story by Laramie Dearing
In a West Texas town with a population of less than 4,000 people lives a well-rounded cowboy, Jacob Walters. Son of Hayden and Sylvia Walters, Jacob is 18 years old and brother to Colton Walters. A senior at Westbrook High School, Jacob is active in just about everything. “Our school is 1-A so we are really small. Everyone does everything. I play football, basketball, and baseball. I am also the FFA and NHS Student President”. Whether it’s in cleats, basketball shoes, or boots, it is evident how involved Jacob is at Westbrook High School. “I like high school sports a lot. I crave the excitement that I gain from it just like rodeo. I also love improving and working on bettering myself through them”.
From one sport to the other, rodeo is no different. Jacob is just as busy in rodeo, as he is in school. Calf roping, team roping, and steer wrestling, Jacob competes in three events. “My favorite event is calf roping. It is hard to explain, but when you’re doing really well in your event it’s a great feeling. I love getting that exact feeling when everything is clicking for me in tie-down”. The West Texas cowboy competes in team roping with his partner Jerrin Ellerd. Jacobs biggest role model through the sport of rodeo is his dad. “My dad tripped steers professionally and he would always get so close to making the final but never had that opportunity. Now I’m looking forward to pushing and making the National Finals in the future. I would like to finish what my dad started”.
Hard work paying off is very familiar to Jacob. “My eighth grade year I won the Texas Junior High School Rodeo State Champion Calf Roper and went on to win the National Junior High School Rodeo Finals Calf Roping Championship. That next year I won the Texas High School Rodeo Region II Calf Roping Champion as a freshman. This previous year I won the American Junior Rodeo 19 and Under World Champion Calf Roper”. Jacob is active in the Texas High School Rodeo Association, American Junior Rodeo Association, and the United Professional Rodeo Association. “When rodeo is compared to other sports you recognize that it’s the only sport where it’s a competition not against others, but solely you. Your performance is a direct reflection of your hard work. It is you versus you”.
Determined is one word that accurately describes Jacob Walters. “Winning happens when opportunity meets hours and hours of preparation”, it’s no surprise that is Jacob’s favorite quote. Not just lifeless words, he puts these words into action on an everyday basis. “I wake up and get dressed to head to school. I have early morning workouts and practice before school, luckily I get my first period off. After going to school, I go to after school practice. Once I am done there we fly home with our hair on fire trying to make enough time to practice! After practice we take care of our horses and eat dinner. We then go to bed and repeat it all the next day”. It is no shock that Jacob likes preparing for his future. “After high school, I want to attend college and study broadcast journalism as well as agriculture communications. I hope to, maybe one day, go to the Cowboy Channel or RFDTV to complete profiles on cowboys. It would be cool to continue rodeoing through college”. A true cowboy from hat to boot to a champion mindset. Jacobs favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
