Best Ever Blog – Travis Woodard
By Sonja Eschenburg
BIO
Hometown: Stephenville, Texas
Date of birth: 11/13/1983
Event: Team Roping – Heeler
Background: Married to wife, Rachel); Son, Wyatt and Daughter, Audrey; Cousins with team ropers Daniel, Ricky, and Chris Green
Spending nearly two-thirds of the year traveling on the road from rodeo to rodeo requires hard work and dedication. It comes as no surprise then that heeler Travis Woodard, with career earnings closing in on nearly half a million dollars, made it to the 2015 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in team roping, after having worked his tail off all season long. As the son of two-time world champion heeler, Walt Woodard (father), Travis literally grew up with a rope in his hand at all times. Having first joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) over a decade ago, back in 2002, Woodard is one of those team ropers that fans whole-heartedly believed would one day make it to the WNFR sooner rather than later. Woodard very quickly climbed the ladder of success – starting with one of his first big wins at the prestigious Bob Feist Invitational Roping with partner Mikey Fletcher in 2003. At only 19 years old, that title in itself named Woodard as one of the youngest champions in the event’s 37-year history.
Along with traveling up and down the rodeo trail, Woodard also spends a majority of his time in Stephenville, Texas. It is in Stephenville that he and his dad have built a facility designed specifically for training team ropers at the legendary Woodard’s World-Wide Roping School. As both the owners and operators, the pair works together to offer semi-private individual as well as group lessons, and even cover more than just the basics of team roping. The facility is the perfect place to learn from the best, and relax all at the same time. Considering his dad, Walt, is one of his greatest influences, it comes as no surprise that Woodard takes after his father’s positive attitude and want to help others. For these characteristics alone Best Ever is proud to sponsor Woodard.
A true champion both in and out of the arena, Woodard is very well known for his positive outlook. The competition at Pro Rodeos is stiff and there’s often no worse disappointment than making a bad run at a rodeo. Whatever the reason, it sometimes is difficult to push past, both physically and mentally. However, Woodard put it best in his 2011 Rodeo Blog and Odessa Video, when he said,
“I’m an aggressive heeler. That’s [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][just] who I am. The mental pressure of heeler with a World Champion left me with a no mistakes kind of attitude… I made myself a promise right there [though, that] if I did lose the rodeo, lose my partner, and the worst did happen – I could live with it, as long as I was aggressive and roped like myself. No more nerves, no more worrying. Just have fun and enjoy the ride, don’t be so obsessed with the destination.”
Mental attitude, although focused on in rough stock events, is often overlooked when comes
to timed events. Attitude, however, is one of the most important, as well as influential,
aspects in regards to the sport of rodeo. In his blog Woodward said, “The human mind is the
most powerful thing ever discovered. It can propel you to greatness or it can destroy you.”
Maintaining a strong mental conscious in itself is one a rodeo athlete’s most adverse and
greatest challenges.
2015 started off with a big win for Woodard, who was heeling for partner Kaleb Driggers, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which for the past ten years, has been named the PRCA’s Largest Indoor Rodeo of the Year. According to an article from KTVQ, “They stopped the clock in 3.9 seconds, just one-tenth of a second off of the arena record that Driggers set with Jade Corkill in 2012.” They each collected over $21,000 alone, and it was with that money that Woodard made the call to hit the rodeo trail running in hopes of making this year’s WNFR. All of his hard working efforts sure paid off as Woodard will make his first appearance roping in the Thomas and Mack Center in just a few short days with two-time world champion header, Matt Sherwood, who by sheer coincidence, just nine years ago was roping with Walt. We wish him all the best of luck as he tackles this next week head on!
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2015 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo (TX)
2015 Horse Heaven Round-Up Champions Challenge (Kennewick, WA)
2015 Cache County Fair & Rodeo (Logan, UT)
2015 Molalla (OR) Buckeroo Rodeo
2014 Wild, Wild West ProRodeo (Cilver City, NM)
2013 Red Bluff (CA) Round-Up
2013 Gooding (ID) ProRodeo
2012 All American ProRodeo Finals (Waco, TX)
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