ProRodeo Sports News February 16, 2024

PRORODEO COWBOYS

“When I started out it was all trial and error with finances and entering. For a lot of guys, it is a real challenge to balance the money, the nutrition, and the performance. We feel like we can help kids get started and going in right direction.” – CHASE BROOKS

Chase Blythe photos

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LEFT: Doug Champion gives instruction to bareback rider Ben Snell during daily workouts. ABOVE: Bareback rider Caleb Bennett, a 10-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, helps Alejandro Chavarria learn how to tape appropriately before riding.

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Champion hosting academies to foster development of bareback and saddle bronc riders FULL Focus

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News D oug Champion talks with energy and authority, his confidence convincing. He is taking time between workouts, podcasts, and updating his training app to discuss the future of rodeo athletes. Champion harbored dreams of making a career in the sport. During competition, a horse rolled into a fence with Champion aboard, leaving him with a fractured collarbone, ribs, and spine, which required fusion. Champion rehabilitated himself, a cap tip to his fitness routine. With his personal background and experience in the arena, Champion knew he could specialize training for cowboys from warmups to workouts. But as time passed, he developed a broader model as he watched rodeo evolve over the last few years. Champion began hosting academies to microwave the development of bareback and saddle bronc riders. “The way we started, it was ex-rodeo athletes, current ones and coaches thinking about how we could have gotten further faster in our careers. It’s all the stuff that took us 10 years to learn,” Champion said. “There are a lot of free schools out there but after putting on the saddle, there’s nowhere to become an actual athlete and be in front of a coach. You have young guys out there that want to compete and have

fun, but they are not thinking about it as a business.” Champion hopes that he can fill that void in the system, providing a more holistic approach for prospects, who typically range between the ages of 17-23. During the four-day camps – there will be two this year, one in Pueblo, Colo., for bull riders in May and a second in Huntsville, Texas, in November for bareback and saddle bronc – the academy provides instruction on workouts, nutrition, finances, social media and how to enter rodeos. This model mirrors the type of resources available to professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, and MLB either through their teams or agents. Champion is not interested in taking away the cowboy tough mantra, but it only takes a glance at rodeo scores to realize the talent of the competitors has never been better as the athletes incorporate physical preparedness, active recovery, and mental skills. “I started this because of my career and what happened. I want to see cowboys like Tom Brady. How much more money could they make in career if they didn’t retire at 33 and rode until they were 40 or 45? How many more NFRs could they make?” Champion said. “That could be the difference of millions of dollars.” The cost of the four-day school is not cheap – $2,500 and a payment plan is offered – for a reason. Champion keeps the numbers small, usually capped at 10, to allow for one-on-one attention with coaches. He also brings in competition-level stock, which is pricey, matching the seasoned horses with the skill level of the participants.

Caleb Bennett, a 10-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in bareback riding, and Chase Brooks, a six-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc, are among the coaches. “There are so many talented guys out there right now. You really notice it in bronc riding. It used to be the same 15 guys going to the NFR every year and they were all on the same level. There wasn’t a lot of working out. It was usually just about how tough and good you were,” Brooks said. “It’s a whole new game with the money that is available now. You have to be pretty darn dedicated. When I started out it was all trial and error with finances and entering. For a lot of guys, it is a real challenge to balance the money, the nutrition, and the performance. We feel like we can help kids get started and going in right direction.” Bennett hired Champion several years ago, then became a certified trainer himself. The idea of incorporating multiple elements in the academies made perfect sense. “Doug has been awesome. From years and years of rodeoing I have learned a lot of things that are good, and some that are bad. To be able to help these kids out instead of giving them a permit and telling them to learn it up is a big deal,” Bennett said. “I love being part of it.” Sage Allen, 20, recalls attending Champion’s first academy in Arkansas a few years ago with fellow competitor Darien Johnson. A bareback rider, Allen aimed to elevate his career as he prepared to compete collegiately at the

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ProRodeo Sports News 2/16/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 2/16/2024

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