My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

Oklahoma high school sports have produced many well known college and professional athletes as dreams of young men and women come to reality. From the backyard competition to the spotlight of playing at the next level, the list of modern day sports heroes of football and basketball names are well known. But did you know there's another sport, Oklahoma high school rodeo that continues to deliver many of today's best professional stars. Want some proof, currently more than 125 athletes competing in the PBR, Professional Bull Riders' circuit, proudly call Oklahoma home. Altogether those athletes competing in the toughest sport on dirt give truth to the words from Willie Nelson's country music song "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys." Two former Oklahoma high school athletes, Austin Meier of Kinta and Cord McCoy of Tupelo, grew up living their dream and today are among their sports best. In 2008 competition, the duo are among the top 45 professional athletes on the PBR, each one competing in individual events with the goal to win a world championship. "Growing up here in Oklahoma, its rodeo", said Meier a 2005 graduate from Checotah High School. "I was always a real active kid, growing up I was big into sports...football, track, baseball. Meier played football while in high school and admits his style of play for the Wildcats was much like his style of riding bulls. "Football was one of my most favorite sports. Anytime you get to suit up and go knock the crap out of somebody its fun. I was always a real aggressive player. Riding bulls and playing football is something that you got to go at as hard as you can all the time. The minute you slack off is the minute you get whacked to the ground pretty hard", Meier said. Just as many of today's youth athletes attend camps and clinics to improve their skills, the same was true for Meier. "You can go to a bull riding school that fits your style. I went to Terry Don West and Lyle Sankey a few times," said Meier. And, just like pros in other sports, Meier still spends time practicing to improve his opportunities to make the eight second ride. "I've got two places I go to practice, just a mile down the road from my home in Kinta, I'll go to Kenny and Connie Kasiner's Diamond K Bucking Bulls or I'll go to the Rice Ranch in Texas, they've got more bulls than Carter's got pills." While attending Checotah High School, Meier displayed his future talents winning the reserve bull riding championship for the Oklahoma High School Rodeo Association in 2002 advancing to the National High School Rodeo finals. With a life long dream of a pro rodeo future, Meier finished high school early and devoted his attention to competing professionally as a bull rider. It didn't take long for Meier to make a name for himself on the PBR, capturing his first event title in Chicago on his way to a runner-up finish as rookie of the year in 2006, competition that came down to the very last ride at the World Finals in Las Vegas. Like Meier, Cord McCoy has lived the life of becoming a pro rodeo star, growing up on the family's ranch in Tupelo. "I was like any other kid; I played all the other sports," said McCoy. "I went to Tupelo High School, and got to catch in the state tournament for the Tupelo Tigers, and everybody knows they're pretty famous for their baseball success in the state." But for McCoy it was always about bull riding recalling his step by step approach to his current place among the top 45 bull riders on the PBR. "High school rodeo was definitely a lot of fun. And, its big in Oklahoma, there's more than 500 members right now. There's a lot of people ask me how long did it take me to become a professional bull rider. I tell them about 22 years because if you take out any of those other levels between peewee rodeo, junior rodeo, high school rodeo and college rodeo, you're skipping a stage." After high school, McCoy attended college on a rodeo scholarship at Southwestern Oklahoma State College in Weatherford. McCoy captured the All-Around Cowboy titles in 2002 and 2003 while competing on the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA). In sports, athletes know that injuries will occur and bull riders know the fact that their next ride may be their last. For McCoy, a promising pro career was almost cut short. In 2004, during a saddle bronc ride, McCoy was kicked in the head crushing his skull, leaving him in a coma for 5 days, injuries that would require McCoy to relearn basic motor skills including speech classes to learn how to talk again. "Injuries like that make you want to ask yourself how much do you really love your sport. Do I really want to ride bulls again?" Since that near death experience, McCoy wears a protective helmet every time he rides. And after every eight second ride or buck off, the red-headed McCoy always pulls off the helmet with a smile. "I love what I do. After my experiences, I appreciate life and a bull rider's career may only be 7 or 8 years, so I'm going to enjoy every bit of it I can get. I try to make it simple, if I go out there and nod my head and do my very best, you might as well smile about it." Obviously McCoy's approach has captured the hearts of his fans. His fan club's motto on his website..."Cord McCoy, make me smile." McCoy and Meier are just two of the "Okies" on the PBR tour, a close knit group that are just like family. "Cody Whitney and I have been riding against each other since we were seven or eight years old," said McCoy. "Austin is a little younger than me but we've known each other since we were little bitty and our friendship is something that still binds us together." Among the 125 cowboys on the circuit calling Oklahoma home the list is impressive including the sport's first 5-million dollar winner and reigning PBR World Champion, Justin McBride, who resides on a ranch in Elk City. Also among the list of riders are newcomers Ryan Dirteater of Hulbert and Kolt Donaldson of Idabel, winner of this Challenger Tour Championship in February positioning himself as a candidate for the PBR rookie of the year title. The success of Oklahoma cowboys Austin Meier and Cord McCoy offer proof that living a dream is possible. "I talk to a lot of high schools," said McCoy. I tell them anything is possible, never give up on your dreams. I've had 5 doctors tell me never again, stop. Not that somebody wants to be a bull rider, but any dream that you have people are going to tell you stop and want to sway you different ways. If you have a dream, stick with it." So, when the names of the top 45 cowboys are called out at the PBR World Finals at Las Vegas in November, including Austin Meier and Cord McCoy, Oklahomans can join Willie Nelson singing his song...my heroes have always been cowboys.