Rodeo Fame Winter 2016 WNFR Special Edition | Page 30

RFM

BRN • Brothers & Others

Saddle Bronc Riding

BROTHERS
& OTHERS
Written by Lori O'Harver

There are no strangers among the WNFR bronc riders
who’ll convene in their locker room deep in the base of
Thomas & Mack, but this year is a mostly a family affair.
Out of over 200 contestants who started the season
with Las Vegas in their sights, there are fifteen cowboys
left standing. They’ll face the elite bucking horses chosen
to test their mettle in one of the most grueling, ten day
contests in all of professional sports.
Of those fifteen, there are three sets of brothers, a father
and his two sons and just five guys who’ll nod for their
title shot as the sole representative of their family.
“It’s always great to know your brother has your back,”
said veteran WNFR contestant and bronc hand, Cody
DeMoss. “Last year at Calgary, Heith and I tied to make
the finals out of the Wild Card Pool. We got to the

homestretch of our victory lap, looked at each other and
just had to let those horses run!”
“I looked over and saw my big brother loping along
against a giant wall of cheering fans,” said Heith. “I’ll
never forget it!”
What’s it like to be Evelyn Wright?
She’s Cody, Jake and Jesse’s mother, Rusty and Ryder’s
grandmother and CoBurn Bradshaw’s mother in law
and seen three of her boys win world titles. This year,
Miss Evelyn has six family members to root for … six
times to pray for safety.
“One or six, it doesn’t matter. I just want them to make
the best of every horse, clear their mental mechanism’s
after every round and ride the best that they can,” she
said. “My grandson, Rusty’s dream was to ride at the
WNFR with his dad. This year, his dream will come true
and 39-year-old Cody will be there with two of his sons.”
Reigning world champion Jacobs Crawley got real
serious after 2014 and it paid off with the title win the
next year. This year, he’s led the standings wire to stretch
and inspired his little brother, Sterling.
“I adopted Jacobs’ style of fitness and mental toughness
training and it turned my career around. I'm fitter than ever
and HAVE pushed hard.” Sterling said. “Mentally, I function
on a 24-hour loop, never dwell on a past ride and focus
just on the horse right in front of me. My consistency has
improved thanks to my brother. I’m ready!”

The racing DeMoss brothers in Calagary
Photo by Mike Copeman

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