Published: September 09, 2009 08:39 pm      

The Smiths: Pro rodeo’s perfect match

In the world of pro rodeo, most husbands leave their wives and children behind as they travel the national circuit.

But that’s not the case with Stran Smith and his wife, Jennifer, a Childress couple who flourish in their high-profile careers within the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Stran Smith, 39, is the defending world tie-down roping champion. Jennifer Smith, 36, is a sports commentator who is often called upon to interview the winners of major rodeos.

The Smiths will be honored this weekend at the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration in Lubbock. The duo will receive a rodeo achievement award during a banquet celebration.

It’s one busy weekend for the Smiths, who are also participating in a lucrative rodeo in Puyallup, Wash. The show is called the Justin Boots Playoffs, and it’s an invitational rodeo that features 24 credentialed contestants in each event.

Stran Smith is scheduled to compete in tie-down roping and Jennifer Smith will conduct the interviews for the ESPN broadcast.

While they’re on the road, the Smiths travel in a large motor home. And Stran Smith said he thrives on having his wife by his side.

“I’m not able to do what I do without her,” Stran Smith said. “She takes care of her job of being a sideline reporter, and then being the mother of my two boys, being a rodeo cowboy’s wife, and now she’s home schooling our oldest son.”

Stran Smith said he’s amazed by his wife’s multi-tasking abilities.

“She’s a perfect match for me, that’s for sure,” Stran Smith said. “She’s the type of person who is able to balance a lot of things and she takes a lot of things in stride. A lot of things that would normally stress people out — financials, no sleep, and the kids running ragged — she handles it better than I do most of the time.”

But Jennifer Smith said she’s living her dream. She was Miss Rodeo America in 1995 and served as a TV news anchorwoman in Abilene from 1998 through 2001.

“I haven’t given up what I’ve always dreamed of and I get to be a stay-at-home mom,” she said.

However, it often means working more than 1,000 miles from their northwest Texas home and tending to their two young children, Stone (age 5) and Scout (3).

“Someone said the other day that our lifestyle was so different, but to us, its our norm,” Jennifer Smith said. “By the time that he was one, our son oldest had been to 23 states. Even pre-school teachers have told us that our sons are so incredibly advanced. They get to see the world and interact with adults.”

Jennifer Smith said the biggest challenge is scheduling. For example, Stran Smith often will compete in qualifying rounds during a rodeo on a mid-week night and then learns he must return to rope in the finals on the weekend.

“With the way professional rodeo is, a lot of times I don’t know where Stran is going to be until the last minute,” Jennifer Smith said. “Our schedule might change three times in a week. We often don’t know until the last minute where Stran is going to be. I plan for different situations and we go for the one that rises to the top.”



Riding in the clutch

Bull rider Cody Hancock knows a little bit about coming from behind.

In 2000, he entered the National Finals Rodeo ranked 15th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s standings. But after competing in the Las Vegas championships for 10 days, Hancock finished first.

During the PRCA’s Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Finale last weekend in Ellenburg, Wash., the 34-year-old Hancock entered the competition in seventh place. But the Taylor, Aziz., cowboy clinched the season title after winning the Ellensburg show and earning $16,620.

Hancock won the average with a two-ride aggregate score of 176. He secured the title after turning in an 88 in the final round, according to the PRCA.



Trevor Brazile watch

Trevor Brazile collected two more all-around titles last week – to bring his total to 13 in six weeks – and advanced his bid for a record-tying seventh all-around world championship. According to the PRCA, Brazile traveled to three states and banked checks everywhere he went.

Brazile earned $4,531 at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, $2,119 at the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer, Idaho, and $5,413 at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo, missing a sweep of all-around titles only when Josh Peek out-earned him in Filer.

In the PRCA world standings, Brazile has earnings of $218,265, putting him $20,552 ahead of his pace in 2007 when he set a single-season record of $425,115. His lead in the 2009 all-around world standings is $95,708 over second-place Clint Robinson.



East Texas update

Tilden Hooper of Carthage won the bareback riding title at the Sept. 4-6 Rodeo of Champions in Elk City, Okla., with a score of 89 points the Beutler & Son Rodeo-owned bronc Satin Sheets. Hooper earned $3,748 for the win and he’s ranked seventh in PRCA world bareback riding standings with $82,969. That’s more than enough earnings to qualify Hooper for the December National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Joey Bell Jr. of Athens finished fifth in steer wrestling and earned $2,115 at the Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington. He ranks 12th in PRCA world standings with $51,895 and stands an excellent chance of qualifying for the National Finals.