Tarleton Rodeo success takes hard work

BY LAUREN JESKEVIC

Multimedia Journalist

The  purple vest worn by the Tarleton State University Rodeo Team carries the weight of amazing legacies. For these athletes, the arena is so much more than a stage; it's an office, a classroom and a proving ground.

Most students in college live for the weekends to relax and unwind from a stressful week, but for Kieley Walz, a Tarleton Rodeo competitor, the weekend is where the real work begins.

Rodeo is a highly competitive sport where victory is measured in seconds, but the preparation and training is in the time span of several years. Success in this sport requires a specific level of mental toughness.

“Having a hard mindset is what helps the grind,” Walz said. “If you talk to most competitive rodeo people, all of them have the mindset of winning and that only.”

Walz’s journey to competing at the collegiate level required a big lifestyle change that many don’t know is needed. Not only is training a big factor, but it requires strong mental and physical health.

“My grind and mindset has changed so much over the years,” she said. “From middle school, I wasn't physically and mentally set. I didn't care about what I ate, and I didn't have time management for anything. When I went to school for rodeo, everything changed, and I realized how much those things mattered and how much effect they can have on your overall performance.”

What the crowds see is the energy and focus of the “perfect run”, the loud cheering, the rope breaking off and the clock ticking by the second. What they don't see are the 4 a.m. wake-up calls and the incredible amount of discipline it takes to keep up with so many crucial details.

“I don't think people realize the mental game you have to have to be a rodeo person,” Walz said.

“You're at a show, and you have to wake up three to four hours before it starts, so you have to be ready to go.”

The preparation she has adjusted to has poured into every facet of her life, requiring a level of discipline many students don't have to encounter.

“You have to be physically strong and have crazy endurance, not for yourself but for the horse as well,” Walz said.

Walz says there are no shortcuts to being successful in rodeo.

“There are no cutting corners,” she said. “If I skip a day of roping, the next day I’m going to know it. My body isn’t going to be active. It's the same with horses, if I don’t train my horses one day, I am going to feel it.”

Not only does pressure contribute to this life, but financially, it’s heavy.

“We spend thousands of dollars every year to go to rodeos, pay for horses, vet bills, fuel, truck problems and repairs and it gets very draining,” Walz said. “You have to have a good mental standpoint to be able to consistently do it all year-round.”

Tarleton’s rodeo program is what has drawn many athletes to Stephenville. Walz transferred from the University of Oklahoma in hopes of seeking a more competitive and intense environment where she could find peers who would push and challenge her daily.

“I realized that I wasn't competing with anyone who would better my competitiveness and challenge me,” Walz said. “That's what really made me love Tarleton."

In this setting, every run carries some kind of weight, yet Walz stays grounded.

“There’s always another rodeo,” Walz said. “It genuinely does not matter until it's the last one.”

For Walz, every buckle and metal won is simply a reminder of the work still to be done. The grind isn't just about winning the next rodeo; it’s about the constant passion she has toward becoming the best version of herself in and outside of rodeo.