Welcome back my guest blogger Miss Rodeo Montana 2009 - Lesli Furniss….

Invest in a Future World Champion-Support High School Rodeo

Every world champion in rodeo had to start somewhere.  They had to start at the bottom.  They began their careers with a dream, a vision of one day competing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.  For most, the passion for competition and achievement began with that first loop swung or initial opening of the gate in high school rodeo.  There is a strong correlation between those who have tremendous success in professional rodeo with the training they received in high school.  Past National High School Rodeo Champions include Shawn Davis, Brittany Pozzi-Phar, Roy Cooper, Cody Ohl, and Lane Frost- to name a few. 

I believe to keep professional rodeo strong at the top; we must keep it strong at the bottom.   Our foundation is high school rodeo.  The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association believes this also.  In 2008 they created a major membership initiative to reward top high school rodeo contestants.   The PRCA now waives permit dues for every National High School Rodeo Association state champion in every PRCA event.  That gives nearly 300 cowboys per year a head start in their quest for the coveted title of World Champion.

It is difficult to invest in the future of professional rodeo if our high school athletes can’t make it down the road because of lack of funding.  The Cascade High School Rodeo Team found an ingenious way to get around that.  I attended their fundraiser at the end of February and I was very impressed with the leadership, creativity, and hard work of the rodeo team.  They had a band, silent auction items, and raffles.  They also auctioned off some PRCA cowboys and cowgirls for dates.  They had an amazing turn out for the small town and it was truly a fun community event.  The fundraiser was a huge boost to the team and they will be traveling to rodeos without financial stress now.

The Cascade High School Rodeo Team has proven that fiscal dilemmas and tight budgets don’t necessarily mean we have to cut back on rodeo.  There is money out there to be used to move our youth in a positive direction, it just takes more fundraising. 

I believe to support rodeo as a whole, we must support its foundation- high school rodeo.  Dwindling high school rodeo athletes leads to diminishing professional rodeo athletes.  It is a simple equation.  Look for creative solutions to money roadblocks.  It takes work, but will pay out in the end.  I believe in the youth of our state, and know there are many world champions from Montana to come. 

  “It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that will determine your altitude”

Lesli Furniss

Miss Rodeo Montana 2009

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