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Show 10 FIESTA DAYS 2008 GRIT Chad Vest STAFF WRITER Steve Woolsey developed a love for riding animals even before learning to ride a bike. He grew up on a dairy farm but didn't have horses to ride so he had to improvise. "I started riding sheep and calves when I was five," said Woolsey. "Ever since then, that's just what I did. Nobody was really getting on horses but ever since then I wanted to ride professionally." This Benjamin native may only be 5'6" in height but he has the heart of a lion. In most sports, it's hard to be ultra-competitive with a size disadvantage but not for this cowboy, because he has something that others don't — true grit. It's a fact that pro rodeo is one of the most dangerous sports known to man. Therefore, it requires an extreme amount of mental and physical toughness. This SFHS alum has both. Currently, he's ranked in the top ten in world standings as a bull-rider and has been competing in the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association since 2005. In his first year as a pro, he qualified for a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas. As a rookie he placed in seven out of ten rounds to finish second in the world standings. He also set a new record with most money won in a rookie year ('05) with $202,128 in bullriding and saddle bronc riding. He also won overall and bull-riding Resistol Rookie of the year honors. Before going pro, Woolsey rode for the Southern Utah County Rodeo club and graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 2004. Then he became a Wolverine and joined the UVSC Rodeo team in Steve Woolsey on the pro rodeo circuit 2005. While there, he was coached by Lewis Feild, who helped him immensely with the saddle bronc riding. At the time, Woolsey was juggling between college studies, college rodeo and competing in the PRCA to qualify for the NFR. He helped his fellow teammates win the Rocky Mountain Region Team title for the second consecutive year. "Overall, it was definitely the best year I've had," he said. Itf '06 Woolsey sustained a serious concussion from being hit by a bull. The injury landed him in the hospital and kept him out of the rodeo for a little while. "I had a bull whale me and hit me in the head," said Woolsey. "It almost killed me, I guess. It messed my equilibrium up and swelled my brain up so I had to sit out for a little while. Other than that, I've been pretty healthy." The following year presented another challenge as he was sidelined for a few months due to knee surgery to repair a torn PCL. This year Woolsey is healthy and having a blast even though it's difficult to battle through the aches and pains on many nights. But because of his will and determination, he's on track to make his third appearance at the NFR with some big wins under his belt buckle. Some of those include the Santa Maria Elks Club rodeo and the Livermore Rodeo in California and the Wendy Wood Memorial PRCA rodeo in Cedar. City. While all of those wins were gratifying, none of them are considered his favorite thus far. "I went up to Cloverdale and won a rodeo just before Santa Maria," said Woolsey. "It wasn't a PRCA rodeo either. It was an invitational deal and I ended up winning that. That's the biggest win I've had this year because I won ttte most money there." Despite his success, he has remained humble, which was evident as he was short on words in describing what strength gives him a competitive edge over his opponents. He said he just rides as hard as he can for eight seconds. On July 24, Woolsey will be making his third appearance at Fiesta Days and hopes to draw a good bull in front of a great crowd. "With a hometown deal, it kind of puts a lot of pressure on you " he said. "It's kind of tough because everyone is expecting.you to do well. But it's always fun to come back home and ride." |