ProRodeo Sports News - June 10, 2022

at rodeos. “I have a young horse that I’ve been trying to season the last couple of years, but I don’t really get to go to enough rodeos in a row to get her seasoned,” he said “She’s doing really good for me, and it allows me to go when I can. I’m 58, I’m not trying to practice and do all that. My practice runs are at the rodeo actually.” Johnson has slowed his rodeo schedule down over the years. Now, he just enters rodeos around the house and where his work takes him. Mike and his wife Sherrylynn (four-time NFR barrel racing qualifier) run a rodeo clinic and competition company called Johnson Sportline. The venture leads them near and far all across the country. He said his passion for rodeo has only grown over time and that includes teaching the next generation of cowboys and cowgirls. Being able to rodeo while out on the road is just a cherry on top for the PRCA veteran. “We have a Vegas Tuffest junior event that we

“Each year I just look at my physical ability to get on and off of a horse. Right now, it’s a yearly thing for me. I’m just going to try to get through this year. I don’t have a future goal, but if I get through this year and I feel healthy next year then I’ll go to some more next year and so forth.” – MIKE JOHNSON

actually have during the NFR,” Johnson said. “We had 900 kids out there last year competing. We have 39 qualifiers for that, and we attend a lot of those. Then we probably have 20 to 25 clinics a year. “So, in combination with all of that it keeps us on the road. We didn’t enter a rodeo for the last eight months until about six weeks ago. We’ll try to go to about 15 to 20 this summer if they can fit in. The rodeos we enter usually coincide with where we are traveling more than anything.” Many of the cowboys he competes alongside today were just children when he began his career. In fact, he even roped with their fathers in some cases. He said it’s special to see what was once the future of the sport having the success they are today. “I did see a lot of those guys grow up really. I can name so many that I competed with their dads for all those years,” he said. “Now, I’m seeing Tuf (Cooper) and Shad (Mayfield) and Riley Pruitt out there roping. “It’s gratifying to see those kids because I knew them when they were really young and to see them grow up and become professional ropers it’s exciting for me to still be around them and compete a little bit.” Johnson isn’t ready to put a timeframe on his roping career just yet. He said as long as he’s healthy, he’ll continue to go out there and compete against ProRodeo’s best. “Each year I just look at my physical ability to get on and off of a horse,” Johnson said. “Right now, it’s a yearly thing for me. I’m just going to try to get through this year. “I don’t have a future goal, but if I get through this year and I feel healthy next year then I’ll go to some more next year and so forth. Right now, it’s just more about looking at the next two or three months and trying to get through that.” Whether his career ends this year or a decade down the road he’ll always be thankful for the life rodeo has provided him. “The PRCA was everything to me. That passion has kept me going all these years and it still does,” he said. “That’s what drives me now, is just the love for it and that’s what I’ve done my whole life to get me to this point. It’s also led me to the junior rodeo and all the clinics. It keeps me involved at every level just about and I’m thankful for that.”

Photo courtesy Mike Johnson Johnson works with a youngster on his roping skills during their 8-and-under rodeo clinic in Columbus, Ind.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/10/2022

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