We recently concluded the Ace High Roughstock Academy at Odessa College. We had forty students from across the country come to learn from some of the top athletes in our sport. Over the time spent with the instructors and students I was able to pick a lot up. I learned from watching students make mistakes, from the instructors, and from the students.
A few things that I learned from the instructors at the Roughstock School:
• They pay attention to details. They know their sport inside and out. They pay attention to the horses. They watch the gate men, the flank man and the pick-men. They really know the judges and their tendencies, who watches the mark outs like a hawk, which ones like certain riding styles or certain horse types.
Little Details. Big Details.
Rodeo is their livelihood and they learn and pay as much attention to all of their surroundings as possible. They know their equipment, they know how to fix it, and they know when not to fix it. Most everything they do in and around the arena is done on purpose. Everything in their world is detail oriented to give them the best shot to be competitive.
• If you want to win a gold buckle or make the WNFR you had better be dedicated to the sport. The Top ranked bareback rider (Tim O’Connell) and the top ranked saddle bronc rider (Jacobs Crawley) were both at the school as instructors. They had early morning workouts before the school started. They were on the spur board with the students. Even though they were instructors at the school they each got on practice horses with the students. So did most of the other instructors. They are extremely dedicated to their craft; to be in their spot in the future or take their spot at the WNFR you are going to dedicate yourself to the sport. You will have to earn your right to compete with these guys and they aren’t just resting waiting for you to come get them.
• If you want to be great you must have an inner competitive drive. Your mom and dad can’t make you want to be great; your friends can’t make you want to be great. It has to come from you and it has to be your passion. On the way to lunch we had five 2016 WNFR qualifiers in the truck. Everything they do inside the arena is competitive and everything they do outside of the arena becomes a competition as well. The top guys thrivwe on competition, they enjoy it, and they become great because of it. If rodeo is your passion make sure you have the competitive fire.
You can learn a lot at any rodeo school. To get the most out of it make sure you watch and learn as much as you can from everyone around you.
A special thanks to Cervi Rodeo, Jabob and Sterling Crawley, Richie Champion, Winn Ratliff, Binion and Chase Cervi, Tim O’Connell, Clint Johnson, Chuck Kite, Randy Britton, Vicki Pack and Hanna Wiebelhaus. Also a big thanks to the sponsors, Justin Boots, the PRCA, Rodeo Houston, and Cinch for helping put on the third annual Odessa College Ace High Roughstock Academy.
