One on One with Clint Cannon, PRCA Bareback Rider

I had the rare opportunity to sit down with one of the world's most talented professional rodeo cowboys back in May of 2009. Waller's own Clint Cannon is the leader going into the NFR this year. Clint is probably one of the last genuine, home-grown Cowboys in the world. He's humble, kind, and unbelievably real. It was amazing getting his unique insight on the rodeo world. Clint competes in the NFR in the upcoming days, and we're rooting for him to win big time! Here is his story.

*HOW/WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED IN RODEO?

Clint had always been athletic, he played football for two years at Stephen F. Austin before transferring to Texas A&M-Commerce, and playing there. After a sports injury in 2002, his senior year in college, Clint wanted to continue competing in something that was athletic. His father had rodeoed competitively as a bareback rider for 10-15 years, so he gave it a try. The result? He was hooked!

*WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO?
" When I first started I fell in love with the sport.. the people, the atmostphere, the freedom of it and the challenge of man vs. animal.. never been challenged in my life like I do with rodeo... not college sports etc. Everday that I go to a rodeo and ride it is a different challenge.. no horse with same personality.. each event can end your life.. compared to gladiator sport.. brings everything out in me.. makes me feel good.. brings my fear, my adrenaline.. makes me happy.. I'm addicted to it. "

*IS BAREBACK RIDING THE ONLY EVENT YOU HAVE EVER COMPETED IN?
" No.. rode bulls and bareback horses. But this is my main event. I fell in love with the horse riding because I was fascinated with horses and way they move. They are intelligent and beautiful. Everything happened so much faster and was so much more of a challenge, not that bulls aren't but everything happened so much more with the barebacks. I used to enter both events, but was not as excited about the bulls... but really excited about my bareback horse."

*TELLS US ABOUT ANY INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT YOU HAVE DONE:

"There is a stack of them on the table! Broken my wrist 3 times, my arm twice, 4 ribs and punctured my liver & kidney.. cracked and broke nose, slight fracture in my eye in my skull, broke ankles.. had a complete reconstructive shoulder surgery (bone graft). Kicked in places you don't wanna be kicked. One entire football game is like one bareback ride... and we ride sometimes 3 times per day. 5, 6 rides per week sometimes. Takes a toll on your body, especially when you're learning. You take the biggest beating you could ever imagine. Been knocked out so many times you start losing count. Every cowboy that does a rough-stock event knows they are going to get hurt. It's not if.. it's WHEN and how bad is it going to be.. It's a dangerous sport and you're going to get hurt."

*WHO OR WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION SO FAR?

" My dad, Jay, is one of my main inspirations. When I was little we'd go to rodeos with him and I would love being at the rodeo with him, he never pushed us toward it. Now that I rodeo and know how hard it is I really admire him for it. Other influence is my brother Kirby, he used to ride bare-back too."

*HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR AN EVENT OR COMPETITION? (TRAINING ETC)

" I go at a different approach.. 50% cowboys don't do anything but go to rodeos.. I use my football mentality.. exercise.. running.. I'm in the gym every day I can be .. training.. had a bad injury last year so I have a new outlook (positive).. nothing can get me down no matter what happens.. going to stay positive and thinking pos.. ½ game is pos thinking.. other ½ is training.

If I'm at home, I do stuff around the house, I'm always going to the gym and getting my workout. I get on spur-boards (fake looking horse made out of wood that cowboys practice riding on) which is where I practice my memory. I sit on it for an hour, spurring it, trying to get a mental game plan down for my horse. I just picture the ride in my head.

When I'm on the road I try to eat healthy all the time. It's hard to when you're on the road but you can do it. You have to stay focused on the task at hand.. always try to get a workout in. I wake up and do 100 pushups right out of bed. It helps me through the day. "

*WHO WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITION?

" In rodeo we've got competition (competing against others) but we're actually competing against the horse. If I do my part on this horse, the rest is up to the judges. My biggest competition is to ride every horse to the best of my ability. If I do that I will win. "

*WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE RODEO SCENE AND COMPETING PROFESSIONALLY?

" The fact that there are few cowboys left in the world.. it's a rough rugged sport, there's very few people that are tough enough to actually compete in rodeo. That's what I really love about the sport, the rough, rawness of it. It hasn't changed since the beginning of time.. man vs. bucking horse, man vs. bull. Cowboys are still cowboys. I love the fans.. they really love to watch it. The sport of rodeo is unique in a way. You can't go to an NFL football game and meet the players. You can go meet the cowboys though, we're right there. We aren't in it to make millions, we do it because we love it. We're approachable. You can make a good living doing rodeo. You don't get paid to compete, you get paid to win. If we don't win, we're pretty much losing money, it's a gamble. It's our personal money and the money of those who sponsor us. I like that aspect of rodeo, we are real people. We don't drive Ferraris we don't live in huge mansions. We have cows and horses, and we make ends meet. ".

*WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PET PEEVES?

" Things that irritate me, that's a hard one because I'm pretty easy going. I guess I don't like guys that wear white tennis shoes to the bar. I also don't like girls that smoke."

*TELL ME WHAT IT'S LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES AT A COMPETITION:

"Before a rodeo, the Rough riders are getting ready, talking rodeo. About 30min or so before the actual event starts, you'll see everyone change their attitudes when they start taping up. After that, about 10 min later, they start and everyone is very serious, no horse-play, everyone's taking care of business. They run the horses in and that's when everyone knows it's show-time.. Everyone is breathing, stretching out, and focusing on what they have to do. We always say a little prayer.. some say their own, or there is a group prayer. When it's your turn, you climb on board, concentrate, and you have help. Focus on the heart, because the nerves & gut are all stirred up because the adrenaline and nervousness of getting on a bucking animal works you up. No matter how many you've been on, it's gets you every time. When you run your hand in your rigging everything is happening in slow motion, you nod your head and your'e gone.. it's that quick."

*DO YOU DO OTHER EVENTS OTHER THAN COMPETITIONS?

"It's all competition at this point. My brother, Father, and I, do a Free rodeo school in November. It's always the weekend before Thanksgiving every year. Kids learn rodeo and bareback riding. We had about 24 show up last year. It's open to anyone."

*TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM (FAMILY/FRIENDS):

"My family backs me 100%, friends all support me.. entire town of WALLER support me. I post everything on myspace/facebook about what I'm doing. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of sponsors who help me out a little bit."

*WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST OBSTACLES FOR YOU TO OVERCOME ALONG THE WAY?

"GIRLS! It is hard to fall in love and be a rodeo cowboy because every girl says they love rodeo.. love it love it love it.. then when you start getting serious with them.. they want you stop doing it because it is dangerous. You are always on the road, always getting hurt. It's nothing for me to be gone for a week or more, be off a day or so and then be gone again. They start learning it, seeing it, knowing it, then they want you to slow down. You start to lose focus.. it's a crazy thing... get caught up in big mental games and that can cost you.. you can start making mistakes.. wondering if you should enter rodeos etc so it starts costing you. Not saying it can't ever work out, it does with some people. Women are a huge downfall to a lot of cowboys, but I love women, cowboys love women.. it's hard to overcome. If you can make love and rodeo work you've mastered it!!!! I've gone through 2 girlfriends and 1 fiance.. lost it all through rodeo. Got out for 8 months with the surgery I had, and decided this year no matter what, I was having NO girlfriends! I've been staying focused on what I need to do and it has been working. Once I accomplish what I want to accomplish I can start thinking about other stuff. "

*WHAT, SO FAR, HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER?

Winning rodeo Houston! I Won the 50k round. I had had a great year already but that 50K bumped me up to #1 in the world. It has qualified me for my dream..a guaranteed a slot in the National Finals. It has guaranteed me to go where every cowboy wants to go. Little kids dream about riding in finals one day. It's like the super bowl of rodeo. I'm #1 in the world and I've got a big lead! Everything is in my hands to win a world title. Winning in my hometown of Houston, and getting a shot at winning the world title, has been the greatest thing so far."

*WHAT IS YOUR NEXT GOAL?

"Win the World Championship (National Finals) to be the #1 gold buckle in my hand is my ultimate goal. Last year I thought I could win a gold buckle. Thought about just making the NFR but the Houston thing boosted me up. I don't' drink, don't smoke, don't eat unhealthy, I'm always working out. I'm on task and focused."

*WHAT'S NEXT?

" I have a lot going on this year, everyone is gunning to beat me. I am finishing a film called Cowboy Ballad. It is a documentary shot by a French Film Crew, was shown in Europe, and hopeful to get into theaters."

*WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE NOT COMPETING?

" I do lots of fun stuff like surfing and swimming. Rodeo has allowed me to do some of those fun things because I don't have a regular day job. I don't take it for granted for a moment.. I embrace it. I have 30 head of cattle, and I work in my garden and on my house a lot."

*WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

"Gardening, planting flowers, and I love to plant shrubs. I sit out in my grass and think about what I need to add. I really enjoy beautiful plants/flowers. They bloom all year round so I have lots of color. I love sports and love to hunt, surf, and ski, so I squeeze some of that stuff in from time to time too."

*WHO ENDORSES YOU?

"Relient Energy, Barstow Pro Rodeo Eqpt., and a local homebuilder in the Houston area. Anyone interested in sponsoring me can contact me directly. "

*HOW DO YOU GET FOCUSED/PUMPED UP FOR YOUR RIDES?

"I visualize when I jump up on the bucking shoes, when I'm standing/waiting for my turn to go.. I visualize me making the perfect ride.. and how it would feel to make the perfect ride. I do it while I'm stretching, I'm constantly focusing... thinking about what it is going to take to make that happen. It keeps me calm/relaxed."

*WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD RIGHT BEFORE A RIDE?

"The last thoughts going through my head before that gate swings open is to be aggressive. Take a deep breath and just think to be aggressive."

*PUT YOUR FEELINGS INTO WORDS TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE DURING A RIDE.

" It's right in between a fist fight and dancing with a beautiful woman. It's a fist fight because I'm fighting and squeezing.. but at the same time I'm finesse.. doing everything that I can to stay in the same motion and look good. "

*TELL ME ABOUT THE FANS (ANY CRAZY STORIES ETC?)

"Lots of aggressive women.. It's something that you have to get used to, you try to be nice to everyone you can but it's hard. "

*DO YOU DO ANY KINDS OF PROMOTIONS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CAREER?

"I go to a lot of elementary schools and talk to kids. I've gone to Waller Jr. High to talk to football team. I plan to go to some more. I've done lots of radio and tv shows. I've done some magazines too, and have been on the cover of a few. I'm always trying to help people out."

*DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY VOLUNTEER OR CHARITABLE EVENTS?

"Yes! I donate money to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. That is a non-profit org that helps cowboys when they get seriously injured. It helps their families."

*NAME ONE RODEO RELATED INFLUENCE OF YOURS AND WHY

"Rowdy Buckner. He's a big influence just because we were buddies when I first started and he made the National Finals and then he got hurt. He can barely walk now and no longer does rodeos. He was at the top and now he can't do anything. He's an inspiration to me."

*TO WHAT OR WHOM DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO?

"My dad and my brother. They helped me through hard times and always ready to pitch in to help me out. "

*WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE TEN YEARS FROM NOW?

"I hope to married with a child or two. I'm hoping to still have a part in rodeo, but be married with children. "

*WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG KID WHO HAS A DREAM TO ONE DAY GET WHERE YOU ARE?

"I tell them always make sure you get your degree.. high school and college. I battled dyslexia in HS and College. It is hard but you have to work extra hard to be on top. I did it despite my challenges. You can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish. You have to work toward your goals to achieve them. I dated, I studied, I worked, never been drunk.. focused on everything I needed to do.. knew what I had to do to become successful.. lucky enough to realize it all at a younger age. "

Is this your main gig?

"This is it.. this is all I do. Since 2003 this has been my sole source of income. "

Where can we find your schedule?

"I post everything on myspace and facebook!"

Have you had a favorite horse?

"Wise Guy.. he's one of the horses I rode in Houston... he bucks with so much heart. No matter what/where.. he bucks with everything he's got. We see the horses at other rodeos.. not all the time but a lot of the time. "

Loves of his lifeQuestion

"My dogs! I have a bloodhound, a German short-haired Pointer, and a mixed mutt. They're my babies."