contestants and just the quality . Like I know the numbers have kind of dropped off a little bit the rough stock and stuff , but a lot of that's the deal with gas prices and everything there too .
But just there's such a competition and it's such high quality athletes here that you kind of just got to rise and got to rise to the occasion and be good , just because there's so much of the tradition of the rodeo and ranching and that it's just these guys are doing it and starting it from such a young age that you kind of got to be on the book and get
going with it .
Yeah , notice that you mentioned everybody else , but not yourself , when it comes to Utah athletes . So let's change that . Let's change that . Yeah , I want you to know that . Not everybody does protection and freestyle .
No no , not everybody does and it's here there's just a ton of guys . So I mean I've kind of got my feet wet and other places , just because all the contractors got their guys and I'm like , well , if this is really want something I want to do , I'm not just going to focus on the rodeos that we got here , I want to go other places .
I want to see some different country and build the around different guys that aren't in the state to see how they handle things , how the livestock changes from state to state and just how the attitude and the atmosphere of rodeo changes . Right .
So , with the protection and the freestyle , what allows you to do both of them ?
I mean honestly it's . My opinion is , if a guy really wants to have a career and fight bulls , I think you got to start out at the freestyles because you learn how to handle them hot bulls and how to be able to feel confident stepping around them , them big , hot , juicy stuff .
That if you get in a wreck situation that you can stay calm , knowing that you put in the work and have the confidence to be able to work something like that . And that's just my recommendation and guys think other opinions , but that's just my opinion and what I think . Because I think you got to have confidence .
Especially if you're going to save a guy in trouble , you got to know where the pocket is to get in and how to handle them bulls and get in the right lead and set them bulls up and take care of them to get them out of there .
So you being Utah , you talking about other people , we're finally talking about you . How did it all start with you ? How old were you when you got involved in the rodeo scene ? When did you find out bullfighting was for you , I mean ?
I started from , I mean basically when I was born . I mean we've got photos of me and stuff where , like I'm on a horse . I've got photos of me when I'm like two riding the sheep . I mean I've competed in everything rodeo event-wise . I mean I've barrel-raised , pole-banded , goat-tied .
I mean I rode barebacks in saddle Bronx in junior high and I rode bulls for a while and then team rode calf-rope , steer-wrestle . So I've had . I kind of had my hand in everything rodeo event-wise . And when was it ? Probably 14 or 15 . So I met Aaron Ferguson at my .
He was one of my buddies or my uncle's groomsmen at his wedding and this was kind of before the BFO started , but he was kind of talking about getting this started up and I'm like I've kind of heard the old-timer freestyle stories and I think I think that'd be awesome .
I mean I think that's something where you get to be the baddest dude in any room because you're fighting these bulls that are full head of steam and you can just walk around and I'm like a cool cat . I'm like it's just kind of something I want to figure out and do . And we were doing a fundraiser I just barely for my dad's rodeo team .
So Utah Valley University . We were doing a rodeo fundraiser for him and it was actually a pretty cool experience . So we had a bunch of photographers come and we were just going to kind of put on a little rodeo and do a little ranching for him . So they got these bulls and I've been talking to the guys around here .
I'm like , hey , I want to start , like what do I need ? And they kind of told me what I needed to kind of start . And then so I got all my stuff and kind of got into working with that and they just kind of fed me to the wolves . And I mean , ever since that first day , it's just… Never looked back , really .
Okay , and you're Owl .
So I was 17 when I first started , so you fairly turned 17 .
A lot of . I've been running into a lot of rodeo athletes , athletes in general , and they call themselves a late bloomer . Do you consider yourself a late bloomer because you started to save 17 ?
I mean I wouldn't necessarily call it a late bloomer , you know , I think that's kind of about the right time to start . And especially , you know , in the bullfight game I think some kids can get hurt and get in some real trouble if they start too young and not necessarily fully develop . But growth-wise , yeah I think a kid can get in some trouble .
But I mean I think that's about the right time for me to start .
That's good . You're the first that's ever said that man , by the way .
Yeah , Seriously , everybody's like yeah .
Everybody thinks they should start like eight years old or something like that . And there are . There's a lot of them out there . But every time I get somebody that starts at 16 or 17 , they're like I'm a late bloomer and they're just like it's almost frowned upon . But I'm just like , things happen for a reason .
You're here , for a reason You're killing the game . I mean , you really have to build them up , but they really are down on themselves when they start 18 , 19 , 20 . And it's just . It's good to hear something different . So thank you .
Yeah , and I mean I understand where them guys are coming from , but at the same time , like it's , it's , this is a game where you know you want to be fully grown and fully developed , where you're not necessarily , you know , because you get some wrecks and you know you break a growth plate when you're 13 , 14 , you're going to have one leg that shorter than
the other , like it's just . It's just something that and especially in this game , you're going to have injuries come up .
So if you start a little later , you know , get some muscle and and tone on your bones , I mean you're not necessarily going to get hurt as much , I think , and be able to take some of them shots and and you know it's still going to be sore , but I think you're , you're going to pay off in the end . That's a I don't know man .
You got a lot of insight . You got a lot of insight . So so we're , we're . I'm just going to ask you , where do you get all this insight from ?
¶ Insights From a Rodeo Professional
It sounds like you got an old man that's in the game himself . Is that true ?
Yeah , yeah . So so my dad's , you know he's I mean he's awesome , I mean he's he's put me in front of some really important people and kind of really big people in the industry . So I mean Casey Fields he just lives right down the road from us , a mile .
Caleb Bennett he lived with us his rookie year in the PRCA and when he first was was starting at Rodeo hard and just being around them guys and and just kind of I mean Casey is a big one for kind of letting your body develop and because I mean he's got , he's had some injuries but he , you know , started a little later that 16 , 17 year range and and you
know , in my opinion he's the best to ever do it . So I mean it's I wouldn't look at it as a shame or or feeling like you're behind .
I mean as as long as you're studying the game and you know , putting in the work , not necessarily in the arena , but putting in the work outside the arena , I think the most important part and what what really makes you succeed in the Rodeo industry .
But your dad's a coach right , yeah , yep , so my dad is a coach for Utah Valley University and you know he's had some awesome people there and and I've been able to be a part and just get so much insight and learn from him .
You know what he's seeing and other people do and and kind of not necessarily avoiding us from that , but just kind of , you know , having that in our minds . You know this is the fix this , this way or or that way and type of deal , and you know he's not always picking about bad .
You know you say you know watch these guys , they do this really good and and it it really helps them here and and , yeah , Okay .
So so you get a lot of you . You have instinct , but you get a lot of your knowledge for through your dad . And and you being in the business fighting with other people . But so how long has your dad been a coach ?
So he's been a coach I think 11 years . So he took over right after Louis Fields . So I mean another big industry guy and just being able to be around those types of people is it's really been . I've been blessed with the people I know in the industry and the people I've been around . Okay yeah .
Man , you always talk about other people . Have you noticed that ? Yeah , yeah , dude your dad has been there for 11 years . He has . If you do something right and you being starting at 17 and 22 now you're , you're doing pretty good yourself , yeah , yeah .
Yeah , yeah , you know , I mean I I feel like I should , you know , be at a , at a you know better place than I am , but you know , I'm just going to trust the timing . I'm .
I'm really , but lately , been focused on not putting a timeline on things and , you know , making sure I'm doing them right , instead of getting in a game when I'm not fully know how to handle the situation and and the guy ends up getting hurt and you know that's on us and and I mean that's what the people that I have around me have been good for .
They're like you know you could fix this . You know , look at this and you know that'll put you right in that spot where you want to be and and take you to that next level . But I've had , I've had some big people you know help me and be there along the way .
And it seems like you're one of those ones that are , are good people and and are good enough to take you know the critiques and the criticism and then work on it . A lot of people go in one year and out the other and not even like they'll just block them out . So yeah , man , that's good , that's good . You're ahead of your time , man , by the way .
Thank you , just let you know .
what you're spitting , man , right now is a lot of wisdom , and you got it , man . You got it , just give it time .
Yeah , just just a little more development and critiquing some things , and we'll be there .
Right . So protection or freestyle , pick one .
You know I like they're both awesome . But you know I got to go with the rodeo . I mean , it's just , it's what I'm passionate about and and just the people in the industry are just just the .
The , the people and the places you get to see with rodeo is just awesome and everybody's there to , you know , enjoy the what the Western sport and you know , because there's just so much that's going on that people get to see and rodeo I just think it's a different , different atmosphere .
It's a lot more positive , positive and just , you know , kind of laid back and enjoy it . You know it's it's what's fun and and it's just awesome to see , to be around them horses and and the cattle and everything like that .
Being 22, . You also , you know , doing both freestyle and also protection . You were part of the UBF , correct ? You've had a couple stents in the UBF .
Yep , yep . So I've had a couple fights in the UBF and then I got I tore my shoulder last summer one of their and an event they had and I just really haven't quite been made it back to the freestyle .
But this , this next year , I plan on hitting it pretty hard and going to quite a few to at least make the finals run and and make it to the finals and , you know , hopefully do some good there .
Who's the big dog for you , man , in the sport ? Who's the one that you know freestyle wise ? Who's the one that you're like ? All right , man , this guy's the goat , but it's time for you know me to beat the guy or something . You know what I mean .
A guy that's that's been reeking a lot of havoc and it is just phenomenal , is Chance Mormon .
I mean , he wins a lot , he handles them both so good , you know , and and I wouldn't necessarily put me in the same class as him , but you know , I feel like I'm starting to figure it out a little more and and be able to make those tough reads or get out of some situations that you know are unforeseen and kind of you get yourself in and that bull fights
. But yeah , that man is , he's kind of a freaking nature in the way he throws his fakes and the way he's able to . You know , get them balls to move over and and everything like that .
You guys , you guys shared the same birth though , man . Yeah , yeah , same birth with them . So I'm just saying all right yeah yeah , yeah , you know , if you weren't fighting what , what , what event would you do if you weren't ?
fine , I'd be team roping , yeah . So my , yeah , we do a lot of team roping here . We raise , we raise a few horses and train them here , and you know we've got some good horses coming up and you know , and I I roped a lot in high school .
That's that's what I competed in and the high school and then I just kind of Okay , not necessarily quit , but it was just taking up some time where I thought I could be spending , you know , trying to further my career and and make me better bullfighting lies then then spend that time roping and stuff .
I got to ask you a header or a healer .
So I I healed in high school . When I graduated high school , I started to head a little bit and I really enjoyed heading a lot more . I think it's , I think it's fun being able to read a barrier and , and you know , get out and score them , score them steers as well as set , set a good steer up for a guy to . You know , knock down and heal .
I've had this conversation a couple of times and I got to ask you which one's easier .
That's definitely easier , in my opinion . Yeah , yeah , I mean you don't have to worry about the timing of that shear hop and or if he's dragging or anything like that , you know , you just stick it on the horns and set one up to go left .
All right , man , I've had some interesting conversations like you know what's easier , and then if they're a header , they're like a healer , it's like whatever . Yeah , you know what the healer is . The most difficult part ? Yeah , yeah , for sure . Favorite event to watch when you have downtime in an event , which one do you sit there and just watch ?
if you do that , yeah , yeah , I mean I definitely do . I think probably the breakaway rope , I mean just the quality of the horses that are going down and as well as , like your rodeo athletes , are just phenomenal . I mean , when a 1-9 wins a rodeo or even a 2-5 , it's just crazy .
And then just watching them horses work , and I mean as soon as they throw that rope , their horses are in the dirt just flying .
It's crazy . It's crazy . It's like quick draw man , but with a rope .
Oh yeah , Exactly yeah .
Well , what do you think of brown and Massey ? You know doing the bulls or the calf's , you know steer wrestling bulldog in for 3.9 or less than four seconds . That's self-fit , is impressive , man .
Yeah . Yeah , that's steer wrestling . That is a complicated game , but when they throw good , I mean it looks awesome .
Yeah .
But yeah , just the breakaway . I just like watching them horses and how they ride their horses and stuff like that .
Yeah , I'm going to go see a breakaway . Well , I'm going to go to a rodeo tonight and it's a huge breakaway .
Yeah , the first performance .
You know on a Saturday night who's the one athletes , male or female . When you're out there and they're there , you stop and watch .
Man , I mean I kind of got some people on about every event , but I just have you know it's got to be case . He feels I know that's going to be a common answer and necessarily a basic answer .
But just that man is , he's , you know , creeping up on that 40 mark , 30 , 36 or something like that , and he just he's riding so good that he just looks like he's in his prime . He's just so fast . He just makes it look pretty close to perfect every ride and I'm just it's just unbelievable to watch . Okay .
Favorite bullfighter .
You know that's a tough question . I mean you can break it down in so many different categories , but it's probably got to be Cody Webster . He just has so much fun doing it and just you know , so cool and so calm . And yeah , it's got to be Cody bull rider bull rider .
I mean we've , we've got some pretty good guys , you know , right here out of Utah Heck yeah , yeah we've got some phenomenal talent .
It's came out of Utah the last three years but so and I really like to watch is and it's got to be probably Hayes way right now because he's just riding phenomenal and just kicking the lights out and you know , we went to school together from elementary school all the way to high school , so just seeing kind of a hometown guy just knock it out of the park
is is awesome to see To do both protection and freestyle .
How do you maintain fitness throughout the week ? Do I mean ? Do you have a strict regimen ? Do you follow it ? Nutrition wise ? How do you , how do you stay healthy day in , day out , to continue to do what you do every weekend ?
Yeah
¶ Rodeo Athlete Fitness and Lifestyle
, yeah . So fitness wise , you know I go to the gym . I try to go four , five , sometimes six times a week . You know the main things I focus on are are legs .
So I'll , and kind of just like I'm , my main date the gym is , you know , I'm going to go get on the treadmill , kind of walk , kind of , you know , get things loosened up a little bit and then run for about a quarter to half a mile . Then I'll go to kind of a room in the back and then I'll throw .
I'll throw fake , so I throw my pigs to the right and then to the left for about 40, . I'd have a timer , so I set 40 seconds to the right and then 40 seconds to the left , and then I'll kind of slow down , take a break , really , just because I'm trying to put on a little more weight and a little more muscle mass .
So I'll kind of slow my my lifts down and just kind of lift hard . And then I stretch at the end of every workout and I make sure to stretch my legs , keep them loose , keep them limber , just so you know if I get in a spot where I take a , a shot , kind of a shot in a bad place .
You know I'm able to kind of bend or stay loose when I need to , to not , you know , tear or break something .
So Since you've stuck on that regimen five to six days a week in the gym and doing what you're doing , and it's helped so far .
Oh yeah , yeah , it's been awesome . Just because you know I'm not worrying about if I'm doing enough at the rodeos . You know I just I just know I've been putting my time in and putting putting some the process in so I can just go and just kind of muscle memory and just kind of see my shots , see my reads and kind of go to them .
And when you're on the road , is it ? Anything goes to the tummy ? Yeah , do you do stick to food that is home cooked and you take on the road kind of thing , or Not necessarily don't cook , you know , take home cooked meals .
but you know , if I'm going to a rodeo and I know I'm going to fight that night , you know I try to keep good , clean meals and go to , you know , some not necessarily fast food . Go to some like nicer places , like meters or something where you're going to get a good , healthy , healthy meal and just kind of easy on the stomach .
Try to stay away from greasy foods and heavy food , just because you know it just kind of slows you down , makes you kind of feel sick a little bit when you get amped up and in your nerves like that .
So I just try to , you know , eat some greens , you know some , whether it be like a sound like a sandwich or I really like sandwich or chicken on the days to go to the rodeo , just because it's light , it's not super greasy most of the time and I try to eat some fruits , some vegetables , just kind of some lighter stuff , and then I'll eat , you know ,
whatever after the rodeo .
How do you , how long do you think you have it in this game , man ? Do you have a timeline or are you just going to go ?
as far as you can go . I don't necessarily want to take it to kind of necessarily milk it out . As long as I can . You know , I want to get in the industry , be able to , you know , reach a little havoc , cause a little damage , you know , against some of the big rodeos and stuff , and hopefully set some things up .
You know , as I'm making money , buy some property , you know , be able to raise some cows and stuff . But you know , I've probably 10 , 10 years , 10 to 12 years , and then I've got some other goals and businesses and some other ventures . I want to try to go on and do . What do you do for downtime ? It just depends .
Well , I really haven't had much downtime . I've kind of been this summer . I've kind of been hobbled up a little bit when I did have downtime . But I just take care of some cows I got . So I've got six Mexican fighting cows that I raise and take to some different rodeos and stuff .
So if I'm really hunger and just want to go fight , I'll take them over to the college arena and or them and we kind of have a little turn back and we can set up and I'll go fight them and have some fun , get back to the fundamentals and tune up .
See , I'm a nature guy man , I love nature , and when I watch your videos , those mountains in the background that just surround your guys' pan or rodeo event , it's just mind blowing and it's just like do you ever take advantage of just climbing or hiking those mountains ?
Yeah , I mean , when it here in a month and a half is my favorite time of year , it's not in the rodeo arena , it is out in the woods chasing bugle and out . That is just my passion and that's something that you don't ever get to experience until you're right in the middle of them and just everything is going crazy and it's just awesome .
But yeah , we tried to go to some lakes . I mean , we don't like to sit around at the arena for too long because if you're sitting around or you're thinking about it , you're thinking you get them doubts that'll creep in . So we tried to either go to the lake or some different rodeos have some events going on .
So over the fourth we were playing in a cornhole tournament or doing something just kind of not necessarily think about rodeo , but yeah , the mountains are phenomenal and it's just awesome . I've been to some places where you don't have mountains and you're like man , I can never live without them .
Right , Exactly like Kansas or Nebraska . It's like wow , and why would somebody live here ? No fans guys , the listeners that are in those areas .
But it's just like , once you have mountains , especially those pristine mountains that you live around , I wouldn't want to live anywhere else , yeah yeah , it's awesome and just what you're able to see to animal wise and then mountains .
I mean we've got Mule there , we've got elk , we've got bears , we've got lions . I mean you don't necessarily see the bears and the lions all the time and we've got no , no , no , you definitely don't . Yeah , especially the lions .
Lions make me a little nervous , but yes , because once you see it , it's too late .
Yeah , exactly , yeah , yeah .
So when you're packing you know just going up the mountains to hunt and everything else . And first of all , have you heard any of the podcasts ?
Yes , yes , I've listened to some episodes , yeah .
All right . So you know what I'm going to ask you . Are you a cheese sandwich guy or a peanut butter jelly sandwich guy ?
You know I don't necessarily understand the cheese sandwich . You know where that comes from , but you know definitely peanut butter and jelly .
¶ Hunting, Food, and Favorite Movies
But when we're hunting stuff we still like to try to eat fairly good . So I mean , we've got some freeze-riding meals that we just boil some water at it into and we try to take up some , especially you know where we hunt . I mean there's a lot of wild raspberries . Oh , I can only imagine . Yeah Well , the wild raspberries .
We try to eat them and just drink a lot of water , try to stay , you know , hydrated and because it's pretty easy to not drink water and get distracted up there and get yourself in the top spot .
Yeah , well , it's funny how you say you don't understand the cheese sandwich . Yeah , talking to another person like I just don't understand , but it's a thing . So yeah , if you had to choose let's say you had peanut butter , jelly sandwich stuff and then just a cheese and bread thing you would pick peanut butter , jelly sandwich , peanut butter .
Yeah , yeah , for sure .
Do you eat enough of those to talk about one ?
No , not necessarily . I mean , you know most of the time when we're eating , you know the uncrustables or something like that . You know just something quick . Yeah , All right .
Well , you know , I had to ask that because , man , there's some guys , especially , you know , james Hankinson . The third will say why didn't you ask Draper ? The question and a lot of people ask they get upset if I don't ask that question . You know , yeah , no . Speaking of the third , he said BA , I don't know if you cuss , but he said BA bro .
Yeah , okay . He said badass bro , good pal of mine , he's a great kid . That's what he said . Yeah , so just telling you yeah , but no he's got all me . He's like you didn't ask that person this , you didn't ask that person that . So I had to ask no , yeah , it blows my mind that how far cheese sandwiches goes in the rodeo , yeah .
Yeah , you know it's cheap and easy . I guess you know . But you get , you get going and I that's all you can get , that's all you can get Well .
First I thought peanut butter jelly sandwich was the cheap and easy , because I take it out and it's easy , something you know substance to just fill your body when you're out there climbing mountains and doing you know running trails and everything . But man , you guys got me beaten with the cheese sandwich and I'm not going to try it .
Yeah , All right .
So , and also the peanut butter jelly sandwich conversation . It's also personality finder , so that's why I ask that question . So here's another one , let's . I know you probably watch movies , but what's your favorite Adam Sandler movie .
And it's got to be grownups , both of them , because they're yeah , they're just just classic . I mean it's kind of , you know , we've got jokes that run around in our family or friend group like that . I mean we just , you know , get ourselves in some dumb spots and figure it out .
What pumps you up or what gets you ready day in , day out , when you're at an event and ready to perform ?
You know I've got some music . I got like a playlist that I kind of queue up and I mean it , just you know puts me in that mindset and kind of amps me up but also kind of slows my bring down and just you know not necessarily get to think and just you know , see it , you know go .
The first that has said music . So my question to you ? Because a lot of people , just like man , I just read Bible verses or I just get you know in the zone and clear everything out and just stay away from people , do my thing and then bam , ready to perform . So number one song on your playlist . Don't lie too .
I've got some good ones , but it's probably got to be the suicide boys .
You're one of those , okay .
Yeah , I would never have expected that , yeah , I mean , I mean it's definitely . I don't listen to that every day , but you know , that's just something that just I hear that kind of triggers me into that mindset , you know .
Okay , man , so you really get pumped up there's some people that won't do it because you know they have to be ready to perform . But , man , you're like me , man , that's great , that's great .
That's why you're on this podcast , because , dude , right before I perform , you know , do a trail or do a race , man , I just have to listen to something to hype me up . So that's good that . I know that's what gets you going . Yeah , yeah , that's awesome . All right , so I'll tell you a secret . There's a guy that I had on Gabriel Garner .
He's like dude you know it gets me pumped up , and he said music , but he was like you wouldn't believe what music gets me pumped up . Katy Perry , man Katy .
Perry , you play that dark horse . I can get pumped up to dark horse , you know .
You guys are crazy , man , what's ?
I mean it just takes you back , I guess I mean that's what it does for me . It takes me back to when I was a little younger teenage years and you just held on wheels .
Taylor Swift and you know I didn't believe him at first , right , but then he sent me a video of him and his boys traveling to the next you know event and yeah , lo and behold , man , he was in the California girls . Man , I'm like , wow , oh man , All right , Well , if you do that , let me know .
All right , all right , I'm on my way man , it's a good jokester man .
Ultimate goal in fighting .
You know my ultimate goals are is I definitely want to win a world title in the freestyle industry because that is something that you know I can control and you know work towards . But I also want to want to make the NFR , and end of goal is probably just get that cowboy full fighter of the year . Buckle would be , would be my end goal .
What's on your bucket list ?
You know I've got one . This is , you know , kind of going back to after the rodeo . After my time in . I really want to start a summer long rodeo school here in Utah where you can get some of these .
You know older , older athletes that aren't can't necessarily go down the road all the time but can teach you and I think this is something that's big in the industry that they don't teach us .
You know how to enter rodeos , how to travel , how to make it best for your money and maybe look at you know where , where you know you get in a tough spot in September where you need that extra five , 10,000 . You know what rodeos could you enter and , and you know , make it logistically possible .
Okay , so so basically showing younger , crowd the ropes and paint it forward . Yeah yeah , that's awesome , man . That's awesome , see , when you got a kind heart . Has anybody said that ?
I heard everyone throw out , but not every day .
Well , I know it sounds weird for a male to say that , but do you do ?
like a social worker .
I'm a social worker , right , and you , you look out for other people , man , it's crazy not not a lot of athletes do that , but you do so . You got a kind heart , man . I appreciate that . What's next ? When's your next rodeo ? What's next for now , until the end of the season ?
So my season is kind of coming pretty close to an end . So I got , next Thursday I have a rodeo in Spanish for Utah , so it's the Utah County Fair . It's an awesome event , like it's a . It's a free rodeo , everybody's free emissions .
And then you know , we , we put on a little rodeo , we , we bought fair back horses , albron courses , they got some bow racing and we buck some bulls .
And then , you know , you get then go enjoy the fair and it it's a really cool atmosphere for contestants because there's I mean , obviously we just had the big rodeo here , the fiesta days rodeo , where there's 8000 people in the seats , but but these guys don't necessarily get to experience that all the time .
So there's , I would say there's probably close to five , 5000 people that come and watch .
All the stands are pretty much filled and there's just a lot of people , good energy , and and then after that I've got up so I'm taking my cows to a deal for doing a bullfight in Dushane , utah , for the Dushane County Fair , and then that's kind of all I've got booked and then towards the end of August I'll be on the mountain guiding Elkins for the next
three weeks .
¶ Rodeo Life and Positive Impact
God , is there anything you don't do ? And man , I'm surprised you have time to do .
Yeah , I was bad , but wow , yeah , beat me Jeez .
What about ? What about a fight with your old buddy man , james in the third , as I call him the third , and he knows .
Yeah , yeah , no , I mean I love to , you know , fight with him . I mean we met at Dusty Tugna school in July 2020 . So he's kind of got me in up there at Trice State .
You know , I've been able to work the few bullrinds and some few deals with them and and next year sounds like we'll have I'll have a pretty good , might have a good opportunity to go up and spend a lot of time in that Oregon , Idaho country and be able to , you know , spend some time , be able to go to some rodeos with him , Nice .
Yeah , man , he talked about kind heart . He's the nicest one of the nicest people , him and Roy Jackson . I compare Roy Jackson . I don't know if you know Roy Jackson .
I don't know .
All right . Well , they're hand in hand , man . They're both badasses on the dirt and then badasses in real life , man . That when I say badass , it's not derogatory , especially in real life .
No , yeah , actually sit there and talk to you and just be there for you in the moment or , you know , be with you in the moment and just share thoughts and feelings about the rodeo life and encourage you to not be afraid but to better yourself , dude you know , like they've helped me out in this podcast world especially .
You know me , I don't look the part as a spectator or as a you know . Just , I don't wear cowboy hats , you know , I don't . I don't . I wear flip flops and shorts . Sometimes , you know . And then sometimes I know I'm not going to get close to the shoe . But yeah , I respect it . But I like to be myself .
But you know , it's just , they accept anybody and just encourage you to continue to be yourself . Do your thing because you're . You know they say you're good at it or great at it yeah you know , and so it's like , well , it's uplifting to be around them . So I can see why you speak highly of the third .
Yeah , and that is that is a man I trusted there in any day of the week . I mean we went , we went to deal out in Colorado . I mean I was in the fall of October 2022 and I mean then , bulls , they were bucking , they were , they were all there and they they had some . He and you know we just handled them like it was nothing and yeah , and it was .
I mean that is definitely the the meanest and scariest and I've ever fought my life and you know we just kept it rolling and you know , didn't think twice about it and it was . It was awesome , smooth and and just , you know , one guy , if one kind of went after a guy , we catch him underneath and just kind of roll him off and just go with it .
And one thing I've noticed , though man , you in the third , you guys never talk like talk about yourself , man , how great you guys are , how good you guys are . You know , it's just like on , just just another day , it's like no it's not man yeah , rock it . And there's a reason why you're being called in and out and back into .
You know these rodeos , these events and it . Just that should say it enough . You know , and that should fill your bucket alone , instead of some old guy , 41 year old guy that dresses in flip flops and shorts at the age of 40 years , respects everybody's , you know space and enjoy the moment . But , dude , it's like , come on man , come on you and the third .
You guys need to be like dude , we're going to take the world , we're going to grab it by the horns and just control our own destiny .
And that's what's been crazy about this last month is , you know , my social media is kind of been blowing up a little bit over a video and you know it's , and that's kind of , you know , going to be . Social media is kind of a bigger part of my approach into the PRCA . I think it's an advantage that you can have as well .
But yeah , you know how to , how to kid at the first of the month , get , get knocked out and just you know was able to handle the situation good , get that bull out . And I mean it's got pretty close to 250,000 views on Instagram and then it's got pretty close to 135,000 on TikTok .
So I mean it's just been a great opportunity for me , just because I get to show what I do for a job and how a situation was able to be handled and black everything .
You got those people on social media who kind of talk , give you a little bit of criticism and I'm like I've had some guys that are super high in the industry comment to me I was a really good way to handle that and you did a great job , and it's just like I don't want it to affect me .
I try to go through and like every one of the comments and it's not a big deal to me . I'm not going to let it get under my skin because you have control over your emotions and it's not going to change your job , what you do .
The positive ones . Take those in . Stop reading the comments .
Stop reading the comments .
That's the worst you could do . But before we end this man , did I leave anything out ? Would you like to add anything ? You know ?
I just it's being a part of this industry , has been , you know . I've enjoyed it and been a part of it all my life , you know . But I think one thing we could do better is stop making it such a hard door to get into , you know .
I mean , just , if people are fans of rodeo you know this is something we got to , we got to , you know , leave a positive impact on , because if you know we act wrong or you know we're kind of judgmental about these people come to the rodeos or being a fan of it , you know that's going to leave a bad impression on them and then , you know it's going to
kind of snowball from there . But just be be .
You know , I always like to be thankful , you know , thank the guys for their help , you know , thank the guys for hiring me , you know , and when I get out talking to fans , you know I always thank them for coming , you know , because they're the ones that are able to have these events for you know , these are the people that are funding the rodeos and being
able to make it a way of life and a living for us guys . So I mean , if we could just , you know , open the door a little bit . I mean , yeah , they're not going to have you know the nicest cowboy hat or whatever , but they don't matter .
These guys are fans of the sport and you know , just make somebody stay I mean , you can either be the reason their day's bad or good and , I think , positive energy . It's not necessarily going to go further , but I think it just makes everything go smoother and it'll come back one day . You know , catch up with you one day .
I appreciate that man , I really do , and not too many people talk about that , you know , in the rodeo world . And yeah , I appreciate those words .
And .
I understand what you're coming at , where you're coming from , and we'll leave it there because I know the more you speak out , especially against the grain and less opportunity . So , but I'm going to tell you this man , I know what you're talking about , I see it , I'm dealing with it myself and we won't go any further .
But dude , just you being honest , humble , it means a lot and I'm pretty sure the listeners here will understand . You know how hard of a worker you are , how humble you are and be maybe possibly your biggest fan besides me and your family .
Yeah , and the third I'm pretty sure the third guy is up there too .
Yeah , yeah , Nick . No , I'm the biggest fan family , and then maybe you on the bottom , you know yeah .
And this sport has so much potential of being something big but we just got to promote it a different way and you know , but that's something I think they're kind of working on and figuring out . The Cowboy Channel has been great for that kid .
You're able to especially with these athletes families , because they're able to watch them wherever they go and you know they get hung up somewhere , they can figure out or like , get hurt or get in a hurry situation . They can figure out . You know somebody to help them or something like that . And that's awesome and I think it's made a lot of helped .
A lot of people come in and understand the sport a little more than what they did before .
So I appreciate you , man , I really do . I appreciate your time , I really hopefully , you know a lot of people come in they're like , oh , they're nervous , you know like the third . But then it comes to find out they start settling in and get more comfortable and they like knock it out of the park .
So my question to you is is this a lot easier than you thought ?
Yeah , I mean , I think , just in anything with life , I mean , it's as big as a monster as you make it . So I mean you just got to look at it as you know , you got to take the opportunity for everything and be able to , you know , hopefully make it a good one .
And I appreciate , you know , the opportunity to be on here , because this isn't something , you know , that is a regular thing for me and I think it's , you know , it's just spreading the sport and promoting the sport in a different manner , in a different light , but also as an opportunity to bring some new people in and , you know , make the fans bigger fans ,
which I think is awesome . So I really appreciate you and all you do and putting the time to make these podcasts good and , you know , and bring a good message out for every , every one of them .
Well , thank you , man , it means a lot . You and the third have said nothing but positive things , and other people too . So , yeah , I've noticed my circle , especially my , my running circle . You know races , ultra marathons and everything else . It's pretty cool to hear them say you know what ?
I was never in a rodeo , never was a spectator , but you know , after all these guys that you have on it , you made me a believer and you know what ? I went to my first rodeo , you know . And then you get these rodeo guys . You get the rodeo guys . You know , especially East Coast guys that I have on the podcast as well . They're like you know what ?
I never ran , I just , I just ran to , like , you know , stay fit , maybe not even a mile , but then they're like I ran 5k or I ran 10 miles , man , and if it wasn't for you , you know , or the podcast . I wouldn't have done all that .
So it works both ways , and to see both worlds come together and just , you know , learn from each other , it's awesome , man . So I appreciate you , you know saying that . So , but yeah , man , when do you ? Do you have your PRCA card yet ?
Nope . So I am just waiting on my bullfighting letters , bullfighter letters , Okay , and you know I've got some pretty big dogs that are that are going to vouch for me , so I'm just waiting for them . To you know , give me the okay , and then we're just going to hit the ground running and get going on the path .
So Okay , when you get that card , can I have you back on ?
Yeah , yeah , that'd be awesome , I'd love to . Yeah .
All right , man , I'll see you next time . Okay , all right , thank you so much .
Yeah , thank you .