ProRodeo Sports News - August 21, 2020

COWBOY GRILLE WITH AMBER BAILLIE

When it comes to managing the details, rodeo chute boss Casey Harp knows what needs to be taken care of to pull off a seamless professional event. After observing behind the scenes in rodeo as a kid and working for the National

Basketball Association as a young adult, the production coordin- ator from Forney, Texas, has been successful as the assistant general manager for PRCA stock contractor Rafter G Rodeo.

How did you get involved in rodeo? Casey: My entire family has been involved in the rodeo business in some form or fashion. Most of my aunts, uncles and cousins have competed. My stepdad worked for the Gay family (who owns Rafter G Rodeo) and is how I became associated with them. I refer to them as my extended family. I was away from it for a while because I was in the program to be a National Basketball Association referee. I returned to the rodeo business around 2012, and here I am now. Tell me about your experience working in professional basketball. Casey: I was a referee for 12 years. During my senior year of high school, I worked several regional playoffs, two state tournaments and a couple state finals. I got into Division I college basketball, then went to the NBA’s national tryout program and was invited to be on staff with the NBA Development League. Kind of like rodeo, I never had the drive to be a competitor. I never wanted to ride or rope, what interested me was the livestock. My passion ended up being the production side of things. What steered you back to rodeo? Casey: When the NBA didn’t bring me back after my second season, I spent another few years working in college basketball and wanted to get back to something that I knew. So, my first call was to Jim Gay of Rafter G. They planned to work the rodeo in Gladewater (Texas) in a few

CASEY HARP

weeks, and at that point, I hadn’t been to a rodeo in three years. I’d been living in downtown Dallas and was a corporate kind of guy. I didn’t have any cowboy clothes left, besides my boots, belt and hat, and had to buy clothes to work the rodeo.

What is your role with Rafter G Rodeo? Casey: I write and negotiate a lot of contracts with newer rodeos. I do most of the hiring of our crews. Ultimately, our boss, Jim Gay, has final say, but I know what he wants, and I try to make it happen. As far as the rodeos, I get stock to the rodeo, coordinate the hotels and make sure the feed is handled. I act as the liaison between the committees’ needs and wants and making those happen at the rodeo. Once the rodeo starts, I run our production, the chutes and make sure everything is set to go. What do you love about the sport of ProRodeo? Casey: The freedom that it brings to all of us. Every one of us gets to decide where we go, what we do, and we make a host of friends along the way. What are your goals right now? Casey: Hoping to stay in business through 2020. I think all our goals changed quite a bit when this (COVID-19 pandemic) hit. Getting my video screens and video production company off the ground, increasing clients and events in those. Everyone wants to survive and see if we can get started for 2021. What’s been your biggest accomplishment in your career? Casey: One of the things I’m most proud of is our biggest rodeo, the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo. There are a lot of responsibilities I’ve been entrusted with at that rodeo. That’s one of my favorites, being chute boss at Fort Worth, helping coordinate the production and being the next in line of the generations of people who have made such a historic event happen. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? Casey: My favorite quote is by Martin Luther King Jr.: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” I’ve always tried to maintain that mindset in any situation, whether in business or personally, to keep your cool, maintain your composure and get through any given situation at hand. What’s your favorite food? Casey: Ribeye steak, medium rare. Do you have any nicknames? Casey: “Hacksaw.” A few years back I was compared to a guy named “Chainsaw.” He

was a pickup man who worked for the Gay family. I was told I’m more like a hacksaw than a chainsaw. Neal Gay thought it was the funniest thing, and now everyone knows me as “Hacksaw.” What is your biggest pet peeve? Casey: Rude behavior, people who aren’t considerate of others. Who knows you best in your life? Casey: My two best friends, pickup man Josh Edwards and barrelman John Harrison. What was the last good show you watched? Casey: Making a Murderer on Netflix.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/21/2020

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