When the 60th annual College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) starts at the Casper Events Center, there will be student athletes, coaches, and fans anticipating the crowning of the 2008 champs.
Two of this year’s contestants know what it’s like to be crowned the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Championships (NIRA) and have the added pressure of winning back-to-back titles. Tilden Hooper from Carthage, Texas, won the 2007 bareback riding title in dramatic fashion by just one point with 322 points on four rides.
Hooper, a sophomore at Panola Junior College has been making a name for himself in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) as well. After winning the college title, he went on to claim the PRCA rookie of the year in bareback riding and finished the season in 28th place.
He returned to college last fall, competed in the PRCA as well as NIRA and won the bareback riding in the Southern Region. The last time a contestant won consecutive bareback riding titles was in 1991 and 92 when Shawn Vant who was at Montana State University won it.
“I ready to get there and try to do it again,” said Hooper who will return to college next fall at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. “I got on three really good horses last year. Both Jared Smith (Ranger College) and Kaycee Field (Utah Valley State College) ride really good, and there are some other guys, so I’m going to have my work cut out for me.”
The women’s all-around champion, Nikki Steffes, from Vale, S.D., will also return to Casper to defend her title. Steffes competes in barrel racing and goat tying. She won all-three categories in the Central Rocky Mountain Region for the University of Wyoming Cowgirls.
Caryn Standifer-Snyder won consecutive all-around titles in 1995 and 96 while competing for Southeastern Oklahoma State University. As Steffes and Hooper make their appearances at the Casper Events Center, it will be with the confidence of last year’s competition but the pressure of repeat success on their shoulders.
“I’ve tried not to think about it at all, to the point that I wouldn’t even wear my buckle,” Steffes said. “I want to go there and start fresh this year. I’ve worked and prepared harder, but last year couldn’t have gone any better. It’s such an honor to win the all-around.”
She was also part of the 2007 women’s team champions and her teammates may be the competition that keeps her from getting the 2008 all-around. Tanaye Carroll and Sarah Mulholland will both be competing in the break- away roping and goat tying. They finished second and third respectively behinds Steffes in the region in all-around and goat tying. Carroll won the break- away roping regional title.
“I think having Sarah and Tanaye to practice with is a huge asset for me,” Steffes said. “We’re all great friends, but we still want to beat each other. It brings a level of intensity to everything we do. It’s made me work really hard because nobody is going to let me win it.”
UW rodeo coach George Howard is excited about their prospects this year and again in 2009. All three team members are juniors and plan to return to UW next fall.
“All of these girls are excellent students and excellent athletes,” Howard said. “Any one of them could win the all-around or either of their events. It’s all about winning the college finals and that’s our goal.”
Steffes would also like to see her name by a title in barrel racing or goat tying as well. Again this year, she will be riding her talented horse Doc in both events. It will be the all-around cowgirl’s third CNFR qualification but just the second to ride Doc. In 2006, he was injured right before the CNFR, so she borrowed a horse from her sister.
“All of my horses have been all-around horses,” Steffes said. “I think it’s best for a horse to have more than one thing to do. I roped on him this year as well. I’m fortunate to have him. He’s just been outstanding.” Her junior year in high school, Steffes won a pickup and trailer riding Doc who is now 14-years-old. The pair competed in barrel racing, poll bending, break-away roping, the flag and ribbon race and goat tying.
Last year, Ranger College won the Southwest Region Men’s Team title and came to the CNFR and continued to dominate the standings. This year they finished second in the region behind Western Texas College but have high hopes for a repeat victory in Casper.
Prior to the last two rodeo’s of the season, eight-time all-around world champion Ty Murray made the trip to the small community of Ranger, Texas to help coach Tom Reeves with his team.
“We had two of our best rodeos of the year after Ty was there,” Reeves said. “He is a great motivator and knows how to win. We got more points in the timed events than we ever had before at those two rodeos. We’ve been working really hard and I think we can go back to the CNFR and do it again.”
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