story by Lindsay King
Concordia, Kansas, transplant Layne Lagasse is a tried and true team roper. “Rodeo is about the only hobby I am good at and feel like I can win.” Generally, he is a header but after a partner change this year he is heeling in the CePRA with Maverick Harper. Now an Alva, Oklahoma, native, Layne works for Wiebener Cattle. Farming about 3,000 acres of crops and running 1,200 head of cattle on wheat every year. They also have a starter yard that he is responsible for. He grew up around the CePRA in Concordia. The last five years he has roped in the association. “A couple of years ago they raised their fees and now you can rope for $1,000 to $1,700 for first place.” The past few years Layne has been occupied with work and has not roped a whole lot. In 2015 he made the CePRA finals and won the average. He has not been back since but has set his sights for it this year as well as the KPRA finals. “I would like to win both if it is realistic.” Layne mostly rodeos through July and August.
His dad Lance is an auctioneer and real estate agent in Concordia while his mom Brenda is an agricultural accountant. Lance has roped for as long as Layne can remember. “My dad got me into it. I picked it up when I was younger but never really got started roping on a horse until I was ten.” Layne and his dad roped at a lot more jackpots and USTRC events than rodeos. He high school rodeoed, making the finals in 2011, his senior year. “I was top ten all four years of high school and I was third my senior year. And made the nationals that year.” He roped at the International Finals Youth Rodeo for a few years, even winning a round in 2009. He dabbled in calf roping in high school. “Whenever I started rodeo I put everything else on the back burner.” The same as in high school, Layne does not do much more than work and rodeo. Layne remembers always practicing with his dad in high school, but has not roped with him a whole lot since. He is in-between horses at the moment. His 18-year-old sorrel Quarter Horse gelding is retired after coming up lame after many years of roping with Layne. Now, he is using a 16-year-old sorrel Quarter Horse gelding from his dad. “I just call all my horses by their color.”
Layne plans to continue roping in the rodeos around Alva for the time being. Last year he bought his PRCA card and went to rodeos on it. His sister Taylor, a sophomore at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, also ropes in the CePRA and KPRA, roping calves and running barrels. “We have grown up rodeoing together for the last ten years or so.” The Elsworth and Salina, Kansas, rodeos were two of the biggest Layne has won in the past few years. Layne likes being able to take $125 and turn it into $1,700 when he wins. “I suppose it is more of an addiction than anything, it is not much different from gambling.”
