ProRodeo Sports News February 16, 2024

PRORODEO COWBOYS

Chase Blythe photo Saddle bronc rider Chase Brooks, who has qualified for six consecutive NFRs, provides instruction to a saddle bronc rider during a four day riding school.

the mental side. They fall off, and you remind them that we all do. Other than golf, it might be the most challenging sport mentally. It’s good to have guys you can look to and trust, who can tell you to make this small adjustment and not get down on yourself.” Allen prided himself on being a good athlete. The academy introduced a new level of education and showed him the intensity required for workouts as a professional. “They changed my mind set on how I train,” Allen said. “And Caleb was my instructor, and he always stays in touch. I got this one horse for a re-ride, and I called him and asked him if it was worth it. To have that kind of support means a lot. It’s like family.” Bennett said the connections made during the four days are real. That’s why he becomes an open book. “One thing we say at the schools is that you are part of the family now. We tell them not to hesitate to reach out. I stay in touch with Sage and Darien on a regular basis,” Bennett said. “I want to help. It means the world to give back to the sport that has given me so much. Everything I have from my wife to my home to my vehicles is because of rodeo.” Champion understands there is pushback about modernizing a model for academies and fitness. However, he believes it will continue to diminish as the talent pool swells in rodeos across the country. “We have had two kids make the circuit finals. We have two others whose career is on an insane trajectory,” said Champion, who is based in Montana, but his academies and fitness training are mobile. “The sport is getting more competitive. We want to help them become better sooner and have a career that lasts longer. That’s our goal.”

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College of Southern Idaho and professionally. He saw a video on Instagram about Champion’s event. It required a submission of a video. Allen figured what the heck, thinking he had little chance. He received a call back, and he was quickly booking a flight to attend. “It was a shot in the dark. I didn’t know what to expect, but I would recommend it for anyone. It really helped me to talk with guys who are consistently making the finals every year and hearing what it takes to make it money wise to be out there competing,” Allen said. “Another big thing for me was the physical part. I always worked out. But they changed the mobility side of things, specializing it for what I do. I had a decent baseline of fundamentals, but they were able to tweak things and make me better. And they stay in touch after the academy. They are always there when I have questions.” The instruction is rooted in the basics. For two days at the academy, no participant gets on stock. They train on spur magic, spur boards and bucking machines, logging hundreds of reps. The academy video tapes the workout sessions, allowing for visual and verbal feedback. The idea is to fast track practice to create normalcy when introducing stock. “We simplify the mechanics into two and three steps. On that third day they are dying to ride,” Champion said. What follows is teaching from experts like Bennett and Brooks. They can specify because of their experience and their first-hand knowledge of the participants’ practice sessions. “A lot of guys we coach, they are in college rodeos. They are not fresh start kids. You know they can ride well, and we are here to help them fine tune everything,” Brooks said. “We can make suggestions. And a lot of it is

ProRodeo Sports News 2/16/2024

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