Miles & Mountains

Each Ride is a Dance Between Rider and Horse. The Mike Reed Story

Nick Episode 237

Meet Mike Reed, who shares his intriguing transition from the baseball diamond to the rodeo arena. At 24, Mike brings a unique perspective to the Treasure Valley Community College rodeo team, leading with wisdom and a touch of humor. He offers a glimpse into the camaraderie and resilience that define his team, revealing how this vibrant community has become a powerhouse in the northwest. Join us as Mike reflects on the significance of stepping out of comfort zones and embracing challenges for personal growth and team success.

As the rodeo trail leads to various life crossroads, Mike reflects on the importance of connections within the community and the balancing act between school commitments and rodeo aspirations. Navigating life's challenges, he emphasizes the impact of family, faith, and personal growth on his journey. From sharing thoughts about sibling dynamics to the significance of humility, Mike's story is one of embracing life's challenges and finding wisdom in every experience. Tune in to explore the passion that fuels the rodeo lifestyle, the excitement of future events, and the road ahead for a young cowboy with dreams as vast as the open plains.


Instagram:

@_mikereed_

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Shoutout to:

Mike Reed

The Reed Family

Wiley Karas

The TVCC Rodeo Program and Coach. 



Alter Ego Ambassador: https://alteregorunning.com/

Miles & Mountains Promo Code: Milesmountainsyr3

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Speaker 1:

Mike Reed. How are you man?

Speaker 2:

Good, how are you?

Speaker 1:

Doing all right, doing all right. Dude, it's an honor that you're here. Can't believe you made the trip, you TVCC boys, right, tvcc boys, yeah. You guys, make it a trip.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's a little bit of a drive. It's not bad, though. I would say it's definitely worth it, I think.

Speaker 1:

It means a lot to me being able to just up and come and just do your thing, Travel, just to do a podcast which you know for a while. There. I just think it's like a podcast, but you guys make it bigger and better. And, man, you guys make me believe that I'm big time, which I don't think I am. I don't believe I am, but you guys make me feel that way. So I appreciate it, man.

Speaker 2:

No, of course, I think the cool thing is is you take time to talk to us guys that are up and coming, have such high goals for ourselves and I think a little bit of this helps kind of put that into perspective of being able to talk about it and having somebody notice and realize what you're trying to do and they see you like I would definitely say a lot of us like we're all in that self-fight against ourselves and what we think we're capable of doing and then being able to hear and have people listen and talk about it and listen to kind of our journey and how it became, is huge yeah, and you guys are a close-knit group, man yeah, no, it's.

Speaker 2:

Um, I've definitely. Since I've moved there, I've gotten close with a lot of the guys. Uh, you got like wiley, you got brock, cooper case and pearson. He's another buddy of mine that I'm living with and travel with all summer. He was in kennewick with this year. So it's we're all pretty tight, like it's a. I think this following season right now is probably going to be shaping up to be one of the best ones I've had in a long time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, mm-hmm In the rodeo. Yep College rodeo.

Speaker 2:

Yep.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, speaking of college rodeo man, what makes Treasure Valley so competitive, so big compared to other schools, like it can compete with texas boys and other top notch I would definitely say probably one of the most versatile things about cowboys from the northwest is we are adaptable to any weather.

Speaker 2:

We can show up and ride bronx in the snow, we can show up and ride bronx in the rain and we can, like, come out and do it once it's 100 degrees, just like everybody else.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

It's like, but I would definitely say like, the sheer drive of what we have to succeed and kind of the survival of how, like we came to be out where we're from.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay. So is it the coaching? Is it the water? I mean, it's probably all the above, but like dude, you guys are ranked in the nation, aren't you?

Speaker 2:

yeah, we're getting up there right now. So far we're sitting, we're sitting number one in the northwest and I don't know where that sets us right now out in the nationwide, but it's shaping up to be really, really good. I mean, you could say it's the water, probably all the beer uh, right, but you guys are college students, so oh, yeah, oh yeah. Oh yeah, I got to embrace the college side of it every now and then Right.

Speaker 1:

Right. But I mean, yeah, you guys are number one in the region. You guys are like some athletes, you know, like we said earlier Wiley's out there, you said Brock Cooper I we said earlier wiley's out there, he said brock cooper. I mean all you boys compete, but like, why treasure valley man and how is that such a huge rodeo program?

Speaker 2:

ontario, oregon dude it's, it's pretty crazy, like so when I say like it was like like a shot in the dark, like I didn't know I was going to school until like a week before it started, this year, this year.

Speaker 2:

I was supposed to go play college baseball up in Billings, decided not to do that after high school, took those four years off and I'm 24 now. Yeah, took those years off to kind of work and make money. And then it was like a last minute deal and I was like, well, like you got a scholarship, go use it and kind of take advantage of it. Like it was one of those deals that they were willing to help and they're willing to get good horses. We got a lot of bill clark stuff, we got a lot of bill clark's bulls and we just got a brand new arena pretty much built with where, like you, can buck it any time of the year and it's pretty much going to be fine.

Speaker 2:

As long as it doesn't freeze, you'll be all right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who wants to fall on food and dirt man? I can only imagine it hurts sometimes. So you're 24. You're not the young buck going to college, so you're the old wise man right, that's what I've been referred to.

Speaker 2:

Are you, yeah, the old wise man?

Speaker 1:

So is it the group, your traveling buddies, that probably persuaded you to go into the college realm, Because you hang out with Greenup right. Greenup is the BMC right Blue Mountain.

Speaker 2:

Yep, so I would probably say a lot of it was so. It had to do a lot with the people that I've talked to about it. They're saying like, oh, it's probably going to be one of the best experiences you could have.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then the other one was about this season, like I'd kind of been heard a few times and I felt like I hit a wall and I needed another edge and I needed another thing to change after Because, like OK, going to the amateur finals was fun and making amateur stuff.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, after you because like, okay, going to the amateur finals was fun and making amateur stuff, yeah, but then like I needed another gear and I was missing it and so it was pretty much just another kind of another gear to hit that's going to help propel me into kind of the next level where I'm trying to be, yeah and everything. And that was a big thing in texas that we talked about with champion living yeah, but you're everywhere, man, like you know the johnny cash song, you're everywhere.

Speaker 1:

But the thing is is when, looking at you, seeing you, you know you've accomplished a lot. You know you're the wise old man. Yes, you're college, you know bound, you're in the rodeo, you're, you've been in the rodeo. What does college rodeo bring to you when you've already been in the rodeo scene for so long?

Speaker 2:

It definitely brings the exposure it brings you. I would definitely say you get on a lot of the horses that you get on up here in the Columbia River Circuit, relatively Like. You get on a lot of Aces Wild. You get on a lot of Kelly Bowcutt stuff. Get on a lot of Flying Five younger horses that Kelly's packing around. You get on quite a bit of the stock that is up and coming that you'll get to see out in the circuit that later year.

Speaker 1:

And you have your PRCA card right, Yep.

Speaker 2:

I just actually got my permit. Last year, kind of dipped my toes into it this year.

Speaker 1:

Full steam, though Full steam dude. You can't say you didn't dude this year I was all about it.

Speaker 2:

I hit as many as I could and then I had that horse fall over on me in St Paul on the 4th and that kind of slowed me up a little bit about a month, yeah. And then I got a couple tears on my knee in that one and still went to some amateur stuff and made some gas money.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. But you know, and so a lot of them are not, are shy, but they're like not yet, not yet you, you're all in dude yeah, it was um, I would definitely say probably the biggest thing was just like and so I've been, that'd be my thought process.

Speaker 2:

It's just like, oh, I've. I've had a lot of older boys tell me like, oh, don't enter yet until you can hold them for two. And then sperm for 85. And I was like, all right, there's that. And then I started talking to a lot of younger guys that are like like I talked to brody kress a little bit, I talked to quentin mccorder, reed, neely, they're like you just gotta go. Yeah, you just need the exposure. Like who cares if you get two jumps? Like, yeah, like you want to go there and do your best. But a lot of people don't realize is your body will naturally rise to the occasion you put yourself around high performance athletes yeah your body will find that extra gear you need okay, why saddle bronc?

Speaker 2:

um, well, I tried bull riding. Um, that was actually how I kind of got into the sport at a pretty young age with a kid that I grew up back home with, and it was cheap and it was easy.

Speaker 2:

It wasn't well, it wasn't easy, but it was cheap and it was easy to get into yeah then I realized that I'm a lengthy kid and it is a lot harder to keep my balance going in a circle than it is back and forth. And then it was just one of those deals where I seen I think it was charlie barker go. He ended up setting the arena record at st helens. It was either him or daniel eris, I think it was 88 at our hometown arena and I was standing on the fence.

Speaker 2:

I was like that's what I want to do and so that, and that was kind of like where everything kind of that was where I got the first kind of glimpse of like, where it looked like, what it looked like and how pretty it was.

Speaker 1:

Saddle broncan.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I was just like, and little did I know the adventure that I was about to get on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then I went to a school actually up here in Yakima, up on the res up there, with Wyatt Oler and a couple other kids from there and I was getting on my first horse. Skeeter thurston was there and, um, I'd probably gotten on six or seven horses that day and got dashboarded every single time. And skeeter comes up to me and says he's like I don't know if brown crotch for you and that was kind of it, that was kind of. It was like you know what, you know what?

Speaker 2:

Screw this man, like I'm going to do this and you're going to like it. So how long were you bull riding? I probably started it like seventh grade, eighth grade somewhere in there, and then kind of did it through high school like a little bit, like went to like some amateur rodeos and some open jackpot deals. Like I met a lot of the guys that I know now just when I was a bull rider, and every now and then you'll see a guy that knows me and they'll be like oh, you still riding bulls, or someone's like hey, why don't you crack out and get on one?

Speaker 1:

I was like nah, so you've been in the game for a bit. Man, when I say game, the lifestyle.

Speaker 2:

Yep, kind of figuring. I would like to say like I've been in it but at the same time I feel like I've only just been on like scratching the ice, like I have there's it's so big. And I would definitely say like the last two years, when I've kind of decided to change it up, put some things different and really kind of run with it. Really kind of run with it, like that was where I was like dang, the people I've met are incredible.

Speaker 1:

I mean just the people you're throwing out there, man, I'm like dude. This guy's giving shout out galore, man.

Speaker 2:

So well it's, it's just kind of how it is. Like these are, there's just a lot of guys that I kind of a prick Right and then. I get talking. I was like man, we're pretty much the same person, You're just a lot further along and I'm I'm going to watch you and everything you do and see how I can, like, mimic that on my own and become better.

Speaker 1:

Who's your number one that you watch when you're competing alongside each other, who do you watch?

Speaker 2:

man, watch man, a big one right now, like I talked to him quite a bit in pendleton I've talked to him right before eugene. I got on this horse, uh, four stars, and it was called thunderhead, and it can either be 15 points on each side or he can be a 23 eliminator. And so I and it was um, who was it? It was the name was right on the end of my tongue until I started saying that.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Brody Wells, brody Wells. Brody Wells Talked to him about this horse and he's like I would not travel across the road for that lumbering POS.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I was like, well, we're going to do it anyway, because I got him drawn in the two jeans, okay. And he texted me after he's like, how'd it go? And like he went, it started out pretty good and that horse left so hard. They marked that horse like a 23 and a half that day, okay. And you just see my spur fly off in the video and you just see, like as soon as my spur flew off, like I was on the dirt, yeah, I didn't have any holding nothing and I went out the back okay, what's that's that saddle bronc to bareback?

Speaker 1:

What's the difference, man? Because I mean I can see the difference, but why saddle bronc over, you know bare?

Speaker 2:

The biggest thing for me was is it looks pretty Lefty Holman had said in an interview a few years back is it's more of a dance, it's not a fight. And I didn't quite understand that until I talked to Tim O'Connell this last month when I was down in Texas and you talked to someone like Lefty or you talked to someone like Brody and then you talked to someone like Tim. Tim is an animal. He is the atmosphere that he can bring behind the chute just by what he says. It'll make anybody ride. You can feel like you can ride a grizzly bear backwards, like it is crazy, like how.

Speaker 2:

And then you talk to someone like lefty or brody or any of those guys and it's like your job is to make the horse look good. And let's say you get on like a 20 point hopper and you're lucky to be 80 points. Maybe and it's your job kind of maybe you have to throw a little bit more flash in there, like you got to kind of make it a little bit more dramatic. You kind of gotta gotta help them out and it's the biggest thing is making your dancing partner look good okay, so dancing?

Speaker 1:

yeah, it's not, not okay, it's not a fight no, not a fight.

Speaker 2:

Okay, definitely a dance. Okay now, that now is where I was wrong there for a minute, like I thought it was a fight, like right like I thought it was like all right, I'm gonna lift on this horse and pull it over the back, like I'm gonna lift it back over itself and I'm gonna stab it in the neck with these hooks and like, yeah, I am like that's the plan, but at the same time it's like as I've gotten I'm not gonna say I'm great right now, but I'm not gonna say I'm bad as I've progressed in my career it's like you're just definitely gonna have to help feed horses.

Speaker 1:

You'll have to feed them some rain if you can sometimes feel they're kind of being a little different, you kind of just kind of got to feel them up and kind of give them what they need okay horsemanship, I guess that's what I was explained to, it is what is it going to take for you to understand where you're at in the game, and that you're, you know, you, you're there, you're there, I know you got to, you know, uh, show up some more, do some more, which you're already doing. But what is it going to take for you to just realize how much you've progressed and how much you've done since you know, in the game?

Speaker 2:

um, it's probably going to be something like I've always looked at it. This is like I've always liked to shoot super high my goal. So even if I do kind of, if I don't meet that goal, I still meet a goal and there's still something to kind of talk about, I guess. Yeah, but I think the biggest thing that'll help with that was I hadn't been really good at goal setting at all, like it was, like I was trying to, it was kind of like a lost and we kind of talked about it and whenever some goals for, like the 2025 season and everything down in Texas and like the first one was was when the Northwest region. Second one was, uh, making the college finals, being top five in the college finals, and the second one was making the college finals being top five in the college finals.

Speaker 2:

Third was going to be making the circuit finals Okay. Fourth was going to be winning or placing in the average at the circuit finals. And then the fifth one was making the NFR Open in Colorado Springs.

Speaker 1:

You're going to be busy, extremely, you're going to be busy man Extremely. It's a lot of points, a lot of money.

Speaker 2:

Okay, all right and it was just and there was and I didn't understand what was. And then finally, I talked to. I talked to tim, I kind of talked to tim quite a bit about it actually, and there was a lot that went on. And I talked to chase brooks too. Chase brooks was like like I met him in Big Fork, montana, this year before.

Speaker 2:

And I asked him. I was like hey, are you going to be the coach down at the school? He was like yeah, and he went out and I think he was like 84, 85 on this horse and I was kind of soared up from St Paul still Like.

Speaker 2:

I had to sit outside. I was driving and I got down there and he's just like dude, any of your goals are like realistic, like I've seen how you ride, like everything is possible. I'm looking forward to when you're up here and I'm competing against you. I know I'll see you down the road. Yeah, and that was a big portion of where it was like okay, like like if this, if this guy's saying that and he's like solely taking me to the side and being like hey, like you're doing it right, it was huge, like that was such a confidence booster yeah, well, even I was a guy outside looking in, you know, when I was talking to you and green, up, up and um, like the fair, uh, horse, heaven.

Speaker 1:

You guys have a different look at everything you do, man. And then I'm talking to you and I was like dude I hope these guys don't think I'm, like you know, blowing smoke, blowing steam, but I'm like hearing you talk. Now it's the same thing, dude, like you gotta know, you're there already. You just have to, you know, put a little mixing on there and do it. You know, time on, you've already had that, you just just got to find the zone.

Speaker 1:

But, like, talking to you guys, both of you, dude, two different people, man, like you guys are the same, but you guys have the same mindset, man, and it's wild to know that how much you guys don't believe in yourself, like you do, but you don't. You guys question yourself and it's just like, why do you guys question yourself, dude, yourself, dude, you guys have it. You have it more than anybody else around there and you know the back of the shoots. Yeah, right, am I right or am I wrong? Man, because you guys have the mindset man like no other. And talking to you, I'm like dude. You guys understand what you guys are saying, like for real yeah, I know it, it know it's, it's probably.

Speaker 2:

just it's one of those deals where, like um. I don't know like it's always been something that I've always even like as an athlete growing up. It was just one of those things where it was just like I know where I'm not where I'm at, and I'd almost kind of like play myself down a little bit because it gives me that competitive edge to kind of stop, yeah, stop doing it, stop doing it.

Speaker 1:

Man, stop doing it. You know who else does it, wiley dude yeah wiley dude is one hell of an athlete, telling that day in, day out. He questions himself, even on the horse. But look at him, dude, he's a young kid. A young kid because he's you guys are way younger than I am young kid and he's uh, what is he? Uh, pickup man pickup man how many?

Speaker 1:

bulldog and team roping how many kids that age pick up that's you know what I mean like he's good at what he does too dude, very, and he's very professional, all you guys are, and it's just like man, you got that that thing in your eye, man that look that little little star. And it's just like guys, believe in yourself, do it, keep doing it, don't doubt yourself. And and seeing that, and then talking to some kid that doesn't have it huge difference, dude, the ones that don't have it, you you can tell, you know, you try to fill them up and build them up, but, dude, they've already lost sight of what they want to do and how they want to do it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there was a portion there that like. So when I first started, like I had to, I kind of had to, like I've had to, I've come to these crossroads more than once, kind of like the ones that I came to before going to UBC.

Speaker 2:

And it's happened, like it's probably happened like three times in like the last like four years of my experience of riding Bronx. Like I started off riding Bronx out from where I was originally from and the people that I was going with like I just kind of stopped growing in a way, like it was, and I wanted to be at a level that I was not meeting and so I kind of took it upon myself. I was like you know what, I'll sacrifice leaving family for a bit, I'll sacrifice living in a comfortable area and I ended up meeting probably one of the best bronc riders out of Oregon in your generation and my generation. He's 56 years old and he's a pickup man.

Speaker 2:

He picked up in Prineville, he's picked up all over and I lived with him for about picked up and prionville he's picked up all over and he is probably one and I lived with him for about six months and then he's one guy that, like, I will go to if I have anything going on or anything wrong with my saddle or I need someone just to tell me to get over it.

Speaker 1:

yeah, or like pull my head out of my ass, like that's the guy I go to, okay, and he is like, he is like he is the, he is a cowboy, like what is it going to take for you, like when you you know you made it, you're there, you're there, you know you, you're not looking back, you're not doing amateur, you know you're paying it forward. Hopefully you're paying it forward when you do get to where you want ultimate goal, ultimate goal. Who's to say you're not going to question yourself like you're questioning yourself now? Who's to say that enough's not enough, that you're just going to keep going and going and driving yourself crazy? What's it going to take for you to understand? Like dude, you don't have to prove anything.

Speaker 2:

You're there. That's a question. I don't know if I even know how to answer it. That's, that's like huge, like I don't know. I would definitely say like they're definitely standing on the back of the sheets here at the nfr open in colorado springs. They're standing on the back of the chutes at the college finals in casper.

Speaker 1:

Okay, um, like the is it going to take for you to get 200 000 an nfr invite? Yeah, is that what you know for a fact?

Speaker 2:

it's okay probably, probably honestly, though, like the day that I know I made, like I know I've made it is when I have guys like Wyatt Casper or Cade Bruno or Brody Wells finally invite me to go with them. Okay, when you get that invite from some big dogs like that, like hey, here's your chance.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to run for it. I will put everything down, I will leave the job that I'm leaving. I'll have the job, whatever is going on. Yeah, because I don't know. That is like God put that in front of you for a reason.

Speaker 1:

And that is your calling. That's when you know you don't have to.

Speaker 2:

That'll be like all right. The real work starts now.

Speaker 1:

Really yeah, and you're going to be good with it. Yep, you're not even going to like doubt yourself, question yourself.

Speaker 2:

Nope, and like that's the biggest thing, too, that I've learned traveling with guys. It's just like like you're only as strong as your weakest guy in the pickup. Like you got to make sure everyone's in the right mindset and if you're not, like it can be detrimental to like a pickup. Um, I would definitely say like, like, like, like that was. I was joking around with my traveling partner this year and he's like dude, like you've driven so much and like you've hardly gotten on. I was like well, it's just that year, I guess.

Speaker 2:

Like I needed it more for my mental health, I guess just driving around well that and just um, being supportive, like it wasn't, like it was okay, like, for example, I had that horse fall me in st paul, went to malala, tore my knee, and then we had to be in big fork. Or we had to go to the pine newport and we had to go to big fork, and so it was the biggest thing was is like all right, I'm sort of I've got broken ribs, broke ribs before the fourth of july, go in there, how that horse fall over on me, tear a bunch of stuff in my knee and I had to turn out. But at the same time it was just like all right, these are my boys like, these are my guys, these are family like I like, and I seen what they were drawn over the fourth of july, like they're like case, and he had one drawn and big fork that chase brooks. The only reason he even entered that rodeo was to draw that horse and it was, and he drew it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and he drew it and it was the coolest horse I've ever seen yeah it was so cool, okay, and um, it's definitely like keeping everything positive, like it was probably more of just like a humbling experience, knowing that like every now and then you got to put somebody else first, yeah, anyway, and it honestly didn't bother me, like it was I'm here, I'm on the road, I'm with my buddies, I'm watching bronc riding. Yeah, like, okay, like, yeah, a big thing with us too is just like it was.

Speaker 1:

I'm here.

Speaker 2:

I'm on the road, I'm with my buddies, I'm watching bronc riding. Yeah, like, okay, like, yeah. A big thing with us too is just like it was kind of cool. We kind of keep the drinking down to a minimum on the weekends, like usually, like.

Speaker 1:

That's difficult, but okay.

Speaker 2:

Well, and like that's always kind of how I've been, though Like I haven't I haven't really been big party, or like it was. Yeah, um, it's like. It's like all right, like we'll have one or two, like maybe after the rodeo, but like yeah, it's not like we're getting trashed every night.

Speaker 2:

We'll go and have one or two and head off to the next one then like let's say it's like a last purpose saturday and we don't have anything to go to sunday, but then that's when we'll tune up yeah, after kennewick you guys went somewhere the next day, right?

Speaker 1:

after I saw you yeah, you guys were just here there, everywhere in between. So how do you keep that schedule? How do you keep that schedule, especially since you started school now, you know? How do you keep that schedule. How do you go from one town to the next and with minimum hours, dude minimum in between.

Speaker 2:

that too, yes, um.

Speaker 1:

I see you have a Red Bull, but still does not give you wings all the time.

Speaker 2:

Sometimes it does Like, sometimes you're on another level. Um, I would definitely have to say like a lot like. For me, like gotta have a lot of faith in like what you're doing, like you gotta have a lot of faith in the direction you're heading in it. And I guess counting on those little positives, like those little wins, kind of keeps me going down the road pretty successful. And it was and I heard it like this was probably the best quote like I've ever heard from anybody.

Speaker 2:

And I was down there at that school and like a lot of guys look, when they get hurt on the road and they have to go home, a lot of them look at it as like negative. And Tim O'Connell's just like dude, what's done in the dark is brought to the light when all the hard work is finished. And I was just like and he's like it's a privilege to be able to go home and rest in the middle of the summer. And I didn't think about it like that. And then I was like man, there's a reason he has so many world champion buckles.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

That's like a whole different mindset. Yeah, everything it was huge, but it like it. It's crazy, like it's. There's so much to it. Like it, I mean it. It depends on where best out, like, depending on, like, where you want to go, like court lane's money.

Speaker 2:

I heard court lane with money, yeah, like it ended up working out pretty good. I didn't. I didn't have the best drawn odds that weekend. I mean this, like I said, this year for me it was kind of I do the eliminators all year long and I got my butt handed, yeah, but it was all part of the process, like and that's how I look at it was just like it was just it was just my year to do that, okay, and and it's not like anything was out to get me and I had the terrible people drawing horse.

Speaker 2:

for me it's just one of those years.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

It was just one of those things that I needed to deal with.

Speaker 1:

Right, but you kicked butt at it though, man. Tried, I did all right yeah, what made you get your PRCA card?

Speaker 2:

man, I finally got to the point of where, like, honestly, like my biggest fear is like being like an amateur team, like having never leaving. That is my biggest fear, like I don't ever want to be like that, like it is Like. And the other thing too is just like the caliber guys, anybody can step foot in an amateur pin and win a bronc round. I feel like.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

But it's different if you can go to Kennewick and spur one to be 86.

Speaker 1:

Not a lot of people make that jump, though man.

Speaker 2:

You made the jump. It's kind of one of those deals where how my brother explained to me with his training and his lifestyle work was like a sink or swim scenario. If you just jump in, you got to go, you got to figure out what you're going to do right quick.

Speaker 1:

Okay, All right. What rodeo is your biggest purse man?

Speaker 2:

I had one this last year we were down in. I was down in Grounds Pass right about the week after the high desert down was like 3000. That one was really nice.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Went to California for a week and got on practice horses all that next week.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and that's how you spent your money, huh.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, getting better, getting better. The plane ticket was relatively cheap. Got to go sit on the beach for a little bit and enjoy some waves and some sunshine, and that one was probably the biggest one in like the last year. Like that one was probably the biggest one in like the last year. That one was pretty nice. The pro rodeos did not go as I would have planned. I kind of had a being going.

Speaker 1:

Still, you're there, you're making the most of it. Dude, you know quite the driver. Quite the tag team guy, quite you know just a humble kid, right? So?

Speaker 2:

who's your driving mate, cason Pearson, cason Pearson, cason Pearson, out of Idaho, he's a good cat to have in a pickup. He's pretty savvy in the bronc riding world. Like he's pretty funny. We're both kind of on the same kind of atmosphere and it's one of those deals where, like it's nice because we can even if one of us is having a bad day or something like that, we can both kind of step up and be like alright, yeah, I might just mess that horse up or I got backed off, but we both realize that one of us still has the possibility to make money and you guys traveled to the same places, same time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I didn't even know him. Last year I actually had a video of him on my phone from the year before, not knowing who this kid was, and I was. I was a video on the horse that was going, because I had it late. I had had it earlier in the season, so I was hoping it would be better and it was like I don't even know this kid. And then finally, um, we ended up meeting up a couple places and I was like, hey, you want to hop in on the fourth and so that's how you guys do it.

Speaker 2:

I always wondered how you guys get yeah you just riding buddies man yeah, you just kind of find somebody that you vibe with you, meet him at the meet him having a beer, or if you're a word of mouth through somebody and just let him kind of hop in okay, so and picky, though I'm definitely picky with the guys that travel, we're sure got it man to have that mindset of yours.

Speaker 2:

Somebody has to be the same mindset you know, or you're out yep, and now and that, like there, there has been those cases where it was just like there was a kid that I was talking to, about going with, and he kind of had a hot head. After one thing he disappeared and I was like, hey, bro, like I kind of needed you to kind of come help me.

Speaker 2:

Like you travel with me, you travel with me. You slept the whole way. You slept the whole way. You were supposed to help me pull my and give me a head out on my horse and you just slept and you disappeared when I needed you and I was like all right, that's enough of that.

Speaker 1:

Okay. So when you're traveling, man, what do you do? Do you guys listen to music? You know that's the number one question nowadays.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

Dude, who do you guys listen to? What do you guys do? What do you guys eat?

Speaker 2:

So let's go music-wise dude Music, like honestly, like I listen to such a wide variety, Like it's real pinpoint in the beginning of the season, but then at the end of the year I'll be listening to stuff that I don't ever think I would listen to. Like what Like. Let's say, like I'll listen to like some Tupac and then by the end of the year, like I'll be driving through some town at like midnight listening to some like jazz.

Speaker 1:

Really yeah.

Speaker 2:

Like it was. We were in. Where was that we were coming down from? Oh, we were going from cordal lane to um enum clock and my buddy passed out. It was two o'clock and he, finally, he's like dude. I tried like yeah I was trying to stay up and finally I was like I just have to find something else to listen to and like, like there's a jowl station coming on. I didn't have no service, it's the only thing that play on the radio. All All right, I was just like.

Speaker 1:

You got to get Sirius XM or something man.

Speaker 2:

That's what I thought I had. Like, I got the, that's what I thought I had, and then I realized I didn't. Okay, it was a learning experience.

Speaker 1:

But no, listen to a lot of Def Leppard for me Okay, of aerosmith kind of.

Speaker 2:

there's like a couple songs that I can listen to. That'll kind of get me right into the mindset. Okay, it's probably about the same stuff.

Speaker 1:

I listen to in the gym.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so the old classic rock as yeah, classic rock or like kind of like. Uh, it's like three days grace to scale it every now and then. Um, who else there's such a?

Speaker 1:

It's different. It's different because a lot of people listen to that country.

Speaker 2:

I'll listen to some old. I try to listen to a lot more red dirt music.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, dude, that's where it's at. I like the red dirt music.

Speaker 2:

I like some Treaty Oak Revival going down the road. I can rock with them, I can jam out to them. I used to listen to them on YouTube when they first came out.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, rock with them, like that I can jam out to them. I was to listen to them on youtube when they first came out, oh okay, and so it was just like daughter loves him. I uh saw him at wheat stock this recently um what is it he he looks? Yeah, he looks that small festival. But yeah, she fell in love with him and now she's like I'm like, oh my god, trade-out revival. I'm like, oh my God, his voice. I can only take so much of his voice, dude.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I just like a lot of his songs. A lot of his songs are like a lot of his, like you can relate to a lot of stuff, yeah, the lyrics yeah yeah, yeah, I definitely say that's a big thing too for me. It's like sometimes it's beat, sometimes it's word Depends on the mood. I'm like other days throw on some Tupac and jam out.

Speaker 1:

Sounds like my wife. My wife is a dude. She loves that gangster rap man. You wouldn't even think until you actually hung out with her and she's just all about gangster rap. I'm like what the heck?

Speaker 2:

is this.

Speaker 1:

And I'm just like the biggest metal head of them all and very, very, very picky on country dude I don't listen to too much country.

Speaker 2:

What's your metal playlist? Well, like who's the top guy you go to?

Speaker 1:

oh, man, bro, like normally there's not a top one like I always. If you look at my spotify and apple, uh, I always listen to it at work and then whatnot it equals out. Chevelle is top notch, always up there, but I, like man, a lot of metalcore, christian music, dude like you can't hear a word. They say, but I mean that that stuff is pretty good, but I listen to a lot of uh, metal and man.

Speaker 1:

What else? Coltis is one of them. They're kind of new but it depends. It depends on, uh, who it is. I like the browning.

Speaker 2:

The browning is really good I don't think I've listened to him. I'll have to give him a try on yeah hardcore keem.

Speaker 1:

Have you seen him in uh instagram? He's a huge instagram influencer, but he but he takes the people that are starting out metal, metal bands that are just starting out and he'll do the reactions on them.

Speaker 2:

You've seen them? Oh, I probably have man Black guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

He's been on the podcast and, yeah, he's the guitarist. He started out as the bassist, but now he's the guitarist of the band and, oh man, him and and I, we shoot it back and forth. But it's more of a electronic metal and dude, it's just you feel it. You feel it, I think you'll like it if you do check them out I probably will, like I know I still gotta.

Speaker 2:

I'm always looking for new music I I listen to, like I think the one that I popped into like last week was, I think, some Five Finger Death Punch. Oh okay. The other one was like Amity Affection, oh okay, like kind of some harder stuff oh yeah, but it's just kind of it depends, Like I've been leaning a lot more towards that, like Buck Cherry too.

Speaker 1:

They're pretty good oh yeah, I remember seeing them when they first came out. Man, no one knew who they were. They came out right before Lit Album. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And then Shinedown. Okay, shinedown's pretty good, I've been liking their stuff quite a bit. And then, yeah, freaking Offspring Godsmack. A lot of the kind of heavier stuff in the gym. It just kind of helps you find that it's the same stuff I listen to when I'm getting ready to ride. It helps find that extra gear.

Speaker 1:

So are you all about the extra gear? Because a lot of people especially the bull riding, you know guys they want to be in zen, they want to be not so crunked up to the point that the only time they have that adrenaline is when they're riding. So do you get yourself pumped up and then ride, or do you just wait at zen and then dude, you're like it's kind of like a buildup for me.

Speaker 2:

It's like I'll start off with some kind of real soft kind of like some Sweet Emotion. Camaro Smith. I'll kind of start off right about there, nice kind of breaking into it. And then we'll go to like thunderstruck when I'm really getting ready to ride, and then we'll jump into like godsmack and kind of that skillet kind of all right that sound of music where everything kind of is just like well.

Speaker 2:

That's typically what I jump to when I'm getting ready to do a big set in the gym and I try to keep that music specifically only for those moments of where I'm either hitting that big set or I'm getting on that horse. And then the big thing I've noticed too is I've been trying to get in progress with before I'm getting on I'll listen to music for a little bit and then finally just turn it off and embrace kind of everything else that's going on.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Talk to guys joke around.

Speaker 1:

You joke around.

Speaker 2:

Not like. I don't like joke around like you can definitely tell like I'm in a pretty good mood when I'm back there, like it's more of a. It's more of a kind of like loose feeling, I guess.

Speaker 1:

Okay, can't ride bronx tents reminds me of the bull rider lane vaughn oh, yeah, yeah, I like lane lane lane's a wild kid man. You said you're a linky guy and I wanted to bring up lane vaughn lane. Vaughn man he's. He's the same kind of size.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know Lane quite well. I've helped him pull the rope quite a few times. We ran into each other quite a few times. He's one of those guys you can walk up and talk shit to. And then he throws it right back. I missed you Lane, when you been. He just had quite the deal down there in Texas.

Speaker 1:

The permit deals. He, this is a permit deal he's, he's getting up there, man, he he's killing it and it is, and it is badass to watch.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but he's not the average rider, though, no, and that's what he stick.

Speaker 1:

He sticks out because of it, man, you're like dude, how does he do it? But he does it, he does and he's making a name for himself. Man the ginger. Oh boy, lane long man. Yeah, I remember, remember him right in. Oh boy, lane Wong man. Yeah, I remember him right in high school, man. That's when I first found him.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know, like that was kind of a lot of these kids I've met and a lot of these guys I've met like they're like, oh, like you, high school rodeo or nothing. I'm like, no, I had no idea what this was. I did every sport I could in high school I wrestled, played um basketball or played football, baseball, play a little bit of soccer, did lacrosse for a little bit. I was like kind of everything, everything my older brother did, like I tried to like magnify and do it so much better than he did.

Speaker 1:

It's crazy to know that you guys, you know, you guys played sports. You guys weren't always, you know, in the rodeo. You guys played regular sports. You know, you guys are athletes yourself, you know.

Speaker 2:

But then you guys stick with the rodeo scene, yeah, and it was, and a lot of people like I went to. Like every now and then I like to go home and I'm pretty. What's nice is being an ex-football player at that high school, that I went to. Like I can call the coach. I'll be like hey, can I stop in and swing a lift in, and he's like yeah, and so I'll sit in there with all the coaches from, like my senior year and sophomore year and talk to them and like they're like oh so how's everything going?

Speaker 2:

it'll be like eight different guys that watch me grow up through the program and it's cool that they're still there yep, and then, and then, um, and then they just then. They're just like. We would have never guessed. This is where the rap would have gone right they're like we figured baseball for sure. And then they're like now you're riding bucket horses for a living yeah, so.

Speaker 1:

So what made that that change though?

Speaker 2:

um, I started realizing a big thing for me was I think that had a lot to do with. It was like so baseball is like my like pride and joy, like that was it. Like, yeah, like I want to go play in the MLB, wanted to go to Notre Dame, go play over there, did a lot of baseball factory stuff for those guys did a lot of like, did a lot of like mound time, did a lot of like traveling, traveling ball. And then got into high school and that's kind of right about where I started kind of getting burned out. Like first year was pretty good and then, like the next three years, I had three different coaches.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, I got you.

Speaker 2:

And so, like the last year, that coach finally stuck around. I think he just got two back-to-back state champs with the program from all the kids that, like us older kids, were helped bringing up and they'd come to our youth camps, okay, and so I kind of just got to watch, like these last two years, these two teams go back to back and the state champs and I was like man, that's huge, I wish that would have been us, but at the same, time we're like at least it finally turned around yeah, it turned around and you were the one to help yep, and that then the guys to help yeah and it's and it's and it's, and like you can be like some guys will be like upset about it, like man, that could have been us, like if we would have just had our stuff figured out.

Speaker 2:

It's just like man we I mean we did like, yeah, we left our own little imprint there. Like you, being a nice person to somebody one day can make the biggest impact on anyone.

Speaker 1:

That's like everywhere, man.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you can take time to talk to like you can take time Like there's. I'm sure you've seen that sign on Facebook it was about. It was posted somewhere, I think it was down south about rodeo athletes. Be like, be careful what you say to these kids, because one day they're going to be looking up and they're going to act just like you.

Speaker 1:

See that, behind the chutes, those signs.

Speaker 2:

Yep, and I haven't seen one up here, but I saw one down South and I seen that and I was just like that is like huge.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's not too many perks out there.

Speaker 2:

I mean, there are some it's always the people in the for in it for the wrong reasons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that is the only thing I've noticed, like it's just like and doubt. I had somebody asked me that the other day Cause like I had because I do that stuff and that's kind of where I kind of put all my videos and stuff out on and somebody was just like are all you guys just like rude and mean?

Speaker 2:

And I was like usually only the guys that are in it for their own reason you talk to anybody that's in it with, like, the right intentions, they're going to be the coolest cat out there.

Speaker 1:

Oh, yeah, yeah, and you can pretty much point them out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Or see.

Speaker 2:

It'll give it time, Like give it time and it'll come out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah. So your goal this coming up year, what's your first goal? Like, when does the season start? It already started, but you guys are on a break, correct?

Speaker 2:

We had two rodeos. First one was in Colfax, washington. I was kind of going through a hard spot there and then I ended up missing the horse out. And then the other one I got bucked off of and I was still pretty sore in my knee, still recovering. And then we had one in Susansville and I drew this gray horse. I've never seen a bad gray. They're either really really cool or they're not there because they suck. And I had this gray, it was so cool. And then we have, I think, three more coming up here in the spring. Okay, so goals to right now, goals to Heal, heal, obviously, but first big goal is to win the Northwest region.

Speaker 1:

Northwest region and when do you know when that hits, when the northwest region, northwest region, and when do you?

Speaker 2:

know when that hits well, when they're when like northwest region um, well, right now my traveling partner's leading it right now, so keeping it in the house and I'm living with him, so so so keeping that, keeping it right in there in between the house and uh, that would probably be the biggest thing is, um, I don't know when, because I mean the whole college rodeo is still new to me, like I'm still learning a lot about it, like I know, like there's like a point system and stuff, like yeah, yeah, and I was just like man, I was here to ride bronx, like right, I see there's a standings, which is kind of cool one yeah yeah, but definitely find myself iron sharpens iron, I know 100 stand behind that okay, so it's college rodeo.

Speaker 1:

And then when is uh prca picking up for you? When are when's?

Speaker 2:

your first one, so I'm hoping it might get pushed back. But hopefully we're gonna get down to florida in february. Hopefully get down there for like a month yeah, at least two weeks.

Speaker 2:

Um, I'd met a few guys from georgia, minneapolis, minnesota, um chase brooks, a couple guys from texas, and they're like, hey, like when you get a chance like come down to florida for a little bit Like it's not going to be all rainbows and sunshine, but it'll be it'll help you get that money, like to kind of get into some stuff. Yeah, like I'm hoping I can get into like maybe Fallon for their winter Bronx deal on new year's. They've got like a buck and ball deal and then, um, yeah, I think the next one will be Florida, I think.

Speaker 1:

Florida hopefully.

Speaker 2:

I think the next one will be Florida. I think Florida, Hopefully.

Speaker 1:

That's the plan, Dude. I know some people in Bama Florida, those boys party man, They'll treat you right yeah.

Speaker 2:

No for sure. I met a kid from Georgia down there at that last school. I went to Big old, tall, lengthy kid yeah, and he's a bareback rider. He reminds me of RC.

Speaker 1:

How do I?

Speaker 2:

He's tall, big old, tall, lengthy kid, yeah, and he's a bareback rider and he reminds me of rc. How do I he's? Oh, yeah, he'll hit your ceiling and so I met him and he's just like dude, come on down, I could stay at the house and nice, florida's like it's eight hours from him and texas, I think, is eight hours the other way I was like well, we can go either way, depending on what part of Texas yeah, I think that's just the border. Yeah, oh man.

Speaker 1:

All right, so Florida and then Texas. Again, you going to hit up Texas, like you did this year.

Speaker 2:

I think. So I think it'll be a wise decision, because right now we're kind of getting to that point, like we've kind of got like a half indoor, half outdoor arena there at the college and so like the bucking shoots are outdoors, yeah, half outdoor arena there at the college, and so like the the bucking shoots are outdoors, yeah, and so it kind of sucks that like it's cold and it's frozen, yeah, but then bmcc just put in that brand new like indoor center so maybe I can con blake west into letting us come down there and getting on some horses okay, when do you guys practice?

Speaker 2:

man? Um, usually Usually so, like for me, like for the college, like they usually rope almost every day. And then rough stock practice is normally Tuesday and Thursdays.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

And that was what it was up until, I think, December 1st.

Speaker 1:

So that I mean you guys do that every day, throughout the year.

Speaker 2:

Other than in breaks. We'll probably give it a break here for probably another month, probably January, probably give it a break. The kids really want to go out and find something like myself I'm toying with going down to Texas for a week or something like that Just going down to Stockyards and getting on stuff a week or something like that and go, just going down like the stockyards and going and getting on stuff, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So how is the college rodeo like when it comes to you know telling coach, hey, like you have to keep them informed, right oh yeah, like he's, he's pretty cool with it well he has to be. He's one of the best in the nation, correct? Oh yeah he has the best program. Who, okay, who's the coach?

Speaker 2:

uh, drew pearsons, drew pearsons drew pearsons and that's ended up being case. And dunkel, he's pretty savvy, used to ride bulls, used to fight bulls, used to ride bronx and um, he's been around and he knows what he's talking about and he's definitely there, and so I think he gets fed up with us sometimes when we won't pull our heads out of our ass I think that's everyone right, everyone right.

Speaker 1:

So so the guy he has one of the best in in in the nation right right programs, how does he take you guys going to texas, florida?

Speaker 2:

he's all about it, like he knows, like he understands that, like we're trying to get to that level and he understands that we're trying to that. Like college is like a stepping stone into like the prca. Essentially, like you're seeing all these judges that you're going to run into and at the pro rodeos, at these college rodeos, and you get to know my name, you get to kind of come out and see you, and so finally it opens a bigger avenue and it lets you kind of do things a little bit different.

Speaker 1:

What what happens if you get hurt?

Speaker 2:

Occupational hazard.

Speaker 1:

I mean it's yeah, that's just what I told everyone.

Speaker 2:

It's like, they're like well doesn't it suck when you get hurt. I was like, yeah, but like and I feel like a lot of guys will agree with me on this, Like and well, at least anybody like in my shoes or it's come from me is, the sooner you come to terms with you that you can get hurt, yeah, and that like you could possibly die or you can get like it'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Yeah, you will ride so much better when your mind is sound.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you know what I mean by it. Though I always like cross country. I coach cross country at the local high school, right, and the last thing I want is a kid to run a 10k while in season, right, you know, yeah, like all right what?

Speaker 2:

is he he'll? He'll probably as long as we're back for the college rodeo yeah, that's all he cares about. Yeah, okay, as long as we're making him points, okay, points it's like and it's and it's like a point system, I guess. So, like I guess you can, as my understanding, and I might be completely wrong, and he might listen to this and be like you're an idiot nah, nah but um, so you can put.

Speaker 2:

It's almost like betting. I guess you can put like your votes on who's in a ride, for, like your, you'll have rough stock events and you have time events and you put certain point numbers on those people and if, like like let's say, he puts like two points on me or something like that, and I'm like I don't know exactly how to explain it, it pretty much just magnifies it.

Speaker 1:

So that point system goes up for that, so they're allowed to put points on you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so they'll put you in that situation to help build points. I guess there's so much stuff I still have to learn about it.

Speaker 1:

It's almost like the teams right. Essentially the PBR teams. Oh yeah, best man up, let's go.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly, that's actually a perfect example, because I was trying to think of how I was going to explain that. And then I like I watch bull riding sometimes, like usually when Shane Scott's out, but that's about it.

Speaker 1:

Right, Okay, All right. Well, who's your athlete? You love to watch man, either when you're competing with or just on tv um what sport?

Speaker 2:

just dude what, whatever if they're there, you don't miss.

Speaker 1:

You don't miss them, man um, it's kind of.

Speaker 2:

It's kind of hard like all the like. All the guys that I kind of grew up watching baseball are all retired now like they're they're all kind of falling out.

Speaker 1:

Not really. I mean Trout's still around when he's not hurt.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when he's not hurt Harper, when he's not benched or ejected.

Speaker 1:

Correct, that's funny.

Speaker 2:

Jeter. He used to be the big deal and now he's just retired in a box and watching the games and stuff like that. But on the rodeo side of things like probably I don't know Like I like going back and looking through all the old pictures from like Pendleton, calgary Sisters.

Speaker 1:

So you like the history, I like the history. So St Paul, st Paul.

Speaker 2:

Malala. I got a book on how like kind of everything was started up here in the Northwest, how everything originated with the Christensen brothers right out here and they had, they took their best mares that they had that were just rank and they bred them to a couple of studs that they had bought and kind of how everything started up here in the Northwest and they used to. What book it's? Pendleton to Calgary.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Pendleton to Calgary, tim McAprey and I and it goes from everything. It goes into the backstory of Pendleton and Jackson Sundown to the Christensen brothers.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

And how Vold bought them out. And now Vold has pretty much the original lines to pretty much everything up here in the northwest of buck and horses and bulls, essentially okay. I'm like it's definitely say like that's the biggest thing, like is it's like I always feel like I was born in the wrong generation because I look at this but like man I could I'd be doing that, like that's old wise man yeah, essentially the stuff that you were saying, the wise stuff, dude, I'm like man where's man?

Speaker 1:

where's this? This guy? Full of it, dude, not full of you know shit, but, dude, you're full of wise sayings, dude. I'm like, who's this guy? Who is this guy?

Speaker 2:

man, just try to take in what I can. I had somebody reach out to me that I didn't follow and I had no idea who they were and it was like, hey man, I didn't know I needed to hear that today. But thanks, and someone had come at me. They're like, oh, you must be fighting your head on a lot of stuff and kind of being rude about it. I was just like, no, I just kind of post that stuff because you never know what people are going through. Right, and I've come to that understanding that just a simple word or reading something through somebody's day can just switch everything all around.

Speaker 1:

Well, just you coming out, man, you coming out, dude.

Speaker 2:

It's crazy. It was worth it, like I said, I didn't have anything going on. It was like I I was just gonna sit at home, I mean take care of some school work, kind of try and find some jobs, and probably go to the gym twice. Okay, then I needed a rest day, so gotcha.

Speaker 1:

So you're on a break, so you decided to go from ontario to tri-cities.

Speaker 2:

Dude, oh yeah, in the teacup studio where you're messing with my daughter's puffer stickers yeah, I know I've been trying to figure out what these things are on the back and it's been like it's kind of like a who knows, this is just dude I fiddle with so much. You know, you're not the only one you're not the only one.

Speaker 1:

Everybody that's been in here they they take puffer stickers. But you know what? It's only over there that has puffer stickers and and and girly stickers and kid stickers. It's funny how she picks that out. Man, it's a six-year-old, that's lillian for you.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, it's funny how you guys just pick and and just mess with all the stickers, even like even like when I'm driving, I still do that stuff like I'll find something and like I'll be sitting there and just messing with it and my buddies will be like dude, I'll be sitting there with a pen just like clicking it.

Speaker 2:

Oh, that will drive me nuts, or like or like, or like a lighter, just flicking lighter, just. Oh, okay then, just something to mess with when I'm driving, or or like that pickup I have has a sunroof. That sunroof will be down like 12 o'clock at night with the camper on and they'll be asleep and they'll be like.

Speaker 2:

It'll probably be like 50 degrees outside. I'll throw a sweatshirt on. No, I'm driving, crank up some tunes, open the sunroof. It's a nice night like it's. It's nice, I enjoy. It feels like home on the road a lot all right.

Speaker 1:

Well, teac teacup studio. Wiley loves a teacup studio. I'm like dude, let's get together. Let's do one on Zoom. He's like no, I have to be there. I'm like dude, are you kidding me? Every time he's around or we go around, my daughter's all about Wiley.

Speaker 2:

Dude, yeah, every time yeah, every time, every time we go.

Speaker 1:

Every time we go somewhere just you know to just you know watch wiley, or somewhere where wiley's at. Where's wiley, she's wiley. She tells her girls every time at school because I work where she goes to school, right, and she's like oh yeah, you gotta see, you, you gotta see him, you gotta see him. Oh, he's so cute. I'm like, oh my god he's a man right, right yeah it's funny, man. It's funny. He turns red as hell.

Speaker 2:

I'm like bro you just it's kind of funny, like I've seen him in some situation where he just turns bright red yeah, and it's just like. They're like wiley lighten up bud, it's all right right man, I'm like wiley bro.

Speaker 1:

Wiley bro, you should be playing in the field, but I get it, I get it.

Speaker 2:

No, I like Wiley quite a bit. Like if you talk to anybody there at the college they'll kind of know me as pretty quiet, like I'm, pretty I do a lot more watching. Like I had like two rodeos with the team and like everyone kind of knew me from around, like, yeah, like the bull riders, like like lane, like I've seen later not lane, but like brock cooper, like um zach, seen wiley around a little bit. He'd actually sent my buddy a picture of me getting dashboarded this summer and I got knocked the fuck out like I got dumped on my head. I had a big old black eye, my hat was messed up and I was like you're the one, you're the dickhead that sent that picture to me. You know it's a psych and and he's just like that was you. I was like I got that on video and I was like, oh, I got the picture to see. Like it was funny that's his way.

Speaker 2:

I think that's his joking way like oh yeah, no, and it don't bother me. Now I'm like growing up with five brothers, including myself. Like okay like kind. I'm the middle child that took to be from both ends yeah. I could try and beat up on the younger ones and then I'd get in trouble because I was beating up on them. Then I'd go try and beat up on the older ones.

Speaker 1:

I'd get my ass handed yeah.

Speaker 2:

A little like a little back story. I'm like older brother. He was in the special forces in the navy and so he'd come back after he'd been gone for like a year yeah and doing all the stuff. When I come back, I can, I can take it dumps me like just, I was like man. All that training, oh yeah so what?

Speaker 1:

what keeps you clear-headed man?

Speaker 2:

um, honestly, like, probably, like, probably.

Speaker 2:

Like the gym as funny as it sounds, like that's where, that's where I fight all my battles, like that is where I take, like, if I'm feeling like even like shooting. I was thinking about that today as it's like kind of been anxious about some stuff, kind of been anxious about the job. I've kind of been anxious about some stuff, kind of been anxious about the job, kind of been anxious about the holidays and how I'm going to make everything worth the season, and it's just like I go to the gym and it makes me feel like I can do something about it. I can go lift 500 pounds and like it's not me actually doing anything about it, but it's just kind of that let off of being like if I put everything, if I put everything, if I I could be lifting like my 200 pounds and everything can be on that, I can just kind of let all my weight off on that and it feels like I can do something about it. And that's probably and that's those are the days that I'll put in.

Speaker 2:

Like I got a playlist on my phone called hate music and it's a lot of that really really kind of like kind of that um skillet type of music, okay, kind of three days grace kind of where helps me kind of fight those battles.

Speaker 1:

I guess that, and then praying about it, I guess, okay, brain's been one thing that I'm in the best at and something I'm trying to get better at okay but, yeah, because it I just hearing you, knowing what you you've done, how much you've done, you know, over the course of the year to, and knowing that you got in college, you're so level-headed you're, you know you're an able body who's hungry and man, you can. It can go one way, it can go the other way, but you, you know you go, you're going the the positive way, the good way. So I just thought I'd ask, like, what keeps you level-headed?

Speaker 2:

yeah, no, I mean I've, I've, like I said earlier, like I've definitely come into those cross, those crossroads, like it was, just like I have.

Speaker 2:

I have the ability to go this way or I can go that way and this way it might be a little bit harder and it's gonna be the right way. It's gonna require more sacrifice. This way I can go back here and like, let's say, moving home I can be in the security of my parents house and get to see my family all the time and probably get a better paying job over there and all this and that. But I'm not going to get the experiences of living by myself for like the last four years moved, lived a lot of different places, lived in a lot of different houses, slept out of my car, lived out of my car for a couple of times when I had a car, lived out of my camper for a couple of times. I've done it. I'm not saying like I'm not trying to sound like I've got all this, like like I have all this experience, but like I feel like I've done quite a bit like in between, like living in different places and houses and cars and everything.

Speaker 1:

Everything works out how it's supposed to yeah, and if you lived at home, you wouldn't be the wise old man Exactly.

Speaker 2:

And here's a good example of that. So my buddy Case this summer there was a situation that came up and I told him I was like dude, this is going to go two ways. I already knew exactly what was going to happen. I was like this is going to go two ways, this is the way I would go. And then this is the way it's probably gonna go, because you're gonna figure it out, you're gonna fuck around and find out, yeah. Then well, he did it and he says why didn't you tell me? I was like dude, I left it up to you, like, I gave you my best advice and you decided to walk right up to that bear and poke it and I was like well, like, and he's just like. I was like you know listening. He's like probably not, but I'll take it into consideration a little bit highly next, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Can't do everything for people, man.

Speaker 2:

Nope, and I would definitely say like and that and that's like. There was someone that I was talking to. They're like like, why don't like, like? Why do you need to do all this? And I was just like I wouldn't be the person that I am. Like I've, I don't, I don't like. Maybe it's just a humble thing too is why I'm on a different notice, why I don't think of myself as like this high performance, I'm not doing the sport like I am Right, I got you Parents kind of raised me to just be humble and take praise from people rather than praise yourself.

Speaker 2:

No, people rather than praise yourself. But it was just one of those deals where just being humble is huge. You'll go. That was something that was always kind of not beat into us but, growing up in a Christian family, just let other people praise you and it'll work out.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and that is. Is that the number one reason why you keep doing what you're doing nonstop? Yeah, I mean To get that praise, or?

Speaker 2:

No, I wouldn't even say, I wouldn't even necessarily say that Like, yeah, it's nice, like, but like, like probably for the first two and a half, three years of my career riding Bronx, like my parents didn't come to a single rodeo. They did not like seeing me get hurt and I got dashboarded a lot.

Speaker 1:

It's not the first I've heard, man. There's a lot of parents that don't go.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and so like. Then they finally started figuring out like, oh, like he's actually making it. And then one of my buddies that had met me and had been riding for quite a bit longer finally took him aside, like he's got what it takes, like he just needs you guys to show up every once in a while and you want to see a performance upgrade.

Speaker 1:

Watch that and watch how it rides.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm not just like thanks for saying that. Right, I don't know how to say that. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome, man, that's awesome. But and like, just like with learning, like you'll make friends, you'll lose friends. You'll meet people, you'll see people off.

Speaker 1:

Like Frank Sinatra said, that's life. Exactly that's life.

Speaker 2:

And it's such a wild ride. I can only imagine, and you can't do it if you're like the biggest thing that I will probably live by until the day that I die is like comfort kills dreams, like like yeah, like well, there's a certain point where, like you know, you've made it, and then there's a certain point that you're trying to get to and you're comfortable with where you're at.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and the only time you're going to be comfortable is when you're $200,000 a year and NFR.

Speaker 2:

Maybe, maybe, maybe. We'll see I'll find something else. Now go for the Canadian finals then, yeah, oh yeah, canadian finals yeah, oh yeah I'm gonna try and be zach dowles. He's another boy that I look up to quite a lot.

Speaker 1:

Zach is an animal. Hey, speaking of canada man, did you listen to live peter's episode? 30 minutes long, dude, but dude, hey, those canadians, they love dude, they love rodeo. And I tell you what that episode? I put it out just a couple days ago and it exceeded all expectations. Dude, those Canadians don't mess around man, but she's a female bull rider and model.

Speaker 2:

I did see a couple of pictures that you posted. I was looking through your podcast and I did see the episode that came out, but I didn't get to listen to you, those boys.

Speaker 1:

they support her man.

Speaker 2:

There's another girl out of.

Speaker 1:

Down in Oregon.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the Rice Bronx.

Speaker 1:

I tried to get a hold of her, but you've got to be like friends of a friend to get a hold of her on Instagram.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, she was just down there at the. I think she was just down there at the high school finals in Las Vegas.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

I don't know how it went. I just seen a couple of people post pictures and um good way to probably get in touch with her is like bonnie erickson out of burns she's a stock contractor and she probably knows exactly how to get older well, I was trying to get through uh, through uh cash colby, or uh samson.

Speaker 1:

You know that that close-knit group, oh yeah, johnny samson, but um, but no man, it's a, it's close-knit man, though that female dude, she's badass, and to even yeah, to even have her on and then exceed all expectations.

Speaker 2:

Well, there is um, um, that older boy that taught me how to ride bronx, his name's JL. He was telling me that there's a girl out of Canada, probably in her thirties, and like she dirty spurs.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Like like better than guys Like she doesn't. She doesn't like pro road or anything and she's an amateur gal, I think. I think she does do some Canadian pro rodeos but from what I've heard it Dirty Spurgeon Like she knifes them.

Speaker 1:

Huh.

Speaker 2:

And I was just like I haven't seen the videos, but I've heard about this girl several times. Can't just be myth if you're hearing it from everyone, right, don't tell that to PETA, yeah. Especially in Canada. Man, you know, peyton Pierce, oh, that name sounds so familiar.

Speaker 1:

Bareback oh yeah, he was down. Nfr Juniors oh yeah, yeah, yeah, from up here in Washington.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah he was down there at the school and he was actually in the same house as I was.

Speaker 1:

Try to run into him at Cowboy Christmas man you been.

Speaker 2:

No, I haven't been yet. And so, like a big—and this, this is like, this is this and this is going to be wild. A big reason I've never wanted to go to the NFR was because I wanted my first time to be, because I made it Gotcha. And then I talked to Tim, talked to Blake, talked to Chase, talked to Logan, talked to the whole Champion Living Fitness team and they're like, okay, that's a great deal to have, but how are you supposed to visualize anything If you don't even know what?

Speaker 1:

it looks like Dude. It's crazy.

Speaker 2:

And that was something they worked on with. Like like we spent two days in this school strictly book work, before we even touched anything Bronc riding related.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And it was huge. Like we went over like marketing yourself, it went over like the mental side of it. We went over visit our visualization, yeah, and that was something I didn't know how to do. And then, finally, like I I did it for like those four nights after we talked about the first day. Yeah, it was huge and I thought it was a bunch of horseshit, yeah, and I talked to pull about. I was like, is this our paul?

Speaker 2:

coach paul and I thought it was a bunch of horse shit. Yeah, and I talked to pull about. I was like, is this our paul coach paul? And I was like, is this really gonna work? And he's just like, dude, just give it a try. Yeah, and I did and and I I probably made one of the best rides. I I probably made my best ride all year down there at that school, got on one of pete car's colts and it was the coolest thing I've ever experienced like I had hearing chase and hearing blake and hearing everybody just lied up there.

Speaker 2:

There's nothing like war hoops coming from the back of the bucket sheets and you're riding one like it is the best feeling of it. No, no, music practice, pin kind of deal and everyone is just hyped up for you. You jump off, take all, take all your stuff off, you go help the next guy and you're right there doing the same thing for him.

Speaker 1:

So, NFR, you ain't going to experience it at all.

Speaker 2:

No, I think this not this year, but I think next year after here, and all that because it was kind of late notice. Yeah, it was kind of like one of those deals where I just moved to where I was, I just started a new job. Sure enough, it's only a drive away, especially when you're in Ontario.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, I figured out.

Speaker 2:

it was only five hours. I was like man, I'm missing out. You are man, and so another one of those goals is to make the South Point get invited down to that permit deal. Okay, like another one of those goals is to make the South Point get invited down to that permit deal Okay and get invited to that permit deal for the PRCA down there at Benny's. Yeah, man, a lot of people that deal would be. That'd probably be another point of when I know I made it, it's just like when.

Speaker 2:

I get the invite to go to.

Speaker 1:

Benny's Billion Sale to go hop on to the permit finals. Really, man, I tell you what People that do that permit. I'm speaking of one person that I know in particular. It's like it's permit, though I'm like bro, shut up it's, it's huge, it's permit, it's permit. Oh, it's like dude, are you kidding me? Just enjoy the moment. He's there every year. But yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's quite the scenery, it's's quite the life. Man, I would say marketing yourself. I would see that experience as a marketing tool.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I didn't even think about that until you just said that it's crazy, it is crazy.

Speaker 1:

So, like me, you know, the most I do is, you know, talk to rowdy berry do you, yeah, I like, I like, I like rowdy I'll watch and I'll listen to him. I'll talk to him anywhere and everywhere I go. Every time I see him I make sure I'm in line just talking to him. But he has his own little uh art store there, along with his wife and everything else. So we'll we'll chat it up, but then del brisby man, I've been I've never talked to him in person.

Speaker 2:

I've always wondered how it is he's not a jerk dude I figured he was. He's not a jerk.

Speaker 1:

I figured he's just the nicest guy ever, bro, and it's just like, you know, last year. This past year has been a crappy year, but I was going to have him on earlier of last year or this year, but dad and my father-in-law, and then the c word that I'm dealing with now and and uh, life, yeah, life, I would say life. And just talking to him, you know this, this time around it's just like bro, he's talking about man, I could hook you up with my BRB. I'm like what the hell Do you know who I am? He doesn't know who I am, but you know I've been coming in contact and you know I tried to make a joke. Where's that? I tried to make a joke when I was purchasing one of his stuff and then I was like, oh man.

Speaker 2:

Were you down there this year then.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I was down there. So, I talked to him, but this was the year before, so I thought I'd make a joke of just of like dude, when are you going to be on my podcast and everything else?

Speaker 1:

Because he sells these, I guess, as birthdays. So I didn't want to do a birthday thing, and he was like Nick, you'll never get that interview if you aren't patient with the busy man ordering online. Ordering online a good start, though, and you know don't. But like, nah, dude, he's, he's one heck of a guy. Yeah, check it out, he's a heck of a guy. And you know, uh, with taking my wife this past, uh, this last week, she's like see, see, aren't you glad you're talking to him? I was like I always talk to him, not even when you're here.

Speaker 2:

you know Heard, he used to ride rocks pretty well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, dude, you see his hands, bro. His hands are freaking huge. I don't know Like they're not the size. Bare paws huh, I've been wanting to ask him like man, how are your hands so damn big?

Speaker 2:

It does not fit his body. I heard he rode bulls and then I heard he used to ride broncs and then he got hurt real bad, and that's kind of how Dale Brisby became.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, dude, he's quite the gentleman. And him just talking to you like a normal person and you know, taking you in and saying he'd do the podcast, I was like what you know. So, this year I'll make a run for it, but no, it's pretty interesting. That's the only thing that I market myself. But I don't even go down there with stickers or saying you know, here's this, here's that. I just take it in and just know what can happen. What can come about going to the NFR experiencing that.

Speaker 2:

I'll definitely be making it to gold next year.

Speaker 1:

Bro, you're walking Cowboy Christmas with the big dogs, dude, you know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

With the big names and they're just, they're not. You know, with this is the only sport that you don't need bouncers, or no, you don't need bouncers.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, but at the same time, too, it's like all these guys made themselves like this by themselves it's like the last, as when I first started riding it, somebody was like it's the last blue color sport yeah, and, and and you and you know you're, you're sport, yeah, and, and you and you know you're, you're in the room with 50 000 people to. That convention center is huge. And then you know they're the big dogs just shopping along with their ladies, you know yeah just doing their thing and they're gonna be nerve-wracking sometimes, like I was.

Speaker 1:

I don't mess with the big. I don't mess with those guys, though, man. I don't mess with those guys though man. I don't mess with them because I know for a fact that they're waiting for that money later on, yeah, and I find it like they're getting harassed, you know, just selling themselves and autographs and stuff. But no, it's quite the experience, man, and the after hours, the after hours.

Speaker 2:

I can only imagine.

Speaker 1:

Nothing like hanging out in Vegas with like like-minded people. You know what I mean yeah, no for sure.

Speaker 2:

I can only imagine one cycle. There's that many cowboys in vegas right trouble.

Speaker 1:

I can, and it's tough to find a place to stay. I mean, it's just non-stop, just wackiness, wildness, cowboys, cowgirls, just having a good old time. Alright, man, when you travel, do you eat a lot of peanut butter jelly sandwiches? What's your diet like?

Speaker 2:

no, I'm kind of like you said that older guy I try to keep everything relatively consistently healthy. Yeah, are you clean? Try to keep everything relatively like, consistently healthy, like, yeah, like, I mean clean. Try to Like. I like, like if we're on a pretty long like if we're on the fourth run, like I'm going to want to stop like at least four times, like five times, and eat like a legitimate meal somewhere where we can sit down and BS and then stop at somebody's house. Or, even better, if we could stop at one of my buddy's houses and let's go to the store and grab something to make, or his mom or his wife will be there and we'll stop in and you have time for that.

Speaker 2:

Try to, Try to, and that's the big thing. It's just like anybody that knows me, they're going to be like man that motherfucker can drive.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, you drove here. Oh yeah, I like driving and I'm like are you kidding?

Speaker 2:

oh, yeah, no, and they'll be like that. Like I drove, I drove, we left. We left lapine heading to big fork. We pulled into court lane at like 6 am and I was like we can keep going or you guys want to, you guys want to grab a shower and eat some food. So we walked in and his wife was up. Dave Paul, he's one of the head guys at the Gem State Stampede up in Coeur d'Alene and I'm really good friends with him and I just gave him a call. I'm like hey, man, we're in the driveway and he's like perfect, come on in. I got coffee and there's a hot shower downstairs.

Speaker 1:

That's life right there. But still, man, you're on the road too many times and I don't know how you find time to cook, so what's your go-to, though?

Speaker 2:

what's your go-to food? Like go-to, yeah, like, I would probably like. Like, if, like, if we have limited time, I would try and find a subway anyway subway yeah but then it's like seven o'clock and like we're leaving the rodeo and it hits 8.

Speaker 2:

And I haven't eaten anything and I just had a Red Bull. All right, we'll stop at Wendy's or Carl's Jr's and get the calories in. It won't be the best, but then in the morning I try to balance it out like protein shakes kind of. And that's another thing. I started that champion living deal and um this last spring and um started putting on weight again finally, and um started giving me workouts to do, like just in the truck. Like if we have like an extra day, like one of my buddies know, like if we have a day somewhere, an extra day, I will find water in the middle of summer. I'm like, hey, we're going to a lake. I don't really care where we're going. If we're in five hours driving distance and there ain't no lake around, we're going to that lake.

Speaker 1:

To swim.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, swim, hang out Like I was soared up, I had broken ribs, I was limping on one knee and we there in Big Four, the water is so cold. But it was.

Speaker 1:

It's beautiful.

Speaker 2:

I could have stayed there all day long.

Speaker 1:

Where do you think you will find home?

Speaker 2:

I've been asking myself that question quite a bit Like a good example right now. Kind of some stuff's been coming up at home and dad's getting older, mom's getting older and started realizing the other brothers are kind of older brothers, kind of off doing his own shit and no one's really starting to look after the parents and stuff. And so it's kind of I don't know. That protective side of me has kind of wanted to.

Speaker 1:

Sounds like it.

Speaker 2:

Kind of wanted to kind of get closer, because I'm in Idaho now and it's like six hours, which isn't crazy, but at the same time like I'd gotten some news that everybody else knew about. And then I came home for Thanksgiving and you've just found out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I was just like what the heck?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I was like that's sick Right and um, and so I don't know, I might go to central oregon for a bit, like ideally, like I don't know, I've always liked new mexico, yeah, yeah, I like. I like how it can be warm still can hunt elk, okay, like gotcha rodeo. Otherwise not the best, yeah, but like, even like texas, somewhere with pine trees, I would say why don't you just go to arizona?

Speaker 2:

they got it arizona's not bad they got it I do like arizona they got everything there, man a. Arizona's not bad. They got it. I do like Arizona. They got everything there man. Arizona's not bad. I haven't been down there in a couple years. I'm hoping to get down there this year too.

Speaker 1:

I've got lots of plans to go a lot of places.

Speaker 2:

So you know, I think we made Find me a sugar mama.

Speaker 1:

Hopefully you got the best bang for your buck. You know right, hopefully you got the best bang for your buck. You know right, right and well, driving here and talking and everything else, but uh, what was I gonna say? Um, it exceed all expectations.

Speaker 2:

This, this episode so far oh yeah, no, it's, it's, it's been good, it's, I definitely. It helps me realize a lot of stuff too. It helps me bring clarity. It helps me when you have to talk about your goals and about where you're at and you get to hear how other people look in on how you're doing and stuff. It helps bring clarity to certain things.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

I would definitely say it helps you get a positive step towards if you're ever in a slump or having that anxious side of things like I was talking about.

Speaker 1:

I got you Remember. Now, uh, when are we going to know your schedule, man?

Speaker 2:

um, I'm hoping you know your schedule there's so much going on right now, it's um, I'm hope so. Like a lot of times, like like on instagram, I'll usually be pretty good about putting my stuff out how, how far in advance though. During, during, like when everything's going pretty hard. I usually like about a week, week and a half. Week, week and a half Two weeks when I was like I'll see the rodeos open. Like for us and I think about pro rodeos is they all pop up on the app and you can enter them.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

And then they'll get like you can like. I'll write down every rodeo I've entered, yeah, and then I'll post that, okay, and then, like, maybe like the next day or two days after everything's closed and I figure out if I made it into that, okay, I'll update and edit that whole thing of which ones I actually made it into and then I'll find those filler rodeos, all right and when is the next uh college rodeo for you um, next college rodeo, I believe, is going to be in, I think, february.

Speaker 2:

Well, we head to Big Fork, or not Big Fork. We head to Montana to go down Powder River stuff in February and then March and I think that one's going to be at Hermiston, either.

Speaker 1:

Hermiston.

Speaker 2:

Okay, either Hermiston or Ontario, all right, I still haven't. Like that's the only bad thing about joining up in school as late as I did. Like I'm still out of the loop on everything. Everybody had these calendars and everything. I was just like there's a calendar. I was like there's a group chat, yeah. I just found out, there's a group chat like a week ago, what I'm group me or something like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I was just like, well, I was like well, there's new. Like I was, wondering why I wasn't getting updates about anything it was pretty. It's pretty cool to know that someone your age, the wise old man, goes back to college and and it was makes a name for himself there. But dude, that's a PRCA. It's wild to know you're not going back, You're just taking a step back, kind of, but just enjoying it.

Speaker 2:

Taking a step back to go up. Go up, Go up rather.

Speaker 2:

And that was where I feel like I was lacking, because I bridged the gap in between like amateurs and pro rodeo, yeah, but somewhere in the middle I was getting lost and I couldn't quite make that mark. And so I was like, all right, like I needed that extra gear, and I like, all right, I take that step back just a little bit, humble yourself, go back to school and I never really wanted to go to school, but yeah, here I am sound like Wiley.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, wiley said he sucked at school I hate school.

Speaker 2:

I hated school with passion and uh, and then finally it was just like all right, we'll take that step back and we'll reprioritize everything where?

Speaker 1:

what do you uh? What are you learning? Welding well, well hey, that's hey, that's the best way to do it well and like that.

Speaker 2:

that's already what I was doing for work already, and it made it worth it. There's a few things that I need to work on.

Speaker 1:

You probably didn't know about.

Speaker 2:

Now you do Yep, and then it was just like if you guys can help me get some certs through the college, it'd be pretty cool. And they're doing it. There's one that they're pretty. They don't know if they have the right quality of personnel to do it, but it's kind of been a plan in motion that I've been trying to get them to kind of get behind.

Speaker 1:

Last question, rodeo-wise, especially college rodeo when you guys travel, do you guys travel in separate vehicles, do you guys travel on a charter bus?

Speaker 2:

Like how does it go, man, man, I've always wanted to know, so like that was something too that I was kind of okay wondering like it was well, I didn't know anything about it. And then, and then, like we went to susanville and we all, just there's like six of us gonna pick up, yeah four horses four horses in the back, I think we had three bronc saddles and a bunch of ropes, a couple of tie dummies and we're stacked jam-packed in this eight-hour drive to susanville, california crazy.

Speaker 1:

I'm just stopped that does humble you, that does make you hungry for more. Yeah, for better too, yeah it makes it.

Speaker 2:

It's just like one of those deals and you figure out right quick you get along with and who you don't yeah, yeah, you get four hours in and you want that little bit of leg room.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And you're fighting for it and someone gets a little bent out of shape because you're in your space man. Other than that, it's not too bad.

Speaker 1:

Okay, besides Wiley and you, who's the next guy to look out for Horrible Lady and on the team?

Speaker 2:

What event.

Speaker 1:

Any of them.

Speaker 2:

Any of them, I'd probably like I don't want to sound like that guy, but like Case, the kid that I traveled with all summer, okay, the amount of potential he has and if he listens to this or not like like the kid that I met when I first started out, versus who I met then, from what I've heard from his parents and what people have told me, it's just like I've gotten to open up quite a bit nice and wise old man and I'm just trying to get him to go to the gym with me.

Speaker 2:

but that kid has so much going for him and the sooner he can come back down and be calm about everything and let stuff go, he's going to skyrocket like no other.

Speaker 1:

All right, All right, man Well, got anything to add? Did I miss anything?

Speaker 2:

No, I think that covered it. That was cool. It's been pretty cool talking about all that stuff. I've never, never really had anybody kind of ask about any of it, like everyone just kind of a lot of people kind of know me now, but not a lot of people know like the backstory of everything and how it came to be. Like yeah, everyone's just like we're just getting there. You look at me, like you like you think now, like if you saw me out of the crowd like okay, that guy probably rodeos and he's been rodeoing for a while yeah and then you talk to somebody that actually knows like no, he picked up a bronx out like four years ago right, that's yeah, yeah, no, it's, it's.

Speaker 1:

It's a pretty cool gig, man, it's pretty cool gig and that's what I like, because I know, like a lot of people, they even ask us runners. You know, they get the crazy guys that run multiple days or do mountains. They're like dude, why do you do what you do? There's always a reason, and so, uh, you know I took that and with the rodeo guys and it man.

Speaker 1:

It goes hand in hand. You know, both crazy. But people say that I do crazy things. I do, but I don't have an animal in front of me or underneath me or beside me. You guys have something more than I do. But yeah, it goes hand in hand. The more you look at it, the more you see it and learn it. We both go hand in hand.

Speaker 2:

So it's just kind of there was something that I was going to say.

Speaker 1:

It was um it was that bubble sticker. Yeah, for sure say it was um. It was that bubble sticker.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure. No, it was um, like it can look crazy from the inside, from the outside, but once you get into the fine tuning and the woodwork of everything, it's like a very strategic puzzle.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, wise old man, you know what you know here, here, here we are. I'm going to say dude, you know. Instead of dude you know what, instead of having something like your name on there, I'm just going to put wise old man, are you okay with that? Yeah, no, that's fine Not old man, but old, old, wise old man.

Speaker 2:

I don't know. I try to help someone listen to stuff. I say I can see it and then help somebody that's in a situation that's like I've been in, like before, and maybe give somebody some insight on something. I've been there where if you feel lost and you don't know, what to do and like you need to.

Speaker 1:

I got you you got crossroads.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you got crossroads, yeah, yeah. And when I said that you and Greenup had that thing in your eye, when I saw you guys and talked to you in Kennewick, man, I meant it dude, you guys are a different breed and you guys stick out. For the rest, keep doing what you're doing, man. Seriously, keep doing what you're doing. There's this fire in you that I I see it. I don't know if you guys see it, but talking to you is just a lot different than talking to somebody else that I've been, you know, that I've talked to in the past and I'm just like dude, you guys understand, like where you're at what you're doing. Like, do you?

Speaker 1:

I know you're not you're not really looking at me right now, but, but it's true, man, you guys have it, do you believe it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's the half the battle, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so until next time, until next time. Mike Reed. Thank you so much, man.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for having me. It was a blast. It was freaking badass. I'm out of here.