story by Lindsay King
Laramie Warren from Adair, Oklahoma, comes by his bull dogging skills naturally, but needed a little push in junior high to get him started. “I am not a little guy by any means, so my dad, the late Lane Warren, pushed me to bull dog growing up. But I was scared to get into it because I did not know anything about it,” said the 20-year-old. In the seventh grade, Lesleigh Cash, his mom, signed him up for the chute dogging at a rodeo. “After I was done roping, she sent me back down to the chutes to find Roy Duval who gave me a crash course in the event. I threw my first steer that day, it was not fast at all.” Laramie and his sister Bayleigh, 23, grew up going to the Claremore PRCA rodeo where his mom was the vet. “I got to meet the stock contractors and meet some of the pro rodeo guys. I did the mutton busting and all that, but I always had a passion to anything with a rope.” In addition to bull dogging, Laramie is a header and a calf roper.
The Northeastern Oklahoma College recent college graduate will be taking his associates in agricultural business to Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant to pursue his bachelor’s in business and rodeo. He has been competing for NEO the past two years. “I won the bull dogging in Weatherford and at Panhandle State University this spring. My goal is to make the CNFR next year. I ended up fifth in the region this year.” Bull dogging has not been easy for Laramie, but he has a natural talent for the event. Help in the event has come from many of his friend’s dads, including: Jeff Carney, Mike Bush and Just Lankford. “This year I lived with Joe Bell and he has helped me a lot. As has Brady McFarran. There are too many people who have gotten me where I am to list them all.”
In this day and age, a role model is an important person to choose carefully. That is why Laramie looks up to Trevor Brazile. “I have entered some pro rodeos: those guys don’t know who I am. But I have gotten to talk to Trevor briefly. I don’t know the guy by any means, but he was real nice to me. I think the attitude he has towards every event he competes in and his achievements really speak for themselves.” Last year was Laramie’s rookie year in the ACRA. “I live in Adair and every one of those rodeos is no more than an hour from me. I have made a lot of friends growing up and met a lot of people through the association. They pay well, and the stock are usually good. It is a stepping stone fore me in my rodeo career at this point.” A short memory and confidence are the keys to his mental game. “I try to have as much confidence no matter what happened in the arena five minutes or even the day before.” His goals for this year are to make the ACRA finals and the IFR in 2019.
His favorite rodeo to date was the Garden City Pro Rodeo last spring. “It is the first place that I ever entered that was just a wide open outdoor pen. It was an experience for me I guess you could say.” He is looking forward to competing at the NFR and Pendleton one day. “Just the stories and experience of Pendleton is a draw for me. You sit down with some of the guys who have been there and the stories of it all and how the mentality of your event changes with the set up.” Laramie is especially thankful for the role his mom has played in his rodeo career. “Mom always encouraged my sister and I to ride and rodeo when we were little. I did not need much encouragement after I was about six years old, it was just something I did on my own. Mom has played a very big part in me being able to compete at the level I am today.”
