I think of it as more a reward for the commitment I've made to work hard than luck or anything like that. Brock, who is a sales and customer service representative for Rovi Tool and Plastics, said he still makes between 60 and 70 rodeos a year, mostly in Texas. What he's lost in speed over the years, he makes up for in experience. But he said the increasing popularity of rodeo is making it more and more difficult to stay ahead of the younger cowboys. Rodeo is just like any business.
Experience helps, absolutely.
But they're learning faster these days than they used to. There is a lot of outside help, with schools and such, and the learning process happens faster today. A lot of them are going in their first or second year. Brock said sponsorships and the increase in prize money have made it easier for cowboys to specialize in a single event. That makes it harder on someone like Brock, who has tried to work on both his calf roping and steer wrestling throughout the nearly 25 years he has been rodeoing.