story by Lindsay King
The Musil men got started in rodeo back when Adam Musil’s great grandfather entered all the events he could in rodeo and eventually started producing them himself. The bug trickled through until it hit 17-year-old Adam, hard. “I can remember having a miniature pony when I was five years old and I would jump off him and wrestle the roping dummy to the ground,” said the Crescent, Oklahoma, native. His mom Sandi remembers Adam “practicing” with his pony and the dummy for hours on end. “I’ve wanted to be a steer wrestler for as long as I can remember. His dad Marty competed in the event in the PRCA while Adam was growing up. “I started out roping calves and steers, but once I tried steer wrestling I was hooked. It is almost second nature for me now.”
As Adam heads into his senior year of high school, this will also be his fourth year as a steer wrestler. “Jumping off is a big adrenaline rush for me, but it can be kind of sketchy sometimes. I like the competitive nature of the event and working the horses.” Learning how to jump off a perfectly good horse barreling down the arena was a big learning curve for this roper, but Adam said confidence in his abilities makes it easier over time. He’s hoping to follow in his dad’s footsteps and hit the PRCA circuit sooner rather than later. Of course the ultimate goal is to make it to the Thomas and Mack.
For now, Adam will bask in the glory of being a two-time state champion steer wrestler in the OHSRA. “Last year at state finals my buddy and I went into the final round at state as number one and two. But he also rode saddle bronc and he got hurt before the finals.” Adam beat his friend by five points last year, but it wasn’t all that sweet because of the circumstances. This year, both competitors got to leave it all out in the arena in the short round and Adam still managed to come out on top.
This will be Adam’s second trip to nationals in his high school rodeo career. However, his sights are set on making a third appearance at the junior NFR this December. “The first year I went I was really nervous, I still made some decent runs but last year was better. I set out to win of course but fell just a hair short of making the short go. But I did get fifth in the second round.” Meeting new people in all these different places is Adam’s favorite aspect of rodeo outside of the arena. The Texas Panhandle is his favorite destination so far.
Steer wrestling is a definitely a learn by doing event, and it’s been how Adam has faced some of his tougher lessons. “I remember one practice when I got kind of wide but jumped anyway and I ended up hurting my foot.” This lesson drove home the importance of making smart jumps every time. With his bull dogging continuing to progress every day, Adam is also looking forward to his second year of team roping at high school rodeos. But his first love will always be for the big man’s event.
