story by Lindsay Humphrey
Last fall Colton Sand made a big splash in his final OHSRA season. Although his performance dipped in the middle a bit, Colton was confident he could make up for it during the spring rodeos. Little did he know the packed schedule would get whittled down to one regular season event and then state finals. “It is what it is, but it certainly was a change. We hit a dead spot where all we did was practice. It was just weird though because I didn’t hardly see my rodeo friends for months,” said the 18-year-old. “My partner (Dawson Price) would come over randomly so we could rope together and just hang out together.”
Known by his peers as primarily a calf roper, Colton didn’t take up team roping until he was 13. Calf roping has always been Colton’s main event. “I like team roping too, but calf roping is all on me. If I mess up, I know what I did and can go back and fix it so I can make it better, that’s hard to do in team roping.” Colton first got his start roping calves in the breakaway but transitioned to tie down the first change he got. Of course, he learned the ropes of rodeo in the real-world setting.
Set out in the cow pastures of rural Perkins, Oklahoma, Colton learned how to rope when more than a time was on the line. “It’s really my dad (Craig) who got me into roping. My mom (Jessica) ran barrels in high school, but I’m the first one in my family to really rodeo consistently.” As the older brother to 12-year-old Coy, Colton finds himself being the Guinea pig more often than not in his family. “I kind of like it, that makes me work harder. I used to rope by myself a lot and got kind of bored, so now that my brother is older, he’s always out there with me. It’s been great to have him to practice with me.” The brothers are often team roping partners at jackpots and rodeos alike.
Colton has found himself in the top 15 in the state in the team roping twice now, but the calf roping standings alluded him for several years. That was until 2020 of course. “It’s always a big push to make the top 15 in the tie down also.” The pressure was on at state finals and for the first time in many years, Colton felt his nerves building up just before round two. “I don’t know why, but I was really nervous. I was like a folding lawn chair getting off my horse in the tie down.” Perhaps being the first roper out of the box is what got Colton jazzed.
When Colton was younger, he used to get really worked up before a run, but now he’s usually fairly calm. “I’m always really laid back and my little brother is the one that gets hyped up. Sometimes I think he needs a shot of ace before he gets in the box.” Colton’s mental game work outside of the arena is most likely a contributing factor to his relaxed nature. “You have to keep the mental game up. The minute you start putting yourself down, you’re going to rope badly. Sometimes I have to just step away and rope the dummy. That usually helps a lot.”
The Sand family recently moved north to Stillwater, but Colton still graduated from Perkins Tryon High School this spring. Instead of the usual pomp and circumstance, the school had a parade, but Colton missed it on account of a rodeo. Colton was recruited by Jesse Tierney to rope calves and steers for Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Oklahoma. “I thought there was no way Jesse would call me. I was actually planning to call him when the phone rang.” Colton will be getting his basic education classes out of the way this fall while he decides what career he wants to pursue, but he thinks it will have something to do with the equine industry.
