Strength, Conditioning and National Championships

BY KILEY MORGAN / Multimedia Journalist

Most know that Stephenville, Texas, is the cowboy capital of the world. It is also known that Tarleton State University has one of the largest and most successful rodeo teams in the country; however, what most do not know is that the Tarleton rodeo team is the only collegiate rodeo team in the United States with the advantage of having their own strength and conditioning coach. 

Tyler Frank is the name of the man that can be found training world champion athletes in the gym of the Doty Rodeo Complex on most days. His job is “one in a billion,” as Frank would describe it. 

“I wake up every day as the luckiest human being alive. I mean I tell people, ‘I have had more fun in one day than you have in a month’,” he said.

His plan was not always to be a rodeo strength and conditioning coach. In fact, going into college, he did not know what his future would look like. 

Frank is originally from Keller, Texas, but started his college career at Tarleton in 2016 where he obtained his undergraduate degree and his masters. 

He grew up rodeoing and came to Tarleton to rodeo, when he was unexpectedly picked up by the cheer team. He was a member of the co-ed cheer team for three to four years and was with them when they won a national championship in 2018.

“This was nowhere near what I had planned,” Frank said. “I started out as an Ag major; I had no clue where that was going to go. Then, I started the cheer team and found out what kinesiology was, and I ended up loving that.”

His family owned a gym growing up and that is something that he was always interested in. 

After a short hiatus, Frank found his way back into the rodeo world when he started to work with the Tarleton Rodeo Team his junior year. 

While his job is to be the strength and conditioning coach for the rodeo team, his duties go far beyond the name of his title.

“I have done everything from help athletes register for classes at 6 a.m., to going over what they are eating, how they are eating, eating habits, creating success around food, injuries, camp counselor,” Frank said. “You know when you’re in the weight room and you just had a bad day and you just need to tell somebody about it. I cover just about all of it.” 

When asked if he felt like this job was his calling, Frank emphatically agreed. 

“Oh 100%, I tell everybody on a daily basis, I have the job that everybody dreams of. I’ve got amazing co-workers; amazing athletes and we have the best facility. Anything and everything you could ask for, we have right here,” Frank said.

Unlike other collegiate sports, there is no information to be found on strength and conditioning for athletes in the arena. It is a broad area to cover when trying to find the best workout plan for rodeo athletes since they compete in anything from roping a calf to riding a bull. 

Considering there is a designated wall in Doty Rodeo Complex full of national titles, 37 to be exact. Specializing workout programs for each athlete and the team as a whole is something that Frank takes seriously. 

“Whatever we did from day one, I kept in a document, and we do our research and say ‘Hey, did this work? Did that work? How do we build the best rodeo program?’ There are no articles, there are no books, and on top of that you have injuries,” Frank said. “We have injuries in this sport that nobody else sees. I have a job that presents a new challenge every single day,” 

“Movement is medicine” is his coaching philosophy. Whether it be for physical or mental treatment, Frank believes that movement is medicine and that is what he teaches his athletes. 

“No matter what is going on, I think if you move your body and fuel it with what it needs, it will improve your quality of life,” Frank said.

While it might sound different than what most coaches would say, Frank’s most rewarding part of his career at Tarleton is what he describes as “the water bucket rule.” 

“We have a lot of young ladies that come in and always complain that carrying their water bucket is the hardest thing to do, then, about halfway through the first semester or towards the end of the semester, each one will come in and say, ‘I carried my water bucket from the spicket all the way to my stall and I didn’t even stop or think about it,’” Frank said.

That is something that Frank looks forward to as a coach. 

Starting in August, a lot of his athletes have trouble unloading hay or carrying water buckets. But by the time December rolls around, it is obvious that their hard work has paid off. Even if the reward is as simple as carrying a water bucket. 

With the help of Frank, Tarleton rodeo athletes are going into the spring semester with their gas tanks full. 

“We are going to be physically fit to the point that it is dominating when we walk into the arena,” Frank said. 

To Frank, it is way more than just weights and training. 

“We have a legacy, not only of being winners but being winners with great character.” Frank said.