ProRodeo Sports News - October 30, 2020

COWBOY GRILLE WITH TRACY RENCK

How did you get your start in rodeo? Mike: I got on my first bareback horse at 22 at an amateur rodeo. I didn’t know a thing about it. I had a fast track and stuck with it. What’s it like being part of such a big family? Mike: I’m the oldest boy in the family and I have six older sisters. There are nine girls and four boys total. Being a big family, it is harder to get together as we get older, but there’s nothing better than the whole family being together. It’s good times, memories, and we make more memories. Why the late start in rodeo? Mike: I always wanted to be a cowboy, and I was working on a ranch at the time and rodeo always fascinated me. Everybody has heard Chris LeDoux songs going down the road and I wanted to try out rodeo. When I was 22, I thought there was no better time than now to start rodeoing. I rodeoed on my permit from 2017-19 and then bought my PRCA card. In 2019, you earned $18,293. What was that like? Mike: Last year was really good to me. I did well up north and I stuck to where I was good and making money. What was this COVID-19-marred 2020 season like for you finishing 38th in the 2020 PRCA | RAM World Standings? Mike Fred hasn’t followed the same career path as his siblings. He’s one of 13 children in his family, but the only one who rodeos. He also didn’t start competing until age 22. Now 28, Fred, of Wamego, Kan., has had a couple of decent seasons in bareback riding and has his eyes on qualifying for the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

MIKE FRED

Mike: This year has been tough because it was hit and miss with rodeos being canceled. This year I was trying to make the NFR, and I did well in Fort Worth, Texas, and San Antonio, but I ended up breaking my tailbone in Rapid City (S.D.) the first week of February. I still had a couple of more rodeos to hit and I didn’t want to miss San Antonio. I gritted it out, and after the rodeo in San Antonio I had surgery March 3 on my tailbone. I was out until June and then I separated my ribs in Cody, Wyo., and I was out again. Who has been the biggest influence in your rodeo career? Mike: A buddy of mine took me to (ProRodeo Hall of Fame bareback rider) Wayne Herman’s School in North Dakota. If it wasn’t for Wayne Herman teaching me, I would have never stuck with (bareback riding). I always call Wayne, and especially this year when I kept getting hurt. Wayne taught me a lot. What’s your favorite restaurant? Mike: Chick-fil-A. I always stick to the crispy chicken tenders. What do you do to stay in shape? Mike: I spar with this trainer (Jason Harp) of mine, and we train for MMA fighting. My first fight is supposed to be coming up in January in Topeka, Kan. I’m going to fight at 200 pounds. I’m excited for the fight because I’ve been training for a while, and Jason really helped me with my footwork and everything. I saw (former PRCA bareback rider) Kelly Wardell had a testimony about MMA fighting and I figured I would try it. It has really helped me be more aggressive in my riding and helped me with my hand-eye coordination. Who is your favorite UFC fighter? Mike: I have always been fascinated by Conor McGregor’s style, but I have been following Jorge Masvidal more so lately. What does 8 seconds feel like to you? Mike: The rush I get is close to sparring or fighting. You get hit and you just want to react. If you’re doing good and rolling, there’s no better feeling. When you’re not rodeoing what are you doing? Mike: I’m a trim carpenter. I have my own little business and I trim houses and build furniture. I have been doing carpentry for 12 years. With COVID-19 this year, I was able to advertise a little more and get my name out there so jobs will keep coming in if I can’t rodeo. What’s your favorite movie? Mike: Tombstone or Pearl Harbor . I like them both a lot.

What was the make of the first car you drove? Mike: It was a Dodge RAM half-ton 1976 pickup. Who is your favorite sports team? Mike: The Houston Astros. Do you have a favorite athlete?

Mike: I have always been fascinated with Tim Tebow. What would life be like for you without a GPS on your phone? Mike: Oh, my goodness. I don’t know how they did it back then. I would have a better sense of direction that’s for sure. I’ve never used a pay phone so that would be new to me as well. If I find a pay phone, I might use it just to say I’ve used a pay phone.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/30/2020

ProRodeo.com

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