Matt Paulsen is the vice president-elect for Mid-States Rodeo Association and he’s looking forward to the job. “I want to be available for members to talk to me about concerns or issues related to the association. I’d like to be that ‘good listener’ and help out when I can. I’ll try to do my best to help the members as best I can, and always keep my door open to them.”
He first joined the association in the mid-’90s. “I was riding barebacks in my younger and not-so-smarter days. I got out for a while and rejoined in 2003. Now I compete in the mixed team roping. I like the Mid-States Association for all the great people you meet and friends you make. We’re pretty well located so we can get to most of the rodeos in a day and be back home that night. My wife, Tracy lives and breathes rodeo and she gets to 50 plus a year. I get to probably 20 or so a year.” The couple has two young boys, Coy, 3 ½ and Kip 1 ½ that go along, “…I’ll go just to keep an eye on the boys. We try to make it a family event. Tracy competes in the barrels, breakaway, and mixed team roping. We rope together in the mixed team roping and since I’m a southpaw, I heel and she handles the head side.”
Visualizing the run before hand is a big part of his preparation for a run. “I try to see those feet coming back to me so I get in time with the steer. The biggest factor in roping is the mental part of it. If you don’t think about roping two feet, you won’t do well. For me it’s the mental prep that makes a good run.”
Matt got his introduction to roping through a high school girlfriend. “Her dad roped quite a bit and he got me started. I think I was sophomore then. In college some buddies convinced me that I’d make a bareback rider and I went to a Lyle Sankey bareback school. Eventually I moved to just team roping.”
Today Matt has abandoned his old superstitions. “When I was riding barebacks, I’d try to wear the same socks, shirt, pants, and underwear…the whole nine yards. But it never helped, the next pony you’d draw would be totally different. Being mentally prepared would have done me a lot more good than wearing the same underwear.”
Matt barely finds time for rodeo between his ranch and farm operations and his duties as bank president. “I’ve been here for seven years. Things have been good here in the ag economy, our business is 80 to 90 percent ag-related. I’m not the kind of bank president that goes to the golf course at 4:30. I’ll go bale hay, work cattle, or go roping.” His experience working on ranches and feedlots combined with his college education in agriculture provided a solid base for his career in banking. “I think my work ethic that I developed has helped me also. I’ve worked pretty hard to get where I’m at and I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of good people. It’s been a heck of a journey.”
Matt, 39 makes his home in Primrose, Neb. He says that his wife has been his biggest influence to him credits her and her love of rodeo and horses for where they are today. “I’d have to say she is the bone in my back.” Goals for the future are to build his ranching operation and keep his options open for coming opportunities with his banking career. Leisure time is to rope or going to rodeos. “Those are my get-aways, to go down the road to rodeo and get forget about what you have to do next week.”
