By Katy Lucas
Just in time for the first college rodeo of the season, some of the veterans in the Canadian Intercollegiate Rodeo Association are offering up their best advice for juggling post-secondary life and rodeo.
At times you may struggle to keep up with both your studies and practicing for the rodeo and many competitors have to decide whether they have to put their rodeo aspirations aside to focus on schooling or to make the effort to keep up with both.
With that in mind, I have compiled a list of tips from some of the CIRA’s top competitors that may just help you manage both.
Roping outside my townhouse in Lethbridge before I settle in for some homework
Here’s my top tip. Even if you don’t go to a rodeo school or can’t board your horses near school there are still ways to practice. For example, if you look out into my backyard after school you will see me roping my dummy, getting in some valuable practice time before I start on my homework. So no matter what, I always find time to practice.
Here are some other tips that may help you along your journey to academic and athletic success.
“Keep good relations with your family, rodeo friends and class mates. You never know when you’re going to need help.
– Kirk Robinson, 2011/2012 CIRA Calf Roping Season Leader
“Go to all the meetings and be informed. Rodeo is a business – you need to know what’s going on,”
– Coleman Watt, 2011/2012 CIRA Bronc Riding Season Leader and two-time CIRA Bronc Riding Director
“If you have to miss classes, go to the instructor ahead of time and get the material and any homework you won’t be there for, don’t wait until after you’ve missed the class.”
– Cody Bratton, 2012 Calf Roping Finals Champion and 2012/2013 CIRA Vice President.
“I try to set my courses up where they won’t conflict with rodeo. Most of my classes are morning classes so if I need to leave early say on a Friday I don’t have to miss class to go. I put myself in more difficult courses in the fall since there are usually fewer rodeos then compared to spring.”
– Nicole Briggs, 2012/2013 CIRA President.
“My best success in school was with professors I put an effort in to having a relationship with. Due to the amount of school I’d be missing I knew I had to know them in order to ask a favor of them to write an exam or final at a different time if I had to be somewhere else at the same time. Our stories are unique enough that they often have never heard anything like it so they have to say yes.”
– Ted Stovin, 2011/2012 CIRA President, 2008 Bull Riding Finals Champion
“School should come first, but you have to make time for riding and practice or it won’t happen. I find that just pleasure riding can ease my stress about college and my busy schedule.”
– Leah Olstad, 2010 and 2012 Goat Tying Finals Champion.
“Your a student first and then an athlete. You must be dedicated to your schoolwork in order to compete in college rodeo.”
– Pete Lowry, 2012 CIRA Cowboy of the Year
“Be focused on your runs at the rodeo not the bar/social after your run.”
– Justin Wagner, 2011/2012 CIRA Steer Wrestling Season Leader
“College rodeo allows for an extra activity while in school. It lets you get to know a great group of people and has a competitive atmosphere yet a very high level of sportsmanship.”
– Riley Wik College 2011/2012 CIRA Bareback 3rd Place Season and Finals
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