The Texan Rodeo Rundown: Tarleton brings the heat to the desert of Alpine, Texas

BY MACKENZIE JOHNSON / Multimedia Journalist

Tarleton rodeo packed their bags and trekked the six hour commute to Alpine, Texas, Sept.26-28 for the second college rodeo of the semester. 

Tarleton is located the farthest East in the entire Southwest region of rodeo, and considering Alpine is only roughly 80 miles from the Mexico border, Sul Ross University is the farthest west Tarleton travels to every year. 

After a successful first college rodeo at Eastern New Mexico University the week prior, Tarleton felt they needed to not only make the weekend worth it for the sake of the long drive, but also to defend their number one ranked seat in the region.

 Although only the men’s team brought home a weekend championship, Tarleton left Alpine still holding onto that first place spot for both teams. 

Two of the recent frontrunning men contributing to that maintained position are saddle bronc rider Coleman Shallbetter and bareback rider Tucker Carricato. Both Tarleton men clenched the championship for their event at the Sul Ross University college rodeo, helping to keep the men’s team at the top regionally. 

Tarleton cowgirls Shyanne Bauerle and Hadley Tidwell also secured a championship title at Alpine - Bauerle in goat tying and Tidwell in barrel racing. 

In round one, Carricato won the bareback with 83.5 points,  Bauerle won the goat tying with a time of 6.2 seconds, Tidwell won the barrel racing with a 15.91 second run and Shalbetter split 2nd-3rd in the saddle bronc with Tarleton’s ENMU (Eastern New Mexico University) winner Bailey Small with a score of 79 points.

The other 14 Tarleton athletes who made the short go in an event are Devon Moore and Roedy Farrell (reserve champion) in bareback riding; Colten Suther in tiedown roping; Reghan Telfer and Cidney Estes in breakaway roping; Teel Sikes in steer wrestling; Waitely Sharon and Bailey Small (reserve champion) in saddle bronc; Keni Labrum, Brooklyn Balch and Kaylie Garza in goat tying; Cole Walker in team roping and Rylee Abel (reserve champion) and Jordan Driver in barrel racing. 

Sul Ross University may just be considered one of the toughest rodeos for Tarleton athletes based on the distance alone. No matter the event, athletes only get one run to make the short go that Saturday. It can be a lot of pressure, and having the right mindset going into a weekend like that is important.  

“The mental demand on myself is something I’ve worked on for a while,” Tidwell said. “I don’t allow myself to really think about how far it (the rodeo) is and only having one shot at the short go. If I catch myself thinking in ways like that, I immediately change my mindset.” 

Although keeping the proper headspace is tough, there’s nothing quite like winning your first college rodeo, especially as a freshman, and Carricato got to experience that. 

“It felt amazing to bring home the win because it was my second college rodeo,” Carricato said. “I’m excited about that and helping out the team.”

Shallbetter had a similar reaction to helping the men’s team win another championship and prioritized the things within his control when forming his plan for the weekend. 

“I was fortunate enough to draw a nice horse in the short round,” Shallbetter said. “My plan going in was to have fun, keep things simple and do my job.”

A rodeo athlete competing their best is instrumental in team success, but doing their job as a teammate is also majorly important. Strong teammate relationships are crucial to winning, and the friendship between Bauerle and the ENMU goat tying champion Tori Brower is an example of this. 

“Tori let me borrow (her horse) Nemo this weekend and just about anytime I ask,” Bauerle said. “He’s the reason I made the short go and was able to win this weekend... Having strong relations with your teammates is such an advantage because they help you in every way possible. Tori isn’t just a teammate, though - I’m so blessed to call her one of my best friends.”

Bauerle had reason to win through more than just one friendship. 

“This win at Alpine was really special because the day of the short round was the one year passing of Sydney Arthur,” Bauerle said. “She was one of my closest friends and anyone who even got to be around her knew she was the light in the room and made you feel so special. I knew Syd had a hand in what happened this weekend.”

Tidwell also had a special dedication for her win. 

“I have the most amazing support system inside and outside the arena,” Tidwell said. “That is something I never take for granted, and I always thank God for the people He has put in my life - but this weekend we lost a sweet friend, Alex Carter, so this win was definitely bittersweet and for her.”

These vast support systems and beloved people in the corner of Alpine’s weekend champions are a big reason why Tarleton is currently at the top of the rankings. 

“My support group is huge,” Carricato said. “Everyone on the team is just a big family and we are all super close and push each other as hard as we can… I would not have any success without all of them.”

It’s clear to see the influence of close confidants is a deeply rooted one in the lifestyle of every Tarleton rodeo athlete.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Shallbetter said. “I really enjoy the team I’m on and the opportunities they give us to win.”

And win they will, as Tarleton rodeo plans to keep scorching the college rodeo trail with the heat they picked up in Alpine - and they won’t stop until they’ve burned a path back to a College National Finals Rodeo championship.