ProRodeo Sports News - June 12, 2020

“He (Cowboy) is the best traveling partner I’ve ever had,” Williams said. “The problem is that he doesn’t drive much.” Mickels, a barrel racer, recalled the crazy turn of events and the part she played. “I was just sitting at home, and it was around 5:30 p.m. (PT), and I had just got done riding horses for the day,” Mickels said. “I had been getting calls from him on and off all day. He said his van was doing something funky. He pulled off at (Supreme Complete Car Care) and they told him his transmission was done. I told Aaron if I leave by 7 p.m. (PT), I could be in Spanish Fork by 2 or 3 in the morning. “I told him to make sure he slept while I drove (to Spanish Fork), that way when I got there he could drive and I would sleep for a little bit, and then we would drive to the next rodeo he needed to get to, which was Pendleton (Ore.). We went to Pendleton and Othello (Wash.) in the same day, and then to Marysville.” Mickels, a certified equine massage therapist, didn’t hesitate to jump in the car and drive eight hours to get her stranded fiancé. The couple have been together for four years and are scheduled to be married Oct. 23, 2021. “There was never a doubt in my mind because I know he would do it for me,” said Mickels, who also trains horses and gives riding and barrel racing lessons. As for the van, a 2007 Dodge Sprinter, Williams still has it. “My family friend and sponsor with Alpha Drilling is the one who helped me get the van in the first place and get it picked back up and fixed on the warranty in Oregon,” Williams said. MORE BUMPS IN THE ROAD After his left arm healed, Williams suffered another injury, this time to his right (riding) arm at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver in January. “Unbeknownst to me, in Denver I got some pretty bad bulls in the bucking chute, and one of them hung me in there and broke the top of my riding arm,” Williams said, “I didn’t even know it. I went through all my rodeos up to San Antonio. I took X-rays in San Antonio and found out it was broken. At that point it already was healing, and I kept going.” When rodeos went on hiatus in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, Williams had time to heal. “I’m now pretty healthy,” Williams said. “I’ve also battled problems with my knees since I was a kid. This has allowed me to have time to get my knees back in order. I’ve had PCL, MCL, ACL and meniscus damage in my knees from riding bulls.” The 2020 season has been a mess for Williams (as for all cowboys) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep busy, Williams put on a bull riding school in mid-May in Porterville, Calif. “That went really well,” Williams said. “I’m doing another school for junior kids and more bull riders June 13 in Bakersfield (Calif.). I enjoy being able to pass off the things I’ve learned and the knowledge that I’ve gained over the years. It was fun to pass off my knowledge to these young guys who are hungry and wanting to get better. I think this next school (June 13) is going to be really cool. This sport could really use a surge of youth for the future.” Williams, who is outside the top 50 in the world standings, competed at Cave Creek (Ariz.) Rodeo Days, May 22-24, the first rodeo since the pandemic halted the schedule. He placed sixth with an 83.5-point ride. Next up for him are the Pony Express Rodeo in Eagle Mountain, Utah, June 11-13, and the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Ariz., June 29-July 5. “I have never been to Eagle Mountain before,” Williams said. “I’m excited to go there. I’m ready to get back to work and

get back to doing what we do. It was unfortunate the way I planned out this year. I wasn’t going to stretch myself too thin, being that I was coming back off injury. It’s a long year, and I had a lot of big rodeos I was qualified into, like RodeoHouston and the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo. That was going to save me fromhaving to go to a lot of smaller rodeos that I normally would. I’m just going to show up and do my job, and let the cards fall where they may.”

Photo courtesy Aaron Williams Aaron Williams, right, his fiancée, Brigette Mickels, and Williams’ dog, Cowboy, were part of a crazy adventure in September.

Photo courtesy Scott Toepfer Bull rider Aaron Williams, left, gives instruction to a rider during Williams’ bull riding school in mid-May in Porterville, Calif. Williams is putting on another bull riding school June 13 in Bakersfield (Calif.).

ProRodeo Sports News 6/12/2020

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