Athletics require nuance. As a competitor you want to play with emotion, but not get emotional. In rodeo, a star cowboy requires humility, but cannot lack confidence.
It is a balance that Dean Thompson is learning how to strike as his career takes off this season. The 22-year-old continued his run of good showings by winning the bareback riding crown at the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo with a score of 88 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Cowboy Fever.
The ride featured pause and applause.
“She’s the kind of horse when you hear about it you kind of buckle up the whole week before. You know you can win it. But she has made winners of a lot of guys and fools of a lot of guys as well,” said Thompson, who explained that the key was surviving the first few jumps.
“I knew that horse had enough horsepower. But it was scary. When she was coming out, she landed with both her feet on top of the chute gate. The judges gave me a free roll because she had interference. What a fantastic event in one of the coolest little arenas you will see and it was an absolutely packed house.”
Thompson, who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the first-time last season, is on quite the roll. He ranks in the top 10 in the yearly standings, propped up by several wins, including at the Lakeside (Calif.) Rodeo and the La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Ariz.). The Sisters victory provides a boost as he enters the most critical juncture of the season.
“Oh man, this is everything. It does give me a lot of confidence knowing what I have been doing the last few weeks – really the last few months – has been working,” Thompson said. “It’s proof that the more you enjoy your job – and mine is the coolest in the world – the chance you have at success only goes up.”
The reality of bareback events is that the competition has become increasingly harsh. There are no easy wins anymore. It requires the right mindset to survive and thrive.
“You really have to appreciate this game. But at the same time, you have to plan to win, and know that you can win every time,” Thompson said. “As I am putting my hand in the rope, I run through a routine in my head. I tell myself that, ‘All right the guy before you just got a 90. All that is getting paid is a 91.’ You have to kind of go about it that way these days or you don’t have a chance.”
Other winners at the PRCA Playoff Series rodeo were steer wrestler Stan Branco (10.9 seconds on two head); team ropers Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan (4.8 seconds); saddle bronc riders Brody Wells (86.5 points on Flying 5 Rodeo’s Spring Tunes) and Sage Newman (86.5 points on Big Bend Rodeo’s Spring Tour); tie-down roper Trevor Hale (18.3 seconds on two head); barrel racer Abby Phillips (17.35 seconds); and bull rider Chase Dougherty (89.5 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Rock On).
Courtesy of PRCA
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