ProRodeo Sports News - Feb. 21, 2020

(1998/2001). “You could say I was born into rodeo,” Sam said. “About six months before I was born, when they found out I was a boy, my grandad had a horse for me, and when I was born it was time to do cowboy things in the ranch or in the arena.” Sam’s great-grandfather Louis Powers was a member of the Cowboys’ Turtle Association, and Sam’s dad, Houston, was a PRCA competitor in the 1980s and ’90s. “My dad and grandpa have been a really big part of my success,” Sam said. “There isn’t anything that they don’t know that I couldn’t ask about.” Sam has earned $70,780 since his rookie year in 2014 and ended the 2019 season third in the Texas Circuit for steer wrestling with $13,584. As of Feb. 18, Sam was fifth in the 2020 Texas Circuit standings. “I’m like any grandfather, I’m tickled to death with his accomplishments if that’s what he wants to do,” Jim said. With famed ProRodeo announcer Boyd Polhamus as his godfather and ProRodeo greats as frequent guests at the house, Sam has spent his life immersed in the sport. “Since I was little, I was around people like the top 30

“Sam understands through me that rodeo is not the end of the world,” Jim said. “It’s good to have that if you want to have that enjoyment and want to go. But you’ll wind up right back here, so you need to take care of this down here to where you can do that.” Sam transitioned from tie-down roping to steer wrestling after earning his ag business degree at Sol Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, where he attended on a rodeo scholarship. “A lot of cowboys don’t have a degree, and I wanted to have something to fall back on,” Sam said. Now, the cowboy is at a crossroads. “Sam and I talked this morning, and he said, ‘What do you think I ought to do?’” Jim said, Feb. 12. “I said this is one time I won’t interfere. If you want to go and try this, I will run your ranch for you like I do mine and you can try it. “I don’t think he’ll ever be satisfied until he tries it. I said to look at it like you do ranching, ‘I’m going to go into this and make money at it,’ and I imagine that’s what he’s going to do.”

guys who would stay at my house during the winter,” Sam said. “I wanted to be a world champion and compete with those guys day in and day out, that was always a big goal for me.” IN THE ARENA Although he trains his own horses, Sam is competing on a 12-year-old, 15.3-hands tall American Quarter Horse called Pepper that he bought from lifelong friend and fellow steer wrestler Olin Hannum. “He (Pepper) is the saving grace to my rodeo career,” Sam said. “As a big guy, not many horses can pack me.” Sam started competing with Pepper last June, and by mid-July they were holding their own against some of the top steer wrestlers. At the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, with Hannum as his hazer, Sam placed in the average. “That was the first time I had placed through to the average in my career,” Sam said. “I was plumb tickled, and Pepper was tickled too.” With Hannum living on the opposite side of the country, they don’t team up often, but Sam has plenty of help in the Texas circuit. “At the circuit rodeos, my dad is here and so is Matt Reeves, Jule Hazen and Cade Staton,” Sam said. Powers considers the Texas circuit a steppingstone to competing on a national scale. But that’s not his proudest achievement. “Honestly, it’s the fact that I get to continue my family’s legacy,” Sam said. “And I try to be positive to everyone around me and be a good time to be around. I guess you could say I’m most proud of young kids looking up to me, and I try to be a positive role model.” ON THE RANCH When he’s not competing, Sam ranches with his dad and grandpa, where they work a 300-head cow-calf operation and have about 3,000 goats. “That’s what separates me from the other cowboys,” Sam said. “They’re cattlemen and I’m a goat-man.” His grandfather agreed. “He’s occupied with cattle and goats, and I hate to say it, it’s probably more important to him than rodeo, but he enjoys rodeoing tremendously,” Jim said. The 2019 season was going to be Sam’s first time competing for the entire season, but it was cut short when his grandfather fell ill.

James Phifer photo Sam Powers finished third in steer wrestling in the 2019 Texas Circuit. As of Feb. 18, he was in fifth place in the Texas Circuit standings.

ProRodeo Sports News 2/21/2020

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