June & July Are The Months of the College National Finals Rodeo

June and July are the months of the College National Finals Rodeo, The National High School Finals rodeo, the Best of the Best, the National Little Britches Finals, and the International Finals Youth rodeo. For many of the young contestants that are coming up through the rodeo ranks, these are the biggest youth rodeos they will have ever competed in for national championships. Today I had a parent ask me what my best advice to get a student ready to compete at one of these events was. How would I prepare a student to go to one or more of these events?
Every year since 2007 I have helped college students prepare to compete at the college finals in every event. In every case, there is a difference in the competitor, but I do believe there are a few things that students can do to better prepare themselves to compete at a high level.
The first thing I see is that students who continue to compete are usually better prepared. Practice is great and you need to continue to practice, but there is no substitution for competition. Find rodeos to compete at, find jackpots to compete at, but make sure you are competing. You should be willing to step out of your comfort zone and compete against a higher level of competition than you usually compete against. Enter an open roping, enter a pro rodeo, the top contestants you will be competing against at any of those events listed above are competing at these events.
The other main thing I see is that most contestants spend the majority of their practice time and efforts practicing on the physical side of their event. The majority of contestants I know put in plenty of time in the practice arena working on the physical elements of their game. Where most of the money and championships are won are with the mental side. I will say it again most of the championships are won by those contestants who are strong competitors mentally.
Focus should go into practice to prepare yourself both physically and mentally if you want to compete at a high level of any sport. Most people like to practice with ideal circumstances and their choice of livestock; that’s great in a perfect world. Most rodeos are won by contestants and competitors who can win on what they draw and do not need the proverbial luck of the draw to win. Mentally strong people seem to always find ways to win consistently. Work on your mental game.
And the final advise I give to all of my student competing—You can’t win it on your first one, but you can lose it. Very seldom does anyone remember who won the first round of the CNFR or the High School Finals, but they all remember the champion. Most of the rodeos I mentioned are three or four head averages. You have to do well on three or four head to win. Have a game plan and be able to execute your game plan on each individual animal you have drawn. Good things happen when you can execute a game plan.
Good Luck!