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Brazile sets his sights on another title

Decatur, Texas, cowboy begins long trek chasing his fifth all-around championship

Brad Byler, Special to the News

Published January 5, 2007 at midnight

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On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

We're the best of friends,

Insisting that the world be turnin' our way

And our way is on the road again

Willie Nelson's hit country song was about life as a musician, but it could well have been written about the nomadic life of rodeo cowboys.

The pro rodeo circuit kicks off in earnest this week at the National Western Stock Show (Saturday to Jan. 21).

For 13 days and nights, cowboys will compete in roping and riding events as they try to leave Denver on top of the standings.

With approximately $500,000 in prize money, the National Western is one of the big four winter rodeos, along with competitions in San Antonio, Fort Worth, Texas, and Houston.

For most, the National Western will be the first stop on a tour of approximately 70 rodeos across the country, where cowboys will try to earn enough money to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

That's where the road finally ends, culminating with a World Championship for the few who come out on top in the long, difficult season of pro rodeo.

"Rodeo doesn't let up much," Trevor Brazile said. "There's not a lot of down time."

Brazile has roped his way to the top of pro rodeo four times. As a four-time all-around champion, the 30-year-old is accustomed to living most of the year in an 18-by-8-foot travel trailer.

His wife, Shada, estimates they spend about 150 days a year on their 65-acre ranch just outside Decatur, Texas. Shada travels with Trevor on the circuit. At many of the stops, she will compete in barrel racing, while Trevor competes in steer roping, calf roping and team roping.

Life on the road can be hard. But staying home just isn't in a rodeo cowboy's blood.

"We get a little homesick, but when we've been home for a couple months, we're kind of ready to go somewhere," Shada said. "You get accustomed to it. And we have each other out there, so its worth the long drives."

Things got easier for Trevor Brazile when he won his first all-around title in 2002. Sponsorship improved, allowing him to practice more. Before he became a world champion, Brazile trained horses to make money.

"I used to have to train a lot more horses and practice when I could," he said. "It was harder to find the time. If you aren't winning you've got to be making money somewhere else."

Since 2002, Brazile hasn't had much problem making money from his roping skills. Last year, he became the youngest Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association cowboy to top $2 million in career earnings.

Once he was viewed as a talented roper who had yet to fulfill his potential, he forever shed that label by winning the title last year after claiming three straight from 2002 to 2004.

"I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing," he said. "I'm just lucky to be able to make a living doing what I love to do."

He pays the price for his labor of love. Two ankle surgeries, two broken collarbones, a broken shoulder blade and countless cuts, sprains and twists have been the price tag.

Currently, Brazile is nursing a torn tendon that connects his groin to his pelvis, a painful injury that could prevent him from competing in the calf roping event at the National Western. Brazille will still compete in the team roping and steer roping events.

The injury occurred at a rodeo in Pendleton, Ore., in September, but he kept competing through the pain to ensure he would win the All-Around title.

His goal is to win eight all-around titles, one more than the legendary Ty Murray's record of seven. The record appears reachable to someone his age, given his skill and determination.

"He's got a lot of ambition and he works hard at it," said Joe Beaver, 41, who has won four all-around titles and finished second to Brazile last season. "If I were his age in his condition and roped as good as he does, I'd give myself no less than a goal of eight titles, too."

Brazile's run for a fifth title starts in Denver, where he is the defending all-around champion.. As an early stop in a long season, every cowboy knows Denver is where the quest for a world championship begins.

"I always look forward to Denver, to getting the year started off right and a lot of money up," he said. "It's a good rodeo."

After the National Western, the couple plans to stop at Shada's grandfather's ranch in Colorado Springs, where Shada spent many of her summers growing up.

"We usually stop and turn the horses out at the ranch," she said. "But its usually a quick stop."

Then it's back on the road again.

The champions

The 2006 Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association world champions, all of whom are expected to compete in Denver.

All-around: Trevor Brazile, 30, Decatur, Texas.

Bareback riding: Will Lowe, 24, Canyon, Texas.

Steer wrestling: Dean Gorsuch, 27, Gering, Neb.

Team roping - headers: Matt Sherwood, 37, Queen Creek, Ariz.

Team roping - heelers: Allen Bach, 49, Weatherford, Texas.

Saddle bronc: Chad Ferley, 26, Oelrichs, S.D.

Tie-down roping: Cody Ohl, 33, Hico, Texas.

Steer roping: Brazile.

Barrel racing: Mary Burger, 58, Pauls Valley, Okla.

Bull riding: B.J. Schumacher, 24, Hillsboro, Wis.

Rodeo 101

Professional rodeo consists of two types of events - roughstock and timed.

• Roughstock events: A contestant's score is equally dependent on the cowboy's performance and the performance of the animal. Two judges each score a cowboy's qualified ride by awarding 0 to 25 points for the animal's performance and 0 to 25 for the rider's performance. The judges' scores are combined to determine the contestant's score. A perfect score is 100.

Bareback riding: Using only one hand on a rigging and no saddle, riders try to balance themselves atop a bucking bronco for 8 seconds. As with all roughstock events, the rider is disqualified if he touches the horse with his free hand.

Saddle bronc riding: Using a saddle, stirrups and one hand, cowboys try to ride an unbroken horse for 8 seconds.

Bull riding: Holding onto only a rope tied around the girth of a bull, cowboys score points for control and cunning of the animal during an 8-second ride.

• Timed events: The goal is to finish with the fastest time. In these events, calves and steers are allowed a head start. The competitor, on horseback, starts in a three-sided fenced area with the fourth side open to the arena. A rope barrier is stretched across that opening and tied to the calf or steer. Once the calf or steer reaches the head-start point the barrier is automatically released. If a cowboy breaks that barrier before it is released, he is assessed a 10-second penalty.

Calf roping: Working with his highly trained horse, a cowboy scores points based on the time it takes him to rope and tie a calf.

Steer wrestling: Jumping from his horse onto a running steer, a cowboy uses the steer's horns to twist it to the ground in this timed event.

Team roping: Working in tandem, one cowboy (called a header) lassos a calf's head while the other (a heeler) ropes its hind legs. The clock stops when the ropes are taut and the cowboys' horses are facing each other.

Barrel racing: Cowgirls race their horses around barrels in a cloverleaf pattern and back to the gate in this timed event.

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