4-2-21 Digital PSN - Hi Res

COWBOY PREPARATION

Fit to Win

“There is that stigma of cowboys smoking and drinking and then getting on, and that’s

just not it anymore. …They’re

pro athletes and not just cowboys having fun anymore.” – DOUG CHAMPION

Photos courtesy Doug Champion and R.C. Landingham

BY MATT NABER B areback rider R.C. Landingham was on a roll, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in 2016 and 2017. He toughed it out at the 2017 NFR, competing with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, but surgery and physical rehab knocked him out of the 2019 season. Then one of the screws inside his body broke, setting the California cowboy back again to miss the 2020 season. Now 30, Landingham’s back in the fold and in the No. 48 spot in the 2021 PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. In March, he posted an 88-point ride on United Pro Rodeo’s PowWow Nights to place sixth at the 93rd Annual Arcadia All- Florida Championship Rodeo. PowWow Nights has gotten the best of some of the top bareback riders at the NFR and many high-stakes ProRodeo competitions. That success has come because of a marked change for Landingham. Cowboys utilize specialized trainer

Doug Champion,

above, is a former competitor who recovered from injury and now helps ProRodeo athletes get in better shape. R.C. Landingham, left, has been working with

Champion to get back into shape following a series of injuries.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/2/2021

ProRodeo.com

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