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January 30, 2009

BRETT HOFFMAN: Feild continues to contribute to the sport

By Brett Hoffman

When Lewis Feild won the first of his three consecutive world all-around titles in 1985, the Utah cowboy brought new excitement to the sport.

He was the first bucking-stock rider to earn the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s most coveted prize since Larry Mahan won the all-around 12 years earlier in 1973.

Feild had a handle on the logistics of a sport that requires strategic traveling and budgeting, and he was a devoted family man.

So, it was no surprise last year when Feild was the rodeo coach at Utah Valley State and guided his son, Kaycee, to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bareback riding title. The elder Feild also watched his son qualify for his first National Finals Rodeo.

This year, Lewis Feild is proudly watching his son get off to a fast start. After busting three broncs at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo last weekend, Kaycee Feild took the lead in the average and has all but clinched a Feb. 8 final-round berth after turning in attention grabbing scores of 82, 83, and 88.

Lewis Feild, 52, who also had strong showings at the Fort Worth rodeo two decades ago, said he easily understands what his son is experiencing.

“I know what he’s doing out there when he’s riding and traveling and it’s almost like living it over again,” Feild said.

Kaycee Feild, 21, who lives in his father’s hometown of Elk Ridge, Utah, began riding bareback broncs at 13 in the practice pen.

But his father didn’t allow him to compete on a regular basis until he was 17.

“I didn’t start growing a lot until I got older, and he didn’t want me to get hurt,” Kaycee Feild said. “But starting at that age made me want to do it more and crave it more. It made me put my mind to it instead of getting out there and just doing it.”

Kaycee Feild said his father emphasized the importance of enjoying life on the rodeo circuit.

“He’s always told me if you’re having fun outside of the arena, you’re going to have fun inside the arena, and you’ll have the right mind-set to win,” Kaycee Feild said.

When the younger Feild competed in last month’s National Finals in Las Vegas, he became a big hit with fans when he won the sixth round with a 90.5-point ride aboard the notorious bronc Wise Guy as his father watched.

Kaycee Feild, who earned $37,049 at the NFR and finished eighth in the 2008 bareback world standings with $127,903, said his father is his biggest hero.

“He’s taught me to be positive, have fun and stay tough when the times get rough,” Kaycee Feild said.

In the money

After qualifying for his first National Finals Rodeo last year, Tuf Cooper is off to a fast start as he attempts to return to the Las Vegas championships. Cooper earned $7,671 by finishing second in tie-down roping at last weekend’s National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver. He’s the son of the legendary world champion tie-down roper Roy Cooper, who lives in Decatur.

New champion

Clayton Baethge of Johnson City clinched the 2008 Championship Bull Riding champion title last weekend at the association’s finals in Las Vegas. Baethge turned in scores of 90.5 and 91 on his way to winning the average and claiming the title. The CBR’s bull riding tour is scheduled to stop in Fort Worth on March 7 and in Lubbock on Sept. 19.

Brett Hoffman is a 20-year rodeo columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Email him at brett@myrodeoinsider.com.

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