LAS VEGAS – The things that await D.V. Fennell this week are nasty bucking horses, the very best bareback riders in the business and a packed house of fans itching to see the best rides and best wrecks in ProRodeo.
“I live for these situations, and I’ve been waiting on them my whole life,” said Fennell of Neosho, Mo. “My motor’s going to be running, so I’m just going to have to calm myself down and ride like I know how, to go at ’em every lick.”
Fennell is 36 years old – a bunch above the average age of most bareback riders – and making his first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which starts at 9 p.m. (Central) Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center – the first nine rounds will be televised live on one of the ESPN networks. Still, he has had his gold-buckle dreams. It’s just taken Fennell a little longer than most.
“It’s a dream come true to be doing this,” said Fennell, ranked 10th in the standings heading into the 10-round ProRodeo grand finale. “Making it to the National Finals Rodeo and fighting to win a world title is something that I’ve wanted to be doing since the first time I ever watched bareback horses buck. This year has just been a blast and a blessing.”
Evidently.
Fennell will head into Sin City with nearly $70,000 in earnings, the biggest year of his 15-year career. He stands a great chance to pad that this week with $17,000 paychecks that to each of the 10 go-round winners and nearly $44,000 that goes to the cowboy with the best cumulative score at the conclusion of the NFR. In rodeo, money won equals points toward the world title. The contestant in each event with the most money won at the end of the NFR will be crowned world champion.
And the Utah-born, Oklahoma-raised Fennell just itches to be standing on that stage in Vegas when the trophy buckles are awarded. Not only did he graduate high school in Valliant, Okla., he attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he was on the rodeo team that won the 1993 men’s national championship. He also lived in Stroud, Okla., for several years. And even though he’s at the NFR for the first time, he’s been around this block before.
“I went to a hundred rodeos this year, and, yeah, there’s going to be more lights and more firecrackers and more music, but it just boils down to screwing your chin down and making a good ride,” Fennell said.
He travels the rodeo trail with reigning world champion Justin McDaniel of Porum, Okla., a 23-year-old all-around hand who has focused his talents on bareback riding, and several other young guns. A dozen years ago, when Fennell first cracked out in ProRodeo, he traveled with world champs Eric Mouton (1997), Mark Gomes (1998) and Jeffrey Collins (2000).
And on those ever-rare occasions, when Fennell closes his eyes for a few hours while traveling to another rodeo, he sees that bright light that hits his eyes, that glare that comes from the world-champion’s hardware he hopes will be cinching up his belt at the end of this tremendous season. Those gold-buckle dreams drive him, just as they did when he first saw bareback horses buck.
“As far as competition in the arena, I live that daily,” he said. “Whenever you’ve got those dreams, it’s what makes you bring your best game to the arena every day.”Fennell is realizing his dreams, so expect his best from the Nevada desert.
