Photo courtesy of Dodge City Community College
by Terry Lidral
Being a successful college rodeo athlete requires a unique balance of study, rodeo and everyday life. And in this college sport, there is an “I” in TEAM.
College rodeo athletes can pursue their professional rodeo careers at the same time they are members of a rodeo team. It requires a strong work ethic to be able to handle team responsibility while at the same time focusing on personal advancement.
For Dodge City Community College (DCCC) rodeo coach Jarrod Ford, the challenge is to recruit students who have focus, motivation and abilities in both rodeo and academics.
“We look for recruits that are going to be competitive in their rodeo events. We choose student athletes that are self-driven and hard working both in and out of the arena,” explained Coach Ford. “Most of these kids who win in college rodeo are self starters and work hard on their own. To succeed in rodeo takes that self-motivated drive which all starts in the practice pen.”
Ford expects his student athlete’s self-motivation to carry over into their college studies.
“The DCCC rodeo team provides its members the opportunity to get an education to set up for a career after rodeo,” Ford went on to say. “We work hard to get these athletes an education as well as providing an opportunity to reach the next step of their rodeo career.”
Membership In a college rodeo team differs greatly from being a part of other college sports teams. Each rodeo team member holds the status of an independent athlete. The cowboys and cowgirls are financially responsible for providing their own gear, their animals, their National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) dues and any expenses related to upkeep.
“A student athlete is a student first because in order to continue to rodeo on the team, they must keep at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. It’s very tough to be a student athlete,” Ford said of college rodeo life. “It’s all about time management. They have to figure out a schedule where they come to mandatory practices, work on their individual rodeo skills in the arena, put in their individual physical workouts and get all their school work done. For those who bring their own horses, the animals require care twice a day. Then there’s time to spend with friends and to enjoy life in general. It’s not easy to balance it all.”
DCCC Coach Jarrod Ford is a veteran of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association with a career that included 2 trips and a round win at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. As a student at Central Wyoming College, he was a member of the 4-time college regional championship rodeo team and qualified for the National College Finals Rodeo in both bareback and bull riding. Read more here: https://goconqs.com/sports/rodeo/roster/coaches/jarrod-ford/1422
“As a former competitor and college student, I’d say the DCCC rodeo team, or college rodeo in general, builds great character and holds team members to a high standard. We stress that our student athletes work hard to graduate by the time they leave here while at the same time taking their rodeo skills to the next level,” Ford told us.
Besides the daily schedule, college rodeo athletes have the demands of time and travel for NIRA events. Team members participating in an NIRA event as a representative of DCCC on the “points team” varies from event to event. Selection depends upon previous competition results and fulfillment of practice requirements, passing grades and conduct code.
”Points team members – DCCC rodeo team members competing for cumulative team points – can change from week to week. It is about choosing who will best represent DCCC rodeo team for that event,” Ford told us. “Team travel expenses and hotel accommodations are given to those designated for that particular event’s points team.”
“The schedule for the DCCC rodeo team includes a total of 10 rodeo events – 4 in the Fall semester and 6 in the Spring semester,” Ford continued. “If one of our team members qualifies for the College National Finals, those finals take place in June in Casper, Wyoming.”
Coach Ford and DCCC Assistant Coach Jacob Perkey set consistent goals geared towards preparing students to be successful after college. These include a strong work ethic and accountability.
“The goals are the same for DCCC rodeo athletes as team members and as individual competitors. We expect them to come to practice and work hard to improve their rodeo skills. We want them to better themselves not only in rodeo but in their everyday lives. We’re helping each student grow as a person by holding them accountable for the way they carry themselves in representing the program,” said Ford.
Team members are allowed to bring one horse for each event they compete in. Feed and care are the responsibility of the student. The covered stalls are provided by DCCC.
“DCCC offers our college rodeo athletes great training facilities. We own a facility with an indoor arena that has roping and bucking chutes,” Ford told us about the school’s set-up. “We also have an outdoor arena with roping chutes. We lease rough stock and timed event livestock for student use.”
“We have a great support system from the community as well as the college. Dodge City is a town built on its Western heritage and cattle industry,” continued Ford. “It’s only fitting that the college has a rodeo team and a successful one at that. The folks in the community appreciate rodeo and we have their backing.”
There are advantages to being an independent athlete. Money won at NIRA events go directly to the independent athletes. Also, college rodeo athletes can remain eligible for NIRA events while competing in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeos.
The schedule of NIRA events is such that college rodeo athletes are able to compete in PRCA events while remaining a member of the college team. Superstar barrel racer Hailey Kinsel won the 2017 barrel racing championship at The American, one of rodeo’s biggest and wealthiest rodeo events while attending and competing for Texas A&M. She also won the NIRA barrel racing championship that same year. Also that year, she finished her college degree in agriculture economics and ended up 2nd in the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association after breaking an arena barrel racing record at the National Finals Rodeo.
The College National Finals Rodeo is sanctioned by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and is held every June in Casper, Wyoming. Many a great pro rodeo career has been launched from this high profile competition. Find a list of previous College Finals champions here: https://cnfr.com/previous-champions/
For Ford, coaching the DCCC rodeo team is about helping each student to grow and improve. He sets goals based on the individual.
“I have individualized expectations for the success of each person on the team,” explained Ford. “Some skill sets are higher than others. Some kids come here with less experience and the goal for them is maybe that each day they improve their skills in the practice pen. Then there are some that I expect to be competing for a regional title.”
“I believe that if a kid plans to compete at the next level in rodeo, the DCCC rodeo team is a great stepping stone to do that. Not everyone is ready right out of high school to go to that next level up. DCCC rodeo team provides the opportunity to get an education that can set up a career after rodeo. As well, this program supplies students with the chance to prepare themselves both physically and mentally to move on through the levels of competition as they choose.”
“It’s my hope that when the DCCC team members leave the college that they feel proud to have worn the DCCC rodeo team vest. I hope that they have gotten from me what it takes mentally to succeed in the rodeo arena. I also hope that the education they have received will enable them to be successful after rodeo.”
