| FFA Nation

Oklahoma FFA member chases professional rodeo dreams

Cassandra Vanhooser | 07/09/2010 |

The night before the 2009 American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championship in Oklahoma City last summer, Will Howell sat on his grandfather’s back porch in nearby Stillwater and imagined the perfect run.

In his mind, he bolts from the gate atop a sorrel gelding named Moon, throws his rope and jumps to the ground. After quickly turning the calf on its side and tying three of its legs together, he secures the pigging string and throws his hands in the air.

Yep, to Will, that would be the perfect run, and a really fast time doing so would be even better.

“It all happens pretty fast, but I don't usually get nervous at all,” Will says. “I always feel pretty good about it.”

The tall, lanky Stillwater High School junior and FFA member was born to rodeo. He mounted his first pony when he was just 3-years-old and took up roping at age 7.

“My grandpa bought me a pony, and he would lead me around the ring everyday,” Will remembers. “Then I got my next horse, Gracie, and learned to ride on my own. Pretty soon, I was competing in horse shows and junior rodeos.”

Will now has his own small ranch just north of Stillwater where he raises calves for roping and practices his sport. He’s competed in almost every rodeo event, from chute dogging to bronc riding, but these days he focuses primarily on roping.

“I’m just good at it,” he laughs.

Now, he practices roping three or four times a week. On weekends, though, he hitches his aluminum Featherlite slant-load, 3-horse trailer to a red Dodge Ram and hits the rodeo circuit, sometimes participating in up to four rodeos in one weekend.

“You just do your thing and move on,” Will explains. “We don’t stay in hotels. That’s extra money. We stay in my trailer. It has living quarters with a bed, couch, microwave, and flat screen TV.”

Another fringe benefit of rodeoing, Will notes, is seeing the country.

“I like traveling,” he says. “I like seeing new things and meeting new people. When I’m out on the road, I like seeing what’s around me. Yeah, it’s business, and it’s work, but after you rope, you get to cruise into town and check everything out.”

He’s got a pile of trophies, he says, enough to fill three cases so far. The awards include the tie-down roping championship he won at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, New Mexico, in 2008.

Perhaps most meaningful, though, are the two all-around titles he won at the Amanda Westermier Memorial Rodeo, held yearly at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, an event that honors a dear friend who was killed by a runaway horse and rider.

“Those are definitely my favorites,” he confirms.

While he’s enjoying the ride, Will says it takes a lot of hard work to be a competitive roper.

“You have to work at it everyday,” he stresses. “You have to be in good shape, and you have to keep your horse in shape. You can’t let anything slip, or you won’t end up on top.”

On top is where he hopes to stay, though his future plans remain uncertain. Will says he might attend college at Texas Tech or Texas A&M, schools with great rodeo teams. More likely, he’ll put college on the back burner for a while and pursue his dream of professional rodeo.

“I want to win the NFR,” he says, referring to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “When I hit 18, I’m gone.”

For now, though, Will focuses on honing his skills and becoming the best. At the 2009 Quarter Horse championship in Oklahoma City, he placed 9th in the world in tie-down roping and 12th in breakaway roping.

“You just do what you’ve got to do,” he drawls. “I mean, it’s business. I give it 110 percent every time, and what happens, happens. That’s just the way it goes. But all in all, it was a pretty good day.”