by Kyle Eustice
Forty-three-year-old Clearwater, Kansas resident Ross Keesling is a loving father to four children— Brandy, 15, Cole, 13, Chance, 9, Kyle, 5—along with wife Bridget.
Although that keeps him extremely busy, he still manages to find a little time to nurture his other love—rodeo. Born in Topeka and raised in Perry, Ross was encouraged to explore a rodeo way of life by his parents, Roscoe and Linda, who owned cattle when he was younger.
“I learned to rope in a pasture,” said Ross. “I was more into football and baseball back then, but still gathered cattle with my dad. The first time I roped in an arena was in the 8th grade. I caught the bug, started competing and went from there.”
As a self-described perfectionist, Ross was drawn to the friendly competition and that competitive spirit led him to polish his craft.
“If I am going to do something, I put everything I’ve got to put into it,” explained Ross. “I don’t do anything half way. After roping in the arena, I started watching guys like Clay O’Brien Cooper and imitating their style. I just wanted to get better and better.”
Ross’ first taste of the CePRA came in the late ‘90s/early 2000s. He had a friend who lived in Manhattan, Kansas, who wanted to go. Before he knew it, he was hooked.
“When I moved to Clearwater, I bought my membership,” said Ross. “It will be three years in May that I’ve been team roping with the CePRA. I used to rope calves in high school and college, but nobody where I lived was into roping calves, so I kind of lost interest. That’s when I picked up team roping.”
Ross graduated from Perry-Lecompton High School in 1991 and attended Colby Community College that fall, where he studied physical therapy and earned a degree in computer science. Rodeo, however, was where his heart was and he enthusiastically pursued it despite his broken fingers, severe burns and other physical challenges he encountered along the way.
“I finally made the circuit finals in 2002,” recalled Ross. “I placed with my dad at USTRC Finals in the gold plus one year, too. We got to split $18,000. That’s probably one of my fondest memories, especially because it was with my dad.”
His father Roscoe, who was in the URA back in the ‘70s, still breaks cattle for the USTRC in Missouri, but the rotator cuff in one of his shoulders is gone so his competing days are behind him. At 78, he is “still going hard,” as Ross put it. On the other hand, his wife of 18 years did not grow up in a rodeo family, but is very supportive of her husband’s ambitions. It’s his dedication that keeps him going.
“I do a lot of coaching in youth sports and there’s only so much you can accomplish on talent alone,” said Ross. “Putting in hours practicing are things that really make you successful. It can be a mind game. If you compete long enough, you’re going to go through a slump, and dedication and hard work is what it takes to make your way out of it.”
At this stage in his life, Ross is admittedly slowing down a bit. His children are getting older and participating in a lot of sports, but he still goes to regional pro-rodeos, CePRA events, World Series and USTRC ropings, as well as All-Star Team Roping events, a new association in Oklahoma. He hopes his eldest boy will one day follow in his footsteps.
“My kids think it’s pretty cool,” said Ross. “None of them are really too involved in it. My eldest boy is showing some interest in roping and runs a steer or two when I’m practicing. We will see if he gets into the swing of things.”
