Breaking it Down by Speed Williams – February 2025
Gabe and I were eating breakfast at the South Point when I saw a smirk on his face. He’s looking at his phone and says, “Dad you’re up.” Hali was trying to enter him and Trigger Hargrove at Odessa but found that two permits couldn’t enter together. So, Hali and Gabe decided to enter him with me. My wife had purchased my PRCA card when she bought Gabe’s so here we go. There’s a big difference between “might have to go” and “you’re up!” My first thought was it’s been 30 years since I heeled at Odessa. It’s the first rodeo of the year and everyone used to go to it.
When we get home from Vegas, I block off time after Christmas to get ready. Gabe and I go to the rodeo at northside a few times. Gabe and Jonathan Torres placed one night, and we roped with Dustin Egusquiza a couple of nights. Ft. Worth had two rodeos daily on New Years weekend and we went to those to help get ready for Odessa. We got some mulies and put up the left fence in our arena to simulate the arena at Odessa for the most realistic practice possible. The first few days did not go very well.
Having the left wall makes a huge difference and it’s a challenge to have your horse completely under control coming back up the wall and handling the steer. Coming back up the wall is a huge factor in getting ready for the rodeos, especially at northside. Gabe spun some great steers there. He spun one in 3.8 and spun one for me to be a 3, but I missed. So, he had a little confidence heading to Odessa.
It reminded me of when he was 12 or 13 and wanted to go to every jackpot he could. We went to a roping at Graham and then northside afterwards. We went to a roping at Stephenville, and he went on to northside that night. I stressed the importance of picking and choosing where and how often you ride your good horse. You need to save them. You can’t ride your good horses at every event and keep them working.
He went to Andrews to rope Sunday night and then another roping on Monday. Tuesday is a jackpot they’ve had at Odessa for many years. Wednesday morning we’re up at his first PRCA rodeo. It reminded me it’s a lot less work heeling than heading. I was riding Blaze, one Hali’s breakaway horses who’s not been leaving the box consistently for her. There’s an indoor arena where the dirt is deep, and I lope my horse for 15 or 20 minutes.
We get inside the little building, and I look at Gabe and say I want you to be aggressive and do the things we’ve been working on. While we’re warming up Josh Torres asked our number and tells us he has our steer written down as medium.
Gabe has been riding Bella at quite a few events. I know I need to get the steer in the left lead, so when he nods, I start, read the cow and put him in the left lead. Gabe takes an extra swing and when he ropes, Bella is a little bit ahead of him. He goes straight to the horn and turns the steer. I’m a little way from the position I want to be in, but I catch two feet. Gabe did a good job of facing his horse and we’re 4.8. From the time the steer turned to the time the clock stopped, it happened very fast. We were 35th out in the slack and were winning the Odessa rodeo. First cow my son ropes at a PRCA rodeo and we’re winning the slack.
Technically, we’re halfway through the slack since there’s 72 teams. The next team was Lightning Aguilera and Wyatt Cox and they’re 4.7. Just a few teams later Paul David Tierney and Cody McClusky go and are 4.8. I have to wait for 30 more teams. I just want my son to win enough to fill his permit. Believe it or not, over the next 30 teams, no one beat us.
I don’t really have words to describe the feeling. Not just that I won a check at Odessa heeling, but that my son was able to fill his permit at his first ever pro rodeo on his first steer. There are guys that go months trying to fill their permit. I was very happy with his roping and the run. I wasn’t very happy with my “friends” who were giving me hell about getting back on the rodeo trail and where else we were going to enter. Dustin, Coleman, J.C. Flake and quite a few more teamed up with Gabe and had a lot of fun with it.
We got to run our second steer that morning and he ran a little and stepped left. Gabe did a great job and got a great start. He let the rope go when he crossed the score line, but it hit a little behind the right horn and he missed our second one. He did a good job of having a chance to place in the 2nd round. That’s kind of my mentality… that we go at them. That’s what we work at. Being aggressive with your rope but scoring good.
I’m trying go a few places with Gabe, I have lessons to teach the next couple of weeks. Gabe was adamant we were going to Florida for the NTRL Finals. We get to rope on Wednesday when we get there. Then we head to Kentucky for the American Qualifier.
My goal was to have my son ready to compete and leave in June to try and win enough to get in the buildings next year. But he is craving going everywhere now. It seems like he’s been waiting longer since he’s watched Hali’s success in the PRCA. The boy is craving going to the rodeos.
I teach people to rope for a living and have a lot of people who come each month or every other month. So, trying to figure out how to accomplish both goals of teaching lessons and getting my son ready to live his dream is challenging. We still have a long way to go with his heading. He had success at his first rodeo and that has made his desire that much stronger. That was a very special moment to accomplish with my son. We’ll have to see what the future holds for him and his heading. Hali was 2.0 at Odessa rodeo and is currently winning fifth. We’re excited to see what 2025 has in store for both of my kids.
