story by Ruth Nicolaus
David Streweler’s athleticism has helped him in a variety of different sports, including rodeo.
The Golden, Colo. cowboy, a member of the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association, has played baseball, bowled, ridden dirt bikes, bareback horses and bulls.
He competed in high school rodeo as a bull rider but went to college as a baseball player.
About fifteen years ago, he began riding bareback horses. David would watch his buddy practice on a bucking machine, so he “messed around” on it, too. After several months, his friends noticed that David had “fast feet,” and suggested he give bareback riding a try.
He did, and his rodeo career switched gears.
For two years, he rode both bulls and barebacks, but then discontinued the bulls. Bareback riding “was my bread and butter,” he said. “I made more money at it and it prolonged my career.”
In his early twenties, he played baseball for three years for the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Adult Baseball Association, playing short stop, third base and outfield. In 2007, the first year he played, his team went to the championship, and that year, he was named MVP of the All-Star Game and MVP of the league.
Even though he quit baseball in 2010, because his rodeo career was blossoming, he still loves the sport. “I did it because I loved the game. I’d do it today if I had a team to play for. It’s one thing I never got tired of doing. I could play baseball all day long.”
David rodeoed in the CPRA from 2002 to 2018, when he took a break. At that point, he’d won his second CPRA year-end title, and thought it was a good time to walk away from rodeo. But a year later, he began helping young guys learn to ride barebacks, and the spark was reignited. He joined the CPRA again and, last year, won his third year-end title.
In addition to CPRA competition, he belonged to the Wyoming Rodeo Association, and has won that year-end title six times.
He got his PRCA card in 2004 and held it till 2020. He’s placed at some of the bigger rodeos in the nation: Denver, San Angelo, tour rodeos, and others. For five years, he rodeoed fulltime, with his best finish in 2011 when he finished 33rd in the world standings. He’s competed nine times at the Mountain States Circuit Finals.
“Some of the best times in my life are rodeoing with my friends and seeing the sights I get to see,” he said.
